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The cool mist of a waterfall kisses her face as she skirts past, soaring up as the water rushes down. Reaching out she lets her fingers skim the surface, feeling the power as the thunder from the fall vibrates her body. A flock of y’vak soar above and she breaks away, content to chase the golden winged creatures, testing her skills against the masters of the sky.
The world recedes beneath her feet as she rockets closer to the stratosphere. Climbing and soaring, she can see the palace from here, poking out through the lush jungle below. She won’t catch up to the y’vak, but snags her reward as it floats down through the air, a beautiful tail feather. She hangs midair, shifting the feather in her hands, watching the light catch it as it glimmers.
Her mother patches a hole in Ryand’r’s pants, chastising her from the surface. “Koriand’r come down, be wary of your sister!” A twinge of annoyance ebbs at her chest. Komand’r is older, she should watch out for herself. Still she lazily sinks towards the ground, though she does a loop or two, for her own enjoyment.
She’s too busy pouting to see what happens next, but the sound of Komand’r’s scream will haunt her for years to come.
She’s keenly aware of the fragility of the human race. Slipping on a patch of ice could make a human break their neck or dislocate a knee. The ice simply melts beneath her feet.
It’s a constant anxiety muted only by her resolve to protect them with her life. She is strong where they are not. And they’re not useless either – Donna possesses enough strength to move mountains, Vic can leap over skyscrapers, and Gar can shift into beasts larger than freight trains. They aren’t useless… but a strong blow to the head will down Donna, a stray shot could cause Vic to bleed out, and Gar can’t hold large forms for very long. A strong gust of wind could knock Raven over. And Dick is painfully human.
Humans weren’t built to soar through the skies, but that somehow hasn’t stopped them from creating mechanistic monstrosities made of metal, which clumsily screech through the skies. Tamarain hovering platforms were far more efficient and sleek compared to the humans’ gaudy creations.
Still, reluctantly she takes her place in the back of the T-jet, happy at least that Vic’s father modified the beast not to roar during takeoff. It’s small consolation, but she trusts Silas’s work over the other crafts that soar through Earthen skies, and Dick and Vic are expert pilots.
The plane shakes as it hits a spot of turbulence and her heart races. Raven shoots her a knowing look. “Would you like my assistance, Koriand’r?” She shakes her head; she wouldn’t want to give Raven her anxieties. It’s bad enough that they hurt her so much already. That she hurts her so much already.
Donna brings a quick hand to her shoulder. “It’s alright hun, the boys can handle a little wind.” The plane rocks again, seatbelt lights flashing on.
“And actually, put them on this time.” Dick mutters over the intercom. “I don’t want Wally getting concussed again-” A gust of wind picks up in the cabin. “-GET OUT WALLY!” Wally materializes in the seat across from her, snapping on his seatbelt and crossing his arms.
“He’s not wrong.” Donna chides.
“I heal fast though, it’s fine.” He huffs. Gar snickers next to him. Wally punches him. The antics do little to lighten her mood. The plane rocks again and doesn’t stop.
“Something’s wrong!” She warns. An explosion booms as the plane tilts upside down, warning lights angrily flashing red.
“Thirty seconds till impact! Evacuate now!” The restraints break easily as her stomach lurches, entering into freefall. Gar grabs ahold of Raven and they both vanish in a plume of smoke that clouds her vision.
“-to the front!” Donna screams from ahead of her. Flying causes her to smack against the ceiling-or the floor really. Twenty seconds left. Wally’s gone but she didn’t see him leave. Her heart pounds in her throat as she pushes forward. The door to the cockpit won’t open, Donna breaks through it.
“Took yah long enough!” Fifteen seconds left. She yanks Vic out of his restraints, the earth racing up to meet them. Donna has Dick, they meet each other’s gaze. Donna nods. She readies herself, aiming at the window. Ten seconds.
“Go!” An explosion throws her back and her starbolt misses. Seven seconds. She shoots again and the glass shatters soundlessly. She flies through as fast as she can, Vic squeezing her in a vice grip as they streak away from the wreckage.
The cockpit explodes behind her. “Donna! Dick!” She turns, decelerating, too late to stop a piece of debris from striking her. The last thing she hears is a familiar scream.
“Aaarrghh!” She feels light, almost, someone strokes her bangs as that scream rings out again.
“Kory?” She blinks a few times and Donna’s face swims into view. She touches her head, there’s no bump or bruise.
“I was falling?”
“Vic managed to land safely enough.” Slowly sitting up, her friends come into view amidst a field of tall grass. Dick and Vic hold Raven as she writhes in agony. Gar sits picking grass, holding it up, and letting it drift away in the wind, cringing at each new shriek.
“I’m sorry.” There’s nothing they can do to help Raven. Crawling closer, she makes her presence known, placing a gentle hand on Raven’s knee. Raven squirms for a moment more, than sits up.
“It’s fine. I’m fine.” Dick and Vic exchange a doubtful glance above Raven’s head. They ease her back down to the ground, Vic settles her head in his lap. His prosthetic feet look like they’ve seen better days, Kory bites her lip, if she’d been quicker, that wouldn’t have happened. Raven wouldn’t be in pain either. She needs to double her training.
Dick brushes his hands against his legs, his shirts torn up again. Donna’s costume is cut up too and they’re both bleeding. “We’ll just take it easy till Wally gets back.”
“Waiting may not be safe.” She wonders out loud. A plane, though foolhardy in nature doesn’t simply crash on its own accord. “We have no cover. What if whoever crashed the plane comes back.”
“We covered our tracks.” Dick notes, gesturing around. “We moved as far as we dared with you injured.” He doesn’t mean it, but it’s her fault. Her fault too if they get attacked. She scans the fields, watching for any sign of movement. The wind blows and the grass shifts, impossible for her to pinpoint a location. “Take it easy Kory, there’s not much we can do.”
“Maybe not, but I could fly up to check things out.” Donna pulls her down as she tries to stand.
“Gar already did.” She explains. “He didn’t see anything.”
“But it doesn’t mean much.” Gar whines. “There could be someone hiding underneath. And…” He looks around uneasily. “They would have heard Raven.”
Raven covers her face with her hands. “Great Azar, I’ve doomed us.”
Kory springs forward, taking her hands in her own. Willing away the tears in Raven’s eyes, clearing her mind and only thinking of how much she loves her. It seems to calm the empath. “It was my fault, I was distracted and let my concern overpower my judgement.”
“Not true, it was an accident, that metal would have hit you anyways.” Donna places her hands on theirs, joining at their side.
“Kory’s right thou.” Vic notes. “We should move.”
“If we move, Wally might not be able to find us.” Dick points out.
The conversation lulls at the impasse. She turns over the options in her mind. Stay and be attacked? Go and risk not being found. The others look haggard and she’s not strong enough to fly everyone out by herself. “We wait then.” She contents herself helping Vic braid Raven’s hair.