Fighting against a strong tailwind, four days of steady flying preceded us on our return trip home.

Ever since we preyed on the airship-prey, Asha has been in a dour mood. When we land and settle down for the night, she’s still accepting of my embrace. But she speaks little and moves slowly with her head and wings dragging close to the ground. Needless to say, I’ve been worried sick about her ever since we left Varecia.

On our return flight across the Kingdom, Asha flew down a few times to get a closer look at the state of Ellyntide’s cities. She was hoping, pleading to herself that there might be a stronghold Nortane didn’t yet control. But the truth was laid painfully bare. At each city we passed, there was evidence of airship-prey battles. Evidently, the north of Ellyntide was far more reluctant to cede control of the Kingdom than Varecia was. But at every city and every fort we passed, the Nortanian flag was flying above it. Despite the valiant effort of the resistance, Nortane had conquered the entirety of Asha’s Kingdom.

I feel awful just thinking about it. What happened to Asha’s family? Could they still be alive? Despite everything I’ve done to help Asha, I can do nothing to comfort the wound of a fallen Kingdom.

Everyone at the Grandfather Tree was surprised to see us back so soon… everyone except Nakino, who was rightfully terrified. As before, Asha kept to herself and spoke little to other Kin. I did most of the storytelling about our flight over the Farlands and subsequent encounter with an enemy airship-prey. Despite the fervid excitement over our airship-prey predation, we only stayed at the aerie for a day. Asha was adamant about returning to White Mountain as soon as she regained her strength. And so, with a bitter greenwing chill in the air, we departed for the snow-capped mountain early this morning.

Now, we find ourselves in the upper Great Valley, the edifice of White Mountain perched above us like a roosting Kin. Asha is on my wing, flying with her eyes fixated on our snow-capped destination ahead. But then, her feathers perk; something on the ground has captured her attention. Curious, I gaze down to spot a glowing streak of light skirting the treetops, perfectly matching our speed.

…Oh. It’s Gust again.

Since we entered the lower valley, he’s been flying just above the tree line, vanishing and reappearing seemingly at random. When I asked Asha if we should fly down to greet him, she said no. She’s not interested in speaking to the ‘avatar’ of the deities, only the real deity himself.

Is Gust trying to get our attention? Why hasn’t he flown up to greet us? Honestly, with an attitude like that, I agree with Asha. Stop biting our tails! If you have something to say, then fly up here and say it!

Eventually, we come upon White Mountain's base and the aerie’s entrance. After we call our landing, I spot a twinkle of light from a lone pine tree along the mountain’s edge. Finally, after following us nearly the entire trip here, Gust zips through the sky and appears before us in the amount of time it takes to flap a wing. Feathers fly as Asha flares her wings in surprise, and her face contorts in fury.

“GUST!!!” She snaps, the vehemency of her anger restored.

“Daughters Kelani and Mecali,” the glowing bird speaks impatiently. “Please follow me.”

And with that, he flaps around and starts flying away from us!!

“What?!” I squawk.

“HEY!!!” Asha screams.

The bitch stops mid-flight and tilts his head around. “You seek an audience with Keuvra, do you not?”

“You bastard!!” Asha snarls, baring fangs. “Tell me the truth!! You were trying to keep me in Felra, weren’t you!!”

Gust reorients himself and shakes his head. “I was trying to accomplish nothing. As I’ve explained before, I am simply—“

A searing column of fire interrupts Gust’s monologue, engulfing his tiny prey-bird body in flames. Clearly, Asha has had enough of the twittering fool. Unfortunately, the fire passes cleanly through him as if he weren’t there. Smoke drifts from Asha’s nostrils as Gust continues in a more measured tone: “…I am simply an avatar of the deities acting on their behalf. Nothing more.”

“But you went along with it!” I point out. “You conspired against Asha and her Kingdom!”

Gust frowns and shakes his head. “As a vassal of Azurrel, I cannot disobey. This is my task, as agreed upon in the sacred pact.”

Asha’s eyes go wide before narrowing back to slits. “The sacred pact,” she grumbles. “I should have known; you really were an avian!”

I flick my gaze back and forth between Gust and Asha. I know the pact well: It’s the agreement between Farlanders, Kin, and Azurrel from when the islands were raised. Basically, it stipulates that those who lived in the sky would be subservient to the deities and Azurrel in exchange for saving us from the Great Freeze. But what does that have to do with Gust? Was he really an Avian from those times? How does Asha know that?

