Chapter 7 – Dependence

The next few hours were a tense wait, filled with little bursts of hope as Ashburn slowly regained control of his body. It started with little jerks, like a dog twitching in its sleep, that evolved into bigger spasms of movement as more time passed. At one point he whacked me over the head with his wing, and could do nothing but give me an apologetic stare.

Eventually he was capable of more regular motion, though it remained clumsy and erratic. He struggled to get his tongue and mouth muscles to work together, but eventually managed to form a single slurred word.

"Scairehd," a whine rose from the back of his throat, followed by a strangled sob as his eyes dampened.

I could do nothing but try to hold him closer and tell him everything would be alright, hoping it at least provided some form of vague comfort to him. I felt his paw jerkily clamp around my leg, desperately clinging to me for reassurance.

Another few minutes passed in anxious silence before he spoke up.

"Gwhry?"

I smiled at hearing him talk again—a sign he was slowly returning to normal. "You know as much as I do…I'm just glad you're recovering," I gave his neck a squeeze.

"Noht…agein…"

It took me a moment to figure out what he meant, trying to distinguish his garbled English from the low draconic warbles.

"No, we'll make sure it doesn't happen again, I promise."

The effects seemed to wear off exponentially after that, and before long he was standing up and walking around again, testing each of his muscles. Meanwhile, I had started to pack the few things I had for my apartment into a large bag, wrapping the more delicate objects in towels, bedsheets and whatever soft fabric I had to hand.

When it was all said and done, my flat was clean and ready for me to move out, Ashburn had complete control of his muscles, and we were both absolutely drained of energy.

I automatically began to move towards my bed, and then stopped, staring at it. It felt like it would be wrong somehow, to use it instead of…sleeping alongside Ashburn. We both needed to relax after the paralysis scare, and it wasn't like he would have gotten over Tutor's message after just one day… Did we even need a reason? If it was this hard to get the words straight in my own head; how was I going to ask?!

I nearly jumped out of my skin as a scaly nose nudged my shoulder, and a small shriek escaped my mouth.

"Aiden?"

I had just been standing there, lost in my own thoughts. Probably for at least a few minutes.

"Uhhh…uh, yeah?" I ran my hands over my upper arms, fidgeting on the spot, suddenly feeling intensely awkward.

'Dammit calm down,' I ordered myself, taking a breath.

"Can we sleep?" he asked innocently, and I couldn't help but bark a short laugh as my tension bled away.

It was as simple as that.

"Yes, let's sleep," I sighed, relieved.

He lay down on the floor, his back resting on the edge of my bed, wings half-extended. I settled against his chest and gave an embarrassed 'thanks' as he put his paw gently underneath my head to act as a pillow. I scratched his earfins and he closed his eyes, tail wrapping around my shoulders. We both quickly drifted off, exhausted from our travel and stress from the paralysis.

- O – O – O – O -

- O -

- O – O – O – O -

I snapped awake the next morning, with the distinct feeling I had missed something. I lay there for a moment, heart hammering like a drum, adrenaline pumping through my body even as I tried to figure out what had me panicked in the first place.

The bus. I needed to get up early for the bus.

I hadn't set my alarm!

I scrambled to get up, trying to reach my phone to check the time without hitting Ashburn in the face like I had the previous day. Of course, he tried to hold onto me again.

"…Mph…why you up…" he groaned sleepily.

"Ashburn, let go of me!" I unwrapped his tail from my arm and quickly got to my feet, stepping away to grab my phone. To my immense relief, it was only 6:30; just enough time. Early enough that it would still be dark when we left, so we could get out without anyone else seeing him.

I started to go through my usual morning routine, yawning heavily the whole time. Ashburn wasn't faring any better—even he didn't wake up this early normally. I cut all his meat and fish out of their packaging as he came slowly padding over and started to eat, albeit lethargically.

Before long we had to leave, and I poked my head out into the corridor to check if anyone was around. Of course, there wasn't—nobody else was stupid enough to actually want to wake up before seven in the morning. We snuck down into the lobby without a problem, I left my door key on the reception desk, and as soon as Ashburn was out the front door he was up in the air, near-invisible in the autumn dawn.

I had warned him that it would be difficult to stay hidden once the sun came up, and that he'd either have to be very low down and moving from cover to cover, or high enough that people would dismiss his dark form for a bird. I had specifically told him not to hide in the clouds, lest he lose sight of the bus.

