"How to describe a bestial? Like us. But better." -Bestial wrangler Kurakk when asked about his dying profession.
A storm had come in. And their wings were beginning to ice over on the way back.
Uncle?! Uncle!!! Cried Ryana as she struggled to stay aloft. Where are you?!!
I'm here Ryana! He cried out. Drifting away. His voice barely heard through the blizzard. He was as blind as she was in this thick snowstorm. We have to land and find shelter! Follow my voice!!
She obeyed and the two soared downward carefully until Aravos barely managed to spot a gaping ice cave embedded in a canyon cliffside. The two entered quickly and began to dust themselves off of the hard ice coating the wings. While they could withstand intense cold, their wings could still freeze over if left out too long. They would have to wait until the storm passed.
Looks like it will be a while he said. Staring outside, disappointed.
Well. Said ryana huddling in the corner and bundling herself in her feathers like a blanket. Might as well get comfortable.
The two sat beside each other for hours as Aravos stared out into the vast wastes. The thick howl of the weather enters and echoes throughout the ice cave. Eventually, his eyes drifted, however. And before long, he afforded a brief respite, standing guard at the entrance. Ryana began to expore the cave as he slept. She still had bit of battery charge on her visor and wanted to have a look around while she still could.
She glided her hand along the cold smooth grooves of the wall. Threw shards of ice to echo to scatter and bounce against pillars. And finally resorted to exploring the darkest back of the cave they hadn't see yet.
She heard a cruch.
Beneath her feet something had snapped loudly like a twig. She knealt down to pick it up and feel it between her fingers.
It felt old and picked clean. She used it as a walking stick bored as she ventured further into the cave, more twigs snapping beneath her feet before stopping at a large mound. Through the visor she sensed an unusual shape. A ring. A ring of ice and sticks. Curious, she climbed upward. Her scale in comparison was like a small pearl in an massive oyster. Only this pearl was not the only thing inside it.
She sense three shapes at the ring center. She decided to tiptoe closer. Why did she feel the need to tiptoe? As she glided her hand along the shape of the three objects. Her heart stopped.
They were eggs. The size of her. And the stick she had been using? It was bone.
Uncle...! she whispered. knowing what they had stumbled upon. But it was too late.
Beyond her, another mound slowly began to rise. Coated in snow and ice that shook off from its wings the size of a bridge. This was no ordinary cave.
It was bestial's nest.
The bestial albatross roused from its slumber hearing a disturbance. Ryana hid behind the egg as the long neck of the god like albatross circled the nest slowly. Ryana held her hands to her mouth desperatley so she wouldn't make a sound. Her eyes under her visor wide with terror.
Aravos heard loud sounds coming from the back of the cave.
Ryana? He asked worried, looking beside himself ot see she had wandered off. He stood and ventured quickly to see what the source of the sound was. As he turned the corner. He saw his answer.
Ryana sensed her uncle sneaking behind ice blocks carefully and quietly. He was just as terrified as her but he had to see them through this. He gestured for her to stay down. She nodded.
He grabbed a chunk of ice and tossed it to collide loudly at the other side of back end of the cave. The bestial's attention wandered its powerful wings brushing against ryana's back as it moved closer toward Aravo's position. Aravos shimmied his way in-between a gap in the ice wall as the creatures eye passed him. Ryana slipped out of the nest only to hear a loud flapping sound echoing from the entrance of the cave.
The bestial's male mate entered with a fresh kill. A unevolved blue whale held beneath its talons. As it carried it by the mouth back to the nest it spotted Ryana and dropped the carcass.
The loud wailing screech it made in anger at the sight of an intruder rattled the walls.
RUNNN!!!! Aravos screamed gesturing him to come and join him in the gap of the walls.
Ryana flew clumbsiliy but as fast as she could to reach the sound of her uncle's voice as the male and female bestial charged toward her. Just before their cavernous beaks slammed shut, her uncle outstretched his arm ind pulled her inside. The two bestials started to claw, rave, and scrape their beaks at the entrance trying to reach them. They were safe in here. But they were also trapped.
Aravos frantically pulled out his short distance radio, praying it was close enough to get through.
Danavas!!! Danavass pick up!! he screamed loudly, huggging ryana beside him who was shaking in his arms.
Danavas, enjoying a nice cup of morning brew in the mess hall miles away, practically spat it out upon hearing what was happening. Without skipping a beat, he and one other soldier scrambled to the hangar bay to take two Valkyrie fighters to the air to rescue the two of them. They would get here. But it would take time. Time they didn't have.
I'm so sorry Ryana. Aravos muttered with remorse as the two bestials clawed further. The two beats were making ground, soon enough they would have them.
Knowing these would be their final moments if he didn't act fast. Aravos reached into his belt and pulled out something. Anything in his small soldiers aresenal he could use.
He had a grenade. One greneade. It wouldn't make a dent in both bestials. He looked upward an an idea formed in his head.
But perhaps those ice stalagmites would. An albatross's bond was deep for its mate. If he could disptatch one, it would leave time for them to escape as the other grieved.
Praying his cramped aim was true. He tossed the small explosive toward the top of the cave with alias strength. For a brief momemt nothing happened. Then.
BOOM!!
A long sharp piece of ice fell from the ceiling. Right through the skull of the female albatross who had been guarding the nest.
The male stopped its clawing.
It slowly circled its mate, nudging it to wake them.
"Move. Now." Aravos muttered silently.
