Realisation

A week had passed and much thought had been processed to what Jaymie had confessed to both Tate and Stace. They considered that there may be a possibility that Jay might still be alive, but had no way of knowing where he could actually be. They were brought out of their thoughts when Jaymie walked through and made a suggestion.

"Hi daddy, hi Stace," Jaymie greeted, all smiley.

"Hi Jaymie," Tate and Stace answered together, "How are you today?" Tate asked.

"I'm very well. I couldn't help overhearing you both talking about looking for Daddy Jay and I think we might have to go back through the arch again. At least this time Stace has her wings. So we can go a little further," Jaymie suggested.

Tate and Stace looked at one another then back to face Jaymie. Stace then looked back at Tate.

"You know, Jaymie makes a valid point. Jaymie has grown stronger everyday since he got his wings and now that I've received mine. Maybe this was the reason. Maybe Jay might still be in the other world. I remembered him saying that having wings will get you to places when walking won't," Stace agreed.

Tate pondered, "Yes that is true. Mind you, I've had a feeling that we may have to. Stace how do you feel about carrying someone on your back," Tate asked, with a cheeky smile.

"Well, I could try, but I'm not sure how far we'll get," Stace smirked.

"Haha! I'm only kidding. I will wait here like an anxious father and lover, hoping I will have everyone that I love around me very soon," Tate sighed, half joking, half serious, with tears forming in his eyes, but he managed to blink them away. "I know now that this was meant to be yours and Jaymie's journey," Tate breathed.

"Don't worry too much Tate, we will be back before you know it," Stace comforted.

"Yeah Daddy, we will be back with Daddy Jay too. You'll see," Jaymie affirmed.

Tate smiled and gave Jaymie an affectionate hug, which had Stace smiling. They didn't let go for quite a while so Stace cleared her throat. They broke apart and bid adieu as Jaymie and Stace made their way back through the arch.

---o0o---

Jaymie noticed straight away that something had changed since their last visit. There seemed to be more floating islands and without waiting for Stace, Jaymie quickly scouted the area from above for the best route to take first. He then gestured for her to follow him. She struggled to take flight, but with some self reassurance, she started to hover then flapped her big wings.

"Come on Stace you can do this," Stace muttered to herself.

"That's it Stace," Jaymie cheered as he soared through the skies. Stace couldn't take her eyes off of Jaymie, hoping that one day she would be able to do that herself. She brought herself out of her trance as she was losing altitude. She slowly moved her heavy wings up and down to lift herself high enough until she could see Jaymie who had just perched on top of a tree waiting for her to catch up.

"Come on Stace, you are almost there, you can do it," Jaymie encouraged once again. Stace smiled at him as she concentrated on her gliding and wing movements. Stace had seen Jay turn swiftly so easily, Jaymie like his daddy picked it up really quickly. When she tried, she felt stiff and was straining. She really had to turn hard.

Jaymie just watched, giving Stace as much encouragement as he could muster. When she finally reached him, he waited for Stace to rest for a while, before asking her if she was ready to go again.

"Are you feeling alright, Stace?" Jaymie asked.

"Yeah I think so. Flying requires a bit more skill and energy than I realised. Hopefully I will loosen up a bit more, the more I fly," Stace admitted.

"I'm sure you will Stace. We still have a long way to go yet," Jaymie told her.

As they soared through the skies in silence taking in the breathtaking scenery, there were moments when Stace wanted to ask Jaymie a few questions about his dad mainly. However, he would answer them first. It was as though he could read her mind.

"Yes I do miss Dad a lot, but in a way he is still right next to me when I need him. It's comforting to know that he still listens to me. And to answer your other question, I'm not sure. I could be reading your mind subconsciously or it could be just this world's way of connecting us in another way. You could be opening your mind to me and you don't realise you're doing it,"

"With my wolf telepathy that only usually works with other wolves, I shouldn't be surprised that you can access it too," Stace mused.

Just as Jaymie was about to say something else his expression changed when he sensed a change in the wind. Cautiously, he guided Stace to a safe place. There was a hidden cave exactly where Jay had told him when he was a child. The more Jaymie recognised the similarities within the story, the more he realised that Jay was creating a map, imprinting it in his mind. Jaymie made sure that Stace was alright before scanning the surroundings. He still felt like something bad was approaching, but he also knew that they couldn't stay there forever. He signalled to Stace to move out and to follow close to him, but Stace was a bit weary as well. She too sensed something big was coming.

They flew steadily for two days straight but suddenly stopped when they noticed a tall mountain.

"I don't remember this being here in the story. Did I go the wrong way? Did Dad finish telling me the story?" Jaymie asked himself whilst hovering around the mountain trying to find some answers. Stace circled with him.

"Is there nothing here that seems familiar? Jaymie!" Stace asked.

He didn't say anything, but Stace knew what he was about to do as he took his position and launched himself up as high as he could, before he began to flap his wings. Stace watched him but she didn't dare to copy him. Instead, she took her flight and gracefully flapped her wings, slowly gaining altitude so she wouldn't get out of breath.

Jaymie had reached the top of the peak already before Stace finally reached him. She was slightly out of breath and she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Jaymie, is that another portal?" Stace asked as she walked to his side.

Jaymie nodded, "Yeah it is, it must be. I'm hoping this will lead us to find Daddy Jay," Jaymie answered.

"What are you waiting for Jaymie?" Stace asked, trying to encourage him.

"I'm just a little scared. Will you come with me?" Jaymie asked her.

"Sure I will be right behind you" Stace assured him as she followed him. After Jaymie went through the portal, Stace found that she could not. It was as though it closed on her. She didn't know what to do. She did not want to go back and worry Tate. So she stayed and waited for Jaymie.