“Where do we go now?” I asked. “I dunno.” he said as he shrugged. “Oh God! Follow me!” he said, running. “Wait!  Where are you goin’?!” he simply ran. Then, once he was going fast enough, he grabbed the collar of my torn shirt and flew. It was different than flying with a dragon. With a dragon, the flying felt rushed, as if it were an effort. With a griffon, the feathers did all the work. We flew higher, the icy blue glow of Luminusae casting an eerie light on the glossy sheen of Don’s feathers. “Look around on the ground! If you see a blanket lying anywhere, tell me!!” I looked around. There was the airship wreck, lying in pieces on the ground. I saw a light green pile of cloth lying motionlessly. “There!” apparently, he saw it too. With a sickening dip, we swiftly tore through the air at a bone-crunching velocity. We stopped near the small pile, and he dropped me. A little early. “Whoa!” I said as I tumbled on the ground. “Hey!” but he was huddled over the cloth, wings sheltering it protectively. He didn’t show it, but he looked horrified. His wings quivered slightly, heathers quaking. “Oh God no, no, no...” he pulled back the folds of cloth, and I could see downy  yellow fur/ feathers. A beak. And large, closed eyes.  He pulled the small form out of the cloth, and the small animal didn’t move. It was Vitara. “Oh God, she’s...” he said. “No! We can take her to the lake! It’ll help her! Really!” he held her in his arms and stared, bottom beak quivering. His eyes looked not just sad, like the sad a child would get when their dog died, but the kind of sad a man as when his child is taken from him. A look of confusion, a look of disbelief. A look of betrayal. “Y-yeah, you’re right...” he said. He held Vitara’s head close to his chest, and covered her in the cloth. Her grabbed me, and we left.

I thought that when we went looking for her, we went fast. But I had never seen someone fly for the life of one he loved before. We flew so fast, a boom followed our takeoff. His red hair looked like fire as he flew, his eyes furious with rage. He clenched his teeth and narrowed his eyes. I felt afraid that he might drop me to get to the lake faster. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he did, nor would I have held it against him. I saw the glimmer of the lake, and he nose dived, wings flapping powerfully one more time as he dived into the water. The shining water let like rock as we smashed into it, as he let my hand go a few feet above it. He slipped into the water soundlessly, the only sound being the tiny  plip of his tail smacking the surface. I crashed into the water and looked at him. He as cradling Vitara, using his wings as huge fins to keep under the water. He shut his eyes tightly and prayed. I heard nothing, and he made no signs, but I knew he was praying. Not to any specific god, just praying to anything that would listen. The water seemed to froth and boil. Currents pushed me away, and I lost sight of them for a moment. I looked again, light was consuming them. Vitara was still. Don looked at her, as she now escaped his grasp. She floated, guided by only the will of the lake. Her small beak opened, and a few bubbles floated out to the surface. The waves stopped, and the lake was still, as still as Vitara. Don moved toward her, and embraced her. For the last time. I could see tears. I was once again stumped at how I knew the difference between the water and tears, but I did. Then, I could see a warm light fill Vitara’s face. She shivered all over, and the lake shone like a sun. She blinked. She blinked. Her eyes opened, and they stared widely at him. Don rose to the surface, and held her. He looked amazed, but Vitara just stared at him. She cocked her head to the side, and made a questioning chirp. The lake shone, and the water moved around them. Like a small whirlpool. Don still looked amazed. I stood silently. I swam over to them, and touched Vitara’s head, partly to show myself, and partly to show Don that this was all real. We looked at each other. And then at the forest, which glowed and shimmered knowingly.

“Thank you.” he said. The trees, I swear, I am not kidding, moved slightly, bowing, all of them bending toward the lake. They moved back into place, and they shone again. Don and I never told anyone, not even Ace or James, about what happened. Neither of us have ever spoken about it until I did, just now. We walked slowly back to shore, and from there, we found our way back to a village where we met with James and Don. We told them we had been keeping her on the airship, waiting to show them as a surprise.

We still don’t know how it happened,

but neither of us really wanted to know.