With a quick flip of my body, I turned around and grabbed the branch with one hand, locking the other in time to hold firm. “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared,” I said to myself, feeling the shocked fright of the crown mirroring my own as we both controlled our emotions.

When I finally suppressed the shock of near death, I was surprised to find the crown was still at the periphery of my sensory range. I felt her sniffing my sudden change in emotion as I analyzed her own curiosities.

The moon was in front of me, allowing the crown’s shape to burn before my eyes as she glided below the heavens.

“Pretty,” I said, still hanging as she swooped down close enough she must have seen me from the clear light of the moon. She didn’t stop when she flew by, but tucked and dove.

“My name’s Kagis!” I shouted after her diving form. The only reply came in the silent wind brushing my cheek after the stroke of her wings.

“Just in case you wanted to know,” I muttered. Letting out a long sigh and scratching my head, I pulled myself up to the branch and climbed down to the edge of the mount.

I didn’t hear the sound of wind approaching, and the speed was such that I couldn’t even feel anything till I stood before the silently stopping crown as she drove her long claws into the side of the rock, hanging there and staring at me with those enormous, narrowed eyes.

My emotions were flat and carrying nothing but joy, which was probably why I felt only relief from her.

“Jessy,” I said to the crown as she moved her head toward me. “That’s your name?”

When Jessy spread her wings I reached a hand out and said, “No, no, it’s a good name, a pretty name,” with all the emotional sincerity necessary to validate those words. “It’s just, a very normal name.”

Jessy’s feelings were humble.

“I would have thought something like night-wind or—” I started to say before Jessy cut me off with feelings of reluctance. “Oh no, I agree. Jessy fits you. It’s your name and you’re you.”

Jessy’s feelings were curious.

“Ah, I see. Kagis doesn’t really have a meaning either.”

Jessy spread her wings, though she made no show of leaving.

“Yes, yes that’s why I’ve been looking for you. Kagis, like I’m caged. I never thought of that before. And yes, Jessy has no meaning so you can define it as you like.”

The curved front of her face revealed a black-skinned mouth. She lowered her muscled form a moment and let out a low puff from her snout.

“No, wait, don’t go, please.”

Jessy had only begun to turn. She didn’t stop but merely slowed her pace as she tapped the edge of her wings against the rock.

“I, I should have brought you something.”

Jessy opened her wings.

“I know you didn’t bring me anything, but I was hoping.”

Jessy shot back around and angled her head sideways.

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“Why doesn’t that make sense?”

Jessy’s feelings were of jealousy. So were mine.

“We can stop the beasts but we can’t fly. But why would you care about the beasts if…”

Jessy grew stubborn.

“No. I guess you don’t stop. Did you ever stop trying to face one?”

Jessy lowered her wings.

“Hey, don’t worry. You’re the first to ever come close to me.”

Jessy exhaled once more and lowered her head. Our eyes were a few feet apart and she held still.

“Are you sure?”

Jessy’s eyes narrowed.

“Thank you.” I reached out and touched the side of her wide, curved face. Her fur was smooth and made my fingers run along its edges like water over glass as I reached to her short neck. I scratched below her chin and she made a noise like gurgling and her mouth pinched shut. Her eyes began to shut when she pulled away from my hand and spread her wings.

“Wait, wait, you’re not going to stay?”

Jessy’s four legs bent against the wall.

“I could help you! I’m not afraid of the beasts!”

Jessy growled at me and I stood my ground, unafraid of her either.

“I can make you feel the pain you might put on me. Beasts can’t, and I can’t make them feel pain either. That’s why I know you won’t hurt me and you know I won’t hurt you.”

Jessy growled once more.

“You can’t do it on your own.”

Jessy growled and leapt off the rock.

“I can’t either!”

The sweeping air her wings thrust backward knocked me to the ground and I slammed my head against the exposed rock. “Gah!” I said, and closed my eyes with the pain, rolling over to feel the small gash of blood on the back of my skull.

“I missed beast steak and meeting Prophets for this,” I muttered, holding back tears I knew I was too old to cry. “They always fly away. I wish for once I’d just give up and be able to enjoy…”

When I stood up and opened my eyes I saw Jessy standing before me, her wings tucked and her eyes staring intently.

“Just one,” I said, and nodded.

Slowly, Jessy knelt down, though she kept her eyes locked on me. I practically ran to her side, then with the slowest of motions put one leg over her back. I positioned my body just behind her shoulder blades.

As she stood, I scratched the back of Jessy’s neck. She gurgled and I said, “Thank you.”

Jessy shook her head.

“Really? This doesn’t hurt?”

Jessy didn’t seem bothered when I grabbed the cluster of crimson fur that marked her as a crown. My legs fit snugly in front of her wings and shoulder blades and the crown offered a suitable hand hold.

“Okay, slow at first.”

Jessy growled.

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t want to go slow at all.”

Jessy exhaled and inhaled quickly out her nose and I saw her eyes widen. Then they suddenly narrowed and we leapt off the mount.

The sensation of falling thrilled me from toes to hair tips as we plummeted with tucked wings and my body tucked along the grooves of the brown fur feeling the wind flow past and the world speeding along as the steady image of Jessy stayed in front and when she spread her wings to tilt up I felt her excitement mirror mine as her claws snatched the top branches of the trees we sailed past and over and under with frighteningly joyful motions where with each turn of her body I felt her mind work her muscles before they moved and allowing me to match her and feel as if each were controlling the other when we skimmed across the surface of a lake and felt the water stream past going zip-zip, fly upwards and upwards and up till the clouds seemed the ground and then diving once more as I urged her forward under and zigzagging through the stony growths jutting out of the wind-swept waters as we climbed once more into the clouds and dove for a feather-soft landing back to the mount’s side by the walnut tree.

I wasn’t sure if I felt my heartbeat pounding or hers.

“That was amazing, Jessy,” I said, and scratched the back of her neck.

“My sentiments exactly,” I heard a woman say as I turned toward the location where her feelings came. “Though I am curious why you gave it such a plain name.”

Jessy leapt off the wall and flapped her wings. My feelings of pause and lack of fear didn’t stop her but kept us at a low hover over the mount. I told her these people wouldn’t hurt us and sent a feeling of curiosity that seemed to overpower her worry.

“I didn’t name her,” I said as Jessy fluttered to a landing, wings still open. “That’s her name.”

“I wasn’t aware the crowns possessed the ability to speak,” the woman said.

“Not in a way you can understand.”

“Hmm. We are constantly learning new things from these Mother-Dwellers.” The White Prophet was wearing a light white dress that draped loosely over her, gown-like at the top and narrowed to form-fitting legs of thicker material and stout shoes that seemed elegant despite being made of thick leather. The pendant tying her gown to her shoulder began glowing a faint white that made Jessy narrow her eyes. “Aren’t we, Hednar?”

“Who’s Hednar?”

“He’s Hednar.” The light from the Prophet’s weapon revealed a tan-skinned man with a red-tinged knife turned upside down in his hand.