Skyhigh Allies

None of the waterways made any sense ever since the weather got warmer and all the frost thawed. The landscape on the isles morphed with new lakes and redirected rivers as diligent beavers worked hard on their construction plans for this spring.

Blink scanned the terrain below while she made her circles in the air. The new paths the river cut through the earth weren’t much of a problem, not to flyers, although it still got confusing to navigate at first. No, her worry was the shallow waters that transformed prior meadows into hidden marshes. The ground was saturated with liquid and had gotten unstable and malleable. It’s no issue for smaller creatures like the abundance of beavers milling about and lightweight youth, but taller animals with narrow legs get stuck in the unexpected trap of hidden mud and unstable dirt easily.

The tapejara is, of course, accompanied by her larger tropeo friend Beamer, who has been flying low and warning others of the new hazards. He busied himself pointing out what has changed and what places to avoid to any new face he crosses. It likely prevented a few successful hunts of predators who were to use the changed terrain and clueless individuals to their advantage. It’s a give and take, and today the flyers take their patrol to circumvent as many accidents as justifiable.

Skimming the deeper ends of the new founded wetlands thanks to the rodent’s efforts, Beamer spotted a paler mass of brown amidst the saturated colours of submerged greens and muddied ground. Its feathered fur drenched and dirtied, and wiggling without moving from its spot brought in the assumption that it was yet another dino stuck in the submerged, softened soil. Calling out to them, he slowed to draw lazy circles around them up ahead and was promptly joined by Blink.

At first they thought they were stuck, but the pachy, previously elbow-deep in the sludge of the new moor, sprung up from laying in the wet once she saw the shadows circling her. Craning her neck upward she smiled at the airborne reptiles. Seems this one was friendly and certainly not in trouble. She actually looked rather comfortable with her feathers soggy and entire lower half heavy with mud.

The pterosaurs share a quick glance when Blink skipped the introductions. “Hey, are you good? We thought you’re stuck and needed a helping claw.”

“Oh, no no, I am fine!” Lyra exclaimed, chipper as ever. ”Look at the beavers’ work, it’s amazing how much this place changed because of them! Are you out exploring too?”

“Not bad for a few rodents reshaping the whole isles. I hope they at least leave some of the trees standing,” Blink tilted her head to comment, low enough to be banter with her companion rather than a remark for the terrestrial dino below. Picking her voice up again, she addressed Lyra again to answer her question. “We’re out to help a few folks who got lost or stuck. There isn’t much to explore when you can see half the isle from high above.”

After giving his friend a look and being met by Lyra’s almost awestruck expression when Beamer turned his attention back below, he threw in a question before either could continue their conversation. “You seem comfortable in the wet. Err, do you… Do you want to back us up and help some creatures out that get stuck in these new… uhm, bogs?” 

They like her to join them to aid others? Oh, she’d love to! Lyra practically bounced on the spot, splashing her feet in the shallow waters and sludge.

“Yeah. Yeah! I am happy to lend a claw,” Lyra exclaimed before she even heard the terms or what they liked her to do. She is indeed rather comfortable getting down and dirty, it barely bothers her, and if they think her useful she’s going to prove that.

“Cool, cool,” Blink nodded along, but looked at Beamer sideways for a moment, wondering why he thought one of the smaller breeds of dinos around this place could haul stuck creatures out of the mud or help more than they already do. Shaking her head briefly but erratic enough to jostle her slow flight pattern, she didn’t dismiss the extra help.

“We’ve been sharing what places have changed and giving directions to animals who got lost, but we don’t have a way to, you know, drag any dinos out of the mud,” Blink explained, after a little pause. They are flyers after all with no way to confidently hold onto bigger creatures or dig away at the sludge.

Lyra, although she isn’t the largest ally, would be beyond helpful in their little quest. She, in fact, didn’t seem deterred in the slightest and simply nodded enthusiastically at the task ahead. “I can nudge them loose or just sit with them until someone else shows up,” she offered, almost too cheerfully for the murky state of things.

The flyers traded another glace which had a hint of skepticism and mild admiration for the sheer energy she seemed to radiate. It was infectious. Most land-dwellers were rather discouraged by the thought alone of wading chest-deep through flooded and unfamiliar terrain, yet here she was like she waited her whole life for an opportunity like this.

“Alright then! I’ll get back to mapping out the general area and you can hang out with Beamer for the time being,” Blink clicked, almost amused, but no less elevated. It’s not like the tropeo was quick or high-flying, Lyra should have no issue following his lead. It needed no extra introductions or planning. Their mission was simple and clear.

High grasses waved in the breeze and high trees covered the spaces below in playful shadows where water sat still in the lowlands, betraying none of the instability beneath. Blink rose higher now, trying to memorize the terrain’s changes in this corner and the places ahead. Below, Beamer remained low again and rattled off another warning cry to something ahead, or simply attempted brief chatter with Lyra before quieting down again.

And Lyra followed, feathers streaked with wet silt, a content rhythm in her steps despite the shallow waters or wet earth clinging at her feet. There was a way she moved that suggested this was her element. She trudged along, ready to share information and help where she could.

(1064 words according to google docs)