Mostyn vigorously shook his head and if a dragon could spit, which they can’t, Mostyn would have. Instead Mostyn only succeeded in spitting his tongue out making Kern chuckle.

Kern went to the small stream of water that constantly ran through his room and wetted his hands before going back over to Mostyn and rubbing them on Motyn’s chin and nose. A slight oil rubbed off onto Kern’s hands making them smell like air and water. “Now its your turn” Kern said and Mostyn rolled onto his belly as Kern got a rough cloth and quickly cleaned Mostyn’s claws. Just as he was finishing the last one he surprised Mostyn by tickling him. Mostyn bucked involuntarily but Kern held on as Mostyn rolled back and forth making what Kern took for a dragon’s laugh.

Kern jumped off and started finishing putting on his gloves and other gear. Behind him Mostyn shook himself and went to lay down ready to be saddled.

After Kern had gathered his things and secured them tightly in the saddle bags he saddled Mostyn and they started off into the air once again.

In front and behind Kern as he made his way towards the falls were the townspeople on their dragons flying in the same direction he was. Its sound grew louder and louder and Kern put cotton in his ears and tied his ear muffed helmet on so the deafening roar wouldn’t hurt his ears. He also cinched on his goggles for later when things would get really gritty. The sounds of the wind and callings of the many birds swooping through the air in the early morning became muffled and distant but he could still feel the dull throb of the waterfall.

The waterfall was closer now and even though he was some ways out he was already getting pelted by the mists. A few of the workers had already turned aside to the terraces but Kern and most of the others continued flying directly towards the waterfall.

As they flew closer and closer the mist turned into a sprinkle, which turned into rain and soon it was a downpour.

“Well, here we go” Kern heard the feeling from Mostyn. There, just barely seen through the downpour could be seen islands of green with churning white waters all around them. The light of the sun was muted because of the mists but it was just enough for a few special plants to grow under the constant torrential rain. The plants that grew on the cliffs to the sides of the waterfall were more delicate and were watered by the mists and light rains that came off the waterfall but these other plants were an entirely different matter. Day and night from the moment of their birth they were subjected to a virtual flood and unending weight of water from the waterfall. Their light was choked by the same waters that attempted to drown them yet still they thrived.

Kern landed on one of the islands barely able to stand the noise of falling water even with his ears plugged and covered. He could feel the noise beat at his body and shake the bottom of his feet as he slid off of Mostyn’s back and onto the landing platform above the terraced island descending down in the direction of the sun. Kern could only see a few meters and the first row of grasses on the terrace. Despite the downpour the grass blades stood straight up and their iridescent leaves glimmered despite the low amount of light.

First thing Kern climbed down the back of the terrace’s stone wall and checked how the structure was doing. The same iridescent grasses poked out of the cracks and gaps in the stone and when Kern got to the bottom he found the great stones parting the tumultuous waves still intact. Those stones were vital. They kept all of the dirt terracing from being washed away. This island wasn’t like the others. It was man-made and had to be built with massive stones to keep it from being swept away by the strong current. It had been built long before Kern’s time and before the times of the oldest descendants they knew of. The stones were made of Waterstone and were so large it was a wonder how they came to be moved. All of the other islands had been hewed out of already existing islands of rock and so were well rooted.

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Behind and above him he couldn’t see, but he could feel Mostyn intently leaning over the edge of the back of the terrace watching his every move.

After Kern had made sure there were no failures in the structure he returned to the crops and checked on them. There were only skinny widths of stone to stand on so he had to be careful not to fall off. The terraces were very steep so the grasses could get full amounts of sunlight without shading each other out. Kern gently climbed himself back up the narrow stairs and rested beneath Mostyn’s wing. The pounding waters and noise had already taken their toll on him and he was exhausted. His days’ work was not over.

He grunted and lifted himself up onto Mostyn’s saddle as Mostyn jumped off the back side of the terrace into the water. The current tugged at Kern’s legs but he held tight as Mostyn’s eel-like tail beat furiously and his webbed feet worked hard to overcome the current. Mostyn bobbed up and down with the waves and Kern got sucked under with him a few times but they would always come out on top. Each time Kern could feel Mostyn become a little worried and feel Mostyn’s shoulders hunch as if to protect Kern. Kern would reassuringly pat Mostyn when they came back above the water and Mostyn would loosen up. Soon it was too torrential for reassurances and all Kern could do was hope he had tied himself in the saddle well enough. The waves kicked them around like a leaf on the wind and Kern had to use every ounce of will not to gulp in water when they were sucked under for longer than usual. It seemed like forever and the weight of the falling water beat harder and harder each time they would come up for air until it felt like liquid stone was constantly falling on him when it suddenly all let up.

Kern felt Mostyn’s discomfort and he quickly released his death grip around Mostyn’s neck. Mostyn chortled amusedly as Kern lay on Mostyn’s back exhausted and breathing deeply. “I don’t have gills like you do buddy,” Kern said between taking gulps of breath.

Kern gathered himself and sat up. They were drifting on what looked like a lake with a wall of water to their back. Mostyn was almost playfully bobbing with the waves as he paddled to the shore close at hand making a high pitched gurgle in his throat at the top of each wave.

What shielded them from the waterfall were massive Lariah trees whose upper branches spread far out from their heavy trunks and supported large, thick leaves that created an impenetrable canopy. In the areas where there were gaps in the canopy were powerful falls that fell through the gap and created rivers that flowed down the hillsides and through the massive roots of the trees. The Lariah’s leaves softly glowed green since it was summer and gave light into what would otherwise be darkness. The leaves of vines and undergrowth also glowed in varied colors but their fruits and flowers did not, preferring to hide behind the thick leaves of the bushes and vines.

As they drew closer to the shore, the deafening sound of the waterfall subsided until it was only a gentle throb in the air around them. Kern thankfully took off his helmet and unplugged his ears.

Kern could see some of the workers harvesting in the undergrowth while others trimmed and harvested select branches from the Lariah for their wood, perhaps the hardest, heaviest wood in all the world.

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