Through The Valley • Ao'nung

Chapter 28

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[edited]

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At'anau was sure there had to be mountains in the sea high enough for the banshees to converge at. They had evaded enough of them in the stormy way towards Awa'atlu, which were closer than the Three Brothers' boulder beyond the reef they were strictly advised not to pass.

On the skimwing, the girl flew high, looking for ikrans in the sky to potentially follow, but the animals in the air were unidentifiable, frustrating her as time passed.

The Tsurak suddenly cried high in the sky, the shrilling sound carried by the waves above, and At'anau looked at the animal, startled. It ignored her and continued calling out for the skies above. It wasn't in need or discomfort, as At'anau could have sensed through their bond, yet it kept wailing continuously.

The pair broke through high waves, further away from land and deeper in the open sea, in search of the familiar creatures.

Almost desperately, the animal kept howling until an answer came through. It repeated once, and again faintly from a far distance, yet the sound was music to the girl's ears.

She frantically looked around, searching for the source of the noise. She recognized it immediately and squinted her eyes at the sight of a figure above the horizon, mounting closer toward the two. Within a second, it became a distinct silhouette.

Her heart beat fast in anticipation, as various scenarios filtered through her head, which turned into recognition once the animal in the sky roared at the sun again, echo-locating itself.

At'anau realized what the animal in the water had been doing with the power of their related ancestors and couldn't help but laugh, grateful and astonished for the creature who sensed this—the only way it could fulfill its rider's needs, despite the sadness it felt at not being worthy on its own.

Faster than she had ever seen, the creature mounted before it sped toward the girl on the Tsurak, voicing its happiness in seeing her with their signature shrilling cry.

At'anau held on to the animal in the water as she watched the yellow-colored belly and underwings of her soul sister soar above her head and turn around, signaling them to follow her.

The Tsurak called out for the ikran once more before falling in sync with its speed. At'anau steadied herself as the skimwing raised its body above the water, opening its wings and hovering over the waves.

The girl bit her lip in focus until it started hurting, as the banshee lowered itself closer to the creature that held her rider.

At'anau kept her balance as she watched the mountain banshee hover above the surface next to the wings of the big fish and call out to the girl.

Reminiscing on the recklessness both of them used to have, At'anau looked down at the water beneath them and the distance she'd have to jump. The wind blew in her hair, and the direction they were both going came closer to two immuring boulders she hadn't seen before—the space of the crevice getting smaller for both of them to enter through.

The girl quickly motivated the skimwing to fly higher, but with its heavy body and delicate wings, it could only do so much. She bit down on her teeth, knowing the rocky unknown contents of the water below could harm her if she fell.

Trusting the capacity of her body and both animals around her, she waited for the highest point the tsurak reached and pushed herself off, dropping through the air to be caught by the banshee, which dipped down and let the girl attach herself to the gear it wore before sliding between the rocks that closed in.