Chapter 38: CHAPTER XXVI – Tall Tales and Short Trips

Sphaere and Rhystea looked at each other and both burst into laughter when they saw the other’s hair, which had dried en route and was not so much a mess as it was dried from the windshear. With no soap to truly wash their hair, it stood straight back and supported itself as opposed to having a free flow restrained only by gravity.

As R208 and R248 leapt to the ground to show off their trophies, with A212 and F120 right behind them to deliver a report; Rhystea and Sphaere tasked themselves with opening the heavy transport door. No one had thought to have Cekell land it upright, but when he saw what they were trying to do, he assisted by placing a barrier and expanding it to slide the door open, completing their task for them.

After offering their thanks, they hopped down into the unit to retrieve the vaunted coffee. Picking up a box, Rhystea read the label, “Forced March ™ brand instant coffee, extra caffeine to fuel the extra mile. Are we really going to give this to the Reptilia?”

Sphaere turned and gave her a peculiar smile, “That’s funny, comin’ from the girl who drank till she cried!”

Rhystea sandwiched both the box and Cekell under one arm so she could fidget with her glasses. Ignoring the remark, she noted, “What if they try a night hunt?”

“I feel sorry fer whatever crosses their path!” Sphaere snickered.

“Am I really that much of a worrywart?” Rhystea questioned.

“Yea, but I get it, it’s a crazy world. Jus’ don’ go fergettin’ that it’s even crazier here, an’ they got on well ‘nuff ‘fore they had ya here tryin’ ta hold their hand. As it turns out, they can wipe their own ass!” Sphaere insisted.

“There are children present, I’ll remind you.” Rhystea rebuked.

“That one cain’t even talk an’ this one has good manners.” Sphare argued.

“Is it bad manners to say ‘ass?’” Devose inquired.

“Cekell talk! Cekell talk!!” Cekell insisted in irritation.

“Not very well.” Devose disputed.

“Ass!” Cekell said the word as if to spite Sphaere, but his eyes were fixated firmly on Devose.

“Oi, yer gonna get me inta trouble!” Sphaere scolded.

“Don’t you blame it on them, you do a fine job of getting yourself into trouble!” Rhystea growled.

“Yea, an’ I can usually get myself outta trouble, but these two blocked my escape!” Sphaere chuckled.

“Well this one doesn’t appreciate being underestimated, do you Cekell?” Rhystea inquired.

“No udder estimate Cekell!” Cekell demanded.

“Don’t refer to yourself in third person, you sound like an idiot.” Devose pointed out.

“Oi, they sound like us…” Sphaere noted as she eyed Rhystea peculiarly.

Cekell glared menacingly at Devose, who smiled back and responded snidely, “That’s right, if you can’t properly use your words, you should just remain silent.”

Cekell smiled and chirped loudly before encapsulating Devose in a barrier.

“Uh-oh, ya brought this on yerself, twerp!” Sphaere specified.

“Cekell! You leave your brother alone!” Rhystea reprimanded the warborn, but it was too late. The barrier containing Devose slipped from Sphaere’s arms and shot out of the transport at extreme speed. Cekell let out a satisfied chirp before curling up comfortably against Rhystea’s heartbeat.

Rhystea sighed and shook her head, “I doubt that would hurt him, but that doesn’t make it ok!”

“Ha!” Sphaere laughed, “That’s about the gentlest way ‘e could o’ handled it! No lightnin’ bolts, no bladed weaponry. Go direc’ly ta jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200.”

“Do you think he’ll come back? Should we go look for him?” Rhystea weighed her options.

“No tellin’ where ‘e landed, not from in here. I cain’t imagine ‘im not comin’ back though, if ‘e wanted ta leave, ‘e wouldn’ o’ stuck ‘round.” Sphaere insisted.

Rhystea shoved the box of coffee into Sphaere’s arms and declared, “Cekell, get us out of here.” And both girls were gingerly lifted out of the transport. As soon as Rhystea’s feet touched the ground, she added, “I’m going to go look for him.”

“Do ya even know which way ‘e went?” Sphaere doubted.