As I was exiting the building, rucksack over my shoulders and the large, exceedingly heavy bag of things from my apartment in my hands, my eye was drawn to the bike shelter. Where my bike was stored.

And I was leaving.

On a bus.

I'd completely forgotten that I'd need to get rid of it, or sell it or…I could just leave it. Undo the lock and leave my bike out on the street. Someone would take it eventually, and I definitely didn't have time to actually sell it anywhere, nor could I cycle to the bus with my extra bag.

I swore as I dropped my rucksack to the paving slabs and started rifling through it for my bike lock key. I could faintly hear Ashburn's wings flapping overhead, practically sensing his confused, tilted head from here as he wondered what I was doing.

I was on two timers now—I needed to get to the bus on time, and I needed to be quick enough that Ashburn's curiosity didn't get the better of him. I fumbled with the tiny key until finally getting it in, undoing the lock and roughly pulling my bike out onto the street.

My work as done as it could be, I left it sitting against the side of the building, swung my rucksack back onto my shoulders and started jogging towards the bus station.

I was definitely going to be late.

Thankfully there was little to no traffic at this hour, so I didn't need to wait for traffic lights—I could just cross the road whenever I needed. But the additional weight of my other bag dragged me down, making progress agonizingly slow.

I almost whooped when the bright station sign came into view, and I saw my bus still in its stance; they had only just started boarding.

I rushed into the building and towards the self-service locker rental. My shaking hands fumbled on the touchscreen and I swore as I kept selecting the wrong options. Eventually it came up with the duration selection, and I selected the longest available; twelve weeks. It was much cheaper to keep my things in a locker than to rent a flat specifically for it, and I only had to come back every now and then to renew it.

As soon as the extra-large locker beeped open, I shoved my bag of things from my flat in, hurriedly entered my code and slammed it closed.

I almost sprinted back outside, slowing as I neared the bus. They were still boarding, thank God. I stared up and around at the dark sky, keeping my ears tuned for the sound of flapping wings. I started to panic a little when I couldn't detect any sign of Ashburn, but then a hushed "Hey!" underlaid with a short yelp caught my attention.

I scanned the area where he had called me from, just barely spotting a pair of bright yellow-green eyes in the dark, staring at me from the roof of a two-storey building. I allowed myself to relax a little, giving him a smile knowing he would see it, even from that distance.

That was only the first hurdle of the journey though.

As the boarding process continued over the next few minutes, I realized how busy the coach was. I stared down the length of the aisle, looking for a pair of empty seats but they'd already all been taken—there were scarcely few clear spaces left at all.

I braced myself as I took one towards the back, hoping the woman I was sat next to wasn't talkative.

"Hey there!"

Dammit.

I mumbled a greeting as I sat down, staring at the headrest of the chair in front of me and hoping she would get the message. This entire journey was going to be absolute torture if I couldn't even look out the window to keep an eye on Ashburn.

"Where you headed?" she had a distinctly southern American twang to her voice.

"…Inverness," I eventually replied, daring to look past her and out the side window as the coach began to move. I caught a slight flicker of movement from the roof Ashburn had been on, his wing blocking a light for a brief moment.

The woman began to babble on and on, and I did my best to tune her out. Whether she ever picked up on the fact I didn't want to talk I wasn't sure, but all I had to do was nod and agree every now and then to set her off on another ramble.

I kept trying to get glimpses out of the windows without catching anyone's eye, and every moment I couldn't see Ashburn would add a little more panic. I'd imagine him getting lost, or tired, and losing the bus—if that happened, we'd likely never find each other again. Then occasionally I'd spot him running between some trees or swooping around a hill, and the anxiety would be washed away by relief, only for the cycle to begin anew.

The bus was beginning to feel more and more like a steel prison.

We were a few hours into the trip, and had passed the border from England into Scotland. I was beginning to get worried about Ashburn's stamina, noticing him trailing behind more and more as time went on.

Then the bus rounded a bend into a glen, mountains rising up on either side…and a solid wall of grey rain drifting towards us.

I cursed under my breath and clutched my head in my hands, no longer caring who I looked weird to as my eyes flickered across every window I could see, desperately searching for his dark form.

"You okay there sweetheart?" the southern woman had finally picked up on my distress as I half stood up in my seat to get a better view.

"Nope!" I blurted out, not focusing even slightly on the conversation.

