Mountains and Buffalo.

Chapter 14: Kommunikatsiya.

The stone bridge was suspended dozens of meters above the lake. I spent my time gazing at the deep blue water, admiring it. It was my first time seeing natural liquid so dark. It was sublime.

"Hey, move aside, I wanna see the water!"

Rover nudged her head out the window beside mine, to my immediate irritation.

"There are other windows! Why don't you use them?"

"Oh, that's a good point."

Once she left, I returned my attention to the bridge and lakes. I could roughly make out moving shapes on the other bridges, but the sun forced me to squint my eyes, so I couldn't tell what exactly they were–

**SWOOSH**

"W-Woah!"

And then something flashed by me, leaving behind a gust of wind that pushed me back inside the carriage. It was already gone by the time I stuck my head out again, a mere blur in the distance.

"What was that? That thing's too fast for it to be a carriage..."

No one heeded the call and answered me, so I was left hopelessly curious. I stuck my head back in the carriage so that I could theorize, and also so I didn't accidentally lose my head if another one came along.

"It's a city with communication as its vocal point... maybe a bird? But what kind of bird runs across distances?"

"What're ya mumbling about, kid?"

"Oh, Juke."

Juke suddenly called to me, breaking me out of my rumination. His voice held a bored tinge to it.

"Do you know anything that can travel across land faster than a horse?"

Juke tilted his head.

"That's a weird question. Why're ya asking?"

"I saw something blur past us just now, and judging by its speeds, it couldn't have been any ordinary animal."

"Ah... well, I don't have a clue. Ask Dennis, he's probably been here before."

"That's a good idea."

I turned around and slid the tiny hatch open. There, Dennis was holding two reins in each of his hands, humming a gentle tune. He must've heard me open the hatch as his head leaned back ever so slightly.

"What's the matter, Kenny?"

"Have you visited this city before, Dennis?"

"Of course! I wouldn't be taking you all if I was unacquainted."

"I see. Well, do you know what thing is traveling so–"

**SWOOSH**

Just like before, a creature blurred past us, leaving behind a wind so tempest it nearly knocked the coachman off his seat. He picked up his hat, which was miraculously caught by a garnishing piece of excess wood.

"That! Do you have any idea what that is?"

"Oh, those. Those are Velocibas. A peculiar avian, dare I say."

"That's a bird!?"

He nodded his head. I saw the edges of his face curve upward.

"Indeed. They're quite rare in the wild, so Kommunikatsya has cultivated them inside city walls. Considering their speed, they're quite handy for transporting messages, aren't they?"

"...I would hate to be the one who has to feed them."

"Haha, indeed, but I'd love to be the one who sells the food they eat!"

He boisterously laughed, adding levity to the disaster we narrowly avoided, and also putting a slight smile on my face.

"That's a quaint way of looking at things. What do they look like?"

"Hmm? One just passed by. Didn't you see it?"

He asked me this as if it was abnormal for one to not see it. With that thought in mind, I became slightly embarrassed, but I, fortunately, had a logical reason behind any inability I had to see them.

"They come and go so quickly, by the time my surprise is gone, I can't make out their features."

"I see. Well, we're almost in the city anyhow. You'll be seeing them often, don't you worry."

"...They don't move that fast inside, right?"

"Hahaha!"

"Why aren't you answering me?"

He kept laughing, leaving my question unanswered and my body tense. I gulped and returned my head inside the carriage, silently praying for the best.

"What's that look on your face for?" Rover asked me.

"It's nothing... let's avoid the main streets once we're inside."

"Huh? Why?"

"Purely for the sake of the mission."

"Oh, alright!"

Telling Rover a half-truth, she threw me a thumbs-up with a toothy grin. Unfortunately, she began thinking about why it was for the sake of the mission; the way her eyes drifted to the ceiling gave it away. By the time she prepared to raise a question, I stood up and held my palm out at her, shaking my head no and pleading for her cooperation with my eyes.

She merely shrugged. It wasn't assuring at all.

"Looking at it now, this city is a lot smaller than I thought at first."

Juke's voice suddenly hit my ears. I turned my head towards it and saw him beside one of the windows.

"Eh? The city isn't small at all!" Rover cried.

"I think the lake's doing a doozy on yer eyes. The bridges, too. I've been to a lot of cities, so as the expert, I can tell ya that this one's tiny."

"Hold on–"

Rover moved towards Juke, peering her head out the same window Juke just had, seemingly forgetting the advice I gave her two minutes ago. I moved closer to the two.

"...You know what? Compared to the capitol, this place is pretty tiny."