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I hadn't expected to meet you, but there you were.
It was at the start of my journey when we met, in the shadows of a bridge that had all but crumbled into the swirling golden sands. You seemed to be gazing up at the stonework, your cape and scarf blown behind your hood by the warm dusty breeze-what were you looking at that day? Were you simply admiring the handiwork of the bridge's builders? Or were you wondering if your journey would be alone? No matter the answer, I stopped to chirp out a greeting.
Your response was one of happiness, and it lifted my heart to know I wouldn't be alone. Together we glided, chirped, and slowly used our powers to restore that broken bridge. Then, almost as if we were one being, we soared side by side up into the other side, our twin red scarves streaming behind us like medals of victory.
You showed me where to find the glowing pieces needed to give me energy, and I showed you all the images left behind by our ancestors, each one giving us pause and wonderment as to what fate they had met. As our scarves grew, so did our bond-we walked side by side nearly the entire journey, using our chirping calls to signal to each other our emotions.
At one point, when we were freeing the kite creatures in the never-ending dunes, I lost sight of you. Suddenly, as I stood at the foot of a sand dune, I became afraid and lonely. Where were you? Had you left me? My cries echoed in the silent landscape, but there seemed to be no reply.
Then-a chirp! Your chirp! I chirped in excitement and glee, and followed your call over a dune, where I saw you waiting at the bottom for me. Quickly I raced to join you, and once I reached your side I realized we weren't alone, for before us stood a small yellow flower. It was perhaps the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and how it had been able to survive here was a mystery. You and I meditated beside it, and for a moment, I didn't want to ever leave that spot. Yet, our journey was not complete-the glowing mountain still lay in the distance, and we were compelled to reach it!
Together we freed the cloth kites and followed them through a river of sand, as the sun painted it a shimmery gold beneath our pointy feet. We fell into the underground caverns where some of our ancestors had lived-and there we encountered one of the scariest moments of our journey.
Not long after we had arrived in the underground, we came across a lost kite creature, only to watch with horror as a flying monster swooped down and shredded it before our glowing eyes! You and I hid behind a pillar, and I became afraid and chirped wildly. Yet, you seemed to look at me as if to say, "Don't be afraid, we can do this!" So cautiously, we made our way past the guardian beasts, avoiding their neon glares and their cold unflinching eyes as we stuck to the sides and the shadows. Suddenly, our stealth was in vain, for the guardians had spotted us! We took off and surfed down a long hill of sand, aiming for a mysterious tower that seemed to be at the end. For a moment, I thought we weren't going to make it to safety, but at the last second we tumbled into the tower's opening and the guardians abandoned their chase. We both chirped happily then, and took a moment to rest before continuing onward.
You seemed stunned by the hidden tower deep within the earth and even more surprised when we came across a massive yarn-whale. I remember you chirping in surprise at the sight, then throwing caution to the wind as you leaped aboard its giant red back. How were you not afraid, like I was? It was as if you had done this so many times before-and yet you waited for me at the top of the tower as i took my sweet time flying upwards to meet you. Once I got to the top, you seemed to rejoice and loudly cried out my victory. I felt happy knowing that I had a companion who cared for me, but I was also worried. What would happen when we reached the mountain? Would we have to go our separate ways?
The answer, it seemed, was closer than I imagined it to be.
We left the underground behind us and emerged into a world of cold and snow. Our red robes stood out against the white landscape, which gave me chills (in more ways than one). For the first time in our journey, I saw you exhibit an emotion I hadn't seen from you yet: sadness. We had come upon a cluster of ribbons, all faded, and covered in an icy slush. You tried to you your energy to warm them, but it was no use-they froze too quickly to provide us energy. Never before had I seen such a saddened expression, but you shook it off, moved closer to me to provide me warmth, and staggered on.
The winds were harsh in the mountains-many times we were forced to hide from the assaulting gusts, or risk being blown away. Yet, that paled in comparison to the sight of many guardians circling the icy plains ahead. Like before in the underground, I followed your lead and managed to elude the creatures, although I was beginning to feel weaker and my scarf began to fray.
Finally, we made it to a barren hill, where the glowing mountain loomed over us. You gave a weak chirp, as if to say "Come on! We're nearly there!" Slowly we shuffled up that hill in the snow and blinding storm, feeling our energy decrease bit by bit. At one point, I tried to call out to you, but my voice was weak and my legs grew heavy. You did your best to help me, but I could tell you were weakened as well.
Then, before my eyes, I watched you fall to your knees beside me. You caught my eyes, and in that one glance, I knew what you wanted to say: "I'm sorry." Before I could move to help you, you fell over into the snow, your scarf gone and your energy spent.
Was this our fate? Was everything we had accomplished so far in vain? My knees gave out from under me before I could act, and I welcomed the tiredness in my bones as I too collapsed beside you.
Whiteness was everywhere. It surrounded my pitiful form covered in snow and ice-a body that had given up on hope. However, I felt something-or rather someone-surround me in that moment, and before I knew it, my energy had been restored. My scarf billowed out behind me, longer than ever before and brimming with energy. I opened my eyes to stare up at the white hooded figures, the ones who had led both of us on our quest-our mysterious ancestors. Upwards I flew, evading guardians left and right and rocketing up to a break in the clouds until...I broke free and saw before me a brilliant blue sky. Puffy white clouds floated under my feet, and the glowing mountain was closer than ever before.
Many cloth creatures guided me along toward the mountain's peak-at one point I even flew on the back of a cloth whale, as you had once! No matter how hard I looked, or how loud I chirped however, I saw or heard no sign of you-and that made me feel terribly sad. We had both been together for so long, and I didn't want to complete the journey without you. Soon I could see the peak of the mountain, which was dusted in a light coat of snow.
It was there that I saw you.
Your scarf was as long as mine, and it seemed to wave to me as I floated over. You were silent as I landed beside you, and for a moment, I believed you were angry with me for making you wait here. I could see the glow of the mountain behind you, and I wondered why you hadn't gone on ahead. Was it possible that you had waited all this time for me?
You moved then, your feet creating a path in the snow, one that, when finished, was instantly recognizable.
You had drawn a heart in the snow.
You and I chirped wildly then, and drew heart after heart in whatever bare space we could find, and I knew that you had been waiting for me to reach the top of the mountain. Soon, when all the snow was covered in hearts, you and I walked side by side into the light of the mountain, just as we had done one that bridge when our journey first began.
I hadn't expected to meet anyone on my journey when it first began. I didn't find the knowledge of our ancestors, or my own place in this world-I found friendship and a companion I would never want to lose.
I found you.