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Aryu rushed through the Valley of Smoke as quickly as wind and wings allowed him. He was nearly home now, the day barely half done. He didn’t stop or even slow down since he'd left that morning, and he was quite sure he wouldn't have to before he made it to his destination.
The creek bed was still lush and green on each side, springing up trees and bulrushes in small estuaries. He and Johan had grown up playing in these pools. After being away so long, the only feeling more prevalent than how much he missed it all was how much he wanted it to stay safe.
The valley walls were high on each side of him, closing in as he approached Tortria Den, a tight part of the valley where the walls became high and close together, leading to a drop-off into the more sprawling valley below. In times past it had been a great and powerful waterfall but now was just a unique rock formation with a small creek trickling through it, cascading down onto levels, and forming pools. It was a popular picnic destination for friends and families.
It was also the last major step to pass before the valley opened and widened, creating the nestled, lush home of the village of Tan Torna Qu-ay.
As the walls tightened about him, Aryu felt a rush of exhilaration at the thought that he was almost home. He gained as much momentum as he could before the walls and floor of the valley suddenly fell away and he was thrust out above the wider expanse of the Valley of Smoke below.
The horizon returned, and the sun beat down on everything he saw. The creek and valley floor stretched out straight ahead of him, bending to the right in the distance. Beyond that small bend was his goal.
Nose pointing down, wings collapsed back, Aryu began his dive to the new valley floor, a maneuver he'd mastered when he was younger. Moments from the ground he pulled up, using the speed he'd gained to glide fast and far along the tops of the small trees by the creek, bending in and out like a small bird chasing a fly for dinner.
He followed the turn to the right, and Tan Torna Qu-ay came into view.
He had remembered it being so small because he had so thoroughly explored each nook and cranny it possessed, but it was actually a decent-sized settlement of nearly twenty-five hundred people, spread from one side of the valley to the other and deep into the north and south. At its center, which Aryu could now clearly see, was a park with a swimming pond and areas for warm outdoor lunches and trees large enough to provide good shade. A rarity in this part of the world, which was so often dry and deserted.
Once he passed over the edge of the village, Aryu knew instantly that something was wrong. Where the outlying farms and folme herds had been was now filled by more buildings and people than Aryu remembered. The village didn't just look bigger; it was bigger, and now he saw why.
The parts of the northern border that he could see were filled with caravans and make-shift shanty settlements. He could see people milling about. As he looked to the east and west, he could see the sprawl continued in both directions, straight to the valley walls. Aryu figured there to be thousands of people gathered here, and he had no idea why.
It occurred to him they may have been caravans from the south that had stopped here on their journey north. The highway passed in the opposite direction from where he believed the Army of the Old to be, so it was a possibility, but from what he could tell these people were quite hunkered down and appeared to be in no rush to be on their way. A stark contrast from the caravan they had come across yesterday.
He passed over familiar homes, businesses, schools, and churches built to honor Gods both new and old. The village’s center was where the hall of the town council was located. It was there he had to go, and he began winging his way to Longhold Park at the center of town.
When he was low enough, eyes began to turn skyward, spotting him against the blue.
Instantly, all hell broke loose.
Aryu had been raised here his whole life. People here had seen him and his wings grow. They shunned him but were not afraid by this time in his life. That was not the reaction he was receiving now.
Every man, woman, and child began pointing skyward, screaming and yelling as he passed by, terror on their faces. Many began running, either into their homes or following him as best they could. Soon, a crowd was following, running at top speeds to keep up with his pace. As he got closer, it looked like all the children had disappeared. Aryu scanned the group for his parents but couldn’t see them. They lived on the other side of town and likely didn’t see him coming.
Aryu was shocked by this reception. Even at this time of great uncertainty, he was sure that no one returning from their quest would be greeted like this. Aryu and Johan had concluded that this success would do little to change people’s minds, but this was certainly not what he had expected.
Either running after him or running away, one thing was clear; these people, many of which he'd known all his life, were absolutely terrified at the man they now saw gliding over them, and suddenly Aryu became terrified as well for reasons he could not explain. Something was
