She had left, in flurry of white feathers and bitchy attitude. While it hadn't accomplished what she wanted it to, it had still been a fun encounter. The infant queen would be chewing that over for a while, she knew. Krone had risen to the bait easier than she could have guessed, revealing too much of herself at once. The girl would have to learn quickly, if she wanted to be taken seriously.
Released back into the welcoming arms of the sky, she ascended until the air grew thin. All of Beqanna sprawled beneath her, stretched out on a plane of crystal that reflected back the heavens. Wisps of cloud gathered in the high reaches of the sky. She skimmed them lightly, weaving between their icy fingers like a skilled dancer. Every part of her lithe body worked in harmony, carrying her through the air as easily as the wind flew in and out of her lungs. It was heaven. It was wonderful. It was what she had been born to do.
To soon, it had to end. She had started something, something big. She would see it through to the end. One more great thrust of her beloved wings, and she pulled them in close to her sides. Nose and forelegs stretched towards the waiting earth, she fell like a great white comet. The azure pools of her eyes watered in the winds force. When she could tell the cliffs from the trees of Ischia, she sent herself into a steady spiral, gradually unfurling her wings. If she snapped them out at this speed, they would be torn from her shoulders. And then she would become nothing more than a crimson splash on the shore. But no, she was careful. Her speed slowed until she was traipsing along the treetops, when her wings ballooned out to catch her. Light as any bird, she came to a stop, back on the cliffs she so adored.
Her breathing was heavy as she recovered from the brief but intense flight. Sweat glossed the planes of her chest and shoulders. The sun was beginning to hang low in the sky, the first tints of sunset bleeding across the underbellies of the clouds she had so recently roamed. Soon the sky would gild her as well, turning her creamy hide gold and scarlet. This was the woman's favorite time. When night began to swallow day, anything seemed possible in that golden glow.
The breeze began to pick up, illuminating the thickening clouds along the horizon. Perhaps there would be a storm. A storm would be good. It would cleanse the world. But it would also get her wings wet. And that wasn't nearly as agreeable. She cast her gaze around the trees that were silhouetted behind her. Waving palms and fruit trees, perhaps not the safest place to shelter from the weather. A recollection from the back of her mind resurfaced. Flying towards the island and seeing fissures in the cliffside, terraces, and... caves. A smile spread across her face. It wasn't a perfect solution, not quite. But it would do for tonight, and maybe for other things. She spared a thought to the man who'd brought her here.
A loose feather was plucked from her shoulder, and gently secured beneath a stone at the edge of the cliff. A tip as to where to look for her. Looking around one last time, she dove from the rocks like a seal into the sea. Halfway to the water, she slighted alighted on a sliver of ledge, and wiggled her way into a narrow cleft in the wall. It closed on her, narrowing until she could go no further. Back out, try another one. The next ledge brought her to a more promising opening. Not much taller than her, but wide enough to accommodate someone of greater statue.
Yes! It opened into a cozy round room in just a few paces. A natural air pocket leftover from the islands birth. It was big enough for her to take ten steps from one wall to another, and a sliver of sunset filtered down from a crack in the front wall. It was dark and colder than she liked, but it was empty of previous inhabitants and dry shelter from the rather irritating outside world. A far cry from the home she'd one day have, it was a start nonetheless. A moment spent placing one more precious feather at the entrance of her hide, and she retreated back inside to doze. It had been a long day.
@[Klaudius] super wordy, I'm sorry
Released back into the welcoming arms of the sky, she ascended until the air grew thin. All of Beqanna sprawled beneath her, stretched out on a plane of crystal that reflected back the heavens. Wisps of cloud gathered in the high reaches of the sky. She skimmed them lightly, weaving between their icy fingers like a skilled dancer. Every part of her lithe body worked in harmony, carrying her through the air as easily as the wind flew in and out of her lungs. It was heaven. It was wonderful. It was what she had been born to do.
To soon, it had to end. She had started something, something big. She would see it through to the end. One more great thrust of her beloved wings, and she pulled them in close to her sides. Nose and forelegs stretched towards the waiting earth, she fell like a great white comet. The azure pools of her eyes watered in the winds force. When she could tell the cliffs from the trees of Ischia, she sent herself into a steady spiral, gradually unfurling her wings. If she snapped them out at this speed, they would be torn from her shoulders. And then she would become nothing more than a crimson splash on the shore. But no, she was careful. Her speed slowed until she was traipsing along the treetops, when her wings ballooned out to catch her. Light as any bird, she came to a stop, back on the cliffs she so adored.
Her breathing was heavy as she recovered from the brief but intense flight. Sweat glossed the planes of her chest and shoulders. The sun was beginning to hang low in the sky, the first tints of sunset bleeding across the underbellies of the clouds she had so recently roamed. Soon the sky would gild her as well, turning her creamy hide gold and scarlet. This was the woman's favorite time. When night began to swallow day, anything seemed possible in that golden glow.
The breeze began to pick up, illuminating the thickening clouds along the horizon. Perhaps there would be a storm. A storm would be good. It would cleanse the world. But it would also get her wings wet. And that wasn't nearly as agreeable. She cast her gaze around the trees that were silhouetted behind her. Waving palms and fruit trees, perhaps not the safest place to shelter from the weather. A recollection from the back of her mind resurfaced. Flying towards the island and seeing fissures in the cliffside, terraces, and... caves. A smile spread across her face. It wasn't a perfect solution, not quite. But it would do for tonight, and maybe for other things. She spared a thought to the man who'd brought her here.
A loose feather was plucked from her shoulder, and gently secured beneath a stone at the edge of the cliff. A tip as to where to look for her. Looking around one last time, she dove from the rocks like a seal into the sea. Halfway to the water, she slighted alighted on a sliver of ledge, and wiggled her way into a narrow cleft in the wall. It closed on her, narrowing until she could go no further. Back out, try another one. The next ledge brought her to a more promising opening. Not much taller than her, but wide enough to accommodate someone of greater statue.
Yes! It opened into a cozy round room in just a few paces. A natural air pocket leftover from the islands birth. It was big enough for her to take ten steps from one wall to another, and a sliver of sunset filtered down from a crack in the front wall. It was dark and colder than she liked, but it was empty of previous inhabitants and dry shelter from the rather irritating outside world. A far cry from the home she'd one day have, it was a start nonetheless. A moment spent placing one more precious feather at the entrance of her hide, and she retreated back inside to doze. It had been a long day.
@[Klaudius] super wordy, I'm sorry