Fantasy Skyheart (1 slot open)

[YumenoTsukishiro]

For the first time since he found himself in Arebos without his memories, Gerel slept without dreams. There was only a sense of... peace. Where it came from, Gerel could only guess. He liked to think it was Ventra cradling him in her arms. He woke up to the sound of laughter and the cold piercing through the fur blankets. He noticed that his bandages were new, and he didn't need to guess to know who did it. She was actually over there, running with the others with snowballs in hand. Snowballs? Gerel looked around and noticed that the land was blanketed by powdery white. 'That's why the blanket felt a little heavier than usual,' Gerel thought.

Shaking off the snow, he stood up. His body felt light and rejuvenated. The scar tissue across his chest tightened whenever he moved, but they felt good as new. No pain. With a deep breath, he stretched his muscles, testing their strength. It was nothing less than a miracle that he was already standing up like this. It was like he didn't lose enough blood to faint, or get gouged by a snarling beast's claws. Whatever it was, he gave thanks to the five deities for this gift of healing.

Now, time to test something else. Gerel walked towards the ongoing battle, grabbing up a handful of snow. Time to let go of the dark thoughts that plagued his mind the day before. The gods saw fit to bring him back. And he would prove worthy of their attention.

SilverFlight Naberius Lioness075 kase9187 Saturn_moon explosiveKitten AncientBird Elenion Aura SleepyCreamy

 

[AncientBird]

That night, Serik dreamed again. Unlike the dream he had in the night before. This one was very vivid and bright.

He saw... Himself smiling, flying through the air, more of floating. The sky was blue and clear, below lay the vast Estendorian plain, with herd of wild animals running in the same direction as he went... He landed on a rock formation, looking at the sun. He then heard his name called. Serik turned around and saw the full band of the participants standing behind. They all smiled at him and welcomed him back as he walked right toward them. In the middle, stood Marylka, as beautiful as ever. She smiled at him as Serik stepped in front of her.

"I wish I could stop time to have this moment as long as possible." Serik spoke to her. "To be with everyone." He said and looked at the others in the band. "...And to be with you..." He stopped to direct his word at Marylka. The girl didn't say or do anything but she kept smiling, with a bit of shyness in her expression.

The dream ended and Serik woke up to the real world again. This dream didn't make him sweat and cower in fear. He welcomed it and kept lying for while with smile on his face. "Perhaps it's a good omen for today." He said to himself. Then he heard the laughter and sound coming from the entrance. He got up, prepared to start his new day.

Featuring: SilverFlight Naberius Lioness075 kase9187 Saturn_moon explosiveKitten YumenoTsukishiro Elenion Aura SleepyCreamy

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf pulled out his carving after the whole debacle outside and approached Ferro.
"Excuse me, Ser Ferro? Do you know what this is?"
He held out the carving of his skybeast to Ferro, wanting him to tell Aldaf what exactly he carved from his subconscious.

SilverFlight Naberius Lioness075 AncientBird Saturn_moon explosiveKitten YumenoTsukishiro Elenion Aura SleepyCreamy

 

[SilverFlight]

Kari
Ferro couldn't begin to explain how his charges had healed so quickly.
"It shouldn't be possible." He said, scratching his head, but when he tested Gerel, examined the wound, he could find no reason as to why the youth couldn't finish his proving.
Others were not so lucky. The Northarian boy, one of the other 2 proving youths that were with them, had been caught by a stonewargs claw in the battle. Ferro had sewn and dressed the wound on his arm, but when he checked that, the cut was just as it had been the night before, not infected (thank the gods), but certainly not healed.
"You all woke up in that tent together eh?" Ferro asked when they were packing up the camp. "Curious."

Aldaf came to him with the carving anf Ferro took it, turning it gently this way and that.
"It's a seregios." He said, admiring the detail of the spiny scales. "Maybe it waits for you at the end of this journey."

Kari still had a hard time believing that Gerel's wounds had been healed so quickly. She packed her things and waited for the others.
"First our memory, then the magic, now healing?" Kari listed the bizarre things that happened. She had also seen the others surprised when they noted the power of some of their spells. It was evident they'd been training in that one missing year, but where, how and for what purpose still remained locked to them, and in all her experience, in the stories and books, she had never heard of magic that could heal wounds in a night.
"Maybe the gods do have a special interest in us..." It was the most un-Kari-like thing to say...but then, this had been a strange trip.

~*~*~

Ferro lead them up the hardest part of the journey now. It was mostly climbing, and it took every ounce of Kari's stamina to scrabble up the sheer rock walls. They climbed in a line, tied to one another, with Emerald at the head, her claws digging into the stone like a cat on a tree. She at least, had no issue with the climb. There were iron anchors already embedded in the stone, which Ferro would hook them onto every few feet climbed, in case one slipped.
They were surrounded by mist. It was so thick Kari could barely see Emerald when she looked up, and the line of people vanished below her.

Kari pulled herself up onto yet another ledge, expecting only a small respite before the next...when she saw Ferro standing over her. The ledge was a wide, flat space, enough room for the entire party and at the end of it, in the rock wall was an opening.
"Through here." Ferro's voice was almost muffled by how thick the fog was.
Panting Kari helped the others up until they were all there and after they had spent a moment catching their breath, she lead the way inside. The cave was narrow. So narrow the dragon had to take flight, wherever they were going, she couldn't go they way they were.
Kari was small enough that the crevice didn't bother her, but someone like Aldaf or Matthias would have needed to squeeze through.

At length, the light reflecting off of wet stone walls told Kari they were almost through. The light that spilled forth nearly blinded her. They came out onto a ledge filled with grass and wild mountain flowers. The scent was sweet, and a breeze swept it past them.
When Kari's eyes adjusted her jaw dropped.
The land before them was a giant ring of stone, as if they were standing on the rim of a gargantuan volcano. Blue sky stretched overhead, and just beyond the rock walls, Kari could see the billowing clouds they had just climbed through. There was no cloud above them and sunlight poured onto hundreds of ledges, plateaus and open spaces, and nearly each one was covered in skybeasts.
They all congregated together, all different species, in some sort of utopian truce. Dragons and Perytons played in the waterfalls and ponds, while Gryphons basked with giant eagles against the warm stone. There was only a little snow, collected in the grass, but the entire place held a magic that Kari couldn't describe.
She walked to the edge and peered down. After a distance the ledges disappeared and the walls became straight and un-climable. The center of the mountain sank down into darkness, and far below her she could see hints of the swirling purple cloud that marked the start of the world below. It would not be wise to fall into there.

She felt her heart begin to race. This was it. This was the moment she would find her flying partner, who would be with her for the rest of her life.
Kari wanted to shout out for joy, cry and be sick all at once.
All these emotions were very plane on her face.
"Good luck out there." She told them all, and she meant it.

"You'll do this alone." Ferro restated firmly. He took Kari's rope from her hands and undid the grappling hook, gesturing for the others to do the same. "Remember, if you dreamt of the beast's name, use it to help calm them. You will have ONLY one line of rope, like this, and your amulets. Nothing else. If you are helped it will be a sign that you have not earned it, and it will sully the bond. Emerald and I will step in only if we think you are in life-threatening danger, otherwise...try not to fall."
And with that, he stood back, waiting for the youths to start the climb down to where the first beasts sat.

Kari tried to steady her breathing. She went to pick Gerel out of the group.
"Hey," Suddenly her mind balked, and refused to give her any words.
"Look, um...just....be careful out there...you got hurt last time, because you were looking out for me, I don't want to watch that happen again..."
It looked like she wanted to say more, but instead she offered him a hand. "We'll both get our skybeasts today. Then I'll beat you in our first race. Deal?"

Naberius Lioness075 explosiveKitten YumenoTsukishiro Elenion Aura kase9187 Saturn_moon SleepyCreamy AncientBird

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf stayed by Zeke during the climb up, just talking about normal things. He didn't ask anymore than Zeke was willing to tell, and he was fine with that.
He made sure to thank Ferro for his input.

-.-.-.-.-

Aldaf came up on the top, short on breath but doing fine. He put his hand gently on Zeke's shoulder, unsure whether or not he was fine with his touch again.
"We made it." He spoke softly. "I hope to see you in the sky, Zeke." He unclipped his gear, bringing only his clothes and his allowed gear.
He took the rope and took his amulet out from underneath his coat. The time had come to find his Skybeast.
He made his way carefully, looking for a Seregios like the one he carved.

After a bit of searching, Aldaf heard a vicious roar from above and leapt back in time for several sharp quill-like scales to embed themselves where he was standing previously.
The Seregios he carved, the one from his dream, Spica, dropped down and stared at him. He could feel the tug, and knew this was them. He readied the rope and his amulet, ready to take on the wyvern standing before him.
"You know who I am. I know who you are. I'd rather not die here today, if that's fine by you." He paused. "I've got someone I promised to see after I was done."
With a quick sprint, he charged the scaled wyvern, who charged in response.

