Mortal

Chapter 7

"Wake up, Shadow. Up, up, c'mon," says Phareth.
I sigh. My Messenger says it's 6:52 A.M.

"You wanted a hippogriff, and now you have to take care of it. Let's go," says Phareth.

I get out of bed, and wait for him to leave. Then, I get dressed.

Downstairs, I eat breakfast, and head outside. Phareth and Tsareth are busy setting up a fence. I'm not sure why they bother; the hippogriff could surely fly away if she wanted to.

I walk over to the hippogriff. She seems to be happy to see me.

"Um.. hi," I say.

"She needs a name. Do you have any ideas?" asks Phareth.

"No. I was thinking of 'Swiftwings', but it doesn't fit," I say.

"You know, this might not be so bad. I've always wanted a pet I can ride," says Tsareth, excitedly.

"She is a cute one. I think she might be about three years old, from the looks of it," says Phareth.

The hippogriff pecks at the ground, and scratches it a little. She chirps once.

"I wonder what she's saying," says Phareth.

"I've always wanted to talk to animals," I say.

I suddenly feel a strange warmth in my head. Then, I hear a voice.

"Hi," says the voice.

How do I answer?

I try answering in my head.

"Um... Hi," I say.

"Thank you for getting me out of certain death. Before I was sent away from the military because of my small size and temperament, my name was Skylight. What is your name?" asks the voice.

"My code name is Shadow. I'm not allowed to give my real name," I say.

"Alright, Shadow. How would you like to go for a ride as my gift to you?" Asks Skylight.

"Huh? What?" I ask.

"Huh?" Asks Phareth.

Skylight suddenly takes to the air. Once she is about twenty feet in the air, she dives toward me. With her talons, she picks me up by my arms.

"HOLY SON OF ZEUS! SHADOW!" shouts Tsareth.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I scream.

Once we are high enough, Skylight drops me. For a second, I am freefalling. Skylight then catches me on her back.

"Skylight, what are you doing?!" I scream.

I hold on tight. I'm afraid of heights.

"SHADOW!" shouts Tsareth.

I turn around. Phareth and Tsareth are behind us, floating on some kind of yellow platform. It looks like it's made of light.

"I'm much faster than them because I am half peregrine falcon. That's why I was in the military, you know," says Skylight.

Skylight flies downward, much faster than Phareth and Tsareth can fly.

"I think you're scaring them," I say.

"It'll be fine," says Skylight.

We start flying higher, and higher. Phareth and Tsareth are nowhere in sight. I look down. The sight of the city is breathtaking. How many mortals have ever gotten such a view of Sky Haven?

We fly over a lake, getting close enough to barely touch the water.

"Wow," I say.

"Flying is fun, isn't it? So free," says Skylight.