“What occurred long ago is irrelevant,” Gust sweeps his wing dismissively. “If you recognize that I am a harbinger of the deities, then recognize that even now, I am acting on their behalf; Keuvra wishes to discuss the calamity that befall Ellyntide. However, he will not appear before you in the aerie. If you desire an audience, then you must do as I say right now.”

Asha and I stare at each other, low rumbles passing through our chest. Gust sounded like he was making a threat, not an invitation. I ask him, “Why should we trust you?”

“Why should we trust Keuvra?”

I recoil slightly and gaze at my mate. It’s not that I disagree with her, but… she would openly defy Keuvra in front of a divine being?

Gust’s head quirks. He seems equally as perplexed. “The way I see it, you have little choice.”

Silence stretches across the sky as we keep our muzzles clamped. Did he really think that was reassuring?

Sensing the failure of his approach, Gust ruffles, and his expression moderates. “In all of my time serving the deities, I have never known them to be disingenuous or act against the interests of those they represent before the God of Creation. Their ways may be difficult to understand… the business of deified mortals serving living mortals is tricky. But As Kuro can attest, Keuvra is a kind Dragon who cares deeply about his Kin. I believe that he views you as one, Asha.”

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I give a quick sideward glance to Asha and catch her in the same act of insecurity. She’s staring at me with longing eyes… she’s unsure if I truly agree with Gust. The fact of the matter is, I do. Keuvra has always been kind when he appears in the aerie. Once, he even commended me in particular, singing praises to the flock about a successful frostwing hunt that brought much-needed prey to Flat Rock. I felt so happy knowing our leader had seen me. I felt the same elation when Gust told me I had been chosen for a Divine Flight to protect Asha. I have some uncomfortable questions to ask Keuvra, but I still trust him.

Turning back to Asha, I rumble softly and incline my head.

“Alright, fine,” Asha mutters. “Take us to Keuvra.”

Gust smiles gently. “As you wish.”

The harbinger’s little head pivots to me, and our eyes lock for a heartbeat. He casts about and begins descending towards the ground at the speed a normal prey-bird would.

“Come on,” I tell Asha.

After a moment’s hesitation, she rumbles softly in acknowledgment.

Gust leads us to the ground, across the treetops, and towards a clearing on the side of the mountain. As we fly along, I begin to make out something peculiar. I know White Mountain like the feathers of my wing, but I’ve never seen the set of strange-looking stones before us. Nestled into the glacier at the bottom of a snow-carved valley lies a spattering of odd stones piled up against a snow drift in a manner that reminds me of the ancient Farlander den me and Asha once visited. How come I’ve never seen this before? Did an avalanche recently uncover it?

“Whoa,” I call out. “Gust, what’s that ahead of us?”

“It is an entrance,” he says simply.

I look past my wings to see Asha similarly intrigued. “Another entrance to the aerie?” she asks.

The only response is the sound of feathers passing through the cold mountain air.

We rise in altitude as we approach the entrance, following the curve of the mountain. We pass the tree line, and the ground below us becomes a broad plain of dense snow and compacted ice. Just when it seems Gust will lead us toward a safe landing spot, he disappears into a puff of glowing green mist.

‘W-what?!” Asha reacts in surprise.

From somewhere unknown, Gust’s voice echoes inside my head. What’s going on?! I search the sky around us, but he’s nowhere to be found. How did he speak to me?!

“Kuro.”

I gaze past my wing to see Asha smirking.

“It’s okay. He does that sometimes.”

“Oh,” I say, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Have you spoken to him more than once?”

“A couple of times,” she smiles.

We settle down from the sky. Asha slips ever so slightly as she hits the snow, sliding a short distance before curling her talons into the ice. Ahead of us lies the stone entrance, somehow revealed from the icy glacier. Has it always been here, waiting for someone to be allowed into Keuvra’s den? Somehow, I have a bad feeling about this.

Now firmly on the ground, Asha wastes no time tucking her wings and marching across the snow. After being passive and quiet for the entire trip home, it’s clear she’s emboldened for answers. But what if she’s moving a little too quickly? What if…?

“Asha, wait!”

She stops two wingspans ahead of me and twists her neck around halfway, gazing expectantly for a response.

“I don’t like where he’s taking us.”

Asha’s head tilts. “Why?”

“Do you remember the entrance to the elder’s den? The one inside the aerie that’s guarded because it’s strictly forbidden to enter?”

Slowly, understanding creeps across her face. She tips her wings and mumbles thoughtfully, “Keuvra’s den is inside. Do you think…”

“Yes,” I nod. “I think this is another entrance.”

