"Alright, now put a drop of your blood on his head," Damian ordered.
The Gryphon was paralyzed and couldn't move, but its eyes glared at Dave who was attempting to tame it.
Since he didn't have an ounce of magical power, it was quite impossible for him to form a contract with a beast on its own. Fortunately, Damian was a competent Beastmaster and acted as a bridge to make the Gryphon submit to Dave.
The boy poked his fingertip with a dagger until blood flowed from it. He then smeared it on the forehead of the Gryphon while Damian worked the contractual magic to bind the Gryphon under Dave's control.
"Now it's a battle," Damian said. "You need to make him approve of you through a battle of wills. Gryphons are prideful creatures and don't like to become someone's mount. Even those that pull the carriages of nobles had to be won over before they agreed to work for anyone."