A few seconds later, we hit the curtain of rain, the sound of water splattering against the vehicle surrounding me, sending shivers up my spine as I imagined Ashburn trying to cope in the cold. Then there was a sudden rise of murmuring between the passengers, which quickly turned into excited babbling on the left side. Chatter of "Whoa, look at that!" and "What is it?" followed by the sound of unzipping bags, then flashes and beeps of cameras and phones drew me out of my seat and into the aisle, pushing to see out of one of the windows and not caring whose attention I garnered anymore.

My breath hitched in my throat as I saw Ashburn raggedly running right alongside the road, tongue hanging out the side of his mouth as he just barely kept up. He spotted me and made half-wailing roar, his voice sounding in my head "Stop!".

The ground suddenly disappeared beneath him as we crossed a small bridge, and the drop caught him off-guard. He tripped headfirst into the ditch, and I only saw him flailing for a brief moment before he vanished out of sight. Heart hammering in my chest and breathing heavily, I rushed to the front of the bus, stumbling but catching myself on the headrests.

"Stop the bus!" I called to the driver, who had been glancing between his rear-view mirror and the road since all the excitement started.

"Can't just stop in the middle of a dual-carriageway. You got a problem?" he grunted.

"Yes, I…I just need to get off now!" I was almost hopping from foot to foot as we drove further and further away from where Ashburn had fallen, knuckles white as I gripped the handrail leading down the steps. "I've got camping gear to travel on foot, I just need to get off as quickly as possible!"

"I can let you off at the next lay-by," he looked in his rear-view mirror again at the other passengers, who were still glued to the windows, hoping to catch another glimpse of the 'strange creature'. Christ, how many photos had they gotten? If word got out properly about him…

Every second that passed was torment as I squinted at the road, searching for my escape route. After several minutes of tense silence, relief sprang in my chest as we slowed and pulled into a small car park. The door opened, and I was released out into the rain, hauling my rucksack out of the luggage compartment as soon as it unlocked. Without a moment's hesitation I began to run back along the grass verge by the carriageway—back to Ashburn.

He couldn't have gotten lost, he would know to keep following the road, and we hadn't made any turn-offs. All the balled-up energy and adrenaline from my wait on the bus pushed me further and faster, cars and trucks flashing past in the opposite direction. I heard Ashburn's cheerful cry as he spotted me only a few moments before I actually saw him. He seemed to be uninjured despite his fall as he came loping towards me, but he was clearly exhausted. I gestured him away from the road as I started to run towards a thicket of forest instead—we needed to get away from all the people and out of the rain as soon as possible.

I climbed over a small wooden fence that surrounded it as he caught up to me, and we entered the cover of the closely-spaced trees, barely enough space between them for Ashburn to fit through. We had to fight through various bushes and undergrowth before coming out into a small, mostly dry space hidden underneath the interlaced branches and leaves.

We collapsed onto the dry soil, panting and chests heaving as we tried to recover. I couldn't complain though—I'd only sprinted a few miles, Ashburn had run and flown over a hundred without stopping. I pulled myself achingly over to him, placing my hand on his quickly rising and falling back.

"Hey, how are you feeling after all that?"

"Everything hurts…" he moaned; his muzzle scrunched up in pain.

"Oh God I'm sorry, this is my fault for coming up with this stupid plan in the first place. I don't know what the hell I was thinking…" I brushed my hand alongside the line of vertebrae that followed his spine, careful not to press too hard and agitate his bruises. I wiped all the droplets of rain from his scales that hadn't already rolled off themselves, glad that we had good cover from the weather. "Are you cold at all?"

"Kind of…" he mumbled, moving as little as possible. "My insides feel hot and achey…"

"Alright, I don't really trust setting up a campfire here, so I'll get the tent out and you can rest in there," I gave him a light rub on the head before beginning the complicated but familiar task of setting it up.

I was feeling extremely glad I'd chosen to go for the larger, more spacious two-man option when I bought it, since Ashburn would actually be able to fit inside. This meant it was more difficult to put together, but when you're spending at least half of your life inside a tent, you want to have a little extra headroom.

Ashburn started watching, intrigued, while still lying on the ground. As I inserted the final support pole and raised the whole thing up, he made a little chirp of excitement. I hammered in all the pegs to hold it in place and unzipped the entrance, gesturing him inside.

"Here, get out of the rain and you'll feel better," I got out a towel as he stood up, trembling a little from his sore limbs, and quickly rubbed him dry as he squeezed inside, so he didn't get the interior wet. The rain was only getting heavier as time went on, more and more of it managing to get through the trees to our little hiding spot.

