“It’s been two days since the events in Glimmerfen ended. We have good news and bad news. Good news: we still have enough food to keep going. We need to find the last two vessels: the vessel of Seraphina, the Swan of Serenity, and the vessel of Pyra, the Phoenix of Rebirth. Bad news…” As Zira explained, she heard a sneeze and instinctively dodged as Alden’s sneeze sent a blast of darkness at her. Ember stabbed a pillar at her, and she threw a golden feather. “AH!” She screamed, turning to see the three of us lying under blankets, sick.

“Zira,” Ember coughed, lying on my chest. “We’re all sick as dogs. I don’t think I’m gonna be able to fly the ark anymore.” She sneezed, and the ark began sputtering, the lights on the crystals dimming. “Uh oh.” Zira growled.

The ark fell out of the sky. She screamed, dug her claws into the floor of the ark, and grabbed all of us. Struggling to reach the steering platform, the ark flashed red again, just like last time, indicating she wasn’t supposed to be on it. “Shit!” she used her claws to hold us down, spread out her silver wings, and flew off the ship, going underneath to hold it up. Straining to push it up by flying, she shouted, “Gaian! Could use some assistance down here!”

I coughed and tried to move but I literally couldn’t move. “Try to use the wind as your support!” I shouted and she roared loud in anger.

They were getting closer to the ground. Ember went to lay on the platform, but due to her sickness, instead of the ark flying, it activated the weapons system. Multiple crystal spikes flew at Zira. She screamed, barely dodging them.

The ark descended rapidly, and she braced herself as they got closer to the ground. Just as she opened her eyes, she felt the ark being steadied. She smiled in relief, then turned to the side to see a boy around her age, struggling to set down the ark. He was from the avian race but without wings, though he had other avian features.

“You alright, ma’am?” he asked, his country accent catching her off guard. Zira tilted her head in confusion. “You were just hanging out in the forest?” She chuckled as he examined the ark, letting out a low whistle. “Golly, that’s a mighty fine-looking ship.”

He stepped back as the ark extended its stairs, and Ember, Alden, and I tumbled to the ground in front of them.

“Whoa! You’re a tigress! I thought you all went extinct! And that beautiful silver fur!” He felt her fur, and she let out a low purr. “Is that a normal striped owl? You never see those anywhere!” The boy looked astonished, then turned his attention to Alden and Gaian. “Whoa! Those wings look amazing!”

Zira felt a surge of pride at his compliment. “If you think those are impressive…” She spread out her silver wings. His eyes widened as he stepped closer.

“Wow.” He reached out to touch her wing, only to wince and retract his finger, now bleeding. “Damn, those are sharp as hell!” He chuckled, sucking the blood from his finger. “I’m Avol. What’s your name?”

His admiration boosted her confidence, and she opened her mouth to reveal her sharp teeth, then showed him her claws. “Zira, and yeah, I’m pretty sharp, you could say.” She giggled and turned her face to hide her flusteredness.

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I shot a feather at her, scratching her cheek to get her back on track. “Oh right! Sorry to have to leave so soon, but my friends are sick, and I have no idea what’s wrong with them.” She was about to pick them up, but Avol stopped her and walked over to them, crouching down.

“Ain’t no fuss, they just have a small case of avian flu.” Avol felt our foreheads and spat on the ground. “I don’t know about fixing them, but I can help with their sickness. My place is just up the road. Y’all can come, but I wouldn’t leave that ship here. Anyone could take it and feed it to the night fox.”

He snorted and picked me, Ember, and Alden up on his back. Zira hadn’t expected him to be that strong. “Oh, you’re right.” She went back to the ark.

“I wonder how she’s gonna move that thing. She couldn’t even lift her friends; she wouldn’t survive in the west.” Avol turned around. “Hey, we’re entering Dragon's Roost. The people are a bit intense—” His eyes widened in surprise as he saw her holding the ark with one arm. “Dragon’s Roost? That’s a cool name.” She flash-stepped in front of him, making sure not to hit him.

“How did she do that!?” He tilted his head and walked behind her. "So, who are you exactly? I was born and raised in the west, and I’m strong as hell, as you saw earlier. My father claims we're descended from the Nightfox race or something, but I don’t believe it. I know I worked for my strength. At least, that’s what my momma says."

“What’s a Nightfox? That’s the second time you’ve mentioned it,” Zira asked as she looked around for somewhere to set Ember’s massive ark. He adjusted me, Ember, and Alden on his back.

“Well, the Nightfox was a mythical being,” Avol began, shifting his load. “It’s said they had incredible strength and agility, almost like they were supernatural. My father always said our family carried their blood, but I think it’s just a story. Still, it’s a nice legend to think about.”

I sneezed and tried to talk to Zira, but all that came out were groans. Zira blitzed away, setting the ark gently on a waterfall before flashing back to Avol's side. He jolted in surprise. “Wow, we ain’t seen nothing this fast since the cows came home,” he cackled. I grabbed Zira’s shoulder forcefully while still on Avol’s back.

Zira leaned closer to me. “I know. You’re suffering, but we’re going to get you back to health.” She patted the three of us on the head, and I gave up trying to speak, surrendering to the sickness and falling asleep.

As they continued walking through the forest, they began to see avian people who, like Avol, had no wings. The scene looked like something out of a Wild West movie, complete with rustic clothing and frontier-style buildings.

“So, none of you have wings?” Zuri asked, her gaze scanning the people around her.

Avol nodded. “Nope. That’s us—unique folks from Dragon's Roost. No wings, no powers, just pure strength,” he explained, leading them to an infirmary. He gently laid the three of us on the hard beds.

We coughed violently, and Zuri's expression turned worried. “So, you can help them, right?”

The doctor shrugged and spat into a jar. “It’s avian flu. Hard to say how long they’ll be down for. You being a tiger kept you from catching it, so they’d probably be in worse shape without you.”

Avol climbed onto a nearby table to meet Zuri's gaze and patted her gently on the back. “It’ll be alright. The doctor here is the best at what he does.” He offered a reassuring smile, and Zuri nodded, feeling a bit more at ease.

Meanwhile, I closed my eyes and found myself back in the golden room with Shina. “Wait, tell me everything again!” I urged, my voice trembling with fear as I clutched my head.

Shina's breaths were ragged, and I saw raw terror in her eyes. “Dragon's Roost is a nightmare! The people there are ruthless—since they can’t fly, they’ve spent centuries luring others in and tearing off their wings!” She panted, her voice thick with dread. “I can’t even warn her because I’m too sick to breathe properly! If anything happens to any of them, I don’t know how I’ll keep myself together. Why can’t we just have one day without someone trying to kill us?” I groaned and she tried to steady her breathing. “Okay, maybe we’re overreacting, this is Zuri we’re talking about, she could handle herself. I hope.” Shina trembled.