Above the skies that gazes down on the vast African grasslands, a vintage Etrich Taube monoplane was flying high over the scenery. Manning the flying machine was Crown Prince Kalir Kian Kerano, son and heir of Splenish Emperor Splero Spleriia Kerano. The anthropomorphic wolf-dog was being tasked by his father to fly from Tanganyika to Windhoek and back. The task was quite simple and the Splenish Crown Prince immediately took the job without any hesitation even though he wasn't used to fly through the skies above the African terrains below.

All of these would later be changed in just one fateful flight across.

...

In an airport somewhere in Tanganyika, Kalir was standing idly by near to the German-built Etrich Taube monoplane that he would be flying for the task in hand. As he tighten up his shoes that were in his clawed feet, his fellow best friend Malir walked towards him while holding a rolled scroll.

'I'm now here, Your Highness. Sorry for the delay.'

'That's okay, Malir.'

The timber wolf gave Kalir the scroll.

'What's this?'

'That's the scroll that you need to pass down on the Namibian delegations at a conference that was held in Windhoek.'

'Really?'

'Yeah.'

'I see. Can I open it to check it out?'

'No, Kalir.'

'Come on, Malir. Would you please let me do it for a bit?'

The timber wolf groaned.

'I said 'no', Your Highness. Your father told me not to let you open that scroll because the Namibians would like to read it in perfect condition.'

Kalir sulked a bit.

'Great. There goes the redundant secrets then.'

'Well. That's the Emperor's orders, Kalir. You already know that he was a bit conservative nowadays.'

'It happen before and it would pass.'

'I don't believe that would going to happen.'

'Why not?'

'I dunno.'

'What do you mean that you don't know?'

Malir shrugged his shoulders. Kalir scoffed as he boarded on the Taube. He placed the scroll beside him and started the engine while Malir removed the wheel blocks. As the propeller spins fast, the Crown Prince donned his flying goggles.

'Regent'

'Yeah?'

'Tell my father back that I'm heading to Namibia as requested. I'm going off now.'

'Alright, Kalir. Good Luck out there!'

'Thanks. Bye!'

Malir saluted to Kalir as the plane started to move, gained speed and took off into the skies. At that moment, he was now off to his destination.

...

As the plane started to fly through the skies above the towns and fields that surrounds Tanganyika, Kalir kept his flight harness on as he piloted the old World War One-era monoplane further up. He sighs in relief while the headwinds makes him open his mouth and let his tongue dangle on one side.

'Ah, yes. I love the strong headwinds!'

Kalir closed his mouth and he looked beside him. Placed firmly on the side of his seat, the rolled scroll was just jutting out from the upholstery. Curious to read it for himself, the canine carefully locked the control column and he tried to reach his paw for it. Just as his claws were merely a few inches from the scroll, a loud crack of thunder interrupted him much. He immediately hold control on the column.

'What the fuck?!'

Dark clouds started to swarm all around the surroundings. At that moment, Kalir realized that he was being caught flying within the vicinity of a dangerous line of cumulonimbus clouds that he never predicted beforehand. A heavy shower of rain cascaded down, followed by very strong head and tailwinds. Fearing for his life, the Akita wolf-dog tried to fly away from the towering thunderclouds. All was too late as a single bolt of lightning struck the plane's vulnerable wood-and-paper tail.

'No!'

As the plane nosedived towards the ground below at a neck-breaking speed, the rolled scroll was jarred loose and it flew away from the seat upholstery. This makes Kalir's heart skip a few beats.

'NOOO!'

The Crown Prince then looked forward and he could see the ground that was within a few hundred meters away. Desperately, the canine pilot undo his flight harnesses and he bailed out from the diving monoplane. The parachute that Kalir was wearing on opened up in time as he continued on seeing the plane go down and disappeared in the clouds. A loud explosion was then heard echoing while the sound of the thunder drowns it out. Holding tightly on the straps of his deployed emergency parachute, Kalir was in a state of extreme shock and disbelief.

All what he could do now was wait for his slow yet safe descent to the ground below. He had cheated death. For now.