-.-.-.-.-

Aldaf had several cuts on his arms, but the Seregios was tiring out as well. Luckily, Spica wasn't betting on him being able to reflect their scales and quills through wind magic. Aldaf decided he'd finish this here and now. He used his wind magic and leapt forward, dashing at incredible speeds. Spica reared up to defend, but Aldaf jumped over their wings and landed on their horn. Spica's scales reared up in anger, and they tossed around violently, but Aldaf was grabbing on tight. He shouted to the wyvern with incredible demand and force.
"SPICA! STOP!"
The Seregios stopped thrashing, confused as to who called their name. Aldaf had tied the rope around their horn and swung himself off of it, grabbing onto one of Spica's legs. The wyvern leapt up in the air, starting to fly with the intent of dropping Aldaf. Before he could be clawed off, however, he managed to pull out the amulet and press it against Spica's heart.
At first, all it seemed like was Spica froze in the air, their wings being the only thing keeping both of them airborne.
Then Aldaf lost his strength and began to fall, missing the rope by mere centimeters. He started flailing wildly as Spica dove beneath him and flipped around onto their back, catching Aldaf in their talons before flipping around and beating on their scaled wings to slow their descent.
Aldaf got dropped off and rolled with the impact, coming away with only a bruised ass and some nasty cuts from the quills. Spica landed nearby and rushed over, looking over Aldaf. He felt their fear and confusion and chuckled.
"No, Spica. I'm not hurt. You managed to catch me just in time." He laughed and stood up shakily, putting a hand on their horn and below their chin, both for balance and for praising Spica for their superior work. "Thank you."

-.-.-.-.-

Aldaf was praising Spica for their talent in combat and their quick rescue, Spica carrying Aldaf on their horn. They roar-barked happily, a sound Aldaf has never really heard before in his life. He couldn't say that it wasn't shocking, hearing it, but not that it wasn't unpleasant. He wanted to observe the other Proving Challengers from a distance, so he asked Spica to carry him back up to where Ferro and Emerald were perched.
"Hi!" He exclaimed happily enough for someone who had multiple cuts and was breathing quite hard. "Got my Skybeast! Really sharp!" Again Spica roar-barked in approval. They maneuvered themselves so Aldaf could sit comfortably and safe while he viewed his friends completing their Provings, especially watching Zeke, Kari and Cal.

SleepyCreamy SilverFlight Naberius
AncientBird explosiveKitten Elenion Aura Saturn_moon Lioness075 YumenoTsukishiro

 

[Saturn_moon]

The last section of their ascent was by far the most exhausting. Even though Marylka kept her eyes fixed in front of her and made the effort to check her footing with every step, she still managed to slip several times. By the time they reached the ledge, she was half drained and her legs felt like jelly. Ferro led them through a small opening in the wall (how he even managed to fit in the first place was a mystery in itself), and when they emerged on the other side it was as if they had stepped into a whole other world.

The heavy mist they’d spent the last few hours climbing through rested just under the crater-like ledge they now stood upon, like a velvet cloak hiding the world below. Marylka’s eyes opened wide as she took in the sight before her and quickly realized why her grandfather could never fully explain what he saw up here in his stories. This place, it was stunning and it was indescribable. The sun shone down on them, warm and bright, casting a golden light across everything it touched. As her eyes scanned the scene before her, she counted more hues than she could name and saw skybeasts of every type, doing whatever their hearts desired.

"You'll do this alone." Ferro restated firmly. "Remember, if you dreamt of the beast's name, use it to help calm them. You will have one line of rope, like this, and your amulets. If you are helped it will be a sign that you have not earned it, and it will sully the bond.”

Marylka groaned. She had no dreams of her beast or of its name and considering the multitudes of beasts before her, it would be like finding a needle in a damn hay stack. She heard Matthias wish her luck and she smiled gratefully at him. They climbed down from the ledge to where the first beasts sat and started their search. Aldaf was the first to find his skybeast, a fearsome looking wyvern covered in scales in quills. She watched for a bit as they exchanged blows, Aldaf leaping out of the way or deflecting with wind magic each time the wyvern sent a wave of quills flying his way, before moving on. Marylka secretly prayed that her own beast would be less vicious.

Her hopes deflated each time she approached a group of beasts and they’d take to the skies before she even got close enough to identify what species they all were. Fifteen minutes passed. Then thirty. In that time more and more of her companions had managed to locate their skybeast and were now attempting to tame them. If they weren’t trying to tame their skybeast then they had already succeeded which offered her no comfort.

She’d just about reach the other end of the ring when she sat down in defeat and frustration. Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of not being able to complete her proving not because she hadn’t been able to tame it but because she couldn’t even find the damn beast in the first place. Maybe it really wasn’t meant to be. Maybe this was the gods’ way of telling her that she should have believed in them more. That it was time to haul her ass back home to Estendor and stay there as her parents had told her from the start. She hastily rubbed the tears from her eyes. “Damn it, Marylka.” She scolded herself. “Pull yourself together. You did not come this far just to give up now. You WILL find your skybeast even if it takes you the entire day.”

SleepyCreamy SilverFlight Naberius AncientBird explosiveKitten Elenion Aura kase9187 Lioness075 YumenoTsukishiro

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

The snowball fight left Gerel in high spirits, if slightly cold and damp. Alliances were made, relationships were mended, and hilarious sights were made glorious in his eyes. The look on Ferro’s face when he saw five scars on his chest, fully healed, helped lift his mood further. Even if the rapid healing was another mystery on a growing pile of mysteries, Gerel was grateful for it. Aldaf benefited from it, jumping into yesterday’s snowball battle as if the Stonewarg fight never happened. Unfortunately, not everybody was blessed by the deities; like Gerel, the Northarian boy who went up with them was clawed up by a Stonewarg. Unlike Gerel, his wounds were red and tender and still recovering. Gerel sent a silent prayer of recovery his way, hoping that he too could finish the Proving with them.

------------------

Moments in Gerel’s life came and went. Some moments burned themselves so brightly into him they become memories for life. The first time he shot an arrow correctly. The time when his mother hugged him goodbye before he left on the journey. That night when Kari looked up at him with the stars reflected in her eyes. The moment when Gerel and the others came out of the foggy cave and into the light… that burned brighter than anything else before it. Beautiful could not begin to describe the paradise spread out before him, marred only by the dark circle below, a gateway into the shadowy World Below.

A multitude of skybeasts flew around, painting iridescent colors across the blue sky. Sounds clashed as giant eagles screeched, dragons roared, and alicorns huffed. Talon was feeling the energy of it all, her feet tightening on Gerel’s shoulder. Both their eyes looked on in awe so much that they forgot everything else around them, except… there, in a plateau to their left, where only one skybeast was cantering around the grass. Unless Gerel’s eyes were playing tricks on him, he could’ve sworn that even from afar, the skybeast met his stare with unnerving stillness.

Kari broke him out of his reverie when she came up to him. She hesitated in her words, and Gerel wondered at the unspoken ones hidden behind her lips. Her hand offered to him said enough, and Gerel grasped it tight. There were strength and tenderness in her hands, and no trace of fear or nervousness. Gerel hoped he could show her the same things.

“That Stonewarg attack wasn’t your fault, Kari,” he said with a smile. “I got hurt protecting you, and I would gladly do it again for you and everyone in this group. Please don’t beat yourself up over it. You’ll make Talon sad.”

On cue, Talon cooed softly, reaching out with her head to rub it against Kari’s own. His smile widened into a grin. “Heh. We’ll get our skybeasts alright, and then I’ll enjoy seeing you in second place silver. That’s a promise.”

SleepyCreamy SilverFlight Naberius AncientBird explosiveKitten Elenion Aura kase9187 Lioness075 Saturn_moon

 

[AncientBird]

Serik was a bit tired after the snow ball fight, but the thought of taking the most important part of the proving kept him lifely.

Ferro eventually gathered the participants and led them forth toward their destination. More climbing and slipping on rocks and pebbles. Serik’s excitement grew stronger each minutes.

Ferro led the grouped through a small ravine. The fog was thick and air was cool but Serik could only feel the heat from his beating heart.

They appeared at the other side of the ravine. Serik covered his eyes from bright light that replaced the fog. He then looked forth and his eyes widened.

It was liked another world right before him. A large valley, absent of fog and heavy snow, instead abundant of plants and water, but most importantly, countless numbers of skybeasts could be seen roaming everywhere. Serik used to think that migratory birds mega flocks back at his home plain during spring was the grandest sight he ever seen in his life, but it certainly was pale in comparison to this place.

Ferro instructed the band for them to prepare themselves. From this point on, they would be on their own, looking for their life long flying companion that could be anywhere below.

“Good luck my friends.” Serik said. “Let’s find our skybeasts, may the gods bless you with success.” He said to his teammates as he started to descent down toward the world before him.

On his way down, Serik saw many kind of skybeasts that he never saw first hand in his life. Gryphons and giant birds of prey perching on rock formations. They looked majestic and intimidating just as his father told him. They simply moved away or fled when Serik walked pass them, showing that they were definitely not his skybeasts.

Then came the dragons, many shapes and colors. They either lay lazily on their spot or interacting with other of their kinds, some expelled fire to impress each other. They too ignored Serik.

Flying wolves and cats were truly something unique that Serik had never heard of. Like dragons, they came in multitudes of shape and color from lean dhole-liked to robust sabretooth beast with long impressive canines. They were much more shy and quickly moved out of the way.

On the sky above, many airborne masters flew tirelessly. Stormwings like the one Serik saw during the first day of climbing and many varieties of wyverns roamed the sky, filling the air with their shriek and screech. They however were pale in comparison to a large feathered serpent which flew by. Serik had only seen the picture if this kind of skybeast from the book and its iridescent feathers that shone under the sun was more glorious than how Serik imagined them to be. None of these flight masters came down to him, so still no sight of Serik’s beast.

Serik eventually reached flat ground where the plain dwellers chose as their roaming area. Serik was greeted by the Perytons. The majestic winged stags are found frequently from the wood area Serik used to go. Here they ranged from the usual small red stag-liked that barely bigger than a horse to a large exotic looking breed, taller than a camel and possesses large antlers that span greater than a height of the tallest man. Serik wondered if even Matthias could be lying beside and still not able to compete with the size of their racks. The smaller perytons hopped away as he approached but the larger ones simply huffed air at him and ignored him all together.