Asha recoils a little. “But, Gust said—“

“Asha,” I interrupt, speaking as sternly as possible. “The punishment for entering the elder’s den is death.”

Asha stares at me, muzzle agape. Across the mountain, a cold wind whips down the valley and howls past our feathers. “Death?!”

“Yes,” I say. “By Kevura’s decree, anyone caught in the elder’s den before their time must be slain.”

It’s… difficult to imagine Keuvra intentionally leading us to our deaths. He must be bringing us to another aerie deep inside the mountain, away from the flock’s watchful eyes. But with the penalty of death hanging over our heads, I would be negligent if I didn’t mention it to Asha. She deserves to know before we press forward.

Asha cautiously steps away from me. “Keuvra said that? A deity advocated for the death penalty?!”

I blink, surprised by her response. “Death must not be a punishment in the Farlands.”

“No!” Asha glowers. “The death penalty is barbaric! We stopped using it centuries ago!”

“Well, we still use it here,” I say, rolling my wings. “And if someone from the flock catches us in the elder’s den—“

“I don’t care,” Asha says, flicking her tail.

“W-What?!”

“If I can’t learn the truth about Ellyntide and my family, my life isn’t worth living!”

She folds her wings, turns on her talons, and resumes marching towards the entrance, leaving me stunned.

“Asha?!” I cry, bounding over the snow drifts to catch up. “Asha, how could you say that?!”

“I said it because I mean it!!” she yells, picking up her pace to put distance between us.

Wh… what’s going on? Why is Asha talking about risking her own life all of a sudden!? “Asha, wait!”

“I’m not some puppet to be manipulated by the deities!!” She shrieks, casting about to face me. Tears are streaming down her face. “I’m me!! Asha, Daughter-Of-Kelani!! And if the deities are conspiring to lead me to my death, then I’d sooner die than grovel before them!!”

She turns and bounds away, the sound of her sobbing cut off by another bone-chilling gust of wind.

As her tail bobs over the snow, I feel my emotions overflow. What’s going on? Why is Asha acting so featherbrained all of a sudden?! Incapable of holding back, I snarl into the air and take flight, fighting the winds to come in for a fast landing in front of Asha. I unfurl my wings and impact the ground hard, causing a puff of snow to scatter into the air between us. With her path blocked, Asha holds her ground in a neutral stance.

“Asha!” I yell. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

She responds irritably, “If you don’t like what I’m doing, then wait outside while I talk to Keuvra!”

Asha splays her wings and snaps her jaws at me, a clear escalation! Acting on instinct, I roar across the mountain and fall into my own aggressive posture, keeping my muscles tensed just in case. The mountain trembles beneath my talons, causing chunks of ice to dislodge and tumble into the valley. The moon seems just as tense as we are.

“Listen to me!!” I seethe. “I know you’re angry at Keuvra! I am, too! But don’t throw your life away for nothing!!”

Asha flinches slightly but keeps her feathers puffed to appear larger than she is.

“And I know you’re concerned about your family. But what about me?! How do you think I’ll feel if you’re DEAD?”

The words smack Asha like a rearing spikehorn, crumbling her resolve. She winces, feeling negative emotions return to her. Her wings droop, and her head lowers to the ground. Feeling relieved, I snort and relax my wings.

“Gust was right about one thing,” I say in a more measured tone. “Keuvra has always been kind to the flock. It would be unthinkable for him to do something as insidious as misleading Kin to their death. The flock wouldn’t stand for it.”

Asha’s feathers rise and fall, but she says nothing as she stares into the snow. What is she doing? Feeling a pang of worry, I cross the space between us to join Asha and rub my head against hers. While keeping her wings drooped, she raises her head just enough to rub it against the tips of my neck feathers. She rumbles an affectionate little growl, and I return one.

“We’ll go together,” I say. “And at the first scent of Kin, we turn around. Understood?”

Asha stares across the glacier at the mountain’s entrance. “But Gust wants us to go in there.”

I raise my wing to block the snow from flying into Asha’s face. “And we’re not supposed to tell anyone about Gust, remember?”

“But, then why—“

A small growl interrupts Asha.

“Right, okay.” She corrects. “At the first sign of Kin, we’ll turn around.”

I smile, feeling satisfied that Asha has returned to her senses. I tuck my wing and nuzzle against her one final time before allowing Asha to step away. She raises her head and squares her wings, the determination in her face restored.

“Let’s go see Keuvra,”

Asha smiles and joins me at my side as we march across the snow. We approach the entrance to the mountain and slip side-by-side into the unknown.