"Yak! Where are you?" Schist called out.
Griffin gave the MudWing a skeptical look, before looking down back at his talons to make sure they weren't too close to the edge of the terrace. "I don't think that's going to help," Griffin explained, "yaks can't speak."
Schist sighed. Today, the two had been given the job of bringing the yaks down to the plateau to graze, then back up again. It seemed like an easy job, but keeping a ton of rambunctious yaks in line was harder than it appeared. One of the calves had gone missing, and it was up to Schist and Griffin to find it again, while Kite stood down below, watching over the rest of the herd as they grazed.
"It could help draw it to us," Schist suggested. "I could've sworn I saw it in the area while we were flying!"
Griffin nodded uncertainly, and rustled his feathers. Schist seemed like he had adjusted to the cold climate and high altitude by now, which was just as well with the winter approaching fast. The first snow had arrived about a week ago, and it meant there would be many more to come. Griffin could see small piles of white slush scattered around the terraces, lined on the dark backs of the terrace walls. Griffin had heard about snow before, but had never seen it, of course.
Schist was the same, it was Crystal who had told him all about snow earlier. As soon as it started falling from above, he ran around in fascination like a dragonet, much to the humor of the other SkyWings around. Even when he and Griffin were put to the task of getting snow off a few of the dirt walkways in the village, Schist's glee didn't falter.
At the moment, the two were far above the village, searching for the calf in the terrace farms placed on the mountainside. The now dirt-brown terraces were the strangest thing to Griffin: he had neither heard nor read of them before. They covered a large portion of the lower mountainside, like a giant staircase. Each step consisted of the sloped mountainside made flat, and during the rest of the year, green crops would be growing along the flat surface. At the back of each step stood a sturdy stone wall, which Griffin and Schist had occasionally helped repair. A small dirt pathway snaked between the terraces and up the mountain, more for the yaks' usage than the dragons.
Schist had once suggested flying the yaks up and down instead of leading them, but had gotten a laugh in response. One of the SkyWings suggested that Schist attempt to carry one of the yaks. When Schist had tried, the yak constantly attempted to struggle free, causing Schist to almost drop it as soon as he rose into the air. The yak was scared, but unharmed from its short flight, and Schist decided flying the yaks was not a good idea.
"Over there!" Schist suddenly shouted, pointing to a small calf, not too far away. The two rose into the air, Schist beating his wings in a fragile flight. He could fly now, but only for short periods of time before it became too painful to bear. He doubted he could make it out of the Sky Kingdom before winter completely hit, and trying to fly out of the mountains through the winter was too much for most SkyWings to handle, much less a MudWing. Chances are, the four would have to stay in the Sky Kingdom until spring.
Griffin and Schist landed on the edge of a terrace, where the whining yak calf stood, looking over the edge. Griffin shooed the calf towards the dirt path, and they slowly led it down towards the grazing fields, facing the village far beneath them.
"So, do you want to visit Torrent soon?" Schist asked Griffin. "It's been over two weeks since we last saw him, and the snow hit."
Griffin tossed his feathered neck back and forth. "Maybe," he muttered. Schist gave him an expectant glance, and Griffin continued. "He's just been so argumentative since Orca di — since we left the Sea Kingdom. Can't he just move on?"
"He's not just going to move on," Schist answered, nudging Griffin with a wing. "Maybe you're no longer grieving for her, but he still is."
"But when will he just stop? She's dead, and nothing can change that."
A sad expression crossed Schist's face for a moment. "I don't really think he'll ever stop."
Griffin clacked his beak, and turned to the side for a moment. He swiveled his head back around to face Schist. "What's with you dragons and this whole grieving thing?"
"You dragons?" Schist asked with a slight expression of confusion. "You're not a dragon?"
Griffin gave a squawk in confusion. "What do you mean, 'you're not a dragon?' I have a beak and feathers, clearly I'm not a dragon. Did Orca enchantment me to appear as a dragon without telling me?"
"No, no," Schist reassured Griffin, "I mean, you're definitely a gryphon. But you were raised as a SeaWing with a SeaWing family and all, so shouldn't you be considered to be a SeaWing? SeaWings grieve, right, not just MudWings?"
Griffin gave Schist a look of skepticism. "If by 'raised as a SeaWing with a SeaWing family' you mean Orca and Torrent locking me in a room to hide me from their family, then sure. Maybe SeaWings grieve, but I don't. I'm not a dragon."
Schist swished his tail from side to side, making sure not to excessively move the scales on the right side of his body. "I think Torrent is scared what happened to Orca will happen again."
"Yes, that's pretty clear," Griffin impatiently replied.
"Maybe he's worried for Crystal too," Schist suggested.
Griffin nodded, and led the calf towards the grazing fields. This really wasn't going anywhere. "Yeah," he acknowledged with a sigh.