Suddenly, Serik noticed a familiar marks on the ground. Hoof-prints... Of the winged horse. The target he would like to have or try his chance the most. He followed the track and soon arrived at the scene of a great herd of winged horse, including both pegasuses and alicorns, both which Serik was familiar with. He also spotted a few kind of winged horse he did’t know, one which were jet black and had bat-liked wings instead of bird wings. He also briefly took a glance of some sort of a winged horse with reptilian feature as well but it disappeared before he could take a good look at it.

“Well, let’s see if gods would grant the third Tagaev generation another winged horse...” Serik said to himself.

Featuring: SleepyCreamy SilverFlight Naberius YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten Elenion Aura kase9187 Lioness075 Saturn_moon

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra LaFrae	Nicknames: Lea, Firefly
Clan: Sudenta	Clan Job: Huntress
Equipment: Knapsack, Medicinal Pouch, Bow, Quiver (9/10), Twin Daggers

Spoiler: Momo's Appearance

As they all journeyed up the side of the mountain, Leandra stuck close to Caliban, helping him whenever he needed it. The going was tough, but Leandra at least had some experience climbing the trees back home and it aided her now. Still, climbing rocks was new to her and she stumbled a few times. Every time, it was either Caliban or Kari helping her continue.
By the time they got to the top, Leandra doubled over to catch her breath. She turned around briefly to see what they had scaled, but immediately got vertigo and regretted it. She followed the others through the passageway and was relieved when they got out the other side to see an open plateau before them. At least the vertigo was gone now.

The golden sunlight glinting off of scales and vibrant feathers had Leandra entranced. Skybeasts of all kind and size had congregated here and Leandra's eyes began to fill with tears of joy at the sight. The stories and tales did not do this place justice. It was beyond words.
Leandra closed her eyes briefly and just drank in the smell, sound, and feel of the breeze washing over her. She had little experience in a mountainous terrain and the smells were still fairly new to her. The mountain flowers were different than her jungle plants that she grew up with.
Opening her eyes, Leandra knelt down briefly to pick one of the brightest blooming flowers nearby. She smiled at it and took out a small leatherbound journal. She pressed the flower in-between some of its pages and then stashed it away.
Standing back up, Leandra surveyed the area once more as her heart began to race. This land was bountiful with so many kinds of Skybeasts. She never had a unique dream to enlighten her on which particular Skybeast she should seek out, so she decided it was time to wander.
Before the left the ledge, Leandra found Caliban and put a hand on his shoulder. Quietly, she said, "Hey, we got this, okay? I have no doubt that we spent the past year training diligently as ever together. We're more than ready, yeah?"
Leandra smiled and then gave Caliban a brief hug before turning to leave the ledge.
Just before she did, Ferro gave the group some solid advice and Leandra followed his instructions accordingly. She wrapped her grappling amulet horizontally across her chest and then put on a brace face as she climbed down.

Down below, Leandra was slow to move from each group of Skybeasts. Several flew away as others in the group began to explore nearby.
The Dragons all made Leandra incredibly nervous, despite her friendly encounter with Emerald previously. She still did not like how big they were and their fire-breathing scared her. She pointedly avoided them as a few quietly watched her pass by.
Perytons were also a bit unnerving to Leandra, some of the hybrids looking like the wrong combination of animals. Their piercing bird eyes made her give their group a wide berth right after she passed the Dragons.
The many relaxing large birds, Gryphons and giant eagles alike, had Leandra curious, but when she tried to approach any of them, they either took flight or seemed to be glaring at her. She gulped at this and quickly moved on.

Many more unique Skybeasts were in the area, but Leandra was beginning to feel disheartened by the lack of reaction from any of them. She was unsure if she had done something wrong or perhaps had ignored the right Skybeast previously.
Walking around a ledge, Leandra froze in place when she saw a gathering of winged big cats. The first one she saw was a white lion with blindingly white feathered wings standing before her. It looked down at her in such a regal and refined manner that Leandra halfheartedly expected it to start speaking to her. Instead, it huffed and walked away, folding its wings against its back. Raising an eyebrow at this, Leandra stuck her tongue out at its retreating form.
Looking out over the lounging cats, Leandra felt her heart quicken at a resurfacing memory. She could hear someone shouting in the distance, echoing in the crevices of her mind, but she tried to ignore it. She blinked when she caught sight of a panther lazing about nearby. It was pitch black, but had these odd golden symbols scattered across its body. It was as if someone had painted its fur, but that made little sense to Leandra.
Suddenly, it rolled over and sat up, its jet black wings against its body, as it stared right into Leandra's eyes. Her breath caught in her throat, as a memory began to collide with reality. She began blinking and the panther before her started shifting into a different appearance - that of a panther without the symbols on its fur and rainbow-colored wings against its back. She blinked again and it was the panther of today that sat there staring. Then she heard it again, that echoing and distant voice.
Lea! Lea! Help!
Flinching, Leandra stumbled backwards and her lemur squeaked in fear when the panther also took a step forward. Waving away her lemur, Leandra turned and made a break for it. Her heart was pounding, her vision dimming to tunnel vision. She could hear the sound of the panther's paws against the rocky surface behind her, chasing her.
It hurts! It hurts!
Tears welled up in her eyes and Leandra kept running, breaking through brush and recklessly fleeing from the panther. Suddenly, the landscape before her changed and she was running through the jungles of Sudenta. It was so humid now, so hot. She was covered in sweat. Panting, she kept sprinting and then she looked down and saw her hands were coated in blood.
Lea, stop!
She froze in her tracks, skidding to a halt and gasping for breath. Turning around, Leandra saw the panther standing behind her, its eyes still locked on her. She blinked and she was in the jungle again. The rainbow-feathered panther was standing before her now, blood coating its muzzle and front paws. Its legs were even dripping blood. So much blood.
Leandra could see some movement beyond the panther and she choked on a cry when she realized there was a body feebling trying to reach out to her. She started to reach out in turn, but froze at the sight of the blood. Then she realized she was missing a finger on her left hand. Was the blood from the body or was it her own? There was so much, it was hard to differentiate.
Leandra heard the voice again and tears rolled down her cheeks when she recognized it. Her brother.
Lea, go get help! Hurry!
She could not leave her brother here, not now. She could not abandon him. Leandra cried out and rushed forward, dagger in hand, and lashed out at the panther. It dodged to the side and snarled, lashing out with one of its paws. Leandra dropped low, the paw swinging high and missing her. She lunged up with her dagger and landed a strike against the panther. It cried out in pain, as some blood began to trickle down its leg.
The panther backed away and Leandra snarled at it, a feral look in her eyes. She instinctively clutched her left hand against her chest, protecting herself and moving so she was in front of her brother.
"You will not harm him! Never again, not while I'm standing!"
The panther lunged for her and Leandra leapt up, rolling over the panther's back and then landing behind it. She jumped forward and stabbed again, striking it in the hindquarters. Another yowl of pain and the panther stumbled away from her. This time, it reacted quicker and Leandra was caught off guard. It turned and spread its wings, taking to the air briefly before dropping right on top of Leandra. It tackled her to the ground and her head struck a root, no, a rock. Her vision dimmed briefly and her movements became sluggish.
She blinked and she was on the plateau again. Then the jungle. Her brother, she had to protect her brother. Shakily, she tried to get to her feet, but the panther pushed her back down and snarled in her face. Leandra's vision became blurred with tears once more and she tried to raise her dagger, but the panther had pinned her right wrist to the ground.
"No, I have to protect him! He's going to die!"
Screaming, Leandra lurched forward and slammed her forehead into the panther's muzzle. It hissed and stumbled to the side, blinking. Leandra was on her feet in a flash, her bloodied dagger in hand. She ran forward, letting out a warrior's cry, and then the panther was taking flight once more. She was not fast enough and it was flying away, leaving her behind. Stumbling, Leandra fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands. She dropped her dagger and tried to blink away the tears rolling down her face.
Leandra looked around, wearily wondering if she was really here or not. Then she heard something land softly behind her. She felt so exhausted now, so emotionally worn down, that she just turned around to face what was behind her. The panther had returned. It had its wings outstretched and it slowly walked up to her. Leandra was quiet, trying so desperately to sort out what had just happened. What had been real and what had been the past?
Her face was soaked with tears and she looked over the panther to see no stab wounds or blood on its coat. She then looked to the side and saw her dagger had never been with her to begin with. Slowly, she looked back up at the approaching panther.
The panther was silent, but held her gaze. It soon stopped mere inches from her face. Leandra's heart was pounding and she hesitantly considered lunging for her dagger again. But then the panther moved closer and began licking her tears off her face. Gasping at the contact, Leandra momentarily shrank away and then paused when the panther seemed to be patiently waiting for something.
It was then that Leandra remembered the amulet wrapped around her chest. Slowly, she unraveled the rope and clutched the amulet. Looking up at the panther towering over her, Leandra sniffled and then slowly reached up, looking away with a pang of fear and guilt. A moment passed and nothing happened. Then Leandra felt soft fur press up against the amulet and her hand.
The immense warmth that engulfed her body was inexplicable. Leandra gasped at the sensation and felt the panther tense as well. She relished in the sensation and closed her eyes briefly with a small smile. Slowly, she faced forward once more and saw the panther looking right at her again. Nervous now, Leandra withdrew the amulet and then hesitantly raised her hand, palm out. The panther moved forward so quickly, Leandra flinched and almost pulled her hand away. But then the panther was looking down and gently pressing its head against her hand. Nervous laughter filled the air, as Leandra watched the panther rubbing its head as if it were a kitten. It began to purr and Leandra felt fresh tears rolling down her face.
The panther saw this and folding its wings against its body, it pushed past Leandra's hand to get up close and personal once more. It then began licking the tears off her face yet again and Leandra's nervous laughter turned into giggles. Abruptly, she lunged forward and embraced the panther with her arms around its neck. The panther purred and leaned into the hug while Leandra whispered, "Thank you."
SilverFlight Naberius kase9187 Saturn_moon SleepyCreamy YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten Elenion Aura

