Pana: Flight from the Past

Frozen Together

Now

The storm began while they were still in the air. Clouds had been slowly accumulating around them for the past couple of hours, but the need to put more distance between themselves and the villagers kept the pair of them flying despite the danger. As the winds picked up and the clouds sank closer to the ground, Waveskimmer was forced to fly ever lower to protect Pana from the frigid moisture and the sudden blasts of icy wind. Lacking the same protective scaly layer that kept Waveskimmer insulated and protected, Pana was cold even without being soaked by the clouds. They had grown up in a frozen village, but even they had their limits – limits which they were quickly approaching. By the time the snow finally began, they were shivering from head to toe.

"We need to find a place to land, now!" shouted Pana over the wind, teeth chattering violently. They hoped that Waveskimmer would hear them. Whether or not he did, Waveskimmer dipped even lower, scanning the ground for any sign of viable shelter.

If there was any place to wait out the storm, neither of them could see it. They had left the forest behind them almost a day ago. The tree line had stopped suddenly, and the ground was once again covered with snow, disguising any topographical features with a monotonous sheet of white. Without any trees or rock outcrops around to protect them, gusts of wind swept upon them without warning. One particularly violent gust threw Waveskimmer to the left. He spiraled for a moment before managing to catch himself and proceed in what may have been the same direction they had been traveling in originally. Waveskimmer roared, spitting blue fire into the storm. The wind whipped the fire around and Pana felt it heat their sides for barely a moment before being extinguished by their damp clothing and the continuous onslaught of wind.

Suddenly, Pana noticed an orange light flickering through the storm. They tried to communicate their finding to Waveskimmer. Whether or not they were successful, Waveskimmer flew closer to the light. It grew larger and stronger as they neared it. Maybe Waveskimmer finally noticed it, for he seemed to change course and began to head more directly towards the light.

A mountain peak seemed to come out of nowhere, hidden by the snow and clouds and wind that forced them to squint. Waveskimmer dove out of the way at the last minute only to be met with two larger peaks. If Pana was screaming, they couldn't hear it. They wove between five more mountain tops, only barely managing to avoid crashing into their jagged peaks, before arriving at the light. Emanating from a cavern, the light illuminated a small ledge cleared of snow adjacent to the entrance. Waveskimmer dropped onto the ledge, sliding to a stop. He stood, and immediately began striding into the cavern. Inside, there was a fire burning in a small ring made from a brown, reddish material that seemed to be unscathed by the flames. Teeth chattering, Pana drew closer to the fire and stretched out their hands. Immediately they felt warmer. They sighed, and sank to the ground in a heap. Even Waveskimmer with his insulated scales seemed to bounce with pleasure at the exposure to the fire, adding his own blue flames to the mix. But their comfort was short lived. From the side of the cavern a low voice called out to them.

"Hello there! Would you two care to join me at my fire? Why of course we would, so kind of you to ask, thank you very much. Why it's my pleasure of course. I dare say, whatever happened to manners?"

Then

"But father, I don't know if that's the best idea..." Pana crossed their arms and slumped forward. Hopefully their father understood this time. Surely this conversation wouldn't conclude the same way the previous however many conversations had.

"Nonsense, Pana. Every villager, every villager, needs to help provide the village with food. Food doesn't just pop out of the ground whenever you need it. This isn't a fairytale. Now that you're old enough it's time for you to start helping your neighbors in a bigger way. This land is harsh and unforgiving. We only survive here if all of us work together for the good of the community."