The two finally reached the fields, watching the runaway calf closely. Kite was there, waiting impatiently for Griffin and Schist. The rest of the yaks were grazing calmly on the field, and the small one quickly ran into the group unnoticed.
As the yaks continued to graze, Kite waited silently, standing to the side with a rigid face. Schist trotted up to her, and sat down next to her. She gave him a glare. "Do you want something?"
"No, no, not at all!" Schist replied. "It's just . . . quiet here."
"Yes," Kite replied with satisfaction. "It is."
Schist fidgeted from side to side uncomfortably, some the scales on his right side poking into his flesh. "Does Queen Scarlet not have a draft?" he asked curiously. "I would have thought you'd be in her army."
"She does," Kite replied straightforwardly, "but she hasn't started drafting the SkyWings in the north-eastern part of the Claws yet."
"Claws?"
"Claws of the Clouds," Kite explained. "The mountain range we live in. The crown generally avoids dealing too much with us and the other villages around us. It's cold and high up, and the treaty we signed when they conquered us gives us a lot of choice on how we run the place. And long as we give her taxes and don't rebel, Queen Scarlet has let us be, for now."
"Conquered?" Schist asked.
Kite nodded. "Around a hundred years ago, there was a large rebellion, and the entire area took up arms and broke away from the Sky Kingdom. We lasted on our own for a few decades, but eventually the Sky Kingdom decided they wanted us back, and beat our army at Aeolus, a town to the east of us at the base of the Claws. In return for surrendering, the queen at the time let us choose our own rules and such. But if this war goes on any longer, Queen Scarlet might decide she needs more troops, and draft us."
"Oh, I hope that doesn't happen. The war should be over soon, though, right?"
Kite curled her wings in. "Maybe. I can fight anyways. If she decides to draft me, I'll survive. Maybe take out a few MudWings, too. No offense. You're not a bad MudWing."
"None taken," Schist muttered squeamishly. What does she mean by 'not a bad MudWing?' he wondered with a frown. A speckle of snow landed on his snout, and the scarred MudWing looked up. Grey clouds were looming, and snow started to fall. Winter had arrived in the Sky Kingdom.
"Come one," Kite ordered, "we need to get these yaks back to the stables before the storm arrives." She lashed her tail onto the ground, and called something out to the yaks. They turned their horned heads to the SkyWing, and started following her as she walked back towards the mountain's base. Schist and Griffin stayed behind the herd, making sure no calves escaped this time.
Griffin glanced at Schist, and caught up to him, walking quickly, at a dragon's speed. "Er, Schist," he remarked, "so, you know how you were asking me if I considered myself a SeaWing, and I told you I was a gryphon?"
"Yeah?"
Griffin sighed. "Well, I don't really know how true that is. I'm not really a gryphon, am I? Gryphons probably aren't even real, and even if they are, I'm not one. I'm a piece of stone that Orca asked to move on its own."
Schist nodded, and opened his jaws to say reply, when another dragon interrupted him.
"If it's any consolation, you're not the only one," Crystal replied, as she landed herself next to the two. She steadied herself, as she stumbled forwards, out of breath. "Wow, that was a lot harder than I remember," she muttered to herself.
Torrent landed behind her with a cautious look, wondering if Crystal should have waited a little more before making such a long flight.
"Crystal?" Griffin stammered in surprise. She's awake?
Schist sprinted over to Crystal and nuzzled her with his snout. "You're okay!" he shouted in glee, momentarily forgetting about his burnt scales.
Crystal smiled. "If you poke a recently dead dragon in the head the right way, it'll move around for you," she explained to Griffin. "Ever tried it?"
Griffin shook his head in response, spraying small snowflakes that had gathered and melted there off. "When did you wake up?"
"A bit over a week ago," Crystal replied. "We were going to wait for you to return, but I decided I had recovered enough, and flew over here with Torrent."
Torrent nodded, as if he was confirming Crystal's story.
The IceWing peered over at Schist, and looked at his fused scales in shame. "I'm sorry," she replied with a grimace.
"What for?" Schist replied, brushing it off with a smile. "It's not your fault, it was Magma who did it."
Crystal nodded solemnly. "I know, but if I had just enchanted the diamond more specifically . . ."
"It's fine," Schist lied, "just some battle scars, nothing to worry about."
Crystal bobbed her head and dug a claw into the ground. 'Just some battle scars' was quite an understatement. Torrent had gotten 'battle scars,' but the distorted, discolored scales on his snout and neck were nothing compared to the mess covering half of Schist's body.
"Alright," Crystal acknowledged the MudWing. She glanced up at the snowflakes, now falling quicker. "You said you wanted to see what the Ice Kingdom looked like," she said, turning to Schist. "Depending on how much snow we get, it looks like you might have the chance. No deadly cliff to cross either!"