Hounds Rising

“Hey guys, I’m going to start cooking soon. Do you want to join me?”

Myla turned around to see Ana standing beside the kitchen door and Mr. Muffins sitting by the fireplace. Ana had her special bag in hand and was fishing out various bottles and jars that Myla assumed were herbs and oils.

“I have some writing to do, but I could join since that won’t take long,” Mr. Muffins said.

He stood up, walked to his room, and came back out with some parchment, ink, and a quill. As Ana smiled at him, he started to make his way over, then looked back over to Myla.

“And you?”

“I wanted to do some painting. I guess I could bring an easel and canvas or two into there. Give me a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Ana smiled again, then walked into the kitchen, following Mr. Muffins.

Myla gathered her supplies and carefully brought them into the kitchen. She laid her paints on the table and set up her easel. She sat down and looked around the room for her inspiration. Myla closed her eyes as a burst of colors pushed into her mind. She pushed back, holding her head in her hands for a moment. When she opened them, Mr. Muffins and Ana looked at her curiously.

“You alright?” Mr. Muffins asked.

“Yeah, umm… Sometimes, when my sister is occupied, our… having linked minds isn’t always great.”

“How so?” Ana asked innocently.

“Just… if I randomly seem annoyed or out of focus, it’s not your fault, okay?”

“That’s gotta be awkward,” Mr. Muffins chuckled, then returned to his letter.

“Anyway… Who are you writing to?” She asked Mr. Muffins.

Mr. Muffins held up two papers, one with his friend Humboldt’s name and another with Nuv and Kiks on them.

“Humboldt left before I could see him this morning, Darion told me. The Queen had him take a small team and check out the dragon business at the Esterhold Peaks. Figured I’d tell him our plans. The other is just because I miss the little worms.”

“Worms?” Ana questioned.

“Kobolds. I had two assistants at the carnival. They stayed with the carnival when we all decided to stay behind.”

Myla let them talk as she worked on her canvas. She wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to create, but she knew she would let it decide once the color touched it. Before long, the voices around her disappeared, and she let herself wander as she used the blacks, grays, and whites to make something that had been on her mind lately. Minutes passed, but it felt like she blinked, and a picture appeared. Mr. Muffins wasn’t at the table, and his writing supplies disappeared. She then noticed someone standing next to her. She looked over to see Ana staring, a look of shock on her face.

“What is this?” She asked.

“It’s from my vision,” Myla answered, confused. “This was the castle Yla showed me.”

“That’s Count Valdimar’s home.”

“Who?”

“The guy I’m going to see!” Ana looked down at Myla, confusion taking over the look of shock on her face.

“I don’t know why Yla showed me this, but I assume she was letting us know the path.”

“Oh no…”

Ana ran across the kitchen as water boiled out of the pot she had on the stovetop. She quickly moved it, stirring with a large wooden spoon. Myla leaned back into her seat. She watched Ana cook for a bit, just relaxed in the kitchen. After a while, Ana turned to her.

“I’ve got some time before I have to do anything. Do you want a better distraction than this?”

“How so?”

“Well, you draw a lot of landscapes. How about an eagle-eyed view for a new perspective?”

“Sure?”

“Here, follow me!”

Ana threw her towel on the table, and Myla followed her out of the kitchen. Across the main hall, Ana opened the door, and they both walked outside. The rain had stopped, and the sun was pushing through clouds to the west, the pinks, oranges, and purples cascading across the sky, leading to the dark blues and blacks of the night that were coming closer. In the distance, something exploded near Haron’s Castle. It was hard to tell at first until the next shot into the air and burst into many colors. Below, guards and a few citizens were clapping and standing in awe as Mr. Muffins used his little cannon to shoot ammunition into the air that he would then hit with a fire spell with Jimbo.

“Okay, I’ve only ever done this to myself and Sir Nibs, so… Do you trust me?” Ana asked, a look of excitement on her face.

“Sure?”

Ana pulled her pan flute out and started to play. Myla could feel something take hold of her. Her vision blurred, and her body went numb. Her heart began beating loudly in her ears, and she wasn’t sure if she should feel panicked or worried or if everything was going right. Before she had a second to form the words to ask, her vision came back. Something was different, but she couldn’t tell what. She tried to speak.

“Caw!”

Something was wrong. That’s not what she meant to say. Myla linked her mind to Ana.

What’s going on?

I wanted to let you see the town from the sky, so I turned you into a giant eagle! Don’t worry, Myla. It only lasts an hour, and I’ll send you a message when the time is coming to an end. Go and fly, Myla!

Ana smiled, and Myla could feel her wings, powerful and ready, beside her. She turned a little on her talons, readied herself, and propelled herself upward. Twenty, forty, eighty feet into the air, she flapped her wings and flew over the Archmage’s Tower and through the air. Her eyes adjusted to various things: Steel that shone in the light, fire from torches, and the fireworks nearby. She turned slightly, dove down at speeds she had never moved before, and pulled herself up just in time to soar down an alley between two random buildings.

It felt amazing, her body making small micro-adjustments as needed. It wasn’t like riding an animal or a ship, where you had to keep a close eye on what was happening at all times. She just thought, and her body just reacted to it, following every command almost immediately. She let her body move into the sky again, soaring high above the town. Time didn’t matter. The world didn’t matter. It was just her, her wings, and the wind.

An hour came faster than she expected. She could hear Ana’s voice in her head, telling her to come back. She did a slight spin, then turned toward the tower. As she got close, she decided to have fun with it. She brought her wings inward, aiming down. Her body moved at an incredible speed as the ground got closer and closer. At the last moment, she pulled her wings back out, pushing the wind back and slowing her descent almost instantly, and she landed just as her body started to transform back.