Saltation n. 1a: the action or process of leaping or jumping b: dance, 2: the origin of a new species or a higher taxon in essentially a single evolutionary step
Shyvana loved flying. With the open air stretching out endlessly around her she felt free, and far from the many things that tried to hold her down. Up here, she didn't have to worry about not knowing the intricacies of Demacian society, or not able to singlehandedly take down a mountain krug. Up here she could simply be.
Movement off to her right pulled her out of her reverie, but it was simply Valor, soaring alongside. Shyvana made a lazy circle in the air, and grinned when the eagle did the same.
Valor's head twisted, reacting to something he could not hear, and he plunged downward, toward the sea of greenery far below them.
She drifted upward, letting herself float and savoring the moment of weightlessness. Then she twisted into a dive, the world coming back at her slowly at first, then faster and faster. Her stomach flew to her throat and wings crawled, screaming against her freefall.
Real dragons did not share this feeling, she knew. It had set her even more apart, the mutant child who was afraid to fly.
Hurtling downward, she sped past Valor, letting out an elated roar. She doubted the real dragons felt the thrill of this. For them, flying was just something they did. For her, it was something she shouldn't be able to, making it all the more daring and freeing and amazing.
Shyvana wove through the tree branched at full speed, relishing every near miss. Right before she crashed into the ground, she flung her wings wide, catching so much wind it felt like it would rip right through her skin.
She beat her wings up once, straining her muscles to throw the air in front of her. The tips of her wings brushed the ground.
She transformed in the moment she hung suspended among the tree trunks, and dropped lightly to the ground.
"That was amazing!" Quinn ran up to meet her, out of breath and eyes sparkling. Valor swooped down and landed on the arm Quinn smoothly offered him. "You must tell me what it's like to fly. I've always wondered."
Shyvana grinned, still flushed and exhilarated from flight. "I'll take you up sometime."
She wasn't sure why she'd said it. Dragons laughed at those who let humans ride them.
But Quinn looked thrilled and even Valor seemed to gaze on her with approval. This was just another of the few times she was glad that, though she was only half dragon, she was half human too.