 

[Saturn_moon]

Just as Marylka rose to her feet, a single hippogriff descended from the sky and landed on a plateau nearby. Hippogriffs were incredibly intelligent and proud creatures, never concerning itself with others but this one glanced briefly at her before looking away. This one in particular had a stormy grey coat which transitioned smoothly from feathers to hair and gleamed under the sunlight. The amulet around her neck started to hum softly against her chest, a feeling she had not felt since receiving it from Ferro on their first day. She stared at the beast, mystified. Could you be my skybeast? She wondered to herself. Almost as if it had heard her, the hippogriff looked over again. This time it held her gaze and Marylka felt the pull of her amulet stronger than before. She approached the beast with caution, stepping forward slowly and softly. The entire time, the beast remained still, as if unaware of her presence. Maybe it won’t try to kill me after all... However, just as the thought entered her mind, the hippogriff reared up on its hind legs with a screech, expanded its wings and started to charge at her.

Marylka dived out of its path just in time but the hippogriff simply circled back around around to charge at her once more. “Why can’t this ever be easy?!” She shouted to no one in particular as she stepped out of its way at the last minute, narrowly avoiding getting caught in its huge wings. Think, Marylka, think! You need to do something!

Several feet away, she caught sight of a small shallow pool and an idea popped into her head. She turned on her heels and made a mad dash for it, looking back only once to see if the hippogriff was making chase (it was). She ran straight in to the waters, stopping when she was knee deep. As expected, the hippogriff followed suit. When its hind legs entered the pool, Marylka immediately froze the waters around it. The beast struggled against its icy holds trying to break free. Bearing in mind its strength, they would not hold for very long. Quickly, she held the amulet to her heart then rushed forward and hoisted herself up on to the hippogriff’s back. She knew better than to try and approach it from the front where it could either slash at her with its viciously sharp talons or peck her to death with its cruel, steel-colored beak. The moment she got on to its back however, the beast’s attempts to kill her only got more fervent.

Finally freeing itself, the hippogriff rose up into the sky and tried to buck her off its back. “Just. Hold. Still!” She grunted through gritted teeth while holding on for dear life. Amulet in hand, she reached as far forward as could and pressed it to the hippogriff’s heart. A wave a warmth washed over her but disappeared as fast as it came. In an instant, the thrashing stopped and everything went silent. Marylka genuinely wondered if it was because the beast had successfully managed to throw her off and she was at that moment plummeting to her death, but she could feel the hippogriff’s body beneath hers and its soft neck feathers clutched in her hand. When she opened her eyes, she gasped with surprise for they were now gliding gently over the caldera. Marylka let our a choked laugh. She'd done it. She'd actually tamed her skybeast!

The hippogriff’s name suddenly appeared in her mind’s eye, clear as the sky above them. Archimedes. “Really?” She deadpanned, “What kind of skybeast names itself ‘Archimedes’?! Is that why you didn’t want to tell me your name before?” The hippogriff nipped her finger lightly in response. “Oh, don’t be petty. You know I was kidding.” She reached down and wrapped both her arms around the hippogriff’s neck and nuzzled her face into its feathers. Her heart swelled with relief and joy. “Thank you for choosing me.” She whispered. “So, how about Archie for your nickname?”

SilverFlight Naberius kase9187 Lioness075 SleepyCreamy YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten Elenion Aura AncientBird

 

[SilverFlight]

"Oh, so I can feel better about it because it's unchecked altruism?" Kari stuck her tongue out at him. "Guess I'll just have to do a better job of watching your back while you watch all of ours."
She stroked Talon's soft feathers as the bird nuzzled her. Grinning all the while.
Kari gave Gerel's back one hard thump. "In your dreams Eagle Boy. I'll fly circles around you. Now go get your beast. I saw that Kirin. I think he just might be yours. He better be fast!"

YumenoTsukishiro

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias ​

Matthias had missed the snowball fight. By the time he’d emerged from their cave, bleary eyed, shielding his face against the sun’s light, the festivities had ended. The only evidence that it had occurred were the giddy, wild smiles of the group, and their clothes soaked with melting snow. He would not pretend to be disappointed. While they had played, he had dreamed

The dream began the same. It always did. The frozen lake, the fog, thick enough to cut with a knife. The winds, and the wolves, howling. There was only one difference. Matthias knew it to be true the moment he slipped from the waking world into this dream one. This was the night that the pack would kill him.


As their group made the climb, Matthias found himself hitched to the rest of them, toward the rear of their little caravan. The trek was slow-going, difficult. He lost his footing once, twice, as the bare rock refused to support him. When they reached the cliff’s edge, Matthias, breathing raggedly, let out his breath with apparent relief.

The cramped walls and ceiling of the passageway Ferro lead them through almost made Matthias wish to be back on the rocks. The wet cavern walls pressed in around him. The closed in rock above forced him to hunch over or risk scraping his head against it. He felt his pace quicken when the party caught the first glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel.

When they reached the other side, and another sheer cliff face, Matthias thought again of his dream. Of the icy winds. Of teeth sinking into flesh. Of the looming shadow approaching, the ice warbling and cracking beneath the weight of heavy foot falls. Of the name, spoken in a whisper that felt like thunder, ringing, ringing, ringing in his head.

Matthias made no show of farewells to the group. Gerel, Katja, Kari, Aldaf. Zeke, Serik, Leandra, Caliban. ”Good luck.” He said it to Marylka, because she was closest. He mouthed a silent prayer for each of them, his own faith in the gods notwithstanding. Then they were off.

Matthias waded through throngs of Skybeasts. Some of them looked at him, then took flight. Others barely acknowledged his presence. This was all the same to him. He knew they were not his, as well as they knew he was not theirs. His dream had given him clarity, stark like the sight of his blood on the ice. Matthias saw his Skybeast in his mind, the silhouette, blotting out the white landscape until it was all he could see. The shape of it, solid and clear.

Eventually on his trek, Matthias came upon an opening hewn into the solid rock of the ring wall. While his last harrowing experience underground had not instilled in him a burning desire to once again forsake the world above, Matthias felt compelled to enter. Not to mention, this cave entrance was vast. Nothing like the claustrophobic feeling of earth pressing in from all sides like the last one. Matthias felt the cave mouth yawning, like the maw of a great and slumbering beast itself, sucking in air, and light, and Northarians, retiring only black, black, black. It beckoned him in. He entered and was swallowed by its darkness.

Tags: SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird
Lioness075
​

 

[SilverFlight]

Kari

Kari was shaking with excitement. All of the strange and wonderful things that had happened to them seemed distant now that she was here, about to fulfill one of the greatest wishes of her life. She didn’t waste another moment, Kari slipped down the rocks to face her destiny.

Her destiny was more evasive than she’d hoped. She had headed straight for a flock of pegasi, their coats a rainbow of colours. They took off in a flash of wings, every single one, when she approached. No matter. She kept walking, looking at all the wild and wonderful creatures. Some watched her, but made no move to leap down from their ledges, unless she got too close, in which case they would rise lazily, or irritably and saunter off.
She caught sight of him then, coat glittering like Westeros gold, a cream mane and soulful brown eyes. The Pegasus looked at her too, and just when Kari thought that this might be it…he turned and bolted, unfolding his wings and leaping skyward.

Time and again, no matter how Kari approached, the animals would bolt. Kari’s fear began to rise in her chest. She looked around, watching some of the others master their beasts. Aldaf was already sitting atop a wyvern by Ferro and Emerald. Marylka seemed to be having trouble just like her. It didn’t please her to find that fact comforting. She felt petty.
After a few more attempts Kari stopped, she went to sit on a rock and think. She ignored her feelings, which were now laced with panic, the horrible notion that there was just no beast up here for her.

She waited for a while longer, trying to feel something of a connection about her. She clasped the amulet tightly in one hand and then, she did something she thought she would never do: she prayed.
Okay gods…or, whoever’s up there…if there’s anyone. I know I never really did anything to earn your help…but, I don’t know what to do…send me a sign.
The soft pad of hooves jerked her out of her thoughts. Her eyes snapped open and she saw her, a beautiful white mare, muzzle dusted with a gentle ash gray and eyes a solid blue. The creature looked up from it’s grazing, then, she laid her ears back…
And was immediately bolting, because another creature was chasing her! The gryphon pulled up short, its iridescent blue crest raised straight up as the mare cantered away.

((Placeholder image while I finish the art))

“Hey! That was my sign!” Kari shouted. The gryphon turned, sharp, yellow eyes examining her critically, sharper talons raking the soft ground. It occurred to her that there had always been a gryphon, not dissimilar to this one, sitting, grooming or sunning itself just out of her peripheral vision as she made her way about the terrain.
“Were…were you following me?” No, this couldn’t be right…she was supposed to have a Pegasus…or an alicorn. The gryphon lowered its head threateningly and hissed, a noise that came from deep within its throat, and sounded more like a crocodile than a bird.

