If one birthday gift wasn’t enough, guess who surprised me with a visit from the Blizz fairy? Yes, you guessed it. Navi had mentioned that she had another gift for me so I wondered if this was it. I originally suspected that this was the gift that she was talking about in that first late-night whisper when she said she wanted to send it early. But no, she meant a virtual gift wrapped in a red ribbon and not something you would need to send via the post office.

As soon as I saw the bag, I knew what it was. In fact, I have a matching one on the filing cabinet with a couple of other stuffed animals collected over the years. Navi admits she was checking my collection very closely to make sure I still didn’t have one so it worked out in the end.

So what do you think? Even as a Horde player, it’s hard not to appreciate the cuteness of a plushie Gryphon Hatchling.

Although the gift wouldn’t be complete without its matching in-game companion.

Stormwind-scenic-flight

So here we are on a scenic flight past Stormwind.

On a side note, pet battlers may have noticed a look-a-like through pet battles but no equivalent for the wind rider.

Winder-Rider-Cub

Thanks again Navi, you’re a special friend indeed, especially since our friendship has lasted almost 20 years!!