I sat inside the entrance and took off my walking boots and rucksack, storing them in the space between the inner and outer layers of the tent. As I expected, Ashburn took up most of the room, but there was still enough that I could comfortably sit, and later sleep, against his side.

The rain didn't slow in the slightest, so we ended up staying in that spot for the rest of the day, only leaving the cover of canvas when absolutely necessary. Once Ashburn was feeling more like himself, we chatted on and off for a while, his usual thread of questions revolving around little human things I never would have thought of otherwise.

I found myself completely at ease resting in the crook of his wing, slow breathing and a quiet but steady purring in his chest relaxing me into a feeling of comfortable security. A week ago I wouldn't have thought this possible in the slightest, but here we were. Chilling in a tent with a Night Fury slash interdimensional alien: this was my new normal.

And I was actually really quite happy about that.

- O -

- O – O – O – O -

- O -

The next morning when we set off again, it was still drizzling rain, but not nearly as bad as yesterday. I was glad; going from the nice weather Aiden and I had since I came to Earth, then straight into that heavy shower was quite scary at first. But now I was a bit more used to it, it wasn't as bad; it was almost like swimming. I didn't like the feeling of droplets dripping down me though—at least when I was in the lake I was completely surrounded by water, but I could feel lots of tiny tickling wet spots all over my scales, and I had to keep shaking them off periodically.

I knew it would take a while, but I couldn't wait until all my senses stopped being so...sensitive.

My muscles were still a little sore from yesterday, so I didn't really feel up to flying, and instead walked with Aiden as we continued north. Within the first hour his walking pace was driving me mad.

"Come ooon, I know you can walk faster!" I continually poked and nudged him forward with my nose and paws, trying to entice him to speed up.

"Ashburn stop, you're going to make me fall over!" he laughed. "I could jog for a bit, but I'm trying to think of a plan."

I relented, wanting to hear his thoughts. "A plan for what?"

"Well originally I was hoping we'd make it a lot further north using the bus, which wasn't your fault—" he stressed, placing his hand on my cheek as I looked down. "—it was horrible of me to put you through that. But we only have six days before we need to be at my parent's house, and I cannot walk thirty miles a day, even if we were going as the crow flies. So, we could get to another town and get a bus again, which I really don't want to do, or maybe a train because then you might be able to lie on top of it to rest without that many people seeing you? But that would involve getting into a proper city, and then you'd definitely get seen…I really don't know," Aiden sighed.

I hummed as I tried to think of any more options. I did want to see a train…

Then my eyes widened in excitement as I remembered the How To Train Your Dragon film.

"Fly with me!"

Aiden snorted a laugh. "Oh yes, let me just go hundreds of feet into the air without a parachute, what a brilliant idea!"

I drooped as Aiden immediately shattered my hopes. "But…I wouldn't let you fall."

"It's not that," he returned to a more serious tone. "I really don't like heights. Like…even a couple of meters scares me."

I gave him a quizzical look. "Why? Do you think you'd fall and hurt yourself?"

"I guess. I really don't know; it's an irrational fear, it's just always there," Aiden shrugged.

"Would you be okay if we were just on the ground and you were on my back?"

"I…don't think so—I'd still be a ways off the ground. I'd just rather know I'm safe," he said with finality, walking onward.

I hung back a little, feeling hurt and unable to respond. Aiden thought I wouldn't try to keep him safe? Why? I got lost in my own thoughts for a while, trailing behind and feeling the rain slowly slide down my muzzle.

Eventually, Aiden noticed and stopped, letting me catch up to him.

"What's on your mind?"

"I…never told you the real reason I came here, did I?" I sat down and met his eyes.

He seemed a little surprised to have the question turned around on him, and his mouth moved wordlessly for a moment.

"Uh…you wanted to see the multiverse for yourself and help people, right?"

I nodded. "And remember how I told you…we don't see physical things from the Above, only emotions and strong thoughts?" I hesitated, beginning to worry that he'd be angry at me about what I was about to tell him.

"Yeah…"

"Well, when I was leaving the Above, I knew I wanted to find someone to help. When I went looking, I found someone who had felt really sad, and guilty about something…and that was you."

I gazed imploringly into his confused eyes, swallowing nervously. A million different emotions jabbed at my insides; worry, pity, hope, fear…but through it all was one clear, strong thought, casting my doubt to the side and bolstering my confidence.

"I came here to help you."

Aiden stood there, mouth agape and dumbstruck, blinking rapidly as tears began to roll down his face.

