The Elves call them the "Esari". The Sea Lord People call them the Doria, and the Giants call them the Dalgir-Thos. In the common tongue, they are called the Little Fliers or the Little Warriors. They are a race of people that live in the high foothills and meadows of the Tallspine Mountains. They are a small people, the Flier caste standing at the most four feet tall, while the Warrior caste stood as much as five feet. They are a hardy people and very protective of their homes and their friends.

The Elves say that tens of thousands of turns ago, before the dawn of man, the Esari were closely related to the magical wee Pixens. The Pixens are shy, tiny people that are said to be mostly found on the Emerald Isles these days and are no taller than an Elf's ankle boot. Although people claim to many sightings of them throughout the northern parts of the Wolf Lands and in the Snow Forest, the Pixens remain a mystery to all but the most magical of folk, like the Elves. The ancient Esari had been small like the Pixens, but not quite as small. However, they had been little enough to ride the backs of the great Dire Wolves, the Red Wing Hawks and the small mountain horses (ancient ancestors to the War Horses) that they called their friends. All of that changed when the Fell Ice came down from the north and froze the world.

In the old world the Esari lived all throughout the north lands, from the green lands in the west, to the Wolfswood in the north and to the vast plains in the east. They made their homes in the forests of the huge gossamar trees that supplied everything they needed to live. Their food, clothing and homes all came from the big beautiful trees. The trees were also home to the Red Wing Hawks, and that is when the Esari developed a bond with them that lasts to today.

The Esari split into two groups back when the ice advanced downward from the top of the world bringing with it the killing cold. One group decided to go south, ahead of the ice, becoming nomads as they were constantly on the move to find warmer lands. The other group went underground stocking up the vast cave networks under the Tallspine Mountains with food and making them habitable. Both groups took thousands upon thousands of seeds of their beloved gossamar trees. They hoped to have a home someday where they could once again grow their forests that the cold and ice was destroying.

The Tallspines climbed further into the sky back then, how high their lofty heights went was hard to tell as their summits were always above the clouds. The vast mountain range started from the top of the world in the north and ran far down into the lands of the south, beyond where the Esari ever traveled before. They were home to many different races, animals and plants back then, some of these were never to be seen again as they froze and died after the world was buried under snow and ice.

Many more tribes of Esari chose to travel south than those who chose the caves. For many a turn they traveled as nomads with the Red Wing Hawks as companions. The large raptors could not live in the dark confines of the caves. The birds had to be outside, they had to fly. Over the thousands of turns these Esari physically changed as they moved through the southern lands. They grew in size from a small, wee people to a strong people who stood much taller. Their life was hard as they constantly battled predators and fought with the growing tribes of men to survive. The Red Wings eventually left them, flying off to lands unknown and not to be seen again for many, many lifetimes. All throughout their nomadic life they tried to grow their beloved gossamer trees, but no matter where they went, or how hard they tried, the seeds would not sprout. They kept the knowledge of the trees in their histories and always passed on the lore of them down through the generations. No matter how far they traveled, nor for how long, they never forgot the trees or the large raptors. It would be over twenty-thousand turns before their descendants would ever see a gossamar tree or a Red Wing Hawk again.

The Esari who made their homes underground were plagued with different struggles and varied challenges over the thousands of turns. They spent much of their time and labor keeping the entrances to the outside world open. They never wanted to lose sight of the sun as they fought the ice and snow that always threatened to close them off. They learned how to grow different types of mushrooms to harvest for food and hunted the fish, rodents and other animals that went underground with them. They drank from the subterranean streams and rivers that ran all throughout the tunnels and caverns. They dug far and deep to find the molten bowels of the earth for warmth and comfort as the world outside grew colder. And they kept the seeds of their precious gossamar trees safe and secure, free from insects, vermin and rot. Caring for them and hoping someday the ice would withdraw so they could regrow their beloved forests.

Like their brethren to the south, they too grew in height over the long turns, but not quite as tall. They also changed in a most magical way. Their eyes became much larger in their heads, big orbs in which color constantly swirled around their pupils. The cave-dwelling Esari became able to see in the dark and with great detail. They could see the hot and cold movements of the air.

Eventually the ice did withdraw taking the bitter, killing cold with it. When it left the world became warm once again. The Esari in the north started venturing farther and farther out of their caves. The great glaciers, soldiers of the Fell Ice, had ground down the Tallspine Mountains. The mountain range was still mighty and vast, but the cave entrances were now much closer to their peaks. The Esari began exploring the lower foothills and meadows on the west side of the mountains and watched as life returned to the land.