“Cekell! Which way did you send your brother?” Rhystea asked, but Cekell pretended to be asleep, at least until Rhystea started to set him down. Cekell let out a panic stricken squawk and latched onto her arm. Kneeling down, Rhystea curtly pressed Cekell against the cool steel of the transport, causing him to howl in agony.

Surprised by Cekell’s reaction, Rhystea quickly relented before commanding, “Tell me where you sent your brother, or so help me, I’ll do it again!” Cekell glared up at her with defiance in his eyes, until she started slowly pushing him towards the cool steel yet again, causing him to let out a distressed barrage of banter.

Before he would receive any further punishment, something wrapped around Rhystea’s leg. Shocked by surprise, first that something had grabbed her, then again to find Devose clinging to her. “He didn’t send me far…” The warborn admitted.

“Surprised ya didn’ enjoy seein’ ‘im suffer the consequences.” Sphaere pointed out.

“I did… but I did not enjoy seeing Rhystea deliver the punishment.” Devose conceded.

“Ahh, I getcha, it’s more than a li’l scary, the way she enjoys punishin’ the poor thang.” Sphaere joked.

“No she didn’t. I’ve seen someone enjoy themselves as they… discipline… someone. But even so, it still felt bad seeing Rhystea do that…” Devose affirmed. Both Rhystea and Sphaere were stunned, not only by Devose’s actions, but also his words. Cekell on the other hand ripped into him with squawking reprimand. “I’m not climbing on her!” Devose shot back.

“What a turd!” Sphaere laughed.

Words failed her, so Rhystea spoke with action, and scooped Devose up with her free arm, and hugged both of the warborn tightly, going so far as to squeeze them together. Cekell let everyone know of his discontent with an irritated groan, to which Devose replied with, “Yea, well, me neither!” Rhystea pretended not to notice and hugged them as tightly as she could.

After a protracted period of time that any observer would have thought to be a tender moment, Cekell let out a calmed yet still clearly perturbed squeak. “Well at least we can agree on that.” Devose divulged.

“Oh? What’s that?” Sphaere pried.

There was a short pause before Devose lowered his voice and answered, “…At least she isn’t crying on us this time.”

“Rude!” Rhystea scoffed before releasing tension on her embrace.

With his arms still bound in Rhystea’s hug, Cekell whipped his tendril at Devose and announced, “My Ritsy!”

“Oh no, not this again!” Rhystea grumbled as she shifted them to different arms, then latched onto Cekell by his tendril and thrust him out towards Sphaere, who shook her head as she shifted the box of coffee to one arm and received Cekell with he other.

“Shoulda seen that comin’!” Sphaere stated, “Let’s see if I can refrain from teachin’ ‘im any more bad words.”

Having been reminded, Cekell cried out, “Ass! Devose is ass!” Sphaere did her best to hold in a laugh as she reached up and flicked Cekell across the noggin, who turned to face her and gasped in shock. “That’s grown up talk, an’ yer def’nitely not a grown up!”

Cekell frowned at her and puffed up, but before taking further action, Sphaere preempted him, “Ya want the cold, hard ground? Keep it up, an’ ya’ll get it, buster!” Deflating, Cekell glared up at her for a moment before wrapping his arms, legs and tendril around her shoulder and neck.

“Oil and water, these two. I swear!” Rhystea decried.

“More like oil an’ fire, cain’t even let ‘em get close ta each other, ‘r boom!” Sphaere corrected Rhystea for a change.

“Alright, now that these two have settled down, let’s procure ourselves some tea.” Rhystea suggested.

Turning their attention to the demis nearby, they noticed everyone was huddled around R208 and Shelly, who could only have been explaining the stonescale. R208 had stabbed his blade into the ground in order to hold up the severed head with both hands. Shelly had raised the tail and was shaking it in an attempt to mimic the threats it had made.

No words needed to be said as the remains practically spoke for themselves. No one could deny what was directly displayed before them, and the only response such blatant evidence elicited were gasps of disbelief.

Sphaere made her way to the edge of the transport and nonchalantly hopped off, as though it were but a minor step. Rhystea peered over the edge at the ground which may as well have been miles away, then at Cekell, who had tied himself around his current caretaker. Grumbling, Rhystea took a seat on the edge and contemplated her next move as she readied herself for the landing.

“Need a hand, princess?” Sphaere jeered.

