Hawkwind was born a Feathyr: descendant of wild griffins who ended a war by swearing a pact with the humans of Northnest. She was raised to protect the human royal family with her life, but she never expected she'd have to. For generations the kingdom of Northnest, with its unique alliance with griffins, had been ignored by conquerors, until now. The only griffin to escape the slaughter, with four tiny human children, Hawkwind must flee for her life and theirs, but a griffin cannot raise human children on her own. She seeks the griffins who did not join the Northnest pact but instead retreated into the deepest mountains--somewhere.
Hawkwind finds the wild griffins and hopes to join them. She makes a deal with Thornfire, who says if she helps him find his missing brother and retrieve some mythical artifacts, he'll put in a good word for her. They travel to Snow-in-lee: ancient griffin city of legend. With them are Thornfire's apprentice and a silent stranger: like Hawkwind, not a member of the wild griffin cities. Hawkwind is hopeful, at first. She hadn't counted on her own physiology. Griffins naturally live in Lines, each led by a Matriarch--the only breeding females. When Hawkwind's entire Line was killed at Northnest, leaving her the only survivor, she finds herself maturing into an adult who could take on such a role, but that complicates her chances of being accepted by the wild griffins. Still, it is not something she can prevent, and she must learn to embrace both the authority and responsibility that comes with the position.
This story is told from Hawkwind's perspective: a griffin's coming-of-age story. The author is educated in zoology and scientific illustration uses them to back up her fantasy--including the 20 illustrations. The story contains violent fighting and some sexuality but neither is explicit.
