Hábrók's knuckles were white as he clutched huge handfuls of the bear's shaggy coat, willing himself to not slip off. "Perchance could we slow down?" Hábrók's teeth were gritted as yet another clump of head-high grass slapped against his face. "I suppose so, but not for long," the bear snorted. "We have a long way to go and not a lot of time." The bear's pace slackened enough for Hábrók to sit up. He noticed the warm sunshine on his face, took a deep breath, and smiled. With the respite, his mind wandered back to Aiōn's parting words: "You have completed your iterations and have achieved balance, clarity, and peace. There is only one thing left for you to do, something that I am unable to do…" Hábrók had been shocked to hear Aiōn admit that. *I'm on a mission to do something Aiōn couldn't do!? No pressure.* *As far as he knew, there was nothing Aiōn couldn't do.* He could still remember the lump in his throat as he summoned up the courage to ask Aiōn – "What do you mean 'something that you are unable to do'?" The smile that spread across Aiōn's face had stirred something up deep within himself. The response had sent a shiver down his spine and still did every time he thought of it. "Every life form has something they must do. I did what was required of me. You must do what is required of you…" Hábrók's curiosity piqued, "What did you do?" Aiōn's smile dissolved as an unfamiliar seriousness washed over Aiōn. "I showed them the way to find life after life. Some followed my guidance; most did not. Now your realm is in a bad way. Something new must be done. This is where you come in and the plan I have laid out before you." Hábrók wanted to ask many more questions, but Aiōn had stood without saying another word, bowed, walked out the front door, and disappeared into the thick mist that had enveloped the cozy cave. *Now I'm riding on the back of a galloping bear through a magical forest on my way to the space port. Is this real?* "Do you ever get tired of running?" Hábrók leaned closer to the bear's ear. It seemed sacrilegious to speak loudly in this forest. "Tired? I do not know that word." "That's odd," Hábrók sat up and muttered to himself. "How do I know that word?" It must be something common in the other realm. Here it does not seem to fit… ![[annihilation-i-gunganTribe.jpg]] His thoughts were interrupted, though, as the bear stepped out of the thick, sweet-smelling grass. The meadow they had been travelling through, for quite some time, suddenly gave way to a forest of large, flat, green fronds with colorful stalks like massive stems of kale or chard. "What is that smell?" Hábrók exclaimed. "We're leaving the grasslands behind," the bear chuckled a little. He seemed to be amused by all of Hábrók's questions. "Say good-bye to the sun. The forest is quite dense." Hábrók gazed in wonder at the trees. Somehow they felt simultaneously alien and familiar. *Déjà vu… Have I been here before?* Hábrók's thoughts were interrupted when he spotted a mushroom the size of Aiōn's cottage. "Whoa!" he yelped. "Look at that massive mushroom." The bear merely chuckled and continued loping down the mountainside, dodging this way and that as he weaved through the dense, kale-stalk-like forest. As they continued down the mountain, Hábrók spotted more and more mushrooms. They were a variety of colors and swayed gently back and forth despite the forest being still. The ground was covered in a thick, shaggy carpet of moss and tiny radiant white flowers. Dotting the landscape were giant mounds of rock emanating puffs of steam and rivulets of water. The steam lent the forest floor a humidity, which soon had them both sweating profusely. As they meandered through the forest, Hábrók noticed that the shaggy moss floor began to thin. Eventually, the forest floor was no longer covered in green moss, and instead a dark, loamy soil took its place. "What are those small piles of dirt dotting the forest floor?" Hábrók sat up straight on the bear's back. "You've knocked over quite a few already…" "Oooops…" the bear froze in his tracks. "What do you mean 'Oooops'?" Hábrók asked as he slid off the bear's back and bent down so he could get a closer look at the curious mounds. Then he heard a small voice. "Who do you think you are traipsing through these woods? You've caused untold damage to our clan's village." Hábrók straightened up in shock and looked over at the bear. "Did you hear that?" "Hear what?" the bear snorted. "Hey, I'm talking to you," the same small voice shrieked. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to disturb your village." Hábrók's eyes darted to and fro, trying to determine where the voice was coming from. "Can you please tell me where you are?" "I'm right in front of you!" bellowed the small voice. "Wait!? Are you an ant?" Hábrók bent down again and stared at a small red ant perched atop a granule of sand. "Of course I am. What, did you think I was – a necroghost?" The ant's arms were crossed over his thorax, looking very upset. "You're no bigger than a poppy seed!" Hábrók laughed. "I may be small, but keep traipsing through our territory and you'll be sorry!" the ant shook its head. