Flight (7)

As we prepared to embark on our treacherous journey, Chimsy stood up from the ground, her eyes fixed on the place the lava worms had been before the ash hawk feasted on them.

She willed in her mind, sending an unspoken command to the ash hawks.

The two undead ash hawks nearest to her stirred, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light.

They stretched their wings, the soft rustling of their feathers echoing through the stillness.

With a fluid motion, they took to the skies, their forms dwindling as they vanished into the distance.

Chimsy's gaze followed them, her eyes narrowed slightly as she tracked their progress.

"They'll scout ahead, searching for any signs of danger,"

she explained, her voice low and reassuring.

As she spoke, the remaining ash hawks began to stir, their eyes fixed on the three of us.

One of the birds, its wings beating slowly, approached Jackson Lee, who stood frozen, his eyes wide with a mix of wonder and fear.

Just a few moments back he was killing these animals so of course he was a little bit skeptical about the whole concept of Chimsy's abilities and if these creatures were not just pretending, so they could attack when they let their guard down or maybe even send them down from a great height when they carry them.

"Hey, don't worry, Jackson," Chimsy called out, a hint of a smile on her lips. "You're safe with our feathered friend here."

'Feathered friend?' The huge guy thought.

'You could never be too sure, especially since we haven't used our abilities for long '

he thought while still frozen rigid from skepticism, as the bird's glowing eyes fixed on him.

Jackson Lee's eyes widened more as the ash hawk approached him, its talons extended.

The ash hawk's wings beat slowly, creating a gentle breeze that rustled Jackson's hair, but he still didn't move.

His mind continued to race with worst-case scenarios, his imagination running wild with visions of being dropped or devoured.

The ash hawk's gentle nudging only made him more anxious, his fear turning to panic.

It wasn't until Chimsy's gentle hand on his shoulder and her extra words of encouragement that Jackson Lee finally summoned the courage to climb onto the ash hawk's back, his huge hands grasping tightly onto the bird's feathers as it lifted him into the air.

As the ash hawk rose into the sky, Jackson Lee's fear completely gave way to a sense of wonder.

He gazed down at the ground below, the landscape unfolding like a map.

The wind rushed past him, whipping his hair back and forth, but strangely he felt safe, secure on the ash hawk.

Chimsy's voice drifted up to him, "You're doing great, Jackson! Just hold on tight!"

Jackson nodded, his eyes on the area surrounding his group members.

The ash hawk banked and turned, its wings beating in a slow, hypnotic rhythm.

Jackson felt a sense of freedom, as if he were flying himself.

The second ash hawk approached me, its eyes fixed on I and Sophia with an unblinking gaze.

Then I handed over the infant to Dae-su Han whose eyes widened slightly as he took the infant from me, his arms cradling it gently.

I turned back to the ash hawk, my heart racing with anticipation.

With a gentle motion, the ash hawk lowered its wings, creating a makeshift platform for me to climb onto.

Then I climbed onto the ash hawk's back, my hands grasping its feathers tightly.

As soon as I was secure, Dae-su Han handed the infant back to me, his eyes locked on mine with a reassuring smile.

I took the infant from him, cradling it close with one arm while holding onto the ash hawk with the other arm as the it's wings began to beat faster, lifting us off the ground.

The wind rushed past us as the ash hawk soared into the sky.

The infant, who had been sleeping peacefully, suddenly woke up, her eyes wide with wonder.

She gazed up at me, her tiny hands grasping my shirt, holding on for dear life.

I smiled down at the infant, as I held her closer to prevent any accident from happening.

The ash hawk's wings beat steadily, carrying us higher and higher into the sky.

Dae-su Han and Chimsy were lifted by the third ash hawk, their faces set with determination as they settled into their unusual mode of transportation.

The remaining eight undead ash hawks formed a protective circle around us, their eyes scanning the skies for any sign of danger, their wings spread wide, ready to defend us against any flying predators.

We spent what felt like an eternity scaling through the skies, the ash hawks carrying us effortlessly on their backs.

The sky loomed above us, its eerie glow casting an orange-red light over the desolate ground below.

The air was thick with heat, but it was nothing compared to the scorching temperatures of the planet's surface.

Even with the seemingly reduced temperature Chimsy still eveloped us in her aura.

I and the baby couldn't deal with the temperature of the planet, so Chimsy stuck the ash hawks carrying her and Dae-su Han close to the ash hawk carrying I and the baby, with her aura shielding us from the worst of the heat.

Jackson Lee, on the other hand, didn't need the aura, his body immune to the extreme temperature.

So he could move further away from us, his gigantic frame matching with the size of the gigantic bird he rode on.

While the rest of us looked much smaller compared to the size of the ash hawks we rode.

As we flew, the sky seemed to stretch on forever.

The planet's surface was a shattered expanse of charred rocks, cracked and broken, revealing a molten, flaming core.

Fissures glowed with intense heat, like veins on a map, leading to a churning sea of fire.

The air reeked of burnt rock and sulfur, with flames crackling and spewing forth from the depths.

There was saw no signs of life, no plants or even the creatures that had attacked us.

The ash hawks flew steadily, their wings beating in a slow, hypnotic rhythm.

The sky, the ground, the ash hawks - everything seemed to blend together in a swirling dance of blazing color and light.

And yet, despite the serenity of our surroundings, I couldn't shake the feeling of unease that lurked in the deepest part of my being.

As we flew through the sky, I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

The absence of any creatures, either on land or in the skies, was oppressive, like a weight pressing down on me.

It was as if the very land itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

The silence was deafening, a heavy blanket that smothered all sound.

It was a stillness that seemed to vibrate with tension, like the calm before a storm.

I wasn't alone in this thought process.

Dae-su Han, Chimsy and Jackson Lee seemed to be feeling uneasy and were all alert with their minds working on how to defend the group should we face any flying threat.