Hale rustled up with a squawk of agitation. Spreading his wings, he leaped at the hunter’s back. The big man swung around. He was as fast as the griffin, ducking under the stab of its beak and grasping it by the throat. Yet he did not squeeze or tear. He twisted back and forth as if at war within himself, an instinct to protect the beast struggling against the malevolent rage surging through his flesh. 

The black corruption slithered from his bare hands into Hale’s flesh. With a cry of dismay, horrified at what he’d just done, the man released the beast and stumbled backward.

***

Hale bristled, feathers ruffling, and shrieked his hunting call. Shadows ripped through his form as the corruption took hold in his body. The griffin leaped for the nearest horse—Elowen’s gelding—and smashed the animal sideways to the dirt. As the horse screamed, trying to get up, Hale raked open its belly with his talons and began to feed on its entrails. The other horses bolted for the far side of the glade, seeking any path to escape, but there was no escape from the cage of vines. 

They were trapped inside with the curse.

***
 
Throne of Eldraine: The Wildered Quest, Chapter 12