Their brethren to the south started following the ice as it receded northwards. They constantly had to fight or hide from the growing threat of man who was taking over the habitable lands. They left the warm lands of the south to escape, but also because they dreamed someday of finding their old homeland, where the gossamar forests once grew. They learned to tame and ride the small Mongol horses and became fierce warriors as they moved northwards. They fought to keep their families safe from predators and man. When the warrior Esari finally returned to the Tallspines they found they were not the same mountains as spoke of in their legends, but then they were not the same people either.

The Elves watched from afar as the Esari came from their caves that had been their home for so long. They watched as the little people brought out their carefully preserved gossamar seeds and began planting them all over the high meadows and foothills of the western Tallspines. The Elves marveled that the seeds took root and sprouted. Within a generation, the gossamar forests returned to the land. They didn't cover as much ground as the ancient forests of old, but the trees grew healthy and strong. The Esari were able to make their homes in the great trees. The clever Esari had survived the great freeze and left their caves to once more live in the meadows and foothills of the Tallspines with the trees they loved so dear around them. From time to time, they wondered about the fate of the tribes of Esari that had journeyed south and if they would ever see the Red Wing Hawks again.

Then, one fine summer day, the tribes of Esari that had been apart for so long came together. After a lengthy nomadic journey through untold troubles and dangers in the lands to the south, the Southern Esari finally made their way into the high mountain meadows where the Northern Esari lived. The reunion was made that much sweeter as the Red Wing Hawks made their return to the ancient homelands at that time. Even though the two tribes had changed physically from each other, they still recognized one another as long lost family and welcomed each other with open arms. The Elves, that had watched from afar, always maintained they had nothing to do with the coming together of these three tribes, but many found that hard to believe.

There are many good reasons why the gossamar trees were so beloved by the Esari and the Red Wings. The gossamar is a fast-growing tree that puts out a sturdy thick trunk and a canopy that grows wide and full. Esari tree shepherds spend their whole lives caring for the great trees. They study the trees as they grow, harvesting branches where they can and sculpting the tree's canopy into dwelling areas for the Esari. Only by their word could a tree be deemed strong enough for the Esari to live in, but the Red Wing Hawks they let do as they please.

The gossamar grows much to the shape of an oak tree with a thick main trunk and a canopy that grows as wide as the tree grows tall. However, unlike the mighty oak, the skin of a gossamar is very smooth and varies from light brown to white in color. The leaves that stay on the tree all turn long are as large as a man's widespread hand and are shaped like a five-pointed star. They are a red and purple on the top that faces the sun and a fuzzy white underneath. The air around the gossamar tree is sweet and fragrant to smell and always feels clean and fresh. Something about the odor from the trees keeps away any annoying bugs. It is a very beautiful tree to admire and to live in.

The wood of the gossamar is light, free of knots and very easy to work. It is also as strong as Manser steel. When buried under the ground it does not rot and the Sea Lords treasure it for use on their sailing ships. Once the wood is milled to a timber it always retains its shape no matter how green it is, one never has to worry whether it will twist and warp. The trees are not cut down for their wood. Only the limbs are harvested by loving tree shepherds who remove them to help them grow stronger. The Esari use the wood of the gossamar exclusively to build the light weight gliders that they sail the skies in.

The trees produce a seed pod twice a year which are the size of a large apple and looks much like an acorn that grows on an oak tree. The flesh of the pod is very sweet and good to eat when soft. When it is dried the Esari grind it up into a flour to make into their gossamar bread. The bread never becomes stale, and a small portion gives those who eat it energy enough for the whole day.

Handfuls of red and white silky fibers fill the seed pods and wrap around the seed to protect it. The Esari take these fibers and spin them into an extremely strong thread. They make the thread into a yarn and then weave it into a sturdy fabric. One can always tell the gossamar cloth from its red satiny hue. People from lands all over trade for the cloth because it is extremely tough while being very soft and easy to work with. The Sea Lords will only use the cloth of the gossamar for their sails because it is light weight while being strong and hard to burn.

The seed itself from the gossamar is treasured by the Esari and hoarded by them. Most of the seeds are kept in storage in case something were to happen to the gossamar forests. The seeds that are not saved by the tree shepherds are ground up to make a special bread that the Esari alone use for their days of celebration. One such day is in summer when the tribes came together after the long cold and when the Red Wing Hawks returned. They also make a fine gossamar golden ale from the seeds that is for the Esari alone.

