FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter Two

I stood there in the sunlight, feeling it warm my body. There was a slight breeze tickling my feathers, and I grinned. I was ready for this day, I was ready for this test! I stretched my wings, fighting the urge to leap into the sky ahead of my turn.

"Are you nervous?" The shy, quiet voice of my best friend Yilell brought me back to earth. I glanced over to her, her emerald feathers slicked down against her head and neck, her wings held tightly to her body. She crouched slightly on her teal-scaled talons, her royal blue-furred hindquarters also tucked in. She tried to smile bravely, but looked more like she was going to be sick all over my talons.

"No. I'm excited." I fluffed up my feathers to show how ready I was, my head held high. Try as I might, however, the butterflies had started dancing in my stomach. The gryphon before me, Cleavina, was being spoken to now and despite my bluster there was a small part of me that wondered if I actually had the ability to pull this off. I looked back down at Yilell, who had seemed to shrink even farther into herself. "Don't worry. We've practiced this a thousand times. You'll be wonderful-"

"Saelorennr! If you don't mind, we're trying to conduct Cleavina's test. Yours will be soon enough, and for all the chatter it better be something to sing of." The cutting voice of the Matriarch, Iro, froze the words of encouragement in my mouth and caused my simple butterflies to become a whole herd of stampeding herdbeasts.

"Y-Yes Matriarch Iro." I replied, not needing to feign contriteness. I tucked my head down, and stared at my talons. Now I was worried that I would be the one sicking up all over them.

I don't know how Cleavina did, for I spent the rest of the time studying the intricate pattern of moss on the rock I was perched on. Greenfall was named for the spill of moss-covered rocks, making it appear as if we lived at the edge of a verdant waterfall. The giant trees of the rainforest were to our backs, and the plains stretched away beneath the hill of mossy boulders. It would be here that the great herdbeast migration would pass through, when we would swoop through the air in teams, taking down as many as we could to see us through our journey back to the coast before the rainy season came. I pressed against Yilell, telling myself it was all to comfort her and knowing the words for hollow lies, even in my own skull.

Suddenly, the jade green talons of the Matriarch appeared in my field of vision. I looked up into her celadon eyes and tried not to squeak. Or pee myself. She had that effect on gryphons. Her emerald feathers were pristine, and the olive green of her fur immaculate. Despite the harshness of her words earlier, there was a soft smile about her beak, and she winked at me.

While Yilell's mother was strict, she wasn't unfair or overly harsh. It was probably written all over my face how nervous I really was.

I straightened up, and lifted my head, shooting for the confidence I had felt earlier. I fell short, but still managed to at least not embarrass myself before the test even began. "Saelorennr, it is time for your testing. Now, I need you to take off from these rocks, fly out to a safe distance, perform a figure-eight maneuver and glance back here for further instructions. Don't lollygag, but speed is not what we're watching you for. Ability to follow my directions and perfect form is what we're looking for. If you don't feel ready, we can always put this off until next year. Do you feel prepared?"

"Yes, Matriarch!" I gave a nod that I felt looked sharp, and took a ready position.

"Good. Now-go!"

I launched myself forward, not taking the time to think. It was once I was catapulted off of the edge that I realized that this cliff was much, much higher than the boulders Yilell and I had been jumping from; a spill form them would, and had, result in a bruise, but this could break bones, maybe even kill me. In a flash, my mind started to gibber in panic. Not now! I blanked out my mind, and allowed instinct to take over.

My lavender wings straightened, and I felt the wind pull at them, guiding my body straight. My fore-talons and hind-paws both tucked in, and my tufted tail lashed out, balancing and guiding me. The wind pushed at me, sending me upwards into the air. The wind, which had been naught but a soft breeze on the ground, screamed past my beak, which was parted in a fierce smile. The ground fell away from me and I soared upwards, carried by the blessed wind. I sent a brief prayer up to Uakry, the God of Wind, for this beautiful flight.

I remembered my instructions, and tilted into the requested figure-eight, feeling my underside slide outwards as I leaned into the turn. I then twisted and turned the other way, and looked back to the cliff face for my next move. Iro waved her talon, indicating that I was to circle down. I did so, turning so tight I could almost take my tail in my beak. I shot back upwards and looked again. A loop, followed by a dive. I pumped my wings, giving me the speed to make it through the loop. At the top I felt giddy as I looked down, but didn't let myself think as I tucked my wings. My stomach crawled up to my throat as I dove, streaking towards the ground. This was flight! What I had been doing before was nothing, just lazy gliding and trumped up jumping. This, this was what I had been born for! I opened my beak to let out a fierce cry-

-and choked on the bug that flew down my throat. I snapped open my wings to pull out of the dive, and felt a tearing pain up my wing-joint. I shrieked, and coughed, but managed to pull out, resorting back to a glide. Matriarch Iro motioned me to land, a fierce look on her face.

I landed in a graceless heap, and stood back up on shaking legs. My right wing felt the worst, but my left wasn't far behind it. She shook her head at me. "Saelorennr! What on earth possessed you to snap out of a dive like that? Stretch your wings and let me look!" Her tone had switched to exasperated as I complied. I couldn't say anything as I moved my wings, allowing her to inspect them. "Lucky for you, it looks like you'll just be sore. Goodness, child, the ridiculous nonsense you get yourself into... Since the Hunt is still a few weeks off, you'll have plenty of time to heal back up and be ready. You'll report to Imamiri tomorrow morning to start your training." She walked off, shaking her head.

It took me a moment of just standing on my shaking feet to realize what she had just said. I made it! I stood there, a wild grin blossoming on my face, and jumped as high as I could go, my wings sweeping down. They twinged and I fell back to the ground in a pile. But, stupid bugs or no, I had made it! I stood back up, shook myself off, and headed over to where the others were waiting. Once there I sat, grinning like a loon.

Yilell did wonderful. She was all delicacy and grace, a razor-taloned feather floating on the wind. She didn't stumble or anything, just smoothly pulled off all of the moves as if she were an aerial dancer. I smiled with pride as she came in, touching down delicately. Her mother gave a curt nod and said a few words. Yilell bowed her head, and then headed over to me, a soft smile on her face. "I did it! I'm to report to Rouhali tomorrow for-"

"Rouhali? But I'm to report to Imamiri! That means we're in different cohorts!" I groaned, clacking my beak with displeasure.

"It won't be so bad. Now, what was with that wild stunt you pulled? Mother practically jumped off of the ledge after you-you should've seen her face! Although other than your landing you looked lethal!" She giggled slightly, and I grinned sheepishly.

"Yeah, I swallowed a bug." I flushed hotly, clicking my beak and lashing my tail as I stood.

"A bug? Ewww!" Yilell giggled louder. "Come on, let's go get some real food, not bugs, and rest a bit, take it easy for today." As we walked off, she was still chortling about the bug. I had a feeling I would never live it down.