Night had settled across the Atmos. To one using the darkness as a cover, it couldn't come fast enough as to conceal the precious package he was carrying. The figure checked it periodically, but for the time being it remained undisturbed.
There was another roar of skimmers overhead, scanning the nearby area with bright search lights. The cloaked figure almost heard their grunts of frustration from his current position as they flew by, but he would see to it that they never found him. He had to remain hidden, and hoped that his comrades would not ostracize him for breaking the ancient law of Atmos. His only solace was that the Oracle, to some degree, approved of his actions, but only because she had a minor personal connection to his current situation. Had it not been for that, she would have sided with the others.
The lights finally subsided and moved away, seemingly ending the pursuit. The figure breathed a sigh of relief. Any other time he would have made a game of it, but only this night were the stakes far too high. After a few more minutes, he shifted, bearing the package away with him. There was only one person that resided on this isolated terra, and that person was his current destination. He had long isolated himself from humanity years ago, seeking solitude and wanting nothing to do with the world's current affairs.
The figure knew the risk he was taking by even coming to this elder resident. Sure, his interfering was risky enough, but nothing compared to what was about to come.
The dell that concealed him eventually gave way to a clearing, exposing the terra's only noticeable landmark—an enormous cirque that framed an equally large lake. The highest cliff of this natural formation was off to his left, and so the person headed there. He wasn't going to the summit, but only halfway; even he who was hard pressed to find the residence wouldn't have an easy time of it.
But who said he had to take the hard way there?
The old man must have retired for the evening; it took several knocks before the lights even came on. And now he stood at the door, appraising his visitor with a scornful glare that just barely hid the suppressed anger. "This had better be important. If you were anyone else..."
"I know," the cloaked figure responded contritely, "and it is important."
He gingerly placed the bundle in the senior man's arms. The expressions materialized over his face as he inspected its contents, the last settling between grim and mild shock. "And just what do you expect me to do about this? I'm not even the least bit equipped to keep a stray, and definitely not for the long term you're implying."
Under the hood, the expression of the taller man was...solemn, that the elder man fell silent, attempting to moderate the irritation in his tone under the weight of the now deadly glare in his visitor's eye. "This is too much..! I'm out here in the middle of nowhere and you bring me foundlings like I run an orphanage daily! Where in—"
The cloaked figure sighed, and the resident heard the edge of youth in his voice. "I'm already in trouble for doing even this much. No one in Atmos knows about this, not even Master Cyclonis herself. I'd prefer it be kept that way for as long as possible. Just do it as a favor to me, ok?"
Something in the statement settled any further protests that might have ensued, although the senior cut an well-deserved glare in the other's direction. "All of your favors extract a high price, prophet."
He winked in kind. "I knew I could count on you."
The elder merely grumbled in reply. Satisfied that all was well, his visitor made to leave when the man's gruff voice halted him.
"This is a great risk you're taking, Arygyn. My life ebbs even more each day, and what you've given me isn't going to slow it any further."
He only saw the edge of the prophet's smile in the darkness as he turned around once more, his attention solely on the present in the senior's arms. "She is the life of Atmos, and she is worth it. Besides, you need someone to continue your legacy, anyway."
And then he was gone in a puff of magic and the flapping of wings. The terra's only resident remained silent, watching him disappear into the night before returning his attention to the bundle in his arms. During their exchange she had awakened, and now she looked up at him with innocent curiosity, eyes unusually bright in the darkness. Glad that no one was around to see the smile that bloomed on his face, he hastened her into her new home.
Sorry for the hiatus, but given that Storm Hawks has ended and the story went in a couple of ways that I didn't anticipate, I had to review what angle I wanted to take this story in. You guys are welcome to join me for the ride.
