Eternal Flight

"The heavens are so close and yet so far away", I said as I prepped our hovercraft, Shadow Walker, for what was to come. It would seem that being of primordial existence once thought to be a myth, was spotted by the denizens of my kingdom. Fear, wonder, and even anger all intertwined in the council. They argued for days and sometimes even into nights about what must be done about this situation. Weeks of deliberation were cut short when a tragic event had occurred. The news broke that the chieftain's family's home was burned to the ground -- Thankfully they were away when the fire started. This event immediately placed the blame on the unknown flaming body patrolling our skies. An operation, that was years in the making, was planned to eliminate the target.

Our fleet of flying machines, also known as The Icarus Five, was equipped with advanced tools meant for capture. Somehow, the chieftain was convinced by the council that it was imperative to capture the creature to learn more about it. The rage he felt in his very being made him want to replace our nets with giant harpoons but he conceded. The plan was to douse the bird in water to extinguish its flames, use large sleep arrows to tire it out, then the nets would be used as cradles to carry it back to our town. Each Sky Vessel was to be equipped with five capable individuals. Shadow Walker only had a three person Upon seeing the rising sun begin to crest on the horizon, the chieftain ordered us to depart from the docks.

It is almost as if the bird had known we were on its trail. It had not been seen since the chieftain's home became cinders. The Icarus Five had patrolled the skies for hours, even having to fuel back up with more water for our steam engines. My hovercraft, a small but versatile vessel, was the last to re-fuel. There are several hubs with freshwater made naturally by the four waterfalls that surround our civilization. Hub Two or The Western Falls was a favorite of ours due to the high quality steaks available at the food stands. We would never need to leave the confines of the vessel because there were lever and pulley systems that would deliver our food and drinks to us.

The Shadow Walker was nearly full and I was confronted by my co-pilot with a question. "Alfwin, do you think its true? do you really think its a phoenix?" He was hushed, as if just uttering the name would summon the bird in question. "It has to be," I looked him in the eyes with extreme certainty, "I have lived countless summers and winters and I have never seen anything like that." The craft fell silent, besides the sound of his twin sister loudly sipping her tea, "Oops, sorry". He had a concerned look about him that gave the impression that he was questioning his presence here. I looked up at the partly cloudy and let out a quiet sigh. "Beir, listen. You and your sister were both hand picked for this mission by the council. Before they retired, both of your parents were the best hunters in our kingdom. It's in your blood." He nodded with a newfound resolve and I nodded back.

"The tank is full!" exclaimed Berta. "Great. Start the engine, sis. Let's go catch ourselves a phoenix." Beir's confident tone was refreshing because I knew this was not going to be easy. Before Berta could initiate the steam apparatus, A loud yet, angelic bellow could be heard throughout the valley. A large shadow was cast over us for a second and my eyes widen. It is as terrifying as it is beautiful. Every spark that fell from its body looked like flower pedals with every flap of it its wings causing gale force winds. The engine comes to life and it snaps me out of my trance.

While in pursuit of the phoenix, I could not help but think that we were doing the wrong thing. It does not matter because we had a job to do and must follow through, right? I readied my long bow, nocking a sleep arrow. Berta yells, "take the shot! I know you've still got it, old man!" Much to my chagrin and with a slight roll of my eyes, I released the arrow. I was not sure why I felt regret as the arrow neared its target.

The arrow found itself a home in the bird's upper back near its head, and a high pitched screech was audible. The phoenix quickly turns toward us and counters with a wind gust so powerful, it nearly knocks the engine off of our craft. We soon realized that we were going to have to make a crash landing due to our quick descent. I could see the flaming bird staring at us as we came closer to the ground.

I awoke, only moments later, to a bright light that nearly blinded me. I assumed it was the sunset, until I heard someone speak. "You fool. I am not your enemy. I have learned your language and context while flying around your home." Was this the phoenix speaking? Are the twins seeing this? "What did you do to the twins? Where are they?" I am still coming to and I can see it in its entirety - - this immense being staring down at me. "Beir and Berta are gone, Alwin. They passed long ago as young children. The adolescents you saw with you were never there. You have to let them go." The words cut deep because my family was everything to me. "They died in that fire, and you blamed me. Look at me, chieftain." Through tears and realization everything started to become less hazy. I remembered more details to understand what was real and what was not. I look up at the phoenix and it utters one last statement, "You were betrayed by your own." My anger was boiling beneath my skin. "By, who?" "I unfortunately don't know. My current life cycle is nearly over as you can see." Its feathers covered the forest floor showing that it had begun shedding quite a bit. "I won't be able to assist you, but you should know that there is a great darkness that is going to engulf your kingdom and you must act now."

With that, the phoenix completed its life cycle and turned to ash right before my eyes. The once bright glow as now only a single dying ember. It was right about my blindness to reality and mutiny. I must fix whats left of this craft, make it back home, and bring the true arsonist to justice. I do not always have my wits about me, and my psyche is shattered, but I must go back and be the leader that my people need.