I pump my wings to gain speed, feeling a second wind of energy as the far-off land comes into view. I’ve dreamed of moments like this, flying into new lands with promises of exploration and adventure. But I always thought I would do it from the comfort of an airship once I became Queen, limited to the parts of Ellyntide that I hadn’t yet visited. To instead do so under the power of my own wings, given a temporary reprieve from my responsibilities to the throne? And that glistening new land was the Northern Continent?

Why this might be the closest thing I’ve felt to euphoria.

My heart sings, warmed by the light filtering down and the breeze blowing beneath my wings. I can’t help but call out a friendly greeting to anyone who might be listening on the ground at my destination ahead.

As I approach the continent, the first detail I can make out is the grass at Archer’s Landing. Golden and brown, flowing in the breeze much as it did on the windy island in Sarlain. Certain that it’s just as windy down there, I decide to look inland for a spot that’s sheltered from the wind.

That’s when I notice the trees.

Specifically, how big they are.

At this altitude where the winds are calm, the windswept trees in Sarlain looked like unkempt weeds. But here at the Northern Continent, they’re sentinels, spiney tips towering into the sky above even the redwoods I slept under in Ellyntide. What’s more, further back in the forests appear even taller trees, rising to seemingly impossible heights. I’m certain my days of squeezing under the lowly branches of maples and cypresses are over.

I never got to see the Elder Tree from this altitude. I wonder how it would compare to what I see now?

Finally, after nearly 2 full days of travel, I glide over the edge of the continent. I release a sigh, relieved that for once a part of my journey ended unceremoniously.

I bank down, departing my sea of calm to re-enter the gales. An eddy of rising wind passes beneath my wings, bringing a host of strange and alien scents to my nose. I smell the pollen of late-season flowers, dreamy and calming — a member of the borage family if my enhanced nose is to be trusted. I sense a stream somewhere, flowing gently over damp and muddy ground. Should be a good place to stop and get a drink before continuing.

Then, I smell… something strange. Something familiar. A musty, earthen smell that I’m certain belongs to a feral I know, but one I’ve never encountered before. I listen to my instincts, hoping for guidance, but their advice is unclear — the source of this smell could be a friend, a threat, or neither of them.

I need to investigate this once I land.

I pick out a patch of trees a safe distance from the edge and go in for the landing behind them. As I approach the ground and smaller details become more clear, I gasp at the realization of just how many of the sweet-smelling flowers lie below me. I flap tired wings hard and a great cloud of petals is ejected into the air.

My talons touch the ground, and a perfect landing is executed.

I did it!!!

The continent joins me in my celebration, raining down flower petals like confetti. I stand mesmerized, watching them flutter and drift into the flower beds.

When they all return to the ground I exhale, dipping my neck in exhaustion. Although flying has become second nature to me, that was still a grueling flight to make. The scent of flowers rise around me, making me drowsy, and making me wish I could settle down in the beds for a quick nap…

But, I have to keep moving. I came out here to get help from other Lithans, and I have to do everything I possibly can to get their help and return to Ellyntide as quickly as possible. My thoughts, and my guilt, won’t allow me to rest until I see this quest through.

…But I am pretty thirsty from such a long flight, so I should at least allow myself that. Once I’m rehydrated I can focus on that strange scent I found.

My plan decided, I sniff the air and gather my bearings. It only takes a moment to locate the stream I smelled from the air during my descent. I set off across the field in its direction, giving me some time to take in my brand new surroundings. Thick bunches of grass cover the ground and bunch up into tussocks, broken up by the occasional patch of shrubs or dreamy-smelling flowers. Visually, this windswept plain near the edge of the continent is not that different from the ones that exist in Ellyntide. Where it differs though is the scents flowing through the air.

It’s really quite striking. Everything here smells different, even the same plants I saw growing in Ellyntide!

I hop down a low-slung escarpment and locate the stream my nose picked up. Even for autumn, the water’s running low, but there’s enough of a trickle for me to take a sip. I weave my head around the reeds at the edge of the bank and indulge in a well-deserved drink.