I stepped forward to try and give him a hug, but he stumbled back, shaking his head and turning to run away. He only went a small distance before slowing to a walk again, but I could still hear him crying as he tried to cover it up, devolving into hiccups and sniffles. I slowly approached as he recovered, moving to the side so he could see me.

"I'm sorry…"

Aiden let out a shaky sigh, beginning to walk a little more steadily and falling back into his stride. I took it as permission to come closer, gently nuzzling his shoulder in apology.

His reddened eyes met my own again. "I'm…not going to talk about…her…with you. I need to talk to my dad when I get home…whenever that is."

"Flying would be a lot faster…" I mumbled.

He turned to give me a thoughtful look, sniffled once, before letting out an exasperated sigh. "You're not going to let go of this idea, are you?"

"I really want to fly with you!" I jumped at the chance to try and convince him a little more. "I promise I'll do my absolute best to keep you safe and make sure you never fall! That's why I told you why I came to Earth in the first place…I want you to know you don't have to be scared when you're with me."

Aiden smiled down at the ground as I said this, then raised his head again, seeming to examine my expression for a moment.

"We'll give it two days, and if we haven't thought of any other options by then…we'll see."

Excitement burst in my chest and I leapt forward, wrapping my wings around him and tackling him to the ground.

Gently, of course.

- O – O – O – O -

- O -

- O – O – O – O -

As we were making our way around the outskirts of a little village, and I was doing my best to stay hidden, my earfins were twitching back and forward on my head as I picked up all sorts of new sounds. A lot of these turned out to be animals I'd not seen yet that humans kept on farms, and Aiden impressed me by being able to put a noise to a name for each and every one—chickens, pigs, a dog or two, geese, horses…they were all here! And thanks to my eyesight, I was able to get good looks at each of them, even though we were far away.

We cautiously followed a rough dirt track past field after field, and I was ready to leap into the cover of the trees that ran on both sides at any moment if we heard a vehicle coming.

"Are those more sheeps?" I asked, picking up a new noise; a long, low braying.

"Sheep," Aiden corrected me, laughing. "And no, those are…cows," he stopped walking, looking a little pale.

"What's wrong?" I looked back at him, then followed his gaze forward. There were around twenty large black and white animals in their own grassy field, with short tails and legs that seemed too thin to support their bodies. "They're just another animal."

Aiden moved to the opposite side of the track, getting as far away from the fence between us and the cows as he could, and then started forward again, keeping a careful eye on them as he went.

I did the same, wondering if there was something dangerous about them that Aiden knew and I didn't. All they did was stare at us as we made our way along, flicking their tails back and forward, but Aiden seemed to get more and more nervous as we passed alongside the field. Then when we were at around two-thirds of its length, Aiden suddenly broke into a sprint. I quickly followed, and we didn't stop until we were out of sight of the seemingly-passive cows.

"What's so bad about them? Do they do something if you get too close to them?" I asked.

"No…well, most of them don't…" he panted, taking a few moments to regain his breath. "Honestly, they probably wouldn't have done anything even if you flew right up to them, I've just…had a bad experience with one. Years ago, I was riding my bike, and opened a gate to go through a field, just like that one, thinking the cows wouldn't do more than look. Then a bull—that's the name for a male cow—comes charging at me. And it doesn't stop."

My eyes widened in shock.

"For three. Miles. That thing kept chasing me…thank God for cattle grids. But thanks to him, I am now extremely paranoid about being near any cows."

"That's so mean! Why did it do that?"

"I have no idea, I guess it was just being protective," he sighed, and we lapsed into silence for a moment.

"Hey, you know how we could easily avoid having to go near any cows again?" I piped up, and Aiden immediately snorted, knowing exactly what I was going to say.

"Yes, I know, by flying," he rolled his eyes, and I gave him my best pleading look, even adding a small whine. "One more day," he promised, holding up a finger. "One more day, and then we'll try me riding on your back while you're walking. We won't be flying from the get-go."

- O – O – O – O -

- O -

- O – O – O – O -

I huffed as Aiden carefully picked his way along a rocky riverside, and the progress he made in two minutes of half-climbing, I could do in a single bound. The river was far too deep and fast-flowing for him to wade through, but it was narrow enough he was confident he could find a crossing point somewhere.

Of course, I'd already suggested I could get him across in a matter of moments, but his response was the usual, immediate 'No'.

I passed the time by having fun swimming against the current and catching the occasional fish, finding that now I was more confident in the water, I could relax even with the speed of it.

