the monsters turned out to be just trees

hope keeps us breathing, just to kill us in the end

For his part, the manitcore endured this calmly enough. His wings twitched, ears pinning back for a second as Loren's bony ass nudged unhappily against his spine. Loren might not have wanted to wriggle about, but especially as an animal, Remi had no such compunctions. Shivering slightly so as to force the Launceleyn farther back than he might have liked, the manticore positioned his wings in front of the summoners knees. If he needed something to hold on to, the place where his mane bled away into feathers was his best bet. Rising with easy, the manticore moved towards Astra.

With a soft affection like any parent-animal might show its child, Remi nosed the deer softly with a whiskered snout, exhaling a warm and reassuring breath against her. Retreating a few paces and then several more, Remi nimbly leaped into the air. Thick as the trees were he'd have to get above their canopy as quickly as he could lest he risked constantly hitting his wing-tips on the trees. Once he was a few feet off the ground, he flew towards Astra offering a gentle rumble of assurance that Loren would likely feel in his legs, wrapped around Remi's flanks as they were, as his forelegs reached down with the utmost care to scoop up the young luxere. In a matter of wing beats and one warning growl to Loren that he'd (probably too late) realize meant duck! they'd broke through the upper branches and were flying easily across the Greatwood.