The Beast

Chapter Thirteen

Ylvir soon left the forests edge, traveling swiftly on all fours, his only other encounter being that with a few rambunctious pixies attempting to snatch his few belongings, which Dandy effectively scared away herself with a great deal of squawking and frantic flapping. After crossing a small river downstream of a troll's bridge, as Lynelda instructed not to cross the bridge itself, he found himself among rolling hills with fields of tall grass where he could lay down to rest for the night. With the few hours of daylight he had left, he removed his beloved book from his pack and some dried meat to snack on, reading the faded letters for the umpteenth time. When the sun fell, he placed it back carefully, his fond thoughts of home influencing his dreams.

When he awoke and set to run again, he found the fields to be his favorite to run through as he no longer had trees to dodge or roots to jump over, and he was just tall enough to see over the grass, which rubbed against him in an unfamiliar, though not unpleasant sensation. Occasionally he would take a break from his sprints and check his compass to ensure he was on the right course or to eat a small snack and take a drink from his waterskin, while Dandy was allowed to wander and find her own meal. However, since the fields were the the easiest for him to travel through they were sadly over quickly.

His next obstacle was the marshes. He had to be careful there, as the thick mud often had pitfalls that led to mysterious creatures no one lived to truly describe. Here, much to Dandy's satisfaction, he was forced to walk, and with much caution. It was very precarious, quite smelly, and strung his nerves like nothing before, but by nightfall, he had safe passage through, making it to the foothills of Garren Peak, technically the final and most difficult challenge on his journey. Once more, he read himself to an exhausted sleep, curling up on the soft grass, his companion tucked beneath his wing.

When he awoke, he began to scale the large mountain, knowing he had to reach the top by nightfall. Lynelda had informed him of a castle built into its side, that he would find shelter there for the night, but offered no other details other than its name—Grey Castle. Ylvir, held tight to Dandy, using his wings to assist in the leaps he made up the mountain. He found very few creatures of interest—only a few small fairies and lizards that darted out of sight as soon as they were spotted. He did see one mountain goat, though he didn't care for the way it stared at him, almost domineering.

The mountain was indeed difficult to climb, especially as he got higher, the air becoming thinner, the vegetation becoming sparser. He had to take many breaks, as his wings had never received such a workout before. The wind began to blow mercilessly at him, biting him with a chill he didn't feel when he was at the foothills. Dandy shivered in his arms, both from the chill and nervousness.

The hours whittled away as he jumped and clawed his way up the great, steep peak, until finally, he could climb no higher. Drained of all energy, Ylvir shambled his way to the edge of the peak, taking in all the sights. It took what little of his breath remained away. Behind him, he could see how far had traveled over the days, seeing from a birds's eye view the dark forest's crowded trees, the expansive fields, the muggy marshes, and the minuscule gatherings of tiny lights that indicated all the villages he had taken care to avoid. Turning to the front he was met by an even greater sight.

He could make out his final destination, the port being much larger than he had ever imagined it would be, and beyond that, until it met the very sky, was nothing but the ocean. Ylvir almost imagined he could taste the salt from there, it was so very close, and so very big.

He took in all the peak's views until the sun dipped into the ocean. With stiff and sore muscles, Ylvir began a small descent, knowing the castle would be there, though he could not see it. It wasn't until he was quite a ways down and very confused, that he looked behind him and actually saw the castle.