As we neared a small but wide waterfall cascading downward, Aiden called to me over the sound of the rushing river.

"Ashburn, look! Jumping salmon!" he pointed to the base of the falls, where the water frothed. As I watched, a glittering silver fish leapt from the surface, soared through the air for a brief instant, before hitting the edge of the rocks, just shy of the upper riverbed.

My jaw dropped open as I watched several more try the same thing, shooting out of the water as if they had wings, only a few making it up high enough to continue swimming upstream. I glanced at Aiden, completely amazed, to see him grinning back at me.

"This seems like as good a spot as any for a lunch break," he laughed, sitting down on the rocks at the top of the waterfall.

I simply watched the salmon in awe for a few minutes more, absolutely stunned by the spectacle playing out in front of me. Their tiny scales shone in the sunlight and their whole bodies flicked powerfully from side to side, pushing themselves to amazing speeds.

Smelling Aiden's lunch as he ate it made my stomach growl a little, so feeling a little devious I jumped to the top edge of the waterfall and crouched down, hanging myself over the side a little. I dug my claws into the riverbed, fighting the current as I opened my mouth, waiting for my meal to come to me.

Sure enough, in a matter of seconds another fish came flying out the water to meet me and I grabbed its tail between my teeth, biting down and throwing my neck back, chucking it into the air and then catching it across the length of its body, quickly swallowing it.

I giggled as my food literally threw itself at me, over and over, one even jumping high enough that it went directly into my mouth and down my throat. It didn't take long before I was full, but the salmon were still coming, so I decided to help them out a little. I retracted my teeth and each time I caught one, instead of eating it, I'd turn and drop it in the higher part of the river, and watch it swim away to make sure I hadn't hurt it by mistake. I continued this way until there didn't seem to be any more salmon coming, at least for the moment.

"Only you would do that," Aiden smirked as I joined him up on the riverbank.

"What? They wanted up the waterfall, and I could easily help them, so I did!"

"Come on," he snickered. "I think I can see a crossing point up this way."

Thankfully the ground up here was much flatter, so it only took a minute to get to the series of large boulders and outcroppings he had seen. As I looked at them though, I couldn't help but worry.

"Aiden this doesn't look safe…if you slip you'll really hurt yourself," I whimpered at the mental image, the dark crevices between the crags looking far too ominous for my liking.

"The tops are pretty dry, I just need to hop across a few gaps so I'll be fine," he reassured me, scrambling up onto the first.

"No, wait!" I climbed up beside him, curling my tail around behind him and extending my wings a little, ready to jump at a moment's notice. "I'll catch you if you slip."

Aiden sighed. "Is this about getting me to fly with you? Because I told you—"

"No! I really don't want you getting hurt or…or…" I tried to banish the scenes my mind was coming up with, knowing I could prevent them. "I don't know what I would do without you…"

He took a deep breath, his posture sagging.

"Alright, let's try this then," Aiden conceded, flapping his arms at his sides.

"YES! Thank you, thank you, you won't regret it!" I wanted to jump around and tackle-hug him again, but I wasn't going to risk anything while we were on the top of this boulder. I ended up prancing in place, vigorously wagging my tail and pulling him close to my chest with a paw.

- O -

- O – O – O – O -

- O -

Ashburn's excitement was infectious, despite the fact I was about to do everything I feared. I tried to slow my racing heart as he let me go, lying down on the rock.

"So you want me just to…" I gestured vaguely at his back, and he nodded enthusiastically.

I stepped carefully over his neck with jelly-like legs and sat down, feeling like I would crush him or something, especially with the added weight of my rucksack. Which was stupid, he was more than strong enough, but it didn't stem my feeling of guilt.

I took a sharp breath as he slowly stood up, and my nice, solid connection to the ground was stolen away. Due to the width of his neck and shoulders though, my legs fit fairly snugly against his sides, giving me something to grip with.

"Is this good?" Ashburn asked, turning his head to look at me.

"U-Uh…as good as it'll get, I guess…" I started my familiar breathing exercise I used for anxiety, trying to prevent a full-on panic attack.

Ashburn was clearly well aware of my stress, as he stood still for a few minutes and kept an eye on me as I acclimatized to the height. I stared determinedly down at the rocks, trying to banish the tingling that was running all through my legs.

"I'm gonna start walking now," he warned me, and I braced myself.

