Leona had a restless night. The monster that she fought made its way into her nightmares. In one nightmare the monster took hold of her with its many arms, pulling her close. Patches of color and fur folded over her eyes as she melted into its body. She felt confined like she was falling into a net.

Leona jolted awake. She pulled her covers close to her chest, trying hide and feel out her reality. Looking over at her from the nightstand, was a green rabbit spirit. For a moment, Leona thought that her dreams might be leaking into the waking world. She brushed the spirit away. It felt warm or cold, she couldn’t tell.

The green rabbit bounced in mid-air around her room. It’s light green glow lit up her dim room. Watching the spirit bound around the room relaxed her mind. Her body felt at ease too. It was not as sore as it should have been.

The spirit was real and it was free thanks to her help.

The sun was beginning to rise and shine through her window. The rabbit froze in the light, ears listening. It made its way to her window and phased through it. Leona rose from her bed to watch the spirit disappear through the trees.

It was earlier than usual for Leona to be awake, but with a big trip on the horizon she took the extra time to pack her bag. She folded days of clothes tightly together into the bag. Unwilling to face boredom, a book and a deck of cards found enough space. Lastly she clipped a lantern and water skin to hang on the outside. It was simple, but it was all she needed for now.

By the time she finished packing her parents were already awake and sitting around the table. Mom was setting a mountain of bacon onto Leona’s plate, while Dad sat back in his chair reading the morning paper.

“I’m glad I didn’t have to wake you up this morning,” Mom said to her. “You’ll need the whole day to make it to the nearest town.”

“That would be Emral Town,” Dad clarified.

“I hope you packed a map,” Mom said.

“I’m sure Tusund has one,” Leona replied, stuffing bacon into her mouth.

Dad passed his newspaper over for Leona to look at. She nearly chocked, looking at the cover page. There was a series of images showing the aftermath of the monster attack. Some people claimed to have seen the spirits that were released from the monster, but they were being dismissed. There was no evidence that a monster had ever entered the fortress. All that remained was two injured guards and king with wounds inflicted by dark magic. The paper claimed that the guards were covering up the king’s outburst, blaming it on a monster.

Leona knew what really happened, but she didn’t want to bring it up to her parents. If they found out that she had put herself in danger fighting a monster, they would never stop worrying. They might not trust her judgment, deeming it too great of a risk for her to leave the city.

“This isn’t true,” Leona said. “I saw one of those spirits myself.”

“That’s spooky. What kind of monster is made of spirits?” Mom wondered, seating herself at the head of the table.

Dad took the paper back saying, “regardless of what’s happening, I realized that this city isn’t as safe as it used to be. How could a monster walk right into our fortress? They can't be that smart, can they? Someone had to have let it in.”

Everyone was still a bit tense but breakfast continued on as usual. Leona cleaned up, gathered her things and went to the door. It was strange how normal the morning had been. Leona tried to comprehend that by the next day she would be miles away in a completely different place. It was easier not to think of such things, so she just focused on the next step. She gave her parents a full arms and wings hug and went on her way.

“Look out for monsters and travel safe!” her dad called after her.

“Call us tonight!” Mom reminded her.

Finally, together, they both called out, “love you!”

Leona didn’t care how loud they were being in the morning, she didn’t allow herself to be embarrassed. It was all so corny, but she was leaving. If anyone had a problem they wouldn’t find her inside the walls anymore.

Unapologetic, she shouted back, “bye Mom, bye Dad! Love you too!”

With her wing tips out, she soared as she ran off to meet Tusund.

~ ~ ~

Tusund and Leona where approaching the outer ring-wall gate. Few people traveled between settlements. In the stream of people before the wall, Leona saw a majority of hunters and soldiers followed by a few traders and even less travelers.

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Leona had never even been to the edge of town before. There were smaller neighborhoods and more farms near the wall. The sky was open enough for her to see the top of the wall. It seemed to curve back on her, towering higher than even the fortress. The wall was made of giant stone blocks carved by artisans. Pillars looked like stone trees and the space all around the gate was decorated with mosaics like the throne room. These mosaics where colorful images of humans and Chlorophane warriors standing together. To the sides of the warriors were spanning scenes of the city’s construction.

In the plaza before the gate was decorated with the seal of Verlass. The words "Truth and Freedom" were set into the tile floor. Here hunters pulled carts of slain monsters into town. Soldiers were also escorting wagons overflowing with magic gems from the outer mines.

Leona followed Tusund’s lead as they went though the gate. It was a wide and long tunnel that passed through the wall. Once outside Leona looked up at the sky. Without towering buildings and overhanging vines, Leona could see almost everything. She followed the thin white line in the sky to where the sun was still rising.