“No! Just give me a second, I got this!” Rhystea insisted as she fidgeted with her glasses while staring at the ground, which almost seemed to be receding.

“It ain’t that far, ya can do this! Jus’ ‘member ta land on yer feet, not yer face!” Sphaere taunted.

Rhystea exhaled sharply before inhaling deeply. The longer she procrastinated, the more time Sphaere would have to tease her. Wrapping both arms tightly around Devose, she had prepared herself to the best of her ability, and only hesitated another moment before pushing herself off the transport.

Proud of herself for landing on her feet, Rhystea had not accounted for her forward momentum, and took a large awkward step forward to compensate, tripped over her own feet, and plunged towards the ground.

Sphaere’s enjoyment turned into a gasp. A panicked squeak escaped Rhystea’s mouth as she threw a free arm forward to catch herself. Everyone around heard and turned just in time to see Cekell catch the plummeting Rhystea with a barrier, without so much as sparing her a glance, and raised her back to her unsteady feet.

Even though she never touched the ground, Rhystea dusted herself off, mostly to check herself, but also as a habitual reflex after falling. Her glasses had been thrown from their perch, but were also caught by Cekell, who had lifted them up to her eye level. Snatching them out of the air, Rhystea replaced them over her eyes, and quickly took notice of all the attention she had gathered.

“You alright?” Devose questioned. Rhystea looked down at him and frowned, but didn’t speak a word. “So you really do trip over your own feet…?” He added.

“Nah, she was jus’ testin’ ta see if Ceke were payin’ ‘tention.” Sphaere retorted as her face contorted from fending off a smile.

Rhystea balled up a fist and coughed into it before taking the out offered by Sphaere and with a meant-to-do-that attitude, she announced, “And he was.”

Cekell replied with a doubtful chirp. “He said-“ Devose started, but was cut off.

“I know what he said!” A flustered Rhystea interrupted. Quickly calming herself, she added, “If Cekell was going to let me down, he would do so gently.”

“You must have misheard-“ Devose debated, but was again disrupted when Rhystea clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Don’tcha jus’ love the ones that hafta be right all the time? Reminds me o’ someone else I know…” Sphaere stated slyly. Cekell chirped in agreement, to which Sphaere eyed him with a smile and responded, “It really does, don’ it?” Before bursting into laughter.

Rhystea ignored the remarks and casually made her way over to the crowd that was still staring at her curiously, where she requested, “May we requisition some boiling water and tea leaves?”

“You’re not going to put nectar in it, are you?” R208 asked concernedly.

“No!” Rhystea grumbled sharply.

“Good, you’re already having trouble staying on your feet and I’d hate to deny a request from our most illustrious guests!” R208 erupted into laughter as he held his trophy high.

Rhystea rolled her eyes but Sphaere suggested, “Actually, if ya’ll provide us with an ample supply o’ boilin’ water, we could whip up some o’ this here coffee! It’s very strong though, ya’ve been warned!”

Having heard all he needed, R208 marched forward through the crowd, which quickly parted to make way only to fall in him. Passing through the gate, he stopped as his Eminent had arrived at the other side and was about to pass through himself, but now barred passage for those seeking to enter.

“I heard you were gone.” R010 announced with aggravation as his eyes narrowed down on R208.

“Well I knew you wouldn’t want me to let the Aves Eminent depart at night all on his own, so I kept an eye on him and made sure he was safe, besides, we’re already back! In fact…” R208 alluded to the severed head raised in his hands as he pumped it up and down.

Until this moment, R010 had locked eyes with R208, and had not noticed what he had been hauling. The Reptilian Eminent’s eyes swelled to the size of saucers as his jaw fell to his feet. Seizing the moment, R208 playfully thrust it towards his Eminent, who without hesitation reached out to sock R208 in the mouth – not in anger so much as a defensive reflex.

“Is that… But how…” R010 stammered after taking a deep breath. Shelly rattled the tail vigorously, causing R010 to whip around and stare in disbelief.

“Our guests laid low the beast! With R248’s assistance, I am told.” R208 insisted, turning to beam at her, causing her to let up on the tail and almost drop it as her combative nature turned bashful.