Tweesha!

The chirrup of a bird grabs my attention. Confused, as I hadn’t smelled any other ferals nearby, I raise my head and face the source of the sound. Across the stream and perched at the top of a water reed is a bird I’ve never, ever seen before. Nearly the size of an eagle, the bird is clad in gorgeous red feathers that taper down to shimmering, iridescent wingtips. So striking is the sheen of its feathers and beak that it seems the bird itself is glowing.

Holy cow. I knew there would be some unusual ferals living here, but this is far beyond anything I was expecting. I’ve never seen a creature as beautiful as this before! Much less one that smells like seemingly nothing at all. As if sensing that my attention had been averted, the marvelous bird swivels its head and its golden eyes meet mine.

Twaasha!

Huh…?

Just now, buried in the sound of its chirp, I thought I heard the bird say my name. But… that couldn’t be possible, could it? I stretch my neck out, hoping it speaks again.

Aasha!! Aasha!!

There!! It trilled my name as eloquently as any native speaker of the Goddess language!! Just what kind of bird is this?! Before I can react further the bird takes flight, streaking across the prairie like a falcon and leaving a shimmering trail of loose feathers and dappled light in its wake.

“H-hey!! Come back here!”

I thrust over the stream and give chase, following the falling beads of light over the rolling hills of grass. The bird weaves up and around obstacles with ease, effortlessly able to perform split-second maneuvers that should be impossible for any creature with wings. Its speed and agility make it too risky to take to the air myself, forcing me to stick with an on-talon chase.

Exhaustion begins to get the better of me. I cry out to the feathered speedster, “Please, stop!!” But instead of obeying it simply banks another hard turn to the right, heading straight for the tree line. Knowing I’ll lose it if it flies into the forest I feel a burst of adrenaline, giving me the energy for one final sprint.

Just when it seems I’ll lose pace the bird slows, taking its time to fly up and choose the perfect spot to land in a tree at the edge of the forest. It glides and perches on a branch of a sequoia, ruffling its feathers at me in perhaps some perverse amusement over the amount of effort it took for me to keep up.

Still panting from the sprint, I mosey up to the tree. “How… how do you know my name?”

The bird stares at me and blinks. It twists its head around and begins twittering as any feral bird would.

My patience withers. “Hey!! You can’t fool me, dumb bird!! I heard what you said back there, now tell me how you know I’m Princess Asha!”

It responds by simply preening its backside as if I’m no longer there.

Am I losing my mind? I didn’t just imagine it speaking the Goddess language, did I? After everything that happened in Rhl, It’s difficult to know what to believe. Perhaps I really am arguing with some lesser bird. A lesser bird that glows and shimmers in the light of an overcast sky.

I study the feral for a moment, watching to see if its behavior changes. I’m about to give up and turn on my way when a flare of surprise jolts the bird from its flank. It ruffles into a ball of fluff and screeches, “ASHA!! ASHA!!” before launching itself into the forest.

Properly agitated, I snarl a curse and thrust under the tall trees, refusing to let the bird escape. The first time might have been an aberration, but now there can be no doubt: this creature knows who I am and is trying to lead me somewhere!

Mottles of color, gold and brown, rush past me on all sides. I switch my gaze between the twisting path ahead and the trail of light weaving through the branches above, straining to keep pace and overcome tired legs heavy with exhaustion. Just when it seems I’ve reached the limit of my stamina the bird screeches, vibrating its wings like a hummingbird to achieve a stunning burst of speed. It sails ahead, over a low-hanging branch and banks left behind a tree trunk.

Bounding over a thicket I emerge on the other side only to find that the trail of light had terminated unexpectedly, leaving no trace of the magical glowing bird. I flare my wings and skitter to a stop, instinctively scanning to see if it had escaped into the canopy above.

But something besides the bird catches my eye. The needles on the branches of one of the trees above me… I’ve seen their distinct, bushy green distribution pattern before. Lots of times before, in fact.

