can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
I fell.
The sky was supposed to be my domain, but the winds were too strong and my wings would not carry me. I flapped my arms harder, attempting a climb but ended up in a series of loose and jerky circles. Stalling for time. The closest land was miles away, and my only hope was that the others would see the speck I made against the sky.
It was viciously cold and the chill managed to nip its way even through the fur of my suit. Like some carnivorous beast held at bay, it was only a matter of time before I froze. My heart would slow, then stop, and I would fall.
Into the water.
Seeing it now sent an icy stab of fear into my heart and I flapped harder in response. A feather peeled off the ends of my Icarus wings, and then another and another in quick succession. I was moulting! Desperately I tried to call for the others, but my voice barely made a sound even to my ears.
Drowning would be the worst way to die, entombed under all that water. I did not know how to swim, had never really learned how. As a sky sailor there hadn’t been any reason to, and though I wished otherwise now I knew there was no point. The wings had enough span to them to drag me under.
There was land ahead.
I blinked my eyes furiously, once, twice, three times, thinking that the cold had somehow clouded my vision, but it was still there when I opened them again. The trail of feathers I was leaving behind was growing with each passing moment, so I had to act fast. Luckily, Grunel had inserted a steering mechanism to the wings - tail feathers, to be exact. These I could pilot with my feet.
I swung my legs to the side sharply to change course and veered into a dive, letting gravity take hold of me. Either I would fall into the water and all would be lost, or…
My feet hit sand and my knees buckled beneath me. Lighter than air, that’s our Mister Cruse. The words came back to me suddenly, but they were welcome - as if I’d been joined by old friends. A noise of relief burst from my lips as I leaned back on the sand, a smile on my face. To anyone else I might have looked a right madman, but I was grateful to be alive. Now I only had to hope that Kate and the others would see this place and have the sense to land.
But where was I? The sky suit that had protected me so well against the cold was beginning to feel sweltering. I pushed back the hood to get a better look, and breathed air. Real air, thick air. I took a few greedy gulpfuls before getting to my feet, clumsy fingers undoing the straps on the wings and dropping them onto the sand. I felt stronger than I had in a very long time. The sky had sapped the air from our lungs and the energy from our muscles. I should have felt weak as a newborn kitten, but I didn’t. I felt like myself again.
We’d been 20,000 feet above Skyberia, but this island looked like it belonged in the West Indies or around Hawaii. Kate would tell me that airshipmen were far from exploring every inch of the world, but from what I knew of geography, none of this was making sense.
What exactly was going on here?
[OOC: SL/LT all welcome! ♥ Tags may be a little slower than usual on account of bad notifs/getting used to the voice. Feel free to either see him on the beach or around the compound afterwards, whichever suits you the best!]
The sky was supposed to be my domain, but the winds were too strong and my wings would not carry me. I flapped my arms harder, attempting a climb but ended up in a series of loose and jerky circles. Stalling for time. The closest land was miles away, and my only hope was that the others would see the speck I made against the sky.
It was viciously cold and the chill managed to nip its way even through the fur of my suit. Like some carnivorous beast held at bay, it was only a matter of time before I froze. My heart would slow, then stop, and I would fall.
Into the water.
Seeing it now sent an icy stab of fear into my heart and I flapped harder in response. A feather peeled off the ends of my Icarus wings, and then another and another in quick succession. I was moulting! Desperately I tried to call for the others, but my voice barely made a sound even to my ears.
Drowning would be the worst way to die, entombed under all that water. I did not know how to swim, had never really learned how. As a sky sailor there hadn’t been any reason to, and though I wished otherwise now I knew there was no point. The wings had enough span to them to drag me under.
There was land ahead.
I blinked my eyes furiously, once, twice, three times, thinking that the cold had somehow clouded my vision, but it was still there when I opened them again. The trail of feathers I was leaving behind was growing with each passing moment, so I had to act fast. Luckily, Grunel had inserted a steering mechanism to the wings - tail feathers, to be exact. These I could pilot with my feet.
I swung my legs to the side sharply to change course and veered into a dive, letting gravity take hold of me. Either I would fall into the water and all would be lost, or…
My feet hit sand and my knees buckled beneath me. Lighter than air, that’s our Mister Cruse. The words came back to me suddenly, but they were welcome - as if I’d been joined by old friends. A noise of relief burst from my lips as I leaned back on the sand, a smile on my face. To anyone else I might have looked a right madman, but I was grateful to be alive. Now I only had to hope that Kate and the others would see this place and have the sense to land.
But where was I? The sky suit that had protected me so well against the cold was beginning to feel sweltering. I pushed back the hood to get a better look, and breathed air. Real air, thick air. I took a few greedy gulpfuls before getting to my feet, clumsy fingers undoing the straps on the wings and dropping them onto the sand. I felt stronger than I had in a very long time. The sky had sapped the air from our lungs and the energy from our muscles. I should have felt weak as a newborn kitten, but I didn’t. I felt like myself again.
We’d been 20,000 feet above Skyberia, but this island looked like it belonged in the West Indies or around Hawaii. Kate would tell me that airshipmen were far from exploring every inch of the world, but from what I knew of geography, none of this was making sense.
What exactly was going on here?
[OOC: SL/LT all welcome! ♥ Tags may be a little slower than usual on account of bad notifs/getting used to the voice. Feel free to either see him on the beach or around the compound afterwards, whichever suits you the best!]