"Cyclone, don't be an idiot." Desolation said to a grey and blue Jotunhel. "Aww! Why not! We're carnivores, we need to kill for food!" he said playfully, with that oddly goofy, carefree grin. "What about Mystery Meat Co.?" "Mystery Meat Co. is so small. I want to hunt kens to fill my stomach, not wait for a piece of meat smaller than a eulopii to drop from the sky!" he whined as Desolation shook her head "I can't get how you're so happy in such a terrifying world." "Because you have to learn to adapt, Desolation. Adapt to the world around you! Find joy in the circle of life!" "My only joy is you." Desolation mumbled, so quietly that Cyclone couldn't make out what she was saying, but he passed it off for a complaint. "How can you find joy in winter, or in the ones who kill for fun?" "Winter is awesome!" Cyclone protested "You're only saying that since you're immune to the cold!" "Hey, and the heat doesn't bother most ghiblis but you still whne about it!" Cyclone pointed out as Desolation frowned "Ok, you win this time." she grumbled, and then said "Winter's here already. Can't believe the year flew by so quickly." "Oh! Remember when I told you I had to set up something for a friend? I might need to do it now!" there was a sudden urgency in Cyclone's eyes, as if he had forgotten something .. but what? "Can't that wait?" Desolation whined as he made a face "Not really. Stay here while I go do it please!" and then rushed off.
What's so important about this 'friend' of his? Is he meeting with a female jot? Desolation thought suspiciously. He wouldn't do that to me. But then again, he doesn't know. I wish I could find out, or camouflage like a Qurugosk and follow him. That would be so nice. But if I were a qurugosk, I would have never met him on top of that mountain..
|"Mom, where are we going?" Desolation complained. She had just began to enter her teenage years, and could fly perfectly fine, even faster than her mother at the moment. "It is time for you to begin a new stage of your life, darling. I'm growing too old to protect you, and all ghibli species and subspecies alike leave their homes when they enter their teenage years." I stopped gliding forward and beat my wings, not moving in matters of place while still aloft. "What?" Desolation asked, blinking. "I said you'll have to go out on your own. I'm taking you to new territory." "But you know I might die!" Desolation cried but her mother just made her trying-not-to-make-a-face face and responded "You'll be fine. You can fly!" "But so can Jotunheim! And so can Sar'Hingaro! And Venatrox!" "None of those animals live in the desert. We all live in the desert, every Ghibli. Which means we're all safe from those kinds of predators." my mother lectured. We had soon landed at a ledge over what seemed to be endless dunes, as I beat my wings to stop. My mother gestured to an oasis in what seemed like kendyllmeters of scorching sand. "But won't I die without food?" Desolation asked "You know how to hunt fish and small critters, right? Just stay away from those with higher tiers and you'll be fine." "But I can't survive out here! I'll be a goner in a minute to some perninrex!" "We both know that's not true. Now have a nice .." her mother trailed off "Death? Yes, we get that." "The word I was looking for was life. Have a nice life, Desolation." And then, comically, sleeping dust covered my eyes as I could hear fading wingbeats in the distance ... |
None of these methods had worked out for mother. I ended up being bone-broken by an exterrerri, chased by a kendyll, and nearly drowned by a syroudon to end up on the shores of a totally new territory. My life wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea of 'luck', it had seemed. Until I met Cyclone, I was pretty sure I would die bleeding and famished. But it turned out, one of my worst fears had someone included who'd soon become my best friend. Only best friend, I reminded my subconscious, as if that would make it stop wishing to have him by me every single second of my life. But being honest, all I needed was that smile to live. That god forsaken smile which could lead me through the vast swamps all the way to the redwoods.
I hadn't realized it, but I was silently following him, beating my wings like a zserdea stalking its prey. Zserdeas were extinct now, though, since their population was low, and some mysterious day a few months back, any trace of it had been wiped from Sonaria. This happened on several occasions, and it was arising questions. Such as, what was Mystery Meat Co. anyways? It came from the sky, and any fliers who went up to high never came back. But that was a mystery for another time.
So that was what I was doing anyways. I was being stealthy, rolling myself in sand so my brown wings wouldn't give me away if he for some reason decided to look back at me. But what I realized is that all he was doing was setting up a party .. for me! I knew because it had my name inscribed in Sonarian on the ledge. So, I just landed and Cyclone yelped. "Why did you follow me?!" he whined. "I suspected you were sneaking out with someone without me knowing," Desolation said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I would never!" "Well, you might!" Desolation argued but Cyclone just grinned "Who's the idiot now?"
