Flight

Iada, a young Seque of inner Eldora, woke up early while the sun sat still on the western horizon. It was early spring in Eldora, and most people preferred warm beds over the chilled wind in the morning. Unlike the others, Iada loved to feel the piercing breeze brush the separate feathers of her wings and rustle the individual dark brown hairs of her thick fur.

Seque's are known for their ability to fly to high altitudes in Eldora and their graceful landing. To humans, Seques resemble large cats with wings. The species stands upright like homo sapiens, but live with a lighter, more hollow frame which makes them capable for flight. Therefore, the species must be extremely careful of their landings to not break their light bones.

The young female leans over her bed and places her feet on the cold ground. Her mother, father, and younger brother must still be asleep as she hears the slight snoring of her father off in the other corner of the complex. While shaking her head with a smile, she grabbed a pair of pants after checking herself in the mirror. Iada had bright blue eyes that shined whenever she smiled and short thick fur that covered the entity of her body, down to the pads of her feet.

With long, quiet strides, Iada crept down the sleep stairs from the second floor of her family's complex to the first. Her parent's did not approve of her creeping away when they didn't know where she was going. "They won't even know I left," she muttered to herself as she calmly waltzed out the front door onto the sidewalk and made her way to outside of Auste, the central city of Eldora.

Past all of the bright lights and mucky smell of the city, the countryside of the mountains grew clearer and the sky beamed with bright blue. By the time she made it across the first bridge way to the second concentric circle outside of Auste, the sun had risen a bit, and she could already smell the flowers.

Almost every morning, Iada would wake, travel to this spot and practice her "dare-devil" flying, as her father put it- obviously he and her mother never approved of this hobby either. Being a well respected family in Auste, Iada too was expected to fulfil the deeds of her relatives and become a well-rounded lady of the city; well rounded in the sense that she wore dresses and pretty earrings and wings were strictly detrimental.

At an early age, her cousin taught her how to actually use those appendages on her shoulder blades.

"Now, I want you to jump off that ledge right now, Iada!"

"No! I am going to kill myself, I should have never listened to you!"

Her cousin stared at her sternly. "Are you telling me you rather sit all day inside, drinking cups of tea, instead of doing this?"

Iada paused for a moment and replied with a whisper, "No... I don't."

"Then listen to me!"

Iada bent her head down and turned away from her cousin to face the cliff. With a strong breath, she bounded down the makeshift runway and jumped into the thin air. The ground left her feet and her wings grabbed the delicate strings of air that held her tight as her wings beat in rhythm. She never doubted again.

Accident

Today, she wanted to work on high altitudes of flight, nosedives and recovering from the drop. She never worked like this before, but was determined to do it.

Stretching, Iada prepared her mind for the flight. "Let the wind grab your wings... let the wind grab your wings."

Unluckily for her, the winds had grown extremely turbulent. She assumed a storm front was moving in from the north, which brought the cold air. She shook the feeling off and concentrated on the altitude.

Confident, Iada stood against the wind and walked to the edge of the cliff. By now, she had grown stronger since her first flight and could nearly drop from the edge and catch the wind, as a net catches a falling object, yet lifts it up. Her wings opened to receive the breeze then descended.

The winds caught her almost immediately and Iada began her paddle up to the highest cloud she could see. The higher she went, the clouds grew terrible and the wind ruptured with a force unimaginable; the storm had moved in quicker than she expected and her body tossed back and forth between the obscured mists.

With a scream, Iada falls from the high clouds; the nosedive she wanted to accomplish fails her to a terrifying, uncontrollable fall from the heavens. Desperately trying to gain the wind's power again, her wings disobey and fold to her back. As the ground draws near, Iada closes her eyes and feels the worst pain in her life.

* * *

In an unimaginable amount of time, Iada weakly pried her right eye open. Her left arms stretched in front of her slain body as her right arm tucked under her body. Unable to feel her legs, she breathes heavily and catches a glimmer from a stone slightly to her left. The gray object glitters in the sunlight- the storm understandably has passed- and Iada extends her fingers to clasp the oval object. And her eyes close again.

Asdeno

"I think she will recover fine Dek, her bones will heal quickly, but she might not be able to fly again. I am more worried about the cuts and hit she took on her head."

"Thank you Doctor Medes for coming all this way."

"It wasn't any trouble, I just hate to see Iada like this. She was always one to go against the norm."

"I know. She must be more careful."

Iada weakly opened her eyes at slits and watched as her father talked to Doctor Medes. Her body ached all over and her chest felt as if her breath had been pushed out by force.

"Well, take care Dek, I will come by tomorrow to see how she is doing. Make sure she stays in bed, and when she wakes up, to keep her calm and comfortable."

"Will do!"