His legs were long enough and far enough apart that he could simply step across the gaps I was going to jump, and while this was probably safer, it sure didn't feel like it to me. His shoulders rocked up and down as he shifted his weight from left to right, and I flinched, leaning forward to wrap my arms around his neck. Feeling a little more secure, I tried to move with him, leaning my waist from side to side to match his movements.

Thankfully there was only a small drop to the other riverbank, but I still winced and tried to pull myself back, as though I'd slide forward and over Ashburn's head. I untensed once we were back on flat ground, and over the next half an hour simply tried to get used to the rhythm of movements, Ashburn stopping every now and then to check up on me. To my surprise, I was beginning to feel a little more at ease.

"Do you think we could try running?"

I knew the question was going to come sooner or later, and I also knew I probably wouldn't be able to get any more used to Ashburn walking than I was already. If this was going to work, we'd need to be able to cover more distance, and we needed to do it now before I got second thoughts.

"Go for it."

Ashburn gave me a toothy smile, and I could feel the energy building up in his muscles underneath me. He began to accelerate, changing to a light jog. I found myself bouncing on his back, and had to force myself to relax, taking deep breaths as my whole body quickly rose and fell with his gait. I was now completely at his mercy.

After a short while, he sped up again into a run, the hammering of my heart matching rhythm with the pounding of his paws against the ground. If Ashburn stumbled now, I would likely get thrown off him, and get seriously injured. I tried to keep my breathing slow, despite the amount of oxygen-filled blood my body was trying to use, and actually began to feel a little excited. Ashburn and I were beginning to fall into sync, and seeing the ground ripping past us at speed seemed to bury some of my fear underneath excitement and adrenaline.

We were approaching the base of a large hill now, its slopes covered in rough brush and stones. Ashburn made a slow turn, and I found myself pushed into his neck a little from the centrifugal force, making me feel a little more secure. He switched into a full gallop as we rose up the incline, gravity pulling me against his shoulders on the slant. I looked behind to see the world falling away from us at a great rate, and finally let out a small laugh, Ashburn trilling in glee as I finally gave in.

But as we were nearing the summit, I noticed his wings beginning to unfurl and a sound building in his throat—an exhilarated warbling quaver that rose and fell as his paws hit the ground. It began to build in intensity as the slope flattened out, and I realized what he was about to do.

"Stop!" I shouted over the wind, and Ashburn looked back at me, confused. "Stop!"

He dug his claws into the ground and I clung on for dear life as he bled all his speed in a matter of seconds, coming to a halt in a sitting position. I began to shake as the shock of everything I'd just done hit me straight in the gut.

"Please let me down," I said quietly, my fear of heights kicking in as I found myself several metres above the ground. Ashburn slowly lowered himself onto all fours again, lying down, and I almost fell off him, discovering that my arms and legs really didn't work anymore. I was shivering all over, the shock, fright and excitement all combining into a chemical cocktail that my body didn't know how to cope with.

I collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily as Ashburn worried over me.

"What's wrong? I thought it was going really well…" he pushed me gently up with his nose, crawling forward so I was leaning against him. When I gave no response other than continuing to pant like my life depended on it, he wrapped his wing securely around me, holding me close.

"…it…was…" I said between breaths, trying to regain my ability to speak. "But…you were about to start…flying…weren't you?" I gave him a serious look, and he guiltily turned away.

"…you were enjoying it…I thought you were ready!" he argued.

"I was starting to feel safe, yes…but being a couple of metres from the ground, and being a few hundred are very different things. We're doing this on my terms, remember?"

"…Sorry…" he gave me his best puppy eyes, and I folded, putting my arm over his neck and scratching the top of his head. He leaned into me, licking my cheek and I grimaced.

"Ugh, I was wondering when you were going to start doing that," I tried to wipe his saliva from my face, to little success.

He laughed. "Don't you like it?"

"It's a nice gesture but…not particularly, no," I chuckled.

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, overlooking the surrounding countryside as I recovered my confidence. Then, as the sun was shining through the gap between the clouds and the horizon, the sky turning orange, I felt ready.

"Okay, let's do this," I got to my feet with a grunt.

"Are you sure?" Ashburn stayed lying down.

"Don't lie, you want this more than I do, c'mon."

He bounced to his paws with a grin, and then remembered he had to lie down to let me get on.

"Actually wait," I stopped him, and got a curious look. "Sitting down on your neck like that feels strange, I want to see if I can get on your back when you're standing."

