The Fold Ship Part 1

Posted on 28 Jul 2013 @ 2:14am by Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim

1,212 words; about a 6 minute read

ON:

Allyndra watched the painting on the wall. The holo-painting of her world was now shading toward morning, the Queen of the Night's promise; the great rings that encircled her home fading as the Twins in their eternal dance were about to rise above the ocean view. She thought back on all the events of days and sighed.

"Computer record log"

[Recording]

"Everyone has been nice, but all seem curious not so much about me as to how I came here. I have mentioned before that part is pain that is slowly fading like the coals of a fire. However, part is that I know what we had and I cannot yet accept that it must be completely buried. Why should we be so dependent on others when at one time we were powerful."

"I guess all that talk again has shaken memory. Let me talk about how I came to know that what we had in the past and that only a few still know. My path started with my first flight and the discovery that our past was different than I knew. My first flight and the discovery of what I learned later was called a Fold Ship. A fantastic thing from our history that could literally fold time and space such that one could move from here to there in a mere blink of an eye, but I get ahead of myself. It starts thusly:


"Oh! Allyndra!" Mysima said and shoved slightly at Allyndra's shoulder. "I can not believe you would spend your first wings flying rather than coming to an Irsema house! I mean I can think it would certainly be a much more pleasurable exercise then practicing a matron flight." Mysima both laughed and blushed slightly at her comment.

"I have no doubt Mysima illm Orrisen, but a first chance to soar in the sky? I can hardly wait!" Allyndra replied with excitement tingeing her voice as she slightly spread the four gossamer wings that sprouted from her shoulders. The light of the of the Twins catching them and cascading in iridescent waves along them.

"You always had your head more in the clouds and stars than in practical matters. I thought Warrquim was always a good match for you but even they must wonder at times about you." Mysima said with a shake of her head and a mock serious tone. The light catching bright red metallic streaks in the otherwise blonde girls curly hair. "I sometimes think you would have been better off in the Orrisen."

Allyndra made a tilt of the head in agreement. Orrisen the Artist's Guild, certainly would probably have fit her but that had not been her choice. One never had a choice, but the Guilds did try to fathom a child's interest enough to make a proper choice.

"Perhaps, but there is art in the science as well!" She looked up noting that the High Summer sky with the Twins, the binary stars that gave life to this world were called, standing side by side had slipped past the zenith. The day was still warming and would be much warmer soon, but the evening would bring an ocean breeze and cool the evening. It would be just perfect to fly in the not too warm and not too cold air. "Well, I am off Mysima! I am going to get some rest and some cool blood nectar before tonight."

"You are really going to do it aren't you!" Mysima shook her head again and then in genuine serious tone, "Good flight to you then. Be careful, storms blow up all the time and you have not had much practice with these," she ran one finger down the wings.

"I will," Allyndra replied with confidence and added, "Try not to make too much of a scene at the Iresima house."

Myisma just laughed. "Oh then I will have failed!" The two giggled for a moment and then giving a quick hug parted to got their separate ways.

----
The flight had been exhilarating. The suns warm on her wings and many times she could just use the currents of air to float rather than tire herself. It had been exhilarating, that was definitely past tense, and Mysima had been correct as well, storms blew up all the time.

It had seemed that one moment the suns were bright and the sky light blue and the next grey clouds and cold hard gusts of wind. She had tried to drop further down but it seemed that every time she had the winds had caught her in an updraft and forced her up. The wind was so strong she hardly needed to use her wings except to try to stabilize a little of the wild flight. Now the mountains, their grey forbidding slopes sans vegetation and crowned with white, were looming close, way too close. Allyndra knew that to fly back meant going into the teeth of the storm and a very real possibility of having the thin film of wings torn asunder. All she could do was to ride the front as it swept her closer and closer to one grey wall. A sudden gust lifted her and by the narrowest of margins pushed her through a tight little pass between the peaks. For a moment on the lee side, a little calmer wind gave her a small respite. She noted the soft snow that lay deep and folded her wings. This time she plummeted and no updraft caught her. Turning at the last moment to cushion slightly the impact, she slammed into the white but cold yielding snow.

Shock from the sudden cold and the still heavy impact took her breath away and shot electricity through her as her warm body reacted to the sudden cold. Allyndra wanted to lay there but in her mind she knew that cold had always been her species enemy. Though she wanted to rest, while she retained the heat from her exertions she needed to find shelter before her body surrendered to the cold.

Slowly she gathered her legs under her and stood up. Immediately she wished she had not, the cold wind bit hard and in moments she was shivering. She had read about other species making snow caves to keep the wind chill away but that would not work for her species which did not have a self-regulation. Whatever the case, she needed out of the wind of the storm now.

Scanning the terrain she spotted a cave opening, thankfully not far away, and headed toward it. Though cold rock scarcely hinted at much comfort, if it went sufficiently far in the ground temperature would be at least higher than any other shelter.

What seemed like a long time, but was only minutes, found her at the mouth of the opening in mountain wall. Nothing lived this high up and thus she was sure she would not run into something nasty. Entering the dark passage she held out a hand to the wall to help guide her as she walked into it. Still cold, being out of the wind was a relief and she shivered just a little bit less.

---
Allyndra yawned. "Well for another day then. Computer end log."

[End log]

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