The two carefully snuck toward the entrance of the cave as the male grieved for its lost mate. Aravos saw that not only had the detonation killed the female but that the impact had caused other smaller stalgintes to fall crushing the eggs as well. It was a tragic loss of wrong place wrong time. But if he had to choose between his nice and some wild animal it was no judgment at all.
The beast roused from its grief slowly towards the source of its pain. Knowing full well who had don this. Its mouth slowly opened to reveal a misty fog forming.
Soon. It felt nohting but rage as it unleashed an icy torrent from its throat.
FLY!!! Aravos screamed to Ryana.
The two took off as the Bestial gave chase through the ice canyons. The ice blast just barely coating their feet in frost as they dogged it. They were insects in its eyes. Insects that must be crushed.
With a single mightly flap of its wings the bestial left its layer to give chase. The ground they covered in numerous flaps of their wings it could cover in just one. It was gaining speed too fast. Ryana could sense the all encoumbering black mass that dwarfed the two of them. Aravos saw no other option.
Fly left I'll draw its attention away!!
But uncle!!
Just do it!!!!
Aravos removed his helmet and tossed it backward to further enrage the beast. It worked It knew he was the one who had caused the ice to fall. It was intelligent.
As the bestial swooped over a icy cliffside, its tail feathers dusting the landscape. Ryana tumbled and fell before being lost in the snow bruised but alive.
Now all Aravos had to worry about was his own survival.
He led the creature on a desperate chase throguh the gourges. Until at last his luck ran out.
A long stream of ice breath coated his wing and weighed him down. He tumbled to the earth before colliding on snow cussioning his fall. Only to see the bestial landing beside before him with a titanic thud.
There they stood. Two albatrosses, one sentient and royalty. The other majestic and godlike. In ancient times bestials used to be reveared, even riden as staus symbols, but as spirtuality declined they were hunted for sport and glorly until hardly any were left.
Today on of them would not leave this icy landscape alive.
Just finish it. He muttered. Lowering his head in accepance.
Not needing any further encouragment the bestial slowly opened its mouth to encase him forever.
Sir? Came a voice from Aravo's wrist radio. You might want to get down.
Aravos looked beyond cold glaring eyes of the monster to see two valkyyre fighters streaking overhead like angels come to save. Them.
Danavas fired a pair of rockets to hit the back of the creature who collapsed to the side with a scorched scream that scattered snow everywhere. Slowly it began to rise again, at took to the sky to deal with the biggest threat.
He's on us!! Danavas called to the other pilot. Bank left!!! The two sped through the sky with no cover as the bestial unleashed furious blast after blast. Aravos chiseled away at the ice coating his wings as the two led the bestial away before finally freeing himself and flying back to where Ryana had landed.
Are you hurt he asked. Kneeling beside her.
I think I'm alright she replied still shaking. Her wrist looked bruised and purple. As he helped her stand the two hugged each other close as the battle reached its climax in the skies above.
Sir what are our orders? Danavas asked panicking.
Just shoot the bird! Said Aravos.
Danavas hesitated, hoping to just lead it away to buy time for them to escape. But sir...They're endangered.
I don't care. Do it.
Danavas obeyed. He understood. The two pilots spiraled and dove back to finish what they had started. The other pilot fired a pair of missiles to speed toward the air.
It froze the missles.
Oh shab said the other pilot.
The valkyrie fighter and bestial collided midair and tumbled toward the earth. the bestial tearing off chunks of metal like flesh with its talons and beak.
Bail out!! Screamed Danavas.
The other albatross pilot didn't requrie any encouragement. With a pull of the lever he ejected and spread his own wings, just barely avoiding the bestial's snapping beak as he flipped and flew downward. The bestial abandoned the smoking wreck to give chase. Danavas' own fighter right behind preparing to line up the shot.
Without hesitation he fired. And brought the beast down to save his comrade.
Both the burning wreck and bestial collided with thunderous echos across the cliffside. In it's last moments alive as it Aravos and Ryana approached it kept glaring at Aravos. Then it's eyes closed forever.
There was nothing but silence after as Danavas landed his ship nearby and the other pilot landed safely.
Ryana knealt beside the fallen creature who had only been trying to defend its mate.
I'm so sorry. She muttered.
It had to be done. Replied Aravos. There was no other way. The two pilots tried to console her. Saying it was just an animal.
Not a word of this. To anyone. You hear? He ordered the two pilots. They nodded in compliance
But Ryana had felt its rage. Felt its fear. Felt its grief. She wasn't quite sure of that.
Afterwards Danavas took the ship back on his own while the three of them started to fly back in somber silence but as they flew past the nest cave. Ryana recognized the shape of the entrance and split from the group.
Aravos cursed and flew after her.
As he rushed in after her. He found her huddled around the nest she had only been in moments ago. The slain female already being coated in ice from outside seeping in. As Ryana moved closer she could see one of the eggs was unharmed. It had survived where it's larger three siblings had not. It was a runt egg. But its size had saved it.
Ryana picked it up slowly and dusted off the snow.
No youre' not keeping it as a pet. Ryana. Aravos scolded. But he saw not an ounce of joy across her face at the discovery. Only..remorse.
I have to set this right. She muttered as she clutched it closer. It's my fault. I wanted to come out here. They would all still be alive if it wasn't for me. I can't leave it out here alone to die when it hatches. It's my burden. My responsibility to make amends.
Aravos understood that feeling all to well. perhaps, she did have the qualities of a good leader after all.
As he approached, placing a hand over her shoulder. He relented.
Once its full grown. It's gone. Understood.?
Of course she replied. It was never mine to begin with.