"Okay," he watched as I tried to pull myself up, to little success. I could get my shoulders above him without too much difficulty, but swinging the rest of me over seemed impossible. Then Ashburn pushed his foreleg up underneath my feet, giving me the needed boost.

"Thanks," I said, still feeling guilty. "I'm not…too heavy for you, am I? I don't want to—"

"No, of course not! I couldn't have run all this way if you were. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," I shook my head in disbelief of what I was about to do.

Ashburn walked over to the edge of the hill, a steep slope falling away from us, and I gulped. He crouched down, and I readied myself, leaning forward and putting my arms around him again. Then, he sprang forward, wings unfurling to their full length. For a few terrifying moments all I could feel was the sinking of my stomach as we fell.

My fears overrode everything else as my instincts screamed in terror, recognizing the rising sensation inside my body as only one thing—an imminent impact with the ground. I clung for my life to Ashburn's neck, shrieking and trying to bury my face in his scales, as though I could make everything go away if I couldn't see it.

"Aiden!" I felt the concerned warble vibrate through his throat and into my body. "Aiden, come on, you can do this! There's nothing to be scared of, I'm right here!"

The motion of his body swayed up and down as he flapped his wings, the terrifying drop switching to a reassuring rise, and back again. When the expected crash into the unforgiving earth never came, my fear started to abate a little. I felt his paws reach up and awkwardly hold onto my boots, pulling me down onto his neck a little, helping me feel a little safer.

"Please...I want to share this with you…you're everything to me," Ashburn whimpered, his words snapping me out of my frozen state. "I trust you…I put my life in your hands… Can you trust me with yours?"

I was left in shock, my awareness of the world drifting away in lieu of this revelation. I opened my eyes, leaning back with my mouth agape to see him looking tearfully back at me.

"E-everything?" I forced out the word, my throat clogging up.

He nodded. "Y-you're all I h-have."

I gawked for a moment, unsure what to say. Finally, I gave into my emotions and leaned forward again, wrapping my arms around his head in an improvised hug.

"Of course I trust you."

He closed his eyes and murred, and I lay against his scales once again, only this time without fear.

After a few seconds we broke apart as reality faded back in, both smiling. I sat back up, repeating 'I trust you' over and over in my head, fighting off the fear and seeing everything in a new light.

We were gliding far above the countryside, the sunset casting long shadows from the trees and surrounding hills. Where the rays of light caught the forests they shone in brilliant hues of red, green and gold, autumnal leaves mixed with those of evergreens. Roads twisted and turned not unlike the rivers, cars scurrying like ants in lines. The world looked so tiny from here, and yet we weren't more than a few hundred feet from the ground. The view, combined with the rushing of wind blowing my fair hair around my head like a tornado, the adrenaline and speed, my still-lingering nerves over being at such a height, created a harmony of feeling that was impossible to describe.

I took a deep breath and whooped, throwing my arms up as Ashburn roared in elation. For all we knew, any people below us could have heard that, but honestly I couldn't care less—somebody could take a picture of me right now, and I'd just go with it.

I might even pose.

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- O -

Angela, Phoebe and Miranda

10:33: Angela sent (1) file

P: What is that?

A: I don't know, I just heard my dog barking and I thought it was a fox or something. Then I run to the back door and see that!

M: I know you're trying to flex your Photoshop skills on us Angela, but this is clearly fake. It's conveniently blurry and very dark so you can't make anything out

A: I swear this is real! I looked it up and some people actually got clearer pictures! Here, I'll send you a link

10:37: Angela sent (1) link

P: Wow…those…would be difficult to fake.

A: Right?

M: HAHAHAHAHA I actually recognize this! Okay, this is definitely fake.

A: What?

P: What is it?

M: It's from this stupid kids film a few years ago. Point being, there is no way this can be real. No animal looks like that.

P: Oh yeah I remember now. Toothless right?

A: I know what I saw, and that is it!

M: Seriously, you two need to stop smoking weed.

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Author's Note

Another long chapter! I actually thought this was going to be like 6000 words…but I'm sure none of you will complain :P Summer is coming to an end for me soon though, and I have no idea when the next chapter will be even close to done. I'm expecting college to be even more difficult this year so it might not be for a good few months unfortunately. I will however, continue to post progress updates on my profile so you can see what's happening.

Much thanks to my beta-readers CrazyGamer313, SteenGooier, netWARIOR and YaboiArt, and of course thank you to all of you for reading this! Reviews are always highly appreciated, or if you know some people who might enjoy this story, share it with them!

Rowan