“Couldn’ o’ done it without ‘er!” Sphaere declared.

“She was instrumental in it’s demise!” Rhystea reiterated.

“Oh brother.” F120 muttered under her breath as she rolled her eyes.

“Where’s the rest of it?” R010 asked with an awkward smile that belied his utter disbelief.

R208 turned to Sphaere and, almost reverently, answered, “The tiny one… ate it.”

The Reptilia Eminent’s eyes couldn’t get any wider, but they bulged from their sockets and nearly leapt out of his skull. “I’m… at a loss…” R010 admitted as his gaze shifted to Rhystea and then to Sphaere. “We’re already celebrating… What do we…”

“Celebrate… louder?” Sphaere suggested.

No sooner did she utter the words then did the Reptilia series take her advice to heart and erupt into cheers as they anointed the warborn with titles, “Serpent eater!” “Stonescale shredder!” “Death devourer!” “Ravenous little glutton!”

Rhystea turned to meet Sphaere’s gaze, shake her head and note, “And thus, the legend was born.”

“At least it’s a good legend!” Sphaere laughed and lifted Cekell up with one hand, who let out a baffled chirp before coiling his tendril around her arm. “Oi! We have jus’ the thang ta crank yer volume ta eleven!”

Reaching ten and a half all on his own, R208 redirected the chant to, “Kaw-fee! Kaw-fee! Kaw-fee!”

“Kaw… fee?” R010 mulled the unfamiliar word around on his tongue with uncertainty.

Lowering Cekell and squeezing him tightly to her chest, Sphaere held the box she had been carrying out and insisted, “This’ll get yer blood a pumpin’!”

R010 reached out and received the box and surprised them by reading the label, “Forced March ™ brand instant coffee, extra caffeine to fuel the extra mile. Intriguing, but what is it?”

“You can read?!” Sphaere and Rhystea both gawked in surprise.

R010’s visage adopted a puzzled look, unaware that reading was an impressive skill for a demi human. “Can you not?” He replied curiously.

“Of course I can!” Rhystea shot back, readjusted her glasses and turned to Sphaere before continuing, “I’m so sure about her though.”

Sphaere slapped a hand over her heart that Cekell narrowly dodged and stated, “Ugh! Ya wound me, Ritsy! Right here!”

“Pfft! You’ll manage.” Rhystea parried.

R010 looked the box over thoroughly, finding nothing more than the label, not so much as instructions, ingredients, or even ‘not for individual resale.’ “So… how do we use it?” He asked, perplexed.

“You boil it, like tea. It’s a drink.” Rhystea replied.

“It’ll put some pep in yer step! But don’ go expectin’ somethin’ sweet, ‘r ya’ll be disappointed.” Sphaere added.

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“Well now! That sounds perfect for a long night! How thoughtful!” R010 announced, then turned his attention to Cekell, and after adopting a much more serious tone, asked, “Should we put more meat on the grill? Can’t have the little tyke going hungry…”

Sphaere laughed before lifting Cekell up to her eye level and questioning him, “Ya hungry, Ceke?” Only to be surprised when he gave an earnest reply.

Without hesitation, Cekell answered with a staunch, “Yes.”

“Unexpected, given the… uh, meal ya jus’ had. Well, we got steak, an’ we got ribs. Whatcha hungry fer?” Sphaere asked with a puzzled look.

All the cheering ceased in an instant as everyone gasped when Cekell responded with, “Ray-Ray.” As he leaned forward and wrapped his arms and tendril around her neck.

Sphaere took notice when all eyes fell on her, rendering her unable to give a response. Rhystea however didn’t miss a beat, “Nope! No junk food for you, mister, that will only give you a tummy ache!”

This seemed to relax the crowed, who was unsure of how to respond, but Rhystea’s remarks caused several to snicker. Any remaining tension was dispelled when Rhystea continued on with, “Alright, let’s put some water to boil, you can have your coffee, but I would very much appreciate a cup of tea. We can have Sphaere regale us with the tale of Cekell the Snake Eating, Ravenous Little Glutton.”

This revelation caused the Reptilia to again break out into cheers of, “Kaw-fee!” and, “Ravenous little glutton!”

“What?! Me? Why me?!” Sphaere shot back.