No way. Could it really be…?

I draw my gaze moonbound to survey the area around me, only to have it immediately drawn back up again. I’m not just standing under a grove of disparate trees, I’m standing under one tree. An immense, unimaginable specimen of Elderus Lithanteum — the same species as the Elder Tree in Varecia!

I take a step back in a futile attempt to scan the full circumference of the tree’s base. Its lowest branches are so high off the ground that if I had reason to, I could take off and go for a flight entirely underneath them. Their tendrils flow back and originate from a truly immense trunk, easily the largest I’ve ever seen, sprouting from a gnarled mess of roots at its base.

My interest in locating the bird completely dissolves. This is incredible!! What’s more, my senses locate the same strange scents I smelled during my descent. But unlike those stale scents, these are fresh. Whichever feral they came from, it’s been here recently.

That glowing bird… it was leading me here on purpose, wasn’t it? It seems I owe it a debt of gratitude.

After taking a moment to ponder my next move, I decide to investigate the source of the strange scent. As much as I’d love to take a detour and explore the elderus, this scent could be a lead in locating other Lithans. If another Lithan has been around here recently, then I need to locate it before it leaves. Who knows if I’ll ever find that magical, glowing bird again? This might be my only chance to locate another member of my species.

Sniffing the air, I get a clearer picture of the scents surrounding me. The profile of this area matches what I can see with my eyes: a patchwork of strange shrubs and thickets grew immediately underneath the tree, and a spattering of tall oak and sequoia surrounds the perimeter. Despite the room for trees to grow underneath the elderus, the area is suspiciously clear of them. There are no other feral scents besides the strange one, which seems to be coming from the roots of the elderus.

An investigation is in order!

I approach the base of the tree, keeping my senses and my wings tensed in case I walk headlong into a Lithan. As I get closer, the scale of the roots becomes clear; specifically, they’re taller than even me, a full-size Dragon! What’s more, the strange scent seems to be originating between one of the crevices where the roots fold alongside one another. In that corner appears to be a hole big enough for a Dragon to walk through.

Then it hits me, plain as day: This whole time, I’ve been smelling one of my own.

This is the scent of A Lithan.

It all makes perfect sense to me now. Why my instincts were giving me mixed signals about what I was smelling. Why it smelled familiar, despite never having smelled it before. I’ve never been around other Lithans, so how could I have known?

What’s more, It seems I’ve been led to one of their nests. Putting aside how amazing it is that Lithans make their nests out of the roots of an elderus… what should I do, now? Knock on the front door and see if anyone’s home?

I recall all the things that could possibly go wrong meeting a Lithan for the first time. Will we be able to communicate with one another? What happens if they’re totally feral and attack me on sight? Or if they consider me an enemy?

Perhaps I should call from the outside. That will give me enough room to retreat in case things go wrong. I position myself directly in front of the maw of the nest and bunch my muscles. A whole lot is hinging on this first interaction going right.

“Hello…? Is anyone in there?” I call into the darkness.

A breathless moment passes. I angle my ears forward to listen for any signs of movement from the nest, but there are only the gentle sounds of the forest around me. “If someone is inside, could you please come out?”

The wind blows through the elderus above, causing the branches to moan as they sway. I relax a little, feeling more certain that the nest is abandoned. “Well, okay. If nobody’s home, then I’m—“

Rrrrrgh.

Light glimmers off a pair of serpentine eyes as a gurgling growl escapes the nest. My body freezes, lanced by the same fear the animals in Ellyntide must have felt seeing me flying through the sky. The beast within rustles and a heartbeat later a scaled, brown head emerges from the dark. Black claws protrude from its rugged jawline, and horns grew on its head in much the same way as mine. Green eyes narrow into slits and the creature snorts in disgust. It ambles into the light of day, lurching forward on transparent wings, its body covered in brown and black scales.

With fear coursing through me I retreat a step. This is no Lithan nest I’ve discovered. It’s a nest belonging to the other species of Dragon on the Northern Continent:

Redaga!!