13 13 Light Hearted

The two travelers took off on foot to start their journey. They roamed the land for some days inland. Gold became complacent with the monotony of walking extended distances. The scenery changed was repetitive at best, from beach to forestry, then mountains and or deserts. It was the same from the sky, she viewed it as continuous.

Joon understood the look on Gold's face and decided to be entertaining. He inquired, "Do you enjoy riddles?"

Unfortunately, she did not know about riddles. She said what she was thinking aloud, "What is a riddle?"

Joon continued, "I'll give you an example, 'I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?', now you must search your brain for the answer."

Gold smiled sheepishly, "I know very little of this realm. I have only started to take form over the last few days. Could it be nature?"

It dawned on Joon that he had much to teach and show her before... his thoughts trailed off, but he moved past them to continue listening.

Gold started again, "I know something like that from the core. 'Who is the biggest and most popular element around?'. "

Joon stared in confusion then said, "Carbon"

Gold's smile widened, "No, Iron. He is big and everywhere you turn." She laughed and her laugh was contagious, so Joon followed. "He's not so abundant up here, but it's relevant in the core.", Gold shared. This made Joon laugh harder.

Feeling light hearted now, he inquired, " Would you like to fly the rest of the way?"

His timing was perfect, she did. Being on the surface seemed to be draining on Gold's energy. Maybe Joon did not feel the effects as much due to his multiple sources of energy.

He moved into his natural form and spread the span of his wings to the fullest. He motioned with his head for her to climb atop him, just below his wing crease. From there she could nestle comfortably protected from the wind current. What a sight to see. Gold did not hesitate to climb up using one of Joon's knees as a step. She settled in near his left shoulder blade, and pressed her body as flat as she could against his scales. She tickled him as she moved her fingers in between some scales to get a better grip. Joon's body trembled with delight. He could feel when she was securely in place.

Joon took to the sky. Now this was the way to travel. She liked this part. The wind whipped over her body with speed. Once again she could hear his heart rhythm and tried to match it. Sun was beginning to set. The sky told the stories of the day with lovely colors of blue and gold. The colors transitioned to incorporate pinks and red, and as the sun descended green could be seen. The sky resembled the pair but seemed endless. Gold began to feel the thumping again in her chest. Her newly formed heart was working overtime again. It felt lovely. She was able to match Joon's heart rhythm. She could feel it while soaring through the clouds on his back.

Joon could also feel it. He's plan was working well. Now that they were flying they'd reach the north in two and a half sun cycles. He knew flying during a sunset would impress her in a way. He did not know after all these years it would also have an effect him see it with someone new. Something was special about when Sun leaf, Joon knew. Sun liked to shine to much light, even into dark places. He much preferred Moon Man and the stars company. They mind their business and kept quite. Flying at night was best. The air was chilled and many animals were asleep. Its was a peaceful ride.

Soon Moon Man was high in the sky and Gold was resting on Joon's back. There was a calm in the space between them, and a comfortably developing. She finally asked him, "How did you gather so many energies?"

Joon froze in his mind, 'Is she already asking about that? He did not want to scare her away so soon.'