It was certainly beautiful, black, with a white underside, and a black crescent stretched across its chest. Its ears were long and rabbit-like, but they were kept close to its head, making the creature look nothing short of fierce. Kari could see the power in its limbs, the vast expanse of its wings. Its raz0r-sharp beak was yellow, with a tip of deep black, almost as if it had dipped it in an inkwell. Its crest was a fantastic cerulean blue when it caught the sun, with otherwise, was as black as the rest of it.

Kari didn’t have anymore time to admire it, because she noticed, as her eyes traced its powerful frame, that it was crouching to spring. Kari rolled and just avoided the talons, which close on air just by her feet. She felt the ground shake as the beast landed and turned to swipe. It missed again, but narrowly. Kari had the rope out, twirled the ring and threw. The rope snapped about the gryphon’s beak, clamping it shut. The gryphon gave her a look which Kari swore was indignance. It promptly took one talon and stepped on the rope, jerking her forward with such a force that she ate dirt. It wiggled free without any trouble with the rope slack and let out a series of short chuffs. If Kari didn’t know better, she’d say it was…laughing. That did it.

Kari charged, the gryphon braced, ready to catch Kari about the throat with its hard beak, but at the last minute Kari ducked, and slid under the creature. Suddenly the rope was about the gryphon’s back legs and she pulled tight. The creature yelped as its back end went down, but it caught her with a sideswipe of its wing and she was sent sprawling. With a roar Kar got up and ran at it again, and before the gryphon could snap the rope off and free itself, she was on it’s back. It screeched in frustration and threw its head back to try and take hers off, but she kept well away from the thrashing beak. Just when she thought she had the upper hand, the gryphon launched itself sideways, sending them both careening off one ledge to hit the other below. The gryphon made sure Kari hit the ground and it was a good thing flying creatures were light. Even so, Kari felt a rib crack and a lance of pain in her side. She couldn’t breathe. The gryphon curled and snapped the rope binding its feet, then whirled around and pinned poor Kari, lunging to finish the fight…and it stopped.

Kari was gasping, but her left hand was still raised, pressing the amulet into soft feathers. She felt the bond snap into place and suddenly, there were two sets of emotions in her mind. Anger, frustration, the desire to break flesh and taste blood…but that was fading. She knew it felt her emotion too, and what their bond meant to her.
“So…you’re a gryphon.” She was grateful, though she had to admit, disappointed that it wasn’t a horse skybeast, at least with horses she could tell whether it was a girl or a boy at a glance.
The gryphon suddenly looked completely unamused, as if it understood. It stood up and walked right over her, giving her a very good view.
“Okay…boy.” She said, getting up as well. Still tentative about the gryphon’s mood she went to stand beside him. Overall, he seemed to be nothing special, in that he didn’t have a breath weapon, or an elemental power, or a healing ability…but Kari was growing to love the way the light caught in his feathers, and the fierce yellow gaze…and the fact that he seemed to be incredibly smart. The bond was forming quickly, and he felt it too. The gryphon looked at her, eye rolling back without moving his head, and then he flipped his beak over his shoulder.

She was to climb onto his back. Kari’s heart, still not recovered from the fight, began to race all over again, but this time she was ready. She vaulted onto his back even as he began to tilt forward. They slipped off the ledge together, Kari’s legs clinging tight to the animal’s belly. Wings unfurled and the giddy feeling of freefall was left far behind. They were rising.

The wind was sweet and Kari held on for dear life. She watched the ground sink below them and turned back to welcome the open blue sky. Suddenly the gryphon tilted his nose up, and up and up and suddenly they were upside-down and stalling, gravity laying claim to them once again. Kari gasped as the wind took her breath and they entered freefall. Down down down they plummeted and thanks to the bond, flying became as natural as breathing. They pulled up and Kari knew where to put her weight, how to hold on to make the gryphon most comfortable. It was the most wonderful feeling in the world and she let out a cry of joy. The screech that came echoed across the proving grounds as the gryphon mirrored her joy. They came in for a landing on the grassy outcrop where Ferro and Aldaf already were. In her excitement Kari tried to take back her thoughts, and their connection faltered. The gryphon wobbled in the air and missed his landing, tumbling with her across the grass. Kari was laughing as she sat up and the gryphon rolled over. He flicked her in the face with the tuft of his tail.

 

[AncientBird]

Serik browsed through the herd of the winged horses. He approached them one by one, however nothing positive ever happened. The skittish pegasuses became frightened and either flew off or ran away from the young man. Its horned relative, the alicorns, more confident and bolder stood their ground, grunting and slowly walked away from Serik. The bat-winged horse hissed at him and made way for him also. Serik’s confidence started to drop. None of these horses wanted to step near him, not even making long eye contact with him. However, the herd was massive, he still had his hope up.

Suddenly, a familiar screech alerted Serik’s sense. “Oh no... I know those sound...” He said and looked around. Shadows loomed over him and the winged horses and then landed five creatures that Serik could easily remember. “What in the mercy of god?! What are they doing HERE?” Serik exclaimed in shocked.

Stork drake... If there is anything in the world that Serik who rarely hold grudges could despise, this creature is one of them. This large type of wingdrake is a renowned livestock predator and ration thief every herders in his home plain hate with their guts. They are large and lanky creature with long limps and long neck that end with large, stork-liked head, possessing long bill, hence the name. But unlike the graceful wading bird that shares its name, Stork drake is scavenger that roams the vast plain.

Unlike its gargantuan, big game hunting cousin, the winged demon, stork drake mainly hunts small animals like hares and marmots, using its long beak to spear the critters and swallow them whole. It will also attack young, injured or elderly large animals, usually in groups. Serik had numerous bad experiences with these drakes, having to see them running or flying off with his lambs in their beak.

Serik observed the creature he hated. Even if all the skybeasts here are peaceful and never seem to hurt each other, it’s never true truce for stork drakes. They always bickered among themselves, pecked at each other and squabbled over tiniest reason such as over a twig one picked up, making the others thought it was food. They never outright tried to harm each other here though, which was a big step for them...

The winged horse gave the stork drakes a wide berth, for the drakes usually eat their foal when lost or unguarded, a group may also gang up on injured or weak individuals that don’t have enough power to fend off, outrun or outfly them. Eventhough, the stork drakes seem to fully ignore them, the hatred within equines’ blood seems to slightly slip through.

Serik was surprised to see them here. Nobody had ever, to his knowledge, paired up to a stork drake, not that if they would want to...

Thinking that the drakes would also ignore him, Serik continued to look for any winged horse that would accept or even tried to approach him. Time passed and he was still far from success.

In his last attempt, Serik approached a large alicon mare grazing a bit far from the herd. He slowly got close to the beast. The mare didn’t notice Serik until he was already so close... Just as its sight reached to Serik, it startled, neighed loudly and almost hit Serik with her front hoofs as she reared up. The alicorn ran off, leaving Serik sitting on the ground.

“I guess I have no luck here.” Serik spoke sadly and exhaled in disappointment. However just as he was about to get up, a shadow loomed over him. The young man looked up and saw the least welcoming sight he had ever seen throughout this day.

“Alas... You’ve got to be kidding me!” Serik exclaimed and rolled to the side as the long and deathly beak of a stork drake struck down, missing him only a bit...

Featuring: SleepyCreamy SilverFlight Naberius YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten Elenion Aura kase9187 Lioness075
Saturn_moon

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf and Spica both started laughing in their own respective ways, Aldaf a hearty boom and Spica some weird form of rapid chirping or sharp roaring noises.
"Glad to see you made it out alright, Kari! Also, 10 out of 10, nice landing!"
He had enough energy to stand and had been examining Spica's scales and tail. He had asked them a few questions, and had already sort of had a feel for their emotions.
"Kari, meet Spica. She's my own Seregios partner!" He gestured eccentrically to Spica's head, who struck a small pose.
"Do you know how the others are faring? I can't really see them, and I'd rather not interfere indirectly by flying overhead."
He put his hands down and patted Spica's head. "Also, I'd rather rest up so I don't fall again. I'd rather not chance the gods, even though I'd know Spica would catch me. Wouldn't you, girl?" He rubbed his hands over a smooth part of Spica's head and she growled happily.
His face became a bit still and he slowed his petting. Spica nudged him, worried.
"I promised Zeke I'd see him in the sky. I'd rather not break that promise now."

SilverFlight

 

[SleepyCreamy]

Ezekiel 'Zeke' Marcellius

III✦III Location: On top of Mount Arebos III✦III
III✦III Clan: (To'Bai) Westeros III✦III
III✦III Mentions kase9187 Naberius Lioness075 III✦III
III✦III Interactions: None, as of yet III✦III

III✦III

Spoiler: Stitt

III✦III​

He dreamed of his Skybeast's beautiful blue feathers. The serenity he felt from seeing those blue feathers was different whenever he saw his mother. The feeling he felt when taking care of his mother was the most fulfilling feeling Zeke has ever felt, besides stealing and maybe a couple of few things. But seeing his Skybeast brought a different feeling. Its azure eyes stared deeply into his soul and this time, his beast didn't move an inch. It sat there with its front claws in front of it, not bearing any sign of malice, it's as if the creature wanted Zeke to stare into its eyes. As it stared deeply into its eyes, completely captivated by its azurine glow.

Azurine? He thought.
"Is your name... Azurine?" As he said those words, the mount in front of him completely vanished and Zeke was awakened by the sunlight. Azurine... What a pretty name.

