These weeks of exploration become the avid, beautiful daydream my heart had always envisioned. Noah uncovers an unquenchable fascination for the ever-changing terrain we pass. Gone is the terrible cliffs, the volcanic, biting air of various cages. His smile and steadfast patience wash the fear from my eyes – his words and lessons nurture my courage and self-confidence. Concealed emotions begin to the beat against the roof my mind; demanding acknowledgement. But distractions (of every sort) offer reprise from internal complications – for the time being, it became easy to ignore the stir of questions and brush aside the urge to find their solution. My subconscious embraces this newfound tolerance, she finds relief from anxiety and draws comfort in the security of our leader.

Noah flies just ahead (as usual,) though unlike our first week of travel…I don’t struggle to maintain (and even surpass) his pace. These sinew flight muscles have been forged in the kiln of the sunlight and wind. Since I'm no longer forced to lag behind, our distance becomes a courtesy…an excuse to avoid the paranoid assumption that an accidental brush of feathers would have gut wrenching consequences.

When those emerald forests and boundless grasslands shift into melancholy grey and brown –  my soul begins to yearn for the road behind us (rather than the mysteries ahead.) My mind revisits the warm, sun filled afternoons. I was (and am) wholly beguiled by those stunning, empty valleys and their unclaimed blossoms. Our last travel break had been so lengthy that I had begun to wonder if Noah would reveal his decision to makes those gentle tumbles of hills and thistles into our temporary residence.

But…no...

Our current destination…an outlandish, bluish glow that consumes our intrigue just as it fills the dark horizon at night.

I sooth my disappointment with fragments of hope – there was something…enriching about it. Something…that reminded me of magic. My subconscious arches her figurative brow, reminding me in her wordless way to not build my hope around the idea that those lands would restore me. Though…I couldn’t stand to drown that seedling of optimism…not when that unnatural aura is bleeding unspoken promise of achievability into the sky…

----

Amber threads of milky clouds become skewed by twilight; the brilliant sun wanes his power while the first of many stars begin to poke through the moonless night sky. Below, we’ve traded paradise for…rivers of fire…even from afar, their dazzling, bizarre hue has started a war against the rise of tension building in my chest. These nostrils tremble, sipping the horrible taste of gas. Pockets of hot air become easier to find – and harder avoid – their invisible conflict balloons against my secondary and primary feathers, upsetting that perfect harmony I’d spent weeks practicing. “Noah!” Pale lips draw back as my thundering heart nosedives – galloping into action. These arms rotate, attempting to work with (rather than against) the current.

OC: Using my VOTG pass -- (calling the necessary god)  
[Dark x Light | The ability to move objects with her mind.]
[Restrictions | Objects must weigh less than 15lbs and cannot be thrown.]

@Noah