The wind battered fiercely against the face of the mountain sending shivers down to Bayakan's spine, leaves dance in the wind to the tune of the singing of the trees. The night sky was a vast carpet of clouds with the shining moon hidden behind their covers. At a distance Bayakan could see large circle filled with burning lights, it was Balanggay Pundok and the distance between them tells him that he wouldn't get there in time, it was impossible.
"There is now way Chakurno and I can get back there..." Bayakan muttered to himself.
Climbing down the mountain would make things more difficult than running through the forest, the brief rain left the path dangerous to tread upon. One misplaced step could end him easily back at the base of the mountain albeit with a broken neck.
"Allow me to lend you my wings... Amo..." A deep man's voice eminated from Bayakan's head and his agimat began to glow dully as he felt it grow warm against his chest.
Bayakan felt energy sprout from the agimat and flow intensely through his body and down to his arms. Leathered wings of dull lavender sprouted from his arms like that of the guardian spirit from before, Bayakan tried to touch it and it felt as solid as real wings.
"As your umalagad, it is my honor to serve you Amo. Now you can glide over the forest without fear..." The voice Bayakan heard was teeming with pride and confidence but it did not help him feel assured.
"You make it sound too easy... this is a thousand foot drop I can't just leap this?" Doubt started to creep on Bayakan's will.
"I understand your doubt, Amo... but I am your sword and at the same time your shield... I am your ever loyal warrior as well as your faithful guardian... all you need to do is trust me..."
Trust. The word echoed in Bayakan's thoughts, if he could trust a boy that he just met moments ago why not his spiritual guardian.
"Fine... now what do I do?"
"Close your eyes... and take your first leap..." Admist the voice Bayakan felt the intense will of his umalagad to protect the balanggay. There was no way he would lead him towards harm.
Bayakan allowed his vision to fade to darkness and gathered all his will to prepare for his leap. The thought of his people in danger and in need of help was enough to encourage him and in one big surge of emotions Bayakan felt the air rushing past his face as fell down the side of the cliff.
Suddenly the darkness faded away and was filled with vision the way his eyes could not see. With his eyes closed he could not see anything yet he could feel everything, the leaves being pushed away by his thrust, the hard and rough side of the mountain only a couple of feet away from him and after a while, the lush forest beneath him as he glides over it.
"Ahhh... the cold wind rushing through your whole body... can you feel it Amo?" Bayakan knew that he did not need to answer for his umalagad to know "Don't open your eyes yet, Amo... you might hurt them because of the wind..."
The experience proved exhilirating for Bayakan, all the new sensations kept his blood rushing which made him think on how would he deal with the aswang.
Suddenly his umalagad responded out of nowhere "Worry not, Amo... I shall be your sword... also, no, I cannot read your mind... but I can sense your emotions..."
"I didn't quite catch it a while before but I believe I still don't know you're name."
"My... name? No-wait... I could almost recall... yes... your face, you resembled him... and he called me..." It took a while before the spirit continued but Bayakan gave him his undivided attention "...I recall flying with the birds of the sky... and feast with the beasts of the land... they accepted me for I was a being of the land as well as of the sky... and then I was shunned for the same reason... but he accepted me..."