“I can’t wait to hear how he ATE almost a whole freaking STONESCALE!!!” R208 bellowed out as he all but danced with the severed head.

“That’s a story that will be passed down for a long time to come, I’d love to hear a first hand recounting.” A212 insisted.

“That’s all on you.” Rhystea grinned wryly as the words passed her lips.

“Yea, we’re, uh, counting on you.” Shelly added.

“This is going to be great!” F120 gushed.

“Me an’ my big mouth…” Sphaere groaned, causing Rhystea’s grin to spread from ear to ear.

 

Rhystea and Sphaere, each carrying their own warborn, followed their scale clad and feather laden friends to take a seat next to a freshly fueled fireside, where numerous makeshift kettles filled with water were put to boil. After sufficient time that steam was pouring out of them, tea or coffee, and even an instance of tea and coffee, were added to the kettles.

Receiving a hot cup of tea, both Sphaere and Rhystea felt lighter as their cares melted away. The very aroma of their treasured tonic caused a  gentle smile to spread across their faces. Their bodies and spirits, as well as their passengers, were all warmed by one of life’s simple pleasures.

Conversely, R208 and A212 were skeptical of their cups of coffee. To them, the aroma was both different and delightful, but after taking a small sip, they had mixed feelings about the bitter taste. R208’s tail twisted into a knot as he peered curiously at his cup. A212 continued sipping on his, trying to drink it slowly so as not to seemingly dislike the gift. Shelly was both warily and loudly slurping on her cup. Everyone else was hesitant to try it, and just eyed their cups cautiously.

“It’s def’nately a ‘cquired taste, but yer drinkin’ it fer the effects. We prob’ly shoulda grabbed some o’ that creamer an’ sugar fer ya ta throw in. While tea don’ need any o’ that crap, I would imagine it could only help coffee.” Sphaere explained.

R208’s face lit up at the suggestion, and quickly called for, “Nectar! Let’s put nectar in it!” And a pod of the stuff was quickly passed around, prompting Sphaere to snicker and Rhystea to shake her head.

Mixing in an ample helping and taking a test taste, even A212 couldn’t help but to agree, “Ahh, that fixed it right up!”

“Yea it did!” R208 insisted before dumping his entire cup down his open maw. The rest of his series were still eyeing their still full cups, even after having added nectar.

“No going back now.” Rhystea noted with a light laugh that was still full of concern.

“Oi, what’re they gonna do, really?” Sphaere prodded.

“Well, let’s review the things they do sober, like hunting creatures that could turn them into paste, normally during the day, that they also want to chase after in the dark. Or try and climb atop said creatures for a little joy ride. Logical conclusion: here in a few minutes, they’ll be attempting to ride each other into the night in search of battle and glory.” Rhystea detailed, all while slowly shaking her head.

“Oh, they ain’t gonna…” Sphaere’s voice fell silent as she took notice of the light bulb that clicked on behind R208’s eyes.

“They have light sources and, what did you call it? Liquid courage? In a few minutes, they won’t be able to sit still. What could possible go wrong, in a land with super size snakes and giant spiders?” Rhystea inquired with a grimaced smile.

“Maybe I should work on that lasso sooner, rather than later…” Sphaere suggested.

“First, tell us about the stonescale!” A212 prodded.

“Yea! The strongest of prey must have tasted delicious if it was gobbled up that fast!” R208 pointed out.

“Oh, now, I’m jus’ not one fer tellin’ stories…” Sphaere insisted.

“Bull. Crap.” Rhystea vehemently disagreed before sipping snobbishly on her tea.

“You’ve done well enough so far.” Shelly added before slurping on her coffee.

“I jus’ don’ like bein’ the center o’ ‘tention!” Sphaere argued.

“Well who else is going to tell us how Cekell ate the stonescale?!” F120 disputed as she eyed the concoction in her cup, hoping it wouldn’t be as bitter after having added in nectar. Being a youngling, she hadn’t gotten as much as she had wanted, but wasn’t about to let it go to waste, and drank deeply of the dark draught.

Sphaere drew in a deep breath and held it, before letting out a prolonged sigh. Twice, as though she were fishing for sympathy that no one had. “Fiiiiine…” She pouted as she climbed to her feet.