III✦III

After Zeke has spoken to Aldaf, he found himself more be comfortable around the young man. The coldness and loneliness he felt the last night was unbearable, and it was not of the physical temperature, it was coming from his heart. Zeke felt... alone, but Zeke has always been alone most of his life, which made him wonder, what did happen during those missing years? Does that year have anything to do with how his body and mind would react? Zeke felt conflicted once more. Zeke sighed and focused on the task at hand, he may be conflicted at the moment, but at least he and Aldaf are on speaking terms again. Zeke reached out for Aldaf's hands, to which he offered and pulled himself up. He was soon greeted at the sight of a small opening that Zeke would probably have to squeeze through. It was one of those moments he wished he was as small as his teammate, Maryllka.

Zeke watched as Leandra help up Caliban with a few of his steps, his gaze, however, gravitated over to her gloves. He noticed that the said girl hasn't taken the glove off ever since starting this journey, which made Zeke extremely curious. After having Ferro lead the group over to a large ledge and giving a few pointers (to which Zeke listened through), he was off to tame the very beast that taunted him from the very beginning. With one line of rope in hand and an amulet on the other, he will find it easy to wrangle his Skybeast up due to his mastery tangling and de-tangling his ropes.

Come out, Azurine. Let's get this over with. He thought, as he tightly clenched his amulet with pure determination.

 

[AncientBird]

Serik gained his balance and looked up at his adversary. “Go away! I have nothing for you!” Serik shouted. The stork drake screeched madly. It was a big female, which is distinguished by its bright, golden eyes, different from male’s which are dark red.

The stork drake charged again, trying to spear Serik with its beak. Serik dodged, he was both confused and terrified. A stork drake is more than capable of killing a healthy human, but they are rather cowardly and most of the time will give up the fight if its supposed prey fight back, only in group that their confidence would increase ten folds. This one however, tried to attack him all alone...

Serik tried to shout and wave his hands to discourage it, but to no use... It kept charging at him. His brain couldn’t think of anything but to survive. With a rope made into lasso earlier, he waited until the stork drake struck at him again. Just as he predicted, the drake thrusted its beak in and all its got was lasso over its beak, which then shut its tight.

The stork drake pulled while Serik tried to fight its might, hoping to pull the beast to the ground. However, he never realized the true power of its strong neck. With a massive pull, the stork drake pull Serik off his feet. It then wielded its head around, throwing Serik into the air, possibly 2 metres from the ground.

The young man landed back on the floor. Sharp pain echoed through his right leg, broke bone or just sprained, he had no idea. But he definitely was stunt and got too dizzy to get back up.

The stork drake was too busy shaking the lasso off, however the more it struggled the rope began to wrap around its neck. Bad luck or not, the other end of the rop got tangled in a thick bush with strong branches. As the stork drake pulled, the rope tightened around its neck, started choking it.

Serik regained his consciousness and got up to see the beast struggling to free itself just to got its neck squeezed by the rope. It began to suffocate. “Oh no, you big fool! What have you got yourself into!” Serik shouted.

In that moment, their eyes met and something struck Serik. He could feel the beast, its suffering. Its eyes looking at him... Begging for mercy... The amulet in his pocket suddenly gave out this warm feeling... They were connected...

In that moment, Serik tried to dash toward the beast, even though his leg hurt so much for him to bear, he managed to limp toward the stork drake who had stopped thrashing and began to kneel down from suffocation. Serik reached to the beast. He had no dagger or knife with him but then he spotted a stone, with jagged edge. “This should works...” He said and started rubbing it against the tight rope. He had to be quick or else all would be loss for this drake.

Like a miracle, he manage to cut off the rope. The stork drake made a huge gasp noise. Finally it could breath, but the experience put it to collapsed and panted in its exhaustion, it was safe but tired... Serik collapsed too as the pain in his leg was too great to bear no more...

He kept feeling the warmth from the amulet. Serik took it out and looked at the beast which was lying next to him. At that moment, like something had forced his hand, he lowered his amulet to the beast’s chest which was still breathing heavily. The amulet connected to the beast’s heart.

“You... You are my skybeast...” Serik said with blank voice, either in shock or disbelief.

“Your name... is Valkyrie...”

Featuring: SleepyCreamy SilverFlight Naberius YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten Elenion Aura kase9187 Lioness075 Saturn_moon

 

[explosiveKitten]

Katja slid down the rope to the area with all the skybeasts. She looked around, watching all the others scatter like dust in the wind. Right... alone. Sure, she could handle this.

Honestly, she wasn’t quite sure what to do to find her skybeast. She wasn’t even sure what it was. She knew it had feathers, black talons, and yellow eyes. Not much to go on. So she decided to simply start wandering around, seeing if any of them reacted to her in any way.

Her first few minutes were exactly that. Wandering through this beautiful hidden place, watching as the gathered creatures mostly ignored her. She approached a group of winged wolves, remembering her mother’s Skybeast, opening her mouth to greet them, but the whole group almost immediately got up and ran away, a couple huffing in her direction before taking off into the sky.

She groaned in frustration, pulling her mask off briefly to scratch at her face, then face a full rub, trying to relieve the tension from her face, but while her hands were on her face, she heard a thump on the ground in front of her. Uh-oh.

Slowly, she brought her hands away from her face, finding the silhouette of a gigantic bird in front of her. One with huge talons the color of obsidian, and sharp yellow eyes. Oh.

The creature loomed over her head, staring down at her like she was an insignificant piece of prey that had stumbled into its nest.

“Hh... hi. How are you!” She exclaimed, waving nervously at it.

The creature leaned out of the dark, revealing it’s white and black speckled feathers, it’s black beak and narrowed eyes.
An... an owl? She thought to herself, right as the skybeast opened its beak and let out an ungodly, shrill screech the likes of which Katja had never heard before.

This noise pierces the air in the hollow, cutting through the relatively peaceful atmosphere like a knife, and it isn’t soon followed by the fearful screams of Katja as she turned on her heel and ran away, pursued by the large bird.

Katja ran, slipping her mask back on as the seven foot tall snowy owl chased her, wings open threateningly as it’s ran after the young woman on its fluffy legs.

“Oh gods, oh my gods, AAAHHHHH!” She screamed, as she ran passed a couple people and their new skybeasts, pursued by this large bird. While running Katja looked back at the terrifying visage of this owl bearing down on her, and just happened to miss the rock in her way, which her foot conveniently caught on, sending her tumbling to the ground, head over heels a few times until she landed on her back, dazed and blurry-eyes.

Her vision finally cleared just in time to see the large bird’s talon’s slam into the ground around her, the huge beast shrieking and looking ready to tear her shreds. She cried out and closed her eyes, preparing for the end... but it didn’t come.

Instead, the large bird suddenly stopped and reeled back, head weaving around as owls are one to do, making a strange series of sounds with its beak and tongue. It stepped off Katja, having not put a scratch on her.

The young woman opened her eyes, seeing this all happening, looked confused as the skybeast continued to make those noises and step away, bobbing its head around like it itself was confused.

She blinked and slowly stood up, trying to make sense of its behavior. Quickly, she thought back to what she knew about birds.
Okay, um... owls, uh... They use that bobbing motion to help with depth perception, so it’s trying to get a better look at me. That could be either good or bad. Um... why is it clacking it’s beak at me?
She slowly started to approach it, only causing it to back away further. It fluffed out its feathers and continued making its noise.
“Okay, okay, alright, I get it. I’m sorry, about all the screaming, just- you, you scared me, you know? All that, puffing and running and- ... you get what I’m saying. Sooo umm... how about we just calm down?” She said, hands up as she attempted to placate the creature, clicking her tongue a couple times.
That caught the bird’s attention, as it stopped it’s backwards motion and clicked it’s tongue in response.
“Huh?” She questioned, looking at it as it stared intently at her. It’s repeated it’s series of clicks, shrieks and beak clacks, then looked at her.
Katja clicked her tongue again. The bird followed suit. Then repeated itself.
Katja finally seemed to catch on, and made an attempt to copy the owl’s sounds. Then it made a new series of noises, which Katja copied. This was what it wanted! Why, she wasn’t sure, but it seemed to be working. The snowy owl was starting to calm down, feathers finally smoothing down, and it just kept making that noise.
She realized it was staring at her face, and something clicked in her head.

The.... My mask. It thinks I’m an owlet!
She started to approach, reaching into her shirt and pulling out the crystal given to her as she did, holding it her heart while she kept up with this song and dance. She could feel the crystal starting to heat up as she got closer. When Katja was maybe five feet away from it, the large bird spread it’s wings out to it’s full wingspan, threw its head back and gave one final, piercing screech, which after a moment of hesitation, Katja herself threw her arms open, shrieked as high pitched as she could into the open air. Before vaulting closer, grabbing on the breast feathers of her skybeast, using them to help haul her up so she could slap the crystal to the beast’s chest.

Those combined bird-human shrieks eventually faded, and Katja let her feet touch the ground, finding herself face to face with the huge Snowy owl, whose black beak was currently picking through the young girl’s hair like some kind of preening mother bird. She was cooing- Katja realized it was a she, and when Katja reached up to touch her skybeast for the real first time, she found the feathers of her neck to be soft and downy.

“Wow... you’re so soft.” She remarked, running her fingers through the downy feathers, earning an appreciative trill from the large bird, whose eyes were half-closed and content, when suddenly. There it was.

“... Barran? Your name is Barran?” She asked, looking at her Skybeast, then shrugging her shoulders, she let herself shove her face into the feathers and sighed.
“Of course your name is Barran.”

