(COMPLETE)
Lady Mhysra Kilpapan was blessed from birth with a distinguished family, a glorious home and a giant eagle miryhl of her own. Fully aware of her luck, she wants for nothing in life - except a chance to become a Rift Rider. The elite force...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
LYRAI WAS IN LOVE. It was quite possibly the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Not to mention the most frustrating. The last of the Storm Peak miryhls refused to enter the temporary eyries and, as part of that refusal, would not be caught. A brute of a bird, the eagle was almost as tall as Cumulo but wider across the chest. It looked powerful and fierce, hissing at anyone who came too close.
Riders made loops out of their ropes and tried to restrain it, but the miryhl was too quick. Surprisingly nimble, it skipped out of reach, catching the loop in its beak, before tossing it contemptuously back.
Lyrai smiled at its antics, seduced by the big creature's grace. It was an unusual colour: deep brown and pale cream mottled in an extraordinary mixture. A marble miryhl. He'd heard of them and always thought they sounded ugly. Standing before such a magnificent specimen now, though, he could see only beauty.
The miryhl's face was the shade of sun-warmed pine, with dark circles around golden eyes. The crown of its head was the same darkness, continuing in a broad stripe down its neck and across its back, running in bars along its wings. The feathers on the underside of its body and chest were marbled from white to a brown so dark it was almost black. The wings were cream and biscuit between the dark bars, running into brown at the tips. Delicate flecks of caramel, gold and black dotted its feathers, like sparkles and secrets.
Lyrai was infatuated. There was no doubt in his mind which miryhl he would choose come the Choice, but only if the Riders didn't drive it off first with their ineptitude.
Stirla whistled beside him. "I've not been so impressed since I first saw Cumulo."
Lyrai snorted. "As that was barely a half-year ago, forgive me for not swooning."
"Ah, but before that," Stirla said airily, "the last time I was this impressed was by Atyrn. Not that either's a patch on my girl, of course. Cumulo thinks he's too smart and this one's a brute."
They both studied the brute in question as it ducked a loop, only to be snared by one thrown from behind. The miryhl wheeled sharply, wrenching the rope from the Rider's hand. The eagle shrieked and snapped at all within reach, stamping on the rope and worrying at it with its beak, but only managed to tighten the knot.
"That's not good," Stirla murmured, wincing at the miryhl's scream. Catching a second rope, the bird yanked the offending Rider off his feet. Only a quick grab from his friends prevented the man from being dragged within the miryhl's reach. "You might want to intervene."
"Fools!" Lyrai snapped as the miryhl tangled its feet in the rope. "They'll kill it before we even get to the Choice."
"Which is where you come in," Stirla said. "Off you go. Pull on your captain boots and prove your mettle, or whatever it is we're supposed to be learning around here."
Lyrai eyed him sourly, but didn't even bother asking why his friend didn't do something himself. Some things were not worth the bother of putting into words. Besides this was his miryhl – it was up to him to save it.