Taking in a final deep breath, Sphaere opened her mouth to spin her tale, but paused when she noticed R208 set down the head of the severed stonescale that he hadn’t let go of since laying hands on it and slowly rising to his feet, eye’s locked onto something with a very serious look on his face. Tracing his line of sight, she found him to be fixated on the penned up iron hoof, which was laying down with her back to them.

“Oi, I see them wheels a turnin’, what’re ya up ta?” Sphaere grilled her scaly friend.

“She just laid down, and she isn’t facing this way…” R208 answered, undeterred and unblinking eyes still zeroed in on the iron hoof.

“Yea, she’s gotta sleep too, an’ it’s prob’ly easier fer ‘er ta get comf’trable in that pen than it is out there with all the beasties that wanna take a bit outta ‘er. What’s it gotta do with ya?” Sphaere pressed him.

“I think I can sneak up on her…” R208 insisted.

“You couldn’t sneak up on the deaf!” A212 countered.

“Listen ta yer feathered friend, ‘e knows what ‘e’s talkin’ ‘bout!” Sphaere encouraged.

“But being as I am silent as a shadow, I could be on top of her before she even knew I was there.” A212 asserted himself as he slowly rose to his feet, his own eyes targeting the tuckered out iron hoof.

“Oi!” Sphaere reprimanded them, “Scratch that, don’ listen ta beak fer brains, both o’ ya put yer tails back on the ground, ‘r there’ll be no storytime! I mean it!”

Crouching low while up on the tip of his toes, R208 blocked out everything but the iron hoof as he started heading her way slowly and as quietly as he could manage, with A212 similarly after him but quickly outpacing his slower, scaled comrade.

“If ya scare the milk machine, an’ she don’ produce come mornin’, our feline friends are gonna have some choice words fer ya!” Sphaere snapped at them.

Having heard this, F120 dropped her recently emptied cup, which landed next to a startled Lucky. Leaping clear over the fire and landing on all fours, she charged at the pair with a feral look in her eyes.

“Aww, crap!” Sphaere quickly lifted Cekell up and shook him violently from half doze to full awake, rattling his little head until he acknowledged her with a confused and aggravated chirp. “Help me out here, Ceke! Put ‘em in time out!” She insisted before latching onto his probe and aiming it the three demis charging towards the pen.

With every hair on her body standing straight up, F120 leapt hard. Holding her hands out like claws, she brought them down with the intention of mauling her own Eminent as well as the Reptilia heir apparent. Just before she would land a blow with all her weight behind it, she was swathed in light as a small spherical barrier wrapped around each of them individually, lifted them gingerly up into the air, and slowly recalled them.

In unison, A212 and R208 howled out their dissatisfaction, “Nooooo!” As F120 beared her fangs and went full beast mode, offering the side of the barrier a barrage of slashes in a resolute attempt to claw through it and protect her milk supply.

“Alright!!” Sphaere hollered loud enough to command the attention of everyone in the vicinity, “Storytime: anyone that messes with the iron hoof, so help me, ya’ll find out ‘xactly what happened ta the rest o’ the stonescale! Capiche?!”

Rhystea burst out laughing and took a moment to compose herself, noting, “Wow, so you can overcome your embarrassment when you get angry!”

Rhystea’s words didn’t ring entirely true. Sphaere’s anger didn’t exactly allow her to overcome her bashfulness so much as it gave her tunnel vision, and allowed her to an extent circumvent it; but having her situation blatantly pointed out to her, Sphaere turned and locked eyes with Rhystea, and froze up. Now she was in fact both heated and embarrassed, but could manage naught more than to grind her teeth. She turned light red, then dark red, and then she remembered to breath.

“Frozen over, but with boiling blood, how is such a thing possible? It’s almost as if you thrive off of defying the laws of reason and logic. The fact that you’ve placed yourself in such a predicament is the most entertaining part! Caught in a trap of your own making, with the audacity to be surprised! I doubt even fate could conspire such a weave, truly it is karmic poetry that infringes upon divine providence!” Rhystea lavished her friend with… praise?

Unable to argue, Sphaere deigned to instead escape. After a moment of enduring everyone’s curious stares, she placed Cekell upon her shoulders, squeezed his feet, and begged, “Up!”