SilverFlight kase9187
SleepyCreamy SilverFlight Naberius YumenoTsukishiro Elenion Aura kase9187 Lioness075 Saturn_moon

 

[Elenion Aura]

Matthias ​

Inside the cave was impossibly dark. Matthias felt along the cave wall with one hand and clutched his amulet in the other as he delved, step by step, further in. He could hear the sounds of his own body, his breath, his heart. Compared with the outside bluffs and waterfalls lined with Skybeasts, the cave itself was silent, save for the yawning of the cave itself, like a wind rushing somewhere deep within its bowels.

He did not know how long he’d been walking by the time he finally found it.

The amulet in his palm pulsed rhythmically, mirroring the beat of Matthias’ heart and, strangely, the cave itself. He wondered if it might have been the other way around, as he rounded a curve in the path and found himself suddenly awash in natural light, shining through a carved out hole in the stone ceiling high above. The light illuminated a cavernous, circular space. The walls were lined with bones. In the center, where the sun’s light shone the brightest, laid a brown bear. It was asleep. Its heavy side rose and fell, rose and fell in time with the amulet’s pulses. The sound Matthias had heard at the mouth of the cave had come from this creature’s breathing. Its fur was thick, but Matthias thought he could make the outline of wings resting folded against its sides.

Matthias took another step forward. He readied the rope in hand, though looking at this beast, he thought it would prove as useful to try and restrain it satin and lace. There was no point in fretting now. This was the beast from his dream, the one who’d saved him from the wolves of nightmare, and he knew its name.

”Awaken. Volos!”

Tags: SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten kase9187 SleepyCreamy AncientBird
Lioness075
​

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf looked down on the plateu, scanning the area.
"It looks like Katja, Serik and Lea have theirs all done, but Matthias is nowhere to be seen. Zeke, Cal and Gerel aren't done yet, and are still roaming around..."
He lingered a bit on Zeke's figure moving around.
"Ser Ferro? Is it... alright if Spica and I watch from above? Or are we contained to this ledge?"
He hoped Ferro would give him permission to observe from above, he didn't want to lose sight of Zeke.

SilverFlight Naberius Saturn_moon YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten Elenion Aura SleepyCreamy AncientBird
Lioness075

 

[Lioness075]

Name: Leandra LaFrae	Nicknames: Lea, Firefly
Clan: Sudenta	Clan Job: Huntress
Equipment: Knapsack, Medicinal Pouch, Bow, Quiver (9/10), Twin Daggers

Spoiler: Momo's Appearance

Spoiler: Falarion's Appearance

Leandra continued to embrace the panther a moment longer before it stepped back and stared at her. Leandra belatedly realized she had no idea what her Skybeast's name was. The panther tilted its head at her and then chirped. The sound was so unexpected that Leandra laughed in surprise.
"Right, um, well, you do need a name," Leandra said before realizing she also did not know if the panther was a male or female.
Leandra rubbed the back of her neck, uncomfortable even asking, "Uh, are you a boy?"
The panther perked up at this and chirped again. Leandra smiled and continued, "Okay, that's good to know."
Sighing, Leandra reached out to the panther and he rubbed the side of his head against her hand in response. She smiled at this, "Name, what's your name?"
The panther paused mid-rub and looked right into her eyes as the name came to her. "Falarion?" she asked with a confused expression.
As was becoming the norm for him, Falarion chirped again. Leandra grinned at this and scratched him behind the ear, which led to more purring. Curious, Leandra carefully stepped to Falarion's side and ran her fingers through the feathers of one of his wings. They were so soft, Leandra was entranced by them and then she looked up to see that Falarion had turned his head to stare at her. Blushing, Leandra said, "Sorry! I just, uh, I've never really felt any feathers before. Um, I'll stop."
Falarion began making an odd sound, something like chuffing, and Leandra realized with a start that he was laughing at her. Blushing more now, she turned away and was about to make a retort when she heard a scream nearby. She jumped in place and turned to see Katja sprinting by with a giant owl bounding after her. The visual was so bizarre that Leandra just stared in shock. Behind her, Falarion peered around and Leandra could sense his shared feeling of shock.
Blinking, Leandra then watched as Katja began some mime game with the giant owl. Leaning slightly towards Falarion, Leandra muttered, "And I thought our encounter was crazy."
At this, Falarion looked up at her and snorted in her face. She could sense his disbelief and she crossed her arms at him.
"Hey, you just scared me, alright? It's not too often that some beast just starts charging at you."
Falarion blinked and then made a face as if raising an eyebrow that did not exist. Leandra scoffed at him and turned away in time to see Katja settling things with her Skybeast.
Seeing things mostly settling around them, Leandra had to wonder where Caliban was, but knew better than to potentially interfere with anything. Looking back at Falarion, Leandra grinned wide and asked, "May I ride you? I've never flown before."
Falarion bowed his head and dipped his body to the side. Leandra took that as encouragement and barely concealed a delighted squeal before she climbed onto his back. Slowly, his wings unfurled and Leandra's heart began to race. She looked over at Katja nearby and cupped her mouth before shouting, "Up for a race, Katja?"
It was due time for them to start making their way back to Ferro after all.
explosiveKitten

 

[AncientBird]

Serik was just sitting there... His right leg hurt every time he tried to move it. Valkyrie lay next to him. After a while of rest and good breathing, she had gained back her strength and lifted her long neck up. Her head tilted a bit to look at Serik who was sitting with his upper half lying on her. Serik still felt a bit unsure, like that the stork drake next to him could open its beak and ate him at any moment. But nothing happened, Valkyrie just lay there on her belly with her head high, looking like a resting camel.

“I think we are in good term now, right?” Serik spoke to his new skybeast. “I can’t walk... So, I am gonna need your assistance now.”

Valkyrie turned away and made a soft shrill. “Are you angry that you got choked? You literally did it yourself!” Serik protested. He could feel his companion’s emotion with their beating hearts connected. “Come on, I know this is new for you, for both of us... But we are bonded now. We got to learn to bear each other... Now, would you help me find my friend and we could go away from this place. I bet you aren’t even happy to be here, at the place that restricted you so much you couldn’t even get to tear down a pegasus or two...” Serik said, sarcastically.

Valkyrie with her golden eyes looked down at Serik again and slowly she extended one of her wing out, baring her back at Serik. “That’s it, thank you very much...” Serik said and started to wriggle up her back. The leg hurt really bad, but Serik managed to hold his pain and pushed himself up with his other leg. He saw Valkyrie looked back at him constantly, Serik wondered if she could sense his pain also.

“Alright, let’s go slowly.” Serik said once he got on the back and secured himself with his arms wrapped around Valkyrie’s neck “...It’s going to be a bit of walk for you but-.”

Serik didn’t get to finish his line when Valkyrie immediately stood up. she knelt down her front limps and with a strong pushed, she launched herself into the air.

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Be careful! Oh no no no... No flying yet! I am not prepared for thisssssss!”

Serik screamed. Every motions hurt his leg and Valkyrie just got airborne, the last thing he wanted...

The stork drake’s front limps expanded and its broad wingspan caught the wind, flapping to rise up into the sky. Serik caught for his dear life, eye closed in fear. He felt himself getting higher and higher on the beast’s back... Eventually the beast stopped moving, only wind blew in his head.

Serik opened his eye and looked down. He was high on the sky. Valkyrie switched from active flapping to soaring along the wind. Serik could see every detail of the landscape, the back of other skybeasts that flew below and more. This was an exciting experience he longed to witness and it’s actually happening.

“Wow... I never though things got so beautiful from up here... I envy you getting to see this everyday. Thank you Valkyrie, you do know how to entertain your new freind.” Serik said and lay his head against her coarse coat, smiling.

Featuring: SleepyCreamy SilverFlight Naberius YumenoTsukishiro explosiveKitten Elenion Aura kase9187 Lioness075 Saturn_moon

 

[SilverFlight]

Kari

Kari only laughed when Aldaf teased her, but she regretted it instantly. She clutched her side, her cracked rib flaring with pain.
"Oh, don't make laugh please." She was still smiling. "But your beast is the coolest thing I have ever seen!" She looked at the wyvern. "Hello Spica."
The gryphon rumbled, nosing her shirt gently, now quite concerned about her pain.
"I suppose I should call you something." A name hadn't come to her before, but now, as she looked at him, lying in the grass beside her, it appeared in her mind.

She was riding with her brother, side by side as they drove the herd back home.
"I already know my skybeasts' name." He said proudly. "It's Zephyr A great gryphon, will stalk me when I do my proving, and he'll be mine."

Kari blinked at the gryphon, it couldn't be. She decided to try it.
"Zephyr?"
The creature perked his rabbit-like ears straight up, almost as if he recognized the sound. Kari reached out and stroked his cheek in disbelief.

Ferro laughed at Aldaf's eagerness.
"Provided you keep away from those who have yet to tame their beasts, you may fly wherever you like. The sky is yours now."

kase9187

 

[kase9187]

Aldaf walked over and hopped onto Spica's back, her scales flattened so he could hold on. He thanked Ferro quickly before he and Spica ran off the edge and flew off quickly to find Zeke.
"Come on, Spica. Where is he...?" He looked around and spotted Zeke from above.
"There! Hover overhead, I want to watch him work." He held onto Spica and watched Zeke on his hunt.
Come on, Gryphon-head. You can do it... He thought to himself, and Spica barked in agreement.

SleepyCreamy

 

[YumenoTsukishiro]

TLDR:

Gerel went to the lone plateau with the Kirin in it. Then they enter a dreamscape where the Kirin challenged Gerel's convictions and skill with the bow. After baring his greatest shame, Gerel came to earn the Kirin's acceptance. They bonded, and the Kirin revealed his name as Jeff. The two of them and Talon then flew towards the starting ledge, where Gerel tested the Kirin's flight capabilities with some aerial maneuvers. But the movements took their toll on Gerel's body, and he collapsed the moment he reached the ground. But he only laughed, and introduced Jeff the Kirin to both Aldaf and Kari.

