Chapter V
The First Steps
Jayk soared through the sky with glee. He had never been this high up in the air before, only making this flight so much better. As he flapped his wings to pick up as much speed as possible, he examined the beautiful scenery. He was already past the forest that surrounded his home and was now soaring over plains of grass and few trees. As he watched a small wooden cart being pulled down a single path in the field by an even smaller figure, Jayk hadn't noticed the flock of geese that flew towards him. As the gryphon collided with the first bird, he panicked and lost control of his wings. He tumbled down into a nearby tree, hitting almost every branch in it, and landed miserably in the patch of dirt below it. Raising his head, he could see the cart that he saw before approach him. The owner was Arlene, the bodyguard of Braig.
"That was quite the landing." She said, sarcastically.
"Hello, Arlene." Jayk replied, sitting up.
Arlene removed the harness that wrapped around her body, then proceeded to help Jayk up.
"I heard about the missing explorers and how you wanted to go with the search party."
Jayk nodded. "My father disappeared with them."
"I heard. And though I've never actually been to The Echo, they aren't wrong about the dangers there."
"I know, but I needed to get out and see the world myself."
"I understand." Arlene paused. "But this is getting too sappy, how's your wings?"
"My left one hurts."
"Okay, hop in the cart."
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The wheels of the cart squeaked with almost every full spin. Jayk sat on a pillow wrapping bandages around his wing, while Arlene was easily pulling the light cart.
"So," Jayk said. "What happened to Braig?"
"He's heading back to Zebrafica. I've had enough of him and decided to make my own way to Seattle."
"I thought you were his bodyguard."
"He's paranoid when it comes to traveling. The worse thing we encountered while heading to Concordia was a harmless spider. He almost fainted at the sight of it!" Arlene said, having a quick laugh.
Jayk chuckled as he tied a small knot into the bandages and cleaned up after himself. Jayk sat in silence for a bit, realizing that he's actually on his way to a whole other continent.
"Hey Arlene, have you ever been to places other than the island we live on?" Jayk asked, peering over at the cart puller.
Arlene shook her head. "I haven't really thought about it. I've made quite a living as a trader bodyguard around here."
"Well, at least you've been to many places. Even if they're all on an island."
"True, but it doesn't mean I've been everywhere. The world is a big place, we'll never uncover all the mysteries."
Arlene took a second to process what she had just said.
"Why do all our conversations turn really sappy?" She asked.
The duo continued their travel to Seattle without any breaks, hoping to reach the seaside city before night. As they reached the top of a hill, their destination emerged in the distance.
"There it is! If we run, maybe we'll make it before it gets too dark!" Jayk exclaimed.
"It's still hours away, and the sun is already on the horizon. Let's stop here for the night."
Jayk sighed, then nodded in agreement. Most of the dangerous creatures on Terra were nocturnal, but only partially aggressive. Meaning they would only attack if provoked by other animals. This makes it safer for travelers to only venture out during the day, and stay in one location during the night.
Arlene moved the cart behind a tree, then placed down a large, thick quilt, a thin blanket, and two pillows. As Jayk slipped under, the quilt emitted a burst of warmth into his somewhat chilly body.
"Wow, this feels good!" Jayk said, adjusting himself to the makeshift bed.
"My mother made it for me when I was younger. She put a spell on it so that the temperature of the quilt changes depending on the weather around it." Arlene said with a sigh.
She turned to Jayk, expecting to hear a kind reply, but he was already fast asleep.