Cekell squealed with delight as he launched them into the air in a barrier to permit both of them as well as his new hand through the barrier that housed the Garden of Hell, on past the clouds, and close to the moon, where he stopped them and affectionately hugged the back of Sphaere’s head.

Sphaere exhaled all her concerns as she gazed upon the moon in all it’s glory, unabated by distance or the Earth’s atmosphere as it glowed down upon her. A moment passed before she turned back to view the earth, where she noticed that her bubbled companions had been brought along for the ride, two of which were stunned in disbelief, with her young feline featured friend waving excitedly back at her.

Again, Sphaere sighed as she chose her words carefully, lest Cekell drop them out of the sky, and bid him to, “Bring ‘em here.”

Doing as he was told, Cekell brought all their barriers together, and merged them into one large barrier that could comfortably contain everyone.

“What…” A212 started.

“How…” R208 added.

“This is where the stars live!” F120 answered.

“I didn’ mean fer ‘im ta take me this far out, I jus’ needed a moment ta… collect my thoughts. I also didn’ mean fer ‘im ta drag ya with us, but, we might as well enjoy the view, eh?” Sphaere explained.

R208 turned to Sphaere and his surprise melted to reveal a very serious look. After a brief moment, he requested, “Can we do that again?!”

“I like the way ya think, scale head, but I’m ‘fraid I shouldn’ keep ya fer too long. Don’ ferget thatcha got people ta look after, an’ disappearin’ on ‘em’ll make ‘em nervous. That bein’ said…” Sphaere noticed the disappointment welling up in their eyes and cracked a mischievous smile. “Ceke, how long’ll it take ya ta swing us ‘round the world? Ya’ll be able ta get us back home this time, right?”

Cekell chirped excitedly, to which Sphaere responded, “That’s what I thought. Alright then, give us a show!”

Not wanting to disappoint his Ray-Ray, Cekell dropped them down to cloud level to chase after the sunset that had left them behind hours ago. Before they would reach daylight, they shot out over a vast expanse that glistened back at them as it reflected the moonlight. It wouldn’t be until they caught up with the faintest traces of dusk that what was beneath was revealed to be water, as far as any of them could see.

Not one to miss Sphaere’s excitement, Cekell took it a step further. Letting out an enthusiastic chirp, Cekell dove straight down into the ocean. After a bit of seeing the inside of the sea, Cekell slowly ascended, careful to keep them cutting across the surface of the water to leave a wake that could be measured in miles, just in time to catch a reverse sunset as the sun broke the horizon.

Catching up to the sunset, Cekell again ascended to the edge of the atmosphere, and sped along until mountains rose in the distance. It wasn’t long before their view was walled off by the craggy rock face of a snow capped mountain range, which may as well have been a mole hill the way Cekell carried them over the top of.

Recognizing what the powder coating the peaks was, he sharply launched them into the air and doubled back, dipped low, and tore through the snow. Emitting a piercing cry, he claimed vengeance as they crashed through the frosted formation, kicking up a cloud of ice that quickly disappeared behind them.  

Rising higher and continuing onward at incredible speeds, the Earth began to eclipse the sun. Dropping back down to the clouds, everyone got to witness their second sunset that day. As the horizon quickly swallowed the sun, Cekell again took them out to where the stars lived and shot back around towards the moon.

Finding a seemingly specific spot, Cekell lowered them slowly straight down. In a matter of minutes, they had traveled all the way around the globe. Getting to a specific elevation just inside the atmosphere, Cekell paused, and hit Sphaere with a barrage of banter.

“Uh-oh, what’re ya up ta, runt?” Sphaere asked warily.

“Ray-Ray want feel wind in hair?” Cekell asked, his words steeped in a devious smile.

“Oh, I dunno that we’re ready fer-“ Sphaere started, but was interrupted.

Cekell cut her off, “Ray-Ray hold tight!”

“Oh, craaaAAAAAAAP!” Sphaere’s voice rose several octaves as Cekell dispelled the barrier and gravity claimed them all.