She was immediately surprised by how windy it was. The jungle looked alive with each gust. Trees danced, leaves, and petals flew though the air. Leona could feel the wind pulling her wings open.

“Can I fly?” she asked Tusund.

“If you want to,” Tusund shrugged, confused as to why she asked.

“I’ve never been allowed to fly. There’s not enough room in the sky for me,” Leona said, under her breath.

“There are soldiers and hunters all around here. We are still so close to the city and as long as you stay near the path, we should be safe from any monsters. Try not to get too far ahead, or lose me up there,” Tusund said, taking her bag

The stone road before them gave Leona a clear line into the sky. She had never flown before, but she trusted in her instincts to guide her. Wind was picking up as she started running down the road. A group of hunters was rapidly approaching. At the start of the next breeze, Leona jumped up and dove through the air. Instead of falling, her wings snapped open. The wind swept her up over the hunters and their carts.

She was flying now.

Leona flapped to gain altitude, lifting herself high above the tallest trees. Her hair was ruffled in the wind and her tail waved like a flag. Everything below was beginning to look like vegetables on a dinner plate. From above, farms became a patchwork quilt, people were ants, and the world began to curve away.

Vera City’s wall remained a mountain in her sight. It was more like a whole range of mountains stretching to edges of her vision. She could see tiny cannons and balestras set up on shelves. There were also terraces with more crops growing along the wall’s face. There was a sheet of something white along the top. Leona wanted to see what it was, but the higher she went, the harder it was move. She noticed herself flapping as fast as a bee in the cold sky.

It might be possible for a larger dragon to overcome the clouds, but that was not Leona. She was beginning to think that she had gone too far. Fear and a feeling of exposure crept over her mind. If something happened to her wings from this height, she would die. She was also getting very tired. What if her wings failed her before she couldn’t make it back to the ground?

In the white scar above the clouds, Leona thought she saw an eye. She looked into it, the Overseer’s eye. She felt a spike in her mind as a vision played out before her.

Two sages cut though the clouds, chasing each other. Lightning jumped out from behind the rider of an eagle. Another flying on his own dragonfly wings, seemed to split himself into a hundred copies. With the flick of one-hundred staffs, the lighting was redirected back to the sage.

The sage on the eagle blocked the attack and sent it hurtling into the sky. A crack reflected though the Overseer’s eyes. Leona didn’t know what she was witnessing, maybe she couldn’t even breath. The eye blinked and everything disappeared. Everything.

Leona was a white speck soaring in darkness.

“Soon….. Try to reach me…. I’m waiting,” a voice echoed in her mind.

Leona blinked and she was like a comet, burning bright at the edges of her wings. She blinked again and she was back in the sky. No one was watching her. No one was there.

She tried to keep herself calm as she slowed her flapping and began to fall. When she could make out the finer details of what lay below her, she began to glide. It had only been a few minutes, but she could hardly keep her wings open. Despite her inner protest, she kept her wings out, least she plummet.

Wind began to fling her left and right. It raised her up before stopping. She felt weightless as she began to fall, only for the wind to slam into her again. It was a hard lesson to learn, but flight could not be left to instinct alone. Leona continued to fight the wind as much as she could, when she finally caught sight of Tusund.

The Tree-man, still looking small from above, stopped in his tracks. He watched the wind flip Leona over and he began running after her. Rapidly falling, yet recovering into a glide just above the ground, Leona got caught in his branches. Mouth agape, Tusund looked up at her. She was tangled up like a lost kite.

“What happened up there?” Tusund asked, concerned.

“I can’t say,” Leona replied. “I have never flown before.”

“Never!” Tusund burst.

“I thought my landing made it obvious enough,” she said as Tusund’s squirrel climbed over her back.

“Well how was it?” Tusund questioned.

“It was the best thing ever,” Leona said. “It was thrilling, yet exhausting and scary. I think I went too high; it was hard to breathe.”

“Well, that’s not good. We should agree to stay near the ground for now,” He said.

Leona nodded in agreement. Without having to ask, Tusund offered her a ride in his branches so that she could rest. Leona acknowledged his good will and settled into his branches. It was like laying in a hammock she thought as she picked some leaves out of her hair. Already deprived of sleep and exhausted from her flight she let the rocking of his branches lull her into sleep.

~ ~ ~

When she woke up they were already at an inn in Emral Town. Tusund was checking in a the front desk. A familiar voice danced about Leona’s ears. Looking though the forest of branches on Tusund’s head, she saw him sitting at a table.

It was Hawk.