this is Gelifen,the baby griffin from impossible creatures by katherine rundell
Griffins have the body, tail, and back legs of a lion, and the head, wings, and front claws of an eagle, though they do not speak aloud they learn astonishingly fast, and can understand the entirety of the human language in days. When fully grown their wingspan is wide enough to shelter a child underneath it. In cold weather their bodies radiate warmth the griffin is more reliant than any other creatures in the Glimourie, the soil, and the air; they are among the worlds most magical creatures. -Impossible creatures, guardians bestiary