The warborn let out an shrill chirp as he was ripped from his perch for Sphaere to hold onto as tightly as she could. R208’s eyes went wide as he plummeted like a rock, head first towards the ground, choking on his surprise. F120 threw her hands up and cheered as she enjoyed the ride with neither fear nor reservation. A212 faded into the darkness as he instinctively stretched his arms out and slowed his descent.

“I deserve this, don’ I?!!!!” Sphaere cried out as she wrenched down on Cekell, who snuggled up to her racing heart. Even the rushing wind couldn’t drown out Rhystea’s voice from her mind’s ear, who condescendingly insisted, ‘Yes, yes you do.’

The glowing barrier housing Hell’s Garden rose up to meet them. Sphaere’s heart climbed into her throat as their descent did not slow. R208 began flailing mindlessly, as though his flapping might forestall the impending impact of a crash landing. F120 didn’t even seem to notice as she was engrossed in enjoying the ride. A212 was nowhere to be seen, presumably behind them, but the night had claimed him.

With moments to spare before the imminent collision, Sphaere clenched her eyes shut. All at once the wind ceased, and F120 could be heard cheering, “Again! Let’s do that again!!”

Opening first one eye, then the other, Sphaere was confronted with a petrified R208, with his mouth cocked open by a silent scream, arms reaching out for something that wasn’t there, and tail straight up. His eyes were slammed shut, and she couldn’t tell if he was unconsciously on his feet. They were standing atop the cage containing the Garden of Hell.

F120 was jumping up and down as she gave the thrill a rave review, clearly hungry for more. Sphaere turned her attention to Cekell, who was locked up in concentration. Before she could press him to find out more, A212 gracefully glided down to land on his feet, arms still outstretched wide, to receive a standing ovation from F120.

After safely ensuring A212 would land next to them via his gravity field, Cekell chirped up expectantly at Sphaere as he imitated F120 and clapped his hands excitedly. “Not gonna lie, I’s worried… but jus’ fer a second. I dunno that I wanna do that again.” Sphaere calmly stated and eyed Cekell carefully before rewarding him with hug.

“I flew…” A212’s beak cracked open and let out a whisper, which grew in excitement, “I FLEW!!!”

F120 rushed her Eminent to dance around him, “You did fly! You did! We all did, but you really flew! And you flew longer than the rest of us!” All while applauding an astonished A212.

R208’s eyelids lifted ever so slowly. Mouth still agape, he looked around, dumbfounded and uncharacteristically silent. Without looking down, he slowly lowered his tail to double check that something solid was indeed beneath his feet.

“Didn’ bite yer tongue off, didja?” Sphaere called out to her scale clad friend.

Mimicking his Eminent, R208 quickly composed himself with an, “Ahem.” He took a deep breath but surprisingly did not increase his volume as he calmly announced, “That was quite the… experience. We should really head back before the others get worried.”

“Ya don’ wanna go again?!” Sphaere asked, feigning shock.

R208’s eyes widered and his mouth fell open, but before he could get a word in edgewise, F120 beat him to the punch, “Can we? Can we?! CAN WE?!!”

“Oh, now, these two got responsibilities that they need ta be seein’ ta.” Sphaere pointed out dutifully.

“Well I don’t! Can we drop them off, and then the two of us go again?!” F120 urged with sad kitty eyes.

Sphaere turned her focus on the young Feline series, who could see the answer written in Sphaere’s eyes, and pouted out her lower lip in a desperate plea. Sphaere sighed and attempted to pawn her off, suggesting, “Maybe Ritsy’ll take ya, I’ve had enough excitement fer… ever.”

F120 slumped over and groaned, “That fun hater won’t want to do anything exciting…”

Sphaere laughed but couldn’t argue, “Ain’t that the truth? Sorry sister, but think ‘bout it this way: ya wanna go ta bed earlier so ya can get up earlier an’ have time ta milk yer cow. ‘R do I need ta teach someone else ta-“

F120 cut her off and insisted, “No, no, no! Let’s head back, you can’t give my job away! I can’t wait for breakfast!” As she hopped up and down to help get her point across.

“Atta girl! Alright Ceke, can ya-“ Sphaere started, and when she saw Cekell’s gaze sharpen, she knew it was already too late. The warborn had one last ride in store for them as they sank through the barrier they had been standing on.

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