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" The ant asked Hábrók as it reared up on its hind legs and grabbed onto a blade of grass. "I am going to the space port…" Before Hábrók could finish his sentence, the ant exclaimed: "Oh boy! I've always wanted to see the ocean. You must take me!" "Well, I don't know… I don't think I'm going to the ocean." Hábrók's voice trailed off. "Of course you are. The space port is to the west. You will have to cross the ocean," the ant had now climbed to the top of the blade of grass. "It is the least you can do after you've decimated my village. Lucky for you we are small and pliable, and that no one was hurt…" "Well, I guess we can take you to see the sea," Hábrók began. "What's your name?" "My name is Ishi." The ant said proudly. "I'm a warrior in the Gungan Tribe, whose lands you have been trampling through." "I'm so very sorry." Hábrók plucked the blade of grass and stood slowly. "We had no idea this was your land." "Don't let it trouble you too much." Ishi climbed down the blade of grass onto Hábrók's finger. "It's happened before and it'll happen again. It's the price we pay for the privilege to live in the Kaleshade Grove on the flank of Brahma's mountain." "I see," Hábrók looked about, careful not to move his feet. "Do you need to collect anything for the journey?" "No, I travel light." Ishi scuttled across Hábrók's hand. "Well, then let us be off…" Hábrók smiled, "but how am I going to get out of here without causing further destruction?" "Oh, now that is the fun part." Ishi began. "Wait just one moment." A second later, Ishi let out a whistle. It was a surprisingly loud, yet lovely sound, to come from such a tiny creature. "That was beautiful!" Hábrók exclaimed when Ishi had finished his whistle call. "Thank you," Ishi replied. Hábrók could not make out Ishi's facial expression, but judged that he was beaming with pride. "It should only be a moment or two now…" Ishi's voice trailed off. An instant later, there was a faint sound of rushing water, and as it grew louder, it sounded more and more like air rushing over the top of a tall mountain. "What's that!?" Hábrók peered up into the sky, which he could only make out in tiny slivers, the grove was so thick. "Ribwort," Ishi said simply. "She's quite wonderful. I'm sure you will love her." Ishi was barely able to hide his exuberance. "Why does Ribwort make so much noise?" Hábrók yelled over the racket, the inflection in his voice doing little to hide his growing concern. He had not been in this realm a cycle and was not quite sure if there was anything here that would hurt or kill him. "You would too if you had four massive wings." Ishi shook their head softly. The maelstrom grew in ferocity and nearly blew both Hábrók and the bear to the ground. The giant stalks were gesticulating wildly in the voracious wind when suddenly a great shadow engulfed them. Hábrók, who had been covering his eyes with his arms, glanced cautiously up into the sky. As the grove parted momentarily, he saw a giant winged creature descending slowly out of the sky. It latched onto a mighty stalk, which bent nearly to the ground under its weight. Its body was soft and furry, and protruding from it were four large, translucent wings. "You called for me, Ishi?" the wing behemoth's voice boomed. "Indeed I did. Ribwort, it is so good to see you again." Ishi was now on top of Hábrók's head. Hábrók stood still, frozen in shock, his mouth agape. "What can I do for you? And who are you with?" Ribwort asked inquisitively. "The one I am perched atop is named Hábrók. He's been sent by Aiōn to the space port. I was hoping you could take us to the sea." "Aiōn has sent you on a quest?" Ribwort asked quietly. "Yes…" Hábrók croaked, his mouth dry from the shock of standing before such a massive beast. He cleared his throat before continuing. "The bear and I," Hábrók motioned to the bear, who was sitting on his haunches, "were on our way there when we wandered into Ishi's village by mistake." "Well, then there is no time to waste," Ribwort lowered her wing to the ground. "Climb on board. It's a long flight to the sea, but still much faster than traveling on foot." "That's alright. I don't do so well flying…" the bear growled. "Nonsense." Ribwort chided. "We can't have you trampling through this village any further. You'll be quite safe. I promise." Hábrók reached out and ruffled the bear's mane. "It'll be okay," he offered. Reluctantly, and with a low growl of displeasure, the bear shuffled up the outstretched wing. However, when he found a cozy spot to nestle down in Ribwort's soft fur, his grumpy demeanor softened somewhat. Ribwort's wings began to thrust up and down, and slowly they gained altitude. "Oh no! Here we go…" the bear moaned as he pushed his head into the soft down of the great moth and covered his eyes with his paws. ### Next Chapter: [[5 - Violets 🌸]] ### Previous Chapter: [[3 - Tired Travelers 🛻]]