Almost five hundred turns ago the gossamar forest was once again threatened and practically destroyed when warriors of the vast Mongol Horde invaded. They came and attacked from their homelands on the great plains that lie to the east of the Tallspines. Through the mountain passes they traveled in secret to lay waste on the people of the Wolf Lands. One such pass, that was the widest and easiest to travel, led right into the gossamar forests of the Esari. It was this pass that the Horde used for the main camp of their army. From it, they ravaged and destroyed much of the forest while conducting assaults on the surrounding countryside.

From the Wolf Lands an army arose to challenge the Mongol Horde. It was led by the great Battle Mistress, Lady Katrine, as she rode upon her shining white War Horse, Belatrane. She was flanked by her two White Tundra Wolves, Calles and Cirten. The Battle Mistress led a thousand Wolf Pack Rangers, five thousand Wolf Land soldiers and scores of Esari Warriors against the main army of the Mongol Hoard. They were outnumbered five to one. With her bond-mates and army following, she charged the Horde and led a devastating attack against them in a battle that lasted for days. The Mongols in the pass were defeated utterly and completely.

The Lady Katrine was never seen again after the battle, nor her powerful Tundras and mighty War Horse. Sadly, all assumed they had been lost during the war. The pass that the battle was fought in became known ever after as the Katrin Pass. People who travel across it swear to this day they can hear the whinny of a War Horse, the barks and howls of Tundras and a noble battle-cry in a woman's voice.

To this day, the pass is feared and shunned by the Mongols. Any foolish enough to venture in and try to travel through are never seen nor heard from again. The Mongols will travel for hundreds of miles out of their way when raiding the lands west of the Tallspines, taking much more dangerous passes to avoid the haunted Katrin Pass. Ever since the time of the Mongol Wars, the Wolf People and the Esari have become fast and furious friends and staunch allies of one another.

With the Esari tribes once again together and honoring the old ways they mourned the loss of the closeness they once had with the Red Wing Hawks. For now, they were much too large to ride upon the backs of the great birds.

However, the Esari are a very clever people, and will come up with ingenious ways to get what they want. This time they wanted to fly. Using the light wood from the gossamar trees and the very strong gossamar cloth they designed and built gliders that the small Esari could hang from and sail the skies in. Because of their special eyes that had developed underground the little Esari could see the air waves in the sky. Once they launched their lite-weight gliders from the cliffs of the Tallspines they could see the hot air rise and the cold air sink and knew exactly how to ride the air currents. They could keep their gliders airborne, for as long as they wanted, days on end if they desired.

With the power of flight and in the company of the Red Wing Hawks, the Little Fliers sailed the skies all over the lands west of the Tallspines. They eventually learned how to give aid to the Wolf People from the sky. Many Wolf Land castles, keeps and strongholds that did not have cliffs nearby built aeries high in the sky to accommodate the Little Fliers. They put up platforms on strong spindly poles of stone and wood to give the gliders a place to roost and launch from when far from home. The Little Fliers played an important role in helping to protect the Wolf Lands.

The Little Fliers always flew in pairs when scouting the lands and keeping watch over their people and their friends. They carried small handheld pieces of highly polished silver and had developed a code to communicate with their friends on the ground, such as the Wolf Pack Rangers or the Sea Lord sailing ships. The pairs flew with Red Wing Hawks no matter how far from the forest they traveled. Several hawks would accompany the Little Fliers and always the same ones when they soared the skies. The Little Fliers did not bond with the hawks the way the Tundra Wolves bonded with the Wolf People, but they did form a relationship that always kept them together and looking out for each other.

The pair of Little Fliers who helped fight off the Grim Wolves and save Natalia, and her friends flew with three of the great birds. They were also brother and sister and had been tasked by the Wizard Loke to oversee the four travelers on their quest north. They were to offer their scouting services and communicate with Natalia as they went, keeping an eye out for any danger.

However, these Little Fliers were young, and they had very few long-distance flights under their belts. Even with the Red Wing Hawks watching over them, they made mistakes. Usually the mistakes they made were caused by the brother because he was headstrong, impatient and had the least experience. He was only sixteen springs old, incredibly brave, and thought he could live forever, a very dangerous combination.

The sister was the oldest, eighteen winters, and the smart one of the pair. Her only flaw was that she stood by her brother no matter what happened. The girl is named Till Wind, and her brother is named Tac Wind, and they are the over-watch, that is half grounded.

Tac is the Little Flier whom the twins ride up to, and they are about to learn from a very upset Little Flier that size does not matter. The two Sea Marines who have sailed on the finest Sea Lord long ships, led men in battle on water and land, are about to meet their match from one feisty little Doria, as the Sea Lords would call him.