Doctor Medes steps outside and she can faintly hear his footsteps down the stairs. Her father retreated to Iada's bedside and whispered. "Dear," a sigh escaped his crumbling lips as he continued, "We were so worried, your brother set out to find you when we went to wake you up this morning and your bed sheets were cold. He knew where to find you and miraculously carried you home." He paused to swallow and continued to speak, "Doctor Medes says that both of your legs are broken, your left wrist is twisted badly, your head has been banged up pretty badly and, " Dek took a breath, "your wings are all torn up, dear." He swallowed again.

Iada grunted a bit and opened her eyes fully to witness her father's wrinkled facial features.

"Good Morning Iada. How are you feeling?"

She gasped slightly in order to speak, "Like I am tied to the floor by 5 tons of bricks."

Dek smiled haplessly and cocked his head, "Still have your sense of humor, at least that was kept."

"What, what happened?"

"Your brother found you beaten up over outside of town by the countryside. You can explain to us later what happened but right now, I should leave you to rest. Your mother and brother are all very worried, I should console them a bit. if you need anything, just give us a ring, " pointing to a small silver bell by her bedside, there she noticed the gray object she had picked up after she fell.

Her father left the room as Iada pretended to fall back asleep long enough. When his footsteps faded down the stairwell, she grabbed an extra breath and leaned closer to her nightstand. There she could see the object more clearly. Because of her left hand being sprained, she attempted to lean to the table on her left while reaching out with her right hand to get a better look at the oval object.

She snagged it quickly and brought it back to her lap as she promptly propped herself up on a few pillows, withstanding the pain in her abdomen.

After a quick inspection, Iada realized that it wasn't a stone, but a shiny egg that she had found. A grin spread across her lonely face, the egg was warm to the touch and soft on her fingers. Dreariness fell over her head once more as she tucked the egg under her covers and delighted herself with a little nap.

* * *

Iada yawned as she opened her eyes once more to the day. It was later, but she didn't think she was asleep for more than maybe an hour- at most. She shrugged to herself inside; she didn't even know how long she had been asleep since her brother had found her and when she woke up as Doctor Medes left her room.

The egg! She remembered the egg, she desperately dug through her sheets, attempting not to strain herself too much, but finally snatched the egg underneath her quilt.

She rolled the egg in her palm to take a closer inspection of it. Along one of the sides, a long slender crack crept along the diameter. Her face dropped at the sight of it, she must have rolled over on it accidentally while she slept. She began to wonder what to do with the object since she was sure she had hurt it forever when a crack came from the egg.

Over the next hour, she watched in anticipation as a skinny gray serpentine creature crept from the innards of the shell and fell into a tiny ball in Iada's lap. The creature's eyes opened almost immediately and stared at its new mother.

Iada grinned and held the little one up to the light. "So you are the one that has been hiding in that shell all this time! And here I thought it might have been a bird!" She was slightly disappointed that the creature didn't have wings, maybe one day they could go flying together; but the shock had not hit her yet of just how beat up she was, she didn't even think of never being able to fly, and forgot distinctly what the Doctor had said.

"What should I name you, little gray one?" The serpent rolled around in her hands, like it had when it still resided within the shell. "I don't even know if you are a boy or a little girl!" She nuzzled the pet and set it down on her sheets. "Ok then, I will name you Asdeno, or 'Without fear'. I feel we will have great adventures, Asdeno!" She grinned at the baby and snatched it up into her chest to lay to sleep once again.

The Bigger Problem

Months passed before Iada could walk again alone. Her legs had been badly broken in the fall and her father remained even more protective of his only daughter. Her mother, she remembered, just looked forlornly at her daughter. Never had she seen such damage to a young soul. Iada recalls her mother speak to her little brother, "Now remember this when YOU want to be rebellious!" Why did she always make Iada's problems bigger than they really were?

There was one time Iada thought she was going to get a bad grade on her test- even before taking it- and her mother grounded her to her room for the weekend. That only happened a year or so ago, Iada soon learned that she couldn't tell her parents much of anything.

"Iada? Why'd you go so far out?" Giri, her brother crawled up to her chair that sat on the edge of her room situated to look outside but only gave a pitiful view of the street below.

"Huh? What are you talking about Giri?" Iada said and motioned her body to let Giri sit on the seat with her.

"You hurt yourself." His face dropped and he shifted his eyes to Iada's torn wings and gave the impression that he wanted to reach out and pull one of the feathers.

Iada sighed, "I told you, I'm a teenager, Giri. I go out and do "rebellious" things!"

"That's just what mum said, I know you think differently."

Iada was astonished at Giri's precocious thoughts. She cocked her head slightly and narrowed her eyes, "Well, you've been outdoors. Isn't it different from the city?"

Giri nodded and grinned a bit.

"I thought so." She lifted her arm and pointed at all the tall buildings. "That, outside, isn't flying space."

"Obviously," Giri chuckled.

"Right. So where would you go to fly?"

"Fly?" Giri cocked an eyebrow. "We don't fly."

Iada closed her eyes and sighed, "Then why do you think we have wings, Giri?"

He opened his mouth but paused, "... I don't... know."

