I responded, not quite believing what was happening. Why has it been hard? We’ve fought together. I’ve helped feed you. We’ve spent so much time together, and we’re good friends, right?
The bear stopped chewing and stood still, staring at the ground before him. I thought he was done talking, but after a few long moments, he looked at me. His eyes were bright and filled with emotion. Was that pain? It has been, Madi, because you were among those who killed my mother. I know she was broken. She came back to our cave one day and smelled wrong. She tried to kill me, and I hid for days. But even though you saved my life, you still helped to kill my mother. And even now, you eat her flesh. How do you think that makes me feel?
I pressed my hand to my mouth and wasn’t sure if I should swallow or spit the jerky out. Making a decision, I stood and spit the partially chewed jerky into my palm. I jogged over to my pack and took out all that I had on me, then grabbed my axe. Tejón stood up, obviously interested in what I was up to.
I walked a few dozen strides into the trees, found a clean patch of soil, and planted my axe as deep as I could sink it. Twisting the blade to the side, I opened a hole, and placed all the Marduk jerky, all of Tejón’s mother, into it. Then I buried it all with my hands.
When I was done, my hands were shaking, but I stood up and faced my friend.
I’m so sorry… I tried, but as soon as started my apology, Tejón gave a deep groan.
I shook my head, not sure whether I should laugh or cry, but the bear made up my mind with a single comment before sitting back down to his meal. Let me know when you get that deer. Some fresh meat would be more than welcome.
If there were any more trow patrols in the area, they not only knew our location, but exactly how loud this warrior cabrón could laugh.
2: “What good are wings if you lack the wings to use them?”
— Ashtel Vindari
HANA
“No, no, no!” I wailed, wind cutting off my words, and though I couldn’t hear a thing over the torrent in my ears, I swear I could feel Pachi laughing beneath me.
Open your wings, small one. This is what freedom feels like, the enfield teased as she plummeted towards the ground.
It’s what fear feels like. Please, enough! Mercifully, she pulled up and away from the jagged rocks we’d been approaching.
We rose again, swifter than I could have thought possible, driven by the warming air currents that drove up the mountainside. Pachi didn’t need to flap her wings, at least not once we were airborne, but simply glide upwards on the updraft. It felt like the world’s most dangerous elevator.
My favorite part so far was when we’d flown straight, only occasionally dipping as she flapped her wings. Tumsley had found us as our party was preparing to separate for the first time since we’d met. He’d lectured me on the mechanics of the saddle he gave me, which, by his description, had been made with flight in mind.
In all honesty, I knew it had been coming, but other than the balcony on a high-rise, I’d never been acquainted with anything like this before.
We rose until my face began to chap with the cold, and the mountain looked more like elaborate pastries than miles of upthrust stone. I saw a glade below, and some distance ahead, a gentle swath of green running between two peaks. Almost like a runway, I mused.
Pachi, you see that down there? That glade? I sent with my mind, pointing over her shoulder.
I see it. A fine choice. Should I dive for it?
I gave the stubborn creature a gentle kick with my heel. Don’t you dare. I’ve had plenty of that for the day.
Her sides heaved again in laughter. But the man Tumsley said you need much practice. Isn’t now the perfect time? Despite her teasing, she remained on her steady course. When we were above the glade, she began to wheel around and corkscrew down. As we were getting closer to the ground, Pachi swept around and approached the glenn once more, only a couple hundred feet above.
I saw bursts of movement below.
Do you see them? Pachi asked me, enthusiasm imbuing her words.
I squinted at the tiny figures and saw them bounding through the grass. Deer? Are they deer?
Yes, Hana. And I am sorry. But I am growing hungry. Her wings folded, and we fell like a rock.
My stomach lurched and I gripped the straps of the saddle, clutching Pachi’s sides with my thighs. She opened her wings again as we came within a few dozen feet of the waving grass and, speeding along, began to chase down the herd of deer.
From my vantage, I could easily spot the animals as we quickly overtook them. I inspected one and was pleased with the information I saw.
Karnath Deer
Level 28
HP: 6922/6922
Abilities: Dash, Stealth, Charge
One more item off of old man Quinn’s list. I needed pelts from these creatures, and it seemed we had found the perfect place to hunt them.
A large stag broke away from the main herd, hoping to use his strength to outrun us. Pachi veered in his direction and deftly plucked the beast up with her talons.
“Way to go, Pachi!” I yelled, the rush of the descent giving me a joy I hadn’t expected. Maybe I could get used to this after all.
She transferred the struggling deer to her mouth and broke its neck easily. Then she spread her wings wide, pulling back and slowing us quickly. We were trotting through the tall grass before I knew it and I couldn’t help but laugh.
I am a supreme hunter,
