might not be forever

Thalassa

They created the monster

Having given her crew a verbal beating equivalent to the fall of Starfall, Thal heated her blood to a boiling point and summoned Maea to resume their flight. The crew (understandably) gave them a wide berth as they shifted, Spook in particular looking especially pale in the crisp white light of the snowy landscape - not that she cared, he'd be overboard in a heartbeat if he so much as harmed a nail on the main mast or pulled a loose sliver from the helm. 

Regardless, the crisis had been averted, and Thal led them back to the clouds, watching as the Crag appeared much closer than before. Glancing back at the white crow behind her, she gave a low rumble, jerking her head towards the island with the intention of a quick scouting mission. Perhaps they would spot something interesting, or at least be far enough away for the captain to not behead some idiot in the crow's nest. It would be so easy...

and then asked why I bite.

"If I could fly I would never come back", you said

It was interesting to watch Thalassa at work. Maea knew intimately the captain's way with words, and while she winced in quiet sympathy for the crew as they were flayed and hung to dry in a figurative salty gale, the effect was not only noticeable but immediate. That the younger woman knew what she was doing and how she wanted it done was beyond questioning; it was noteworthy, a thing to respect and even admire.
Following in the lyvern's wake as they headed back into the sky, the crow had to admit that she was a bit envious, too. It was impossible to tell where  confidence ended and pretense began in Thal. There was something indomitable about the woman she could only dream of, made all the more impressive given the many uncertainties of her past. Was it easier to remake yourself without memories to fall back on? Had every step between waking up to darkness and this instant been a decision, a choice, or were they drawn from muscle memory, learned from experiences now forgotten? Could one ever truly escape the past... and should she even want to?

With thoughts tumbling like pebbles down a hillside throughher mind, the white bird cawed assent to the suggestion and lowered herself down towards the Crag. Beady blue eyes snagged on features of the rock and snow the closer they came, talons twitching whenever she noticed something shiny. Unlikely to be more than ice, still she couldn't help but imagine what it might be like, to find the legendary substance. Did it feel different to channel magic through it? What she wouldn't give to try it, just once.

Maea

Thalassa

They created the monster

Had they been able to speak, Thal might have scoffed at Maea's line of questioning, knowing that her 'past' was vastly different than the life she now chose to live. Whether that was a 'choice' or not was still something she asked herself. It hadn't been in the beginning, when she'd been alone, vulnerable, scared; but in order to protect herself, Thal had learned to be everything she wasn't - to stand tall when she was called short, to lash out when she was called weak, to be confidently brave when she was terrified. After a time, it was hard to tell if it was an act or not. The emotions settled in her skin, disguising what had once lived beneath, making her something new. Sometimes she wondered if she went too far in the opposite direction, being too abrasive, standoffish, too independent, but she was trying to change that in small ways, to build friendships and find community. It made it easier to enjoy life than to just 'survive' it, even if the risks still made her want to run.

Gliding next to Maea, she thought she might have found one of those friends. They didn't always see eye to eye, and sometimes she wanted to scream at her, but Thal felt a kinship to the woman, felt like she was someone who challenged her, who sometimes felt more like a sister than a friend. 

For now, Thal was blessedly ignorant of any disagreements to come, instead putting distance between herself and a crew that still had a lot to learn. She pumped her wings again to keep them warm, watching as the Crag came more into focus, curiosity slowly overpowering the anger.

and then asked why I bite.

"If I could fly I would never come back", you said

The cold put a timer on their exploration that ticked down relentlessly, uncaring of curiosity or opportunism. That they had to be quick meant staying active and keeping warm, though that would only work for so long before their blood chilled enough to grow sluggish.

When the surge of waves crashed against jagged rocks beneath her wings and ocean was replaced by land, Maea lowered down and wove between craggy peaks, agile in the acrobatic maneuvers such flying required. She wanted to get close enough to at least check for mageglass, even though she suspected most of it would be trapped below ground, in tunnels and caves. Did cultists still guard it, like they had before the war? Perhaps she might join an expedition next time the opportunity arose... The prize was well worth any effort, and even the danger such ventures would bring.

Maea

Thalassa

They created the monster

The crash of waves against rocks slowly grew from a soft hum to a low roar, the salt spray flying through the air. Thal had to fly higher in an attempt to avoid growing pretty icicle ornaments on her scales. Even with her efforts, a misting caught her legs, the chill already increasing tenfold, making her growl low in her chest. Their timer had been cut even shorter.

Skimming the tops of the peaks, she didn't have the agility to join Maea in her aerial acrobatics, so she stayed high to miss clipping her wings on jagged rocks. After a lap around the island, Thal noticed nothing of interest or importance, and her claws (and anger) were beginning to go numb with cold. It seemed like the appropriate time to return, and Thal roared out a warning to Maea before setting course back to the ship. 

[FIN]

and then asked why I bite.