"Right, that's because no one understands or knows of our past anymore. Wings were meant to fly. Therefore, everyone was meant to fly. It is the same as not using your hands to feed yourself, it is just another tool for us Seques that Aille gave us." She opened her eyes again and smiled at Giri, whom seemed a little weary.

Giri held back a comment, she could tell, but he began to speak "Mommy said you were filled with Dreche," and faded off towards the end.

"Ugh!" Iada groaned, "What an insult!" Iada continued to growl when her mother walked in the room.

"Giri?" she peaked her head in to catch Giri's attention.

"Yes, Mommy?"

"It is time for dinner now."

"Ok Mommy." Giri hopped down from the seat and scuttled off down the stairs.

Iada's mother turned to leave again, but halted and quickly faced her. "You know, it would be appreciated if you would join us for dinner once and a while." She clenched her hands by her stomach.

Iada turned away and stared at the window, even though nothing in particular. "If I felt welcome."

"Iada, dear..."

"No Mum," she whipped around in the chair, "I know what you really think I am, and I can't take you anymore."

Iada's mother didn't say another word. This type of argument went on now since Iada could walk. Iada would sit in her room all evening and then wobble down the stairs at some ungodly hour only to eat by herself.

When Iada's mother left the room, Iada clenched her fists on the seat and grabbed the tight white material. "Why?" she whispered through blistering tears.

* * *

After a while, Iada got up as she did every night for the past two months and walked to her closet. There inside was her little secret, Asdeno.

She shuffled over and opened the door.

Well, maybe he wasn't such a little secret anymore.

 

Asdeno
Gender:	Male
Age:	Adult
Wings:	Dragon
Tail:	Hooked
Horns:	2; brow
Spikes:	none
Fur:	none
Markings:	Jaguar (mutation)
Coloration:	White + Black
Legs:	none
Eyes:	Sky
Special:	Colorless coloration (black and white, very uncommon)

 

Return to the Skies

Asdeno had grown substantially since his birth, obviously. He could hardly rest soundly in the closet, although it was very big, and would constantly hit his head on the roof of the tiny room.

Iada laughed at this since she paled in size to him. "Asdeno, are you ready to go downstairs?" It was later and her parents had already gone to bed. The flion nodded his head and gave a little grin. "Ok, then you have to be QUIET this time," she warned.

Last night, he was almost spoiled when he hit his head on the hallway chandelier and burst one of the light bulbs. Asdeno flew down the stair well and resided downstairs as her parents clamored out of their bedroom door and questioned the "sleepy" Iada what happened.

The dragon slithered out the door of Iada's room and carefully ducked his head around each object and corner. He was doing very well this time. He slithered quickly down the stairs and huddled at the bottom until Iada was able to make it all the way down. While taking each step carefully, she gazed out the window in her hallway and could see the city's lights. For the first time she could gaze out and almost think that they were pretty.

She soon got to the floor and patted Asdeno, "Thank you for waiting," and entered the kitchen.

* * *

She sighed a bit, "Asdeno, I don't think there is anything in here you can eat!" She hurriedly shuffled through the shelves and couldn't find a single thing that would satisfy Asdeno's humongous appetite.

At this cry of despair, Asdeno flung Iada on his back and began to slither at a high pace. "Wait! Asdeno what are you doing?!" she cried. He grunted a bit but gathered speed down the hallway and lowered his head. "No!" Iada cried once more before Asdeno's horns crashed into the wall and through the other side like a knife through butter.

Asdeno slithered for a few more meters but quickly opened his wings and lifted from the ground. Iada kept her eyes shut until Asdeno reached maximum speed.

"Asdeno..." she whispered into his ear, "since when have you done this?"

"This is my first time," a deep voice echoed. Iada was surprised to receive an answer, never before had he talked to Iada before. "I thought it was about time I took you back."

"Took me back?"

Asdeno flew over the bridge to the other mountain and dropped from the sky like a white shooting star. He gracefully landed on the ground and coiled up so Iada could slide down his body.

"You can't stay bitter forever, mother."

"You called me mother..." she rubbed Asdeno's leopard print skin and looked into the sky. Out here the city lights couldn't burn any star.

"You are just that to me." He shuffled his wings and uncoiled his body. "Everyday now, I listen to you talk to me, but I also hear you argue with your family. I know you've wanted to fly again, it is in your voice when you speak and your tears when you cry at night."

He opened his wings wide. "I had no idea," she replied. She climbed on his body again and they lifted into the air. She opened her own wings and felt the cool night air hug every fiber of the plumes, a feeling she missed greatly.

Iada closed her eyes and let herself fly free. Her arms let go of Asdeno's back and her body opened to the air. Her wings caught the breeze and and floated endlessly. Soon her wings picked up the rhythm again, he heart pounded and she opened her eyes again. There in front of her she could see an endless night sky glitter. Asdeno had flown ahead of her and waited for her to catch up. She flapped her wings and continued to fly.

The End

Page Last Modified on March 12 2012
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