Spoiler: WARNING: Long Post

Gerel didn’t know whether to feel frustrated, flustered, or a combination of both. He felt that it was the same whether past or present. He shook his head clear of all distractions. Kari was already on her way to tame her skybeast, as well as everybody else. He needed to get in there and prove himself worthy of the deities’ attention. He hoped that whatever happened during the one year of lost memories, it all gave him what he needed to succeed.

“To the five deities, I ask for strength, for guidance, for protection,” Gerel whispered, clutching at the stone pendant around his neck. “Ventra, lady of the winds, may your whispers lead me to victory.”

A prickling at the back of his head broke him out of prayer. There it was again, from the plateau on the far left, the lone skybeast staring at him. Calling him. “Is it you, then?” Gerel asked. “Wait for me. I’ll be there soon enough.”

With a running start, he jumped from their starting platform towards the next plateau, scattering the myriad skybeasts in his wake. Talon flew low, keeping up with him, feeding off the same vibrant energy coursing through Gerel’s body. Screeches and squawks echoed in his ears, wings flapping as skybeasts took flight. Gerel ran forward, eyes facing forward, all focus on that one skybeast cantering in that plateau. In the corner of his vision he saw Aldaf successfully tame something incredibly spiky and somewhat unsafe. Kari was also making good progress, facing down a… gryphon? What an interesting pairing. When their fight started Gerel fought down the urge to rush towards her. The Proving had to be completed alone, and he had his own battle to fight.

Finally, after a few minutes (or hours?) of running, he stepped onto the fated plateau. There, in the distance was an alicorn cantering about the grass, sunlight glinting off its horn. He took another step forward, and suddenly Gerel felt something heavy on his shoulders. He couldn’t take another step forward. The alicorn was looking at him, and Gerel realized finally what the weight was-- fear. He was afraid. His entire body was trembling. All instincts screamed at him to run. Even Talon felt it, flying far away towards the edge of the plateau. It made sense. The Proving had to be completed alone, and Gerel would have to step forward alone.

But he couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t look up. He heard the clopping of hooves approaching. The pressure intensified. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t look up.

Neigh.

As if a metal collar was unclasped from his neck, Gerel finally raised his head. There, standing before him, was a sight more majestic and unfathomable than anything he’d ever seen in his life. The skybeast was like an alicorn, with its horn and wings unfurled. But the similarities ended there. Its body was covered in scales like midnight meeting the ocean. Sunlight rippled on it as huge muscles moved and contracted. Its wings were tipped with long feathers of ebony, tipped with starlight white. And its horn wasn’t spiral like most alicorns, but straight like an arrow head, and shining like the hardest steel within a mane of star-white.

Kirin.

The word appeared in Gerel’s mind, bubbling up from memories of legends told over the fire at night. His mother always told him that seeing a Kirin fly during planting season would guarantee a bountiful harvest later. She also said that Kirin appeared to those who had a great destiny given by the five deities. But mostly, she warned him that Kirin were some of the more powerful, and cunning, skybeasts alive, said to commune with humans in secret.

Blink.

“You’ve made it, as I know you would.”

Gerel was no longer in the skybeast paradise, but standing on that Estendorian plain beneath a stormy sky. The weights were finally lifted from his body. He breathed a sigh of relief, but noticed that he was holding his bow, the one he left behind with Ferro as per his instructions. Talon was nowhere to be seen. In her place was something that both surprised and unnerved him; his reflection in the flesh, the one who spoke earlier, holding the same bow, but clad in midnight fur instead of white, with skin of ebony instead of brown.

“Your wounds healed nicely, scars notwithstanding. Your kindness may very well be your undoing. You should be more careful next time.”

The Kirin -- for who else could it be? -- looked to the side. Gerel followed its gaze, and saw three targets planted on the ground. With a start, he realized that they were the same targets during the competition he had with Qadan. Without warning, the Kirin drew its bow and fired. The shot flew true, leaving behind a trail of light, and piercing through the first target’s bullseye.

“Why did you have to stand up on the saddle on the last shot?” the Kirin asked. “If you had stayed true to your training, you would’ve won that challenge. You would’ve shown him that a marriage of two cultures was better than stubbornly clinging to one. Why did you have to show off?”

Gerel finally found his voice. “I… I wasn’t showing off. I wanted to beat Qadan so thoroughly he wouldn’t think twice about me or my heritage ever again.”

“And yet in your pride, you nearly killed yourself, and undid everything you worked for. Qadan laughed at you. His friends looked on you with disdain. Did that make your father proud? Did that make your mother happy?”

“You know nothing!” Gerel shouted, and in one swift motion loosed an arrow. It flew with a furious whistle, before hitting the second target dead center. “You don’t know how it feels to be shunned by my fellow tribesmen, just because my father was from another tribe. You don’t know how it feels to live in solitude, with only sheep and goats as my friends because they never talked back. They accepted me for who I am without question!”

“Did you not see me earlier?”

That gave Gerel pause. Yes, the Kirin was alone. Most likely, it had been living by itself on that plateau all this time. He bowed his head in shame, for shouting at a sacred skybeast like that, and because for the first time in a long while, he related with something over their pasts. “My apologies,” Gerel said. “I didn’t mean to lose myself like that. I… Why are you alone on this plateau?”

“Because like you, I am the child of two lineages. Alicorns and dragons weren’t meant to be, but the gods apparently have a twisted sense of humor. So here I am, a lone child, with my other brethren flying around the floating islands with their own secret agenda. I’ve been here for a long time, as far as I can remember, waiting for the one the gods destined for me.”

The Kirin turned to Gerel now, its eyes glowing golden. “I have this urge to kill you, as the gods intended, but it would be like killing myself. So--”

Without warning the Kirin spun and drew its bow, aiming for the third target. On instinct, Gerel let all his training take over. Even now, the whispers of Ventra guided his hand. Without looking, Gerel took a deep breath, and let loose a shot.

Both arrows flew.

The storm above stopped churning and held still.

The Kirin’s arrow hit the left edge of the bullseye.

Gerel’s arrow hit straight in the middle, right next to the Kirin’s.

Lightning flashed, followed by booming thunder. Instead of a bow, Gerel was suddenly gripping the amulet Ferro gave them at the start of their journey. He looked to the side, and met eyes with the Kirin. It wasn’t his imagination when he saw the skybeast smile.

“My name is… long and ancient. Humans would never be able to pronounce it properly,” the Kirin spoke in Gerel’s mind. “Instead, you can call me Jeff.”

Gerel raised an eyebrow at that, then let out a laugh so loud it could be heard beyond the dreamscape. Whether it was released tension, finding a friend, or the ridiculousness of it all, Gerel didn’t care. He laughed from deep within his heart. “Jeff, is it?” Gerel said once he calmed down, barely keeping the laughter from his voice. “I would be honored to bond with you, Jeff.”

With a bow, Gerel showed deference to the Kirin. As he rose, he saw that the Kirin had done the same. With a wide smile he brought up the amulet and pressed it against the Kirin’s chest. Immediately he felt cords snapping into place as warmth flowed to and from the point of contact. He could clearly feel the Kirin’s thoughts brushing against his own, its feelings mingling with his own, and the power rushing across its body supporting his own.

Blink.

They were once again back on the plateau. Gerel’s hand was pressed against the Kirin’s chest. And with warmth (and adrenaline) pumping in him, Gerel wanted nothing more than to relish in this newfound friendship. “Just this once, I hope you don’t mind if we show off a little,” Gerel said, moving to Jeff’s side. The Kirin huffed in approval, and Gerel took that as a signal to swing upwards and mount the beast. The scales felt surprisingly warm, and the star-white mane felt soft to the touch. Drawing upon his equestrian training, Gerel clicked and tapped his heels to Jeff’s side, and they were off.

The speed caught him off-guard, nearly knocking him off the Kirin as they ascended towards the blue sky. Wind whipped against his face, the coldness igniting his excitement further. He made a beeline towards the ledge where they started. Already he could spot Kari and her Gryphon, and Aldaf with his… spiky… beast? Segregios, as Ferro mentioned earlier.

Talon was flying above them, squawking in delight. An idea popped into Gerel’s mind, something to surprise the people below on the ledge. He whistled long and high, kicking his heels against Jeff’s side. Sensing his thoughts, Jeff began his ascent, weaving a spinning pattern. Talon flew with them, spinning alongside rider and mount. And at the apex of their flight they hung suspended in the air, before free-falling towards the ledge. Talon dived with wings tucked to her side, accelerating as the ground rose up to meet them.

At the last possible moment, Jeff unfurled his wings, catching the wind to halt their descent. Gerel gritted his teeth, enduring the sudden forces acting on his body from the wild maneuvers. They landed hard, sending a gust of wind all around. With a victorious neigh, Jeff reared up and Gerel pumped his fist in the air. To top it all off, Talon landed on Gerel’s shoulder, letting out a loud screech.

As they settled down and Talon flew off again to watch the other skybeasts, Gerel dismounted from Jeff, but he didn’t expect his legs to give way when he reached the ground. Instead of cringing in embarrassment, he just laughed, sitting down fully on the ledge. Jeff sat down next to him, pressing his side against the boy’s shoulder.

“Hey guys. Meet Jeff, the Kirin. My skybeast,” Gerel said, the wild grin never leaving his face.

Featuring: SleepyCreamy SilverFlight Naberius AncientBird explosiveKitten Elenion Aura kase9187 Lioness075 Saturn_moon