~Chapter 3~
Corri slept in the small home Theo had granted them while they stayed in the forest. Meanwhile, the boys underwent training from Chief Theo.
Once the red-haired Corri woke from her bed of leaves, Ruben asked if she'd like to check out the mountain with it and she obliged. The boulder child figured there might be other Densius living on the mountain.
"Hey Ruben, I've been wondering." Corri asked as they headed towards the mountain.
"Mhmm?"
"What do you like being called? I notice the others sometimes refer to you as him or he, but I'm not sure if that’s right."
"It isn't. Densius don't have genders." Ruben replied.
"Yeah, I know. But it feels weird to call you an 'it'." Corri pointed out.
Ruben chuckled lightly, "I don't mind either way. Call me what you like."
Corri felt a rush of air come from above. She looked up and saw a woman riding a tallow, a large flying animal which usually resided exclusively in the sky lands. She had heard that the people of the sky had learned to tame and ride birds like them. The sky riders flew toward the top of the mountain. Corri had to go see them!
They followed a path up the mountain towards the top. As they went, they saw Densius living in the mountain. The stones that made up bodies of the Densius living here sometime had moss covering them, giving them a distinctive look, differing from Ruben's uniform light grey body.
A Densius tucked its legs and arms around its body and began to roll around the mountain at high speed.
Ruben's mouth was agate, "That's such a smart idea! I've always wished I could travel faster. Do you mind if I go talk to them? I want to figure out how to do that."
Corri smiled, "Go ahead. I want to go see that sky rider anyways."
Ruben smiled and headed towards that rolling Densius while Corri continued up the mountain alone.
As she went, Corri looked up into the sky. High past the clouds she could make out masses floating up above. Those were the sky lands, bountiful and blessed lands hovering above the earth, out of reach. Corri had always been fascinated by the sky lands, like she had a calling to be there. A sense of belonging.
When Corri neared the top of the mountain she could see a few buildings, one of them an inn and another that looked like a station. A massive flying bird, a hummingbird, was perched at the top of the mountain surrounded by other large birds and sky riders. The hummingbird was around 10 meters tall, and had a harness around its body with tethers attached to it.
Corri went up to a group of sky riders, "What is all this?"
The sky riders looked down at the young Corri, "This is a sky platform kid. Never been to one before?"
Corri shook her head emphatically.
"We ferry people up to the sky lands, for a price."
"R-Really? You take people up there?" Corri asked.
"Yup. We come down here every month and take whoever wants to ascend. We also take people back down from the Skylands too. But people generally want to stay."
Corri got onto her tiptoes and said, "I want to go."
The sky riders looked at each other, "Better check with your parents first kid."
Another spoke up, "If you really are interested in coming, we're heading back to the Skylands tomorrow. So talk to your parents and if they say yes, make sure and pack everything you think you'll need."
Corri nodded. She was sure she her dad wouldn't want her going, but he wasn't around to tell her no.
She returned to their dwellings and found Ruben. The red-eyed Densius had been carved out slots in its stone torso where its legs and arms could be placed in. It started to learn to roll around just like the Densius it had met. Corri gathered her things at night to prepare for the trip.
Nout, Jirro and Aero stumbled into their wooden home exhausted and fell onto their leaf beds. Theo had not been easy on the boys on their first day. Nout and Jirro wasted no time in getting to sleep.
Aero looked at over at his sister while she got her things together. "Where are you going Corri?"
"I'm going to sky lands!" Corri said with a huge grin, "There are people at the top of the mountain who will take people there tomorrow."
Aero's eyes widened and he got off of his back, "What? Weren't you going to tell me about this?"
Corri shrugged, "I'm telling you now. I'll be back in a month."
Aero's body went through an exaggerated jolt and he sat up, "A month!? Are you sure it's safe to go up there?"
Corri laughed, "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
"I should come with you," Aero said.
Corri stopped and looked at her brother, "What about your training with Theo?"
"Dad wanted me to make sure you stay safe. So I've got to come." Aero declared.
"Don't do that. I know you'd rather stay here," Corri said, "Trust me. I can take care of myself."
Aero folded his arms and thought for a moment, "Are you sure?"
Corri placed a hand on her chest, "I promise."
Aero thought for a moment, and suddenly reached into his bag and pulled out the prize money he won from the tournament. He brashly divided it in half and handed one half of it to Corri. "Take this in case you need it up there."
Aero handed over several thousands of Ivases to Corri with absolutely no hesitation. She took it, smiled at him and gave her big brother a big hug. "Thanks Aero."
Everyone went with Corri to the top of the morning the next morning to see her off. Groups of people had traveled to Titus Forest that day to make the journey to the sky lands as well.
The people manning the sky platform all guided the passengers to the giant hummingbird which would carry them above. Each passenger had to wear harnesses which were then tethered to the hummingbird. Corri took a deep breath as they strapped her in, waving to her brother and the others. A man climbed the hummingbird, using it's feathers to grip onto, until he reached a saddle seated at the nape of the giant bird's neck.
The man put goggles over his eyes and shouted to all of the passengers, "Everyone hold on tight as we go up. This big bird won't mind any of you grabbing onto its feathers! And if you let go, don't panic, we tied all of you in tight. You're not going anywhere! We're heading up soon!"
Corri gripped the birds feathers and prepared herself. The sky rider serving as their pilot whispered to hummingbird, and the great bird extended its wings to the sides. It began to flap, creating a gusts of winds around beneath them. Aero and the others could hardly stand the force of it.
In moments the hummingbird left the ground, accompanied by several other sky riders. The hummingbird and sky riders rocketed through the sky, wind blistering past them as they ascended. Corri took one look back as her brother as the distance between them grew.
Corri whooped with excitement as they shot through the sky, it was exhilarating. Soon they were surrounded by thick clouds, and when she looked down Titus Forest was barely visible. She looked to her side and saw the other sky riders keeping pace with the hummingbird.
They passed through the clouds and the sun shone on them, the hummingbird leveled out its wings, and its acceleration slowed. It began to lazily glide through the skies. The sun illuminated the clouds with an orange tint, complimented by the bright blue sky. Far below she could see, well, everything. She could even make out the eye shaped Challenger's Lake far in the distance.
They passed by one of the many floating pieces of land that populated the sky. In the distance she could see a giant mass of land floating, with beautiful cities filling it. The hummingbird glided through the air towards the sky city. In that city was a statue of the goddess, with elegant white robes, long flaming red hair, and golden gauntlets.
The Skylands were bountiful and beautiful. The rate at which their crops grew outdid those on the ground greatly. There were always full wellsprings of water. The people of the sky rarely wanted for anything, and were abundantly happy.
It's said that the Goddess Ralosia plucked these pieces of land from the earth, blessed them, and sent them heavenward.
As they flew to the city other sky riders filled the air, riding birds of various breeds and sizes. The hummingbird landed on a platform where other sky riders flew to and from. All of the passengers were untethered from the giant bird and disembarked.
Corri walked along the sky city enjoying its sights. There were many several story high buildings housing the denizens of the sky. There were several docks around the sky island where sky riders could leave from.
Corri looked at the people around her, and noticed their clothes were very different from hers. Theirs were expertly woven, while hers were rather rugged. Maybe she'd buy some clothes like theirs while she was in the Sky Lands.
Corri saw that they offered trips to the other islands in the sky to those who did not have their own birds, but she didn't want to be ferried around by others, she'd rather be independent. She found a poster on a wall for lessons on sky riding.
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