chunk: The first adventure in the Phoenix's curriculum for David involves seeing the Gryffins, said to be the friendliest of three similar races: the Gryffins, Gryffons, and Gryffens). On this journey, they first meet a Witch who goads the Phoenix into a race, which he later wins. Though David never actually meets a Gryffin on his first journey, the Phoenix attempts to talk to a lazy Gryffen. But they get captured by the violent and arrogant Gryffons, who sentence the Phoenix to death for bringing humans into their magic world.