First Wyvernrider

It was a mistake to venture into the forest. Even in the areas not affected by The Shade, the war with the Xu’resh made it a risk.

But this was Va’naya’s birthright.

When Va’naya was born, the Archmage visited her family with a vision; something bestowed upon very few Haa’than children. On the day of her third cycle, Va’naya’s parents were to appeal to the Ka’sen for a blessing. Though none had seen one of the Ka’sen in over a hundred cycles, they couldn’t ignore what the Archmage had shown them and were honor bound to fulfill the vision.

Beyond the Xu’resh, the forest held the threat of the Basilisk and Arachne, both under Xu’resh control, and the wild Iscara—fearsome cats with razor-sharp tusks. It was the last that separated Va’naya from her parents. They happened upon a pack that wasted little time in defending their territory. One minute, Va’naya was perched atop her mother’s shoulders, the next she was knocked from them and sent tumbling into the river.

Her father dove in after, but the current pulled them apart. Va’naya succumbed to the current and she could hear her father’s muffled voice amid the rush of water that filled her mouth.

Then everything went black.

When the world returned, a tangle of branches, mud, and rock had caught her. The river continued to push, keeping her pinned in place. Va’naya reached for an errant tree root jutting out from the bank, small hands squeezing tight. She pulled, and the current forced the root free, dirt spilling into the water. It stretched and strained, only to break as the current pulled her free. The root jerked to a halt and the sudden jolt swung Va’naya about, ejecting her onto the riverbank.

Va’naya gasped for breath, crawling to distance herself from the raging waters. She stood, tottering with uneasy steps. She plucked at the silken dress clinging to her little, soaking wet frame. The colors of orange and tan and blues and greens appeared dull compared to her bronzed skin. Va’naya worked through her thick mess of black hair, untangling it from around long, pointed ears as she brushed it out of her glowing white eyes.

She stared upward with a wide-eyed and awestruck expression as light spilled through the canopy of trees. Birds fluttered from one tree to the next, chasing each other. She giggled and forgot that her parents weren't with her, if only for a moment.

Then reality set in. The forest grew ominous as she pushed through foliage and underbrush. Without many pathways aside from the riverbank, she was too frightened to go brave the waters again. Va’naya grunted as her once-flowy, leafy skirt caught on a thicket of brambles and ripped when she pulled free. The force tripped her, and she skid her bare knee on the rough dirt and rocks.

She picked herself up and wiped away the crystalline blood trickling down her leg. Va’naya’s surroundings loomed over and around her, making her feel even smaller than ever. No matter where she turned, towering tree trunks blocked her path while ferns and fauna crowded her.

Turned around, the weight of Va’naya’s situation weighed heavy with each panicked breath and she couldn’t figure out which direction to go.

That’s when the tears fell.

She didn’t want to cry. She wanted to be brave, like the stories her mother told. Like a warrior or a Wind Rider or even the Archmage. But she wasn’t any of those things. She’d only lived three cycles and for the Haa’than, that was next to nothing. So, she wept.

“M-Mama?”

Va'naya looked in every direction and made a small, breathy whimper.

“Papa!”

With no response beyond a rush of air that rustled the trees, she froze upon feeling something on her shoulder. Va’naya looked to find a thousand-legged Crawler weaving toward her face, its pincers and beady black eyes staring at her. Her sobbing gave way to a panicked cry, and she reeled, dropping to the ground. She swiped at both shoulders and shook the insect free, struggling to catch her breath.

Va’naya scooted up against a boulder, choking in air. She slid up alongside the rock, wiping away tears with the back of her hand. A sharp breath hitched in her throat as she gathered her strength.

Then the stone moved, and her eyes widened. At first, she thought it might roll free when she sank backward, but then it pushed her up. Va’naya gasped, pulling away to look at what she’d been resting against.

Gold-flecked silver gleamed, and her neck craning back and up. What she assumed to be stone were scales, and more than just a few. In fact, she stood before a veritable wall that gave way to muscle and limbs and talons, each larger than any Haa’than. Va’naya’s eyes grew wider with her astonishment, impossible to go anywhere but backward. Which she did, slight steps backpedaling from the creature.

A deep rumble shook the ground and then those limbs began to move. A loud crack resonated through the forest, followed by several more as trees broke apart and fell around Va’naya. She stumbled left and right, avoiding being crushed while letting out shocked squeals. The creature’s slightest movements felled more forestry and Va’naya cried out as an enormous tail swept just over her, missing by mere inches. She trembled as fear’s paralyzing grip took hold.

A long neck craned about, accompanied by the creature’s fearsome reptilian head. Wings that looked larger than anything around them expanded, toppling even more of the dense forestry. Finally, Va’naya grasped the creature in its entirety—her father’s bedtime story come to life. Though in this moment, it was her nightmare.

The Wyvern.

Another rumbling growl sent foliage shuddering and blew Va’naya’s still-damp hair back. Her jaw clenched and she took a hesitant step away, but there was nowhere to go.

Instinct said that no matter which way she ran, there was no escape. Standing still, Va’naya tried not to even breathe, hoping it wouldn’t notice her. The Wyvern’s head shifted at an angle and lowered, dashing her hopes of going unnoticed. A single, vibrant golden eye locked with hers. It studied Va’naya, while her heart pounded against her chest.

Those bedtime stories were always awe-inspiring to young Va’naya, but now that a Wyvern was just a scant distance away, she couldn’t imagine being more terrified. Another deep rumble shook the area, before it turned to face her. Its mouth opened, a breath washing over her to take in her scent with nostrils like dark caverns. They were the perfect accompaniment to teeth like massive, sharp stalagmites and stalactites filling its maw.

Everything happened within a few breaths, but time stood still in those final moments of what Va’naya knew to be her last. Her eyes squeezed shut tight in anticipation. It forced a shimmering droplet to fall, and it trickled against her cheek before shuddering off her chin. Her little arms cradled herself and she retreated a few steps when she felt the Wyvern draw closer.

“Please… I… I…” Va’naya fought for a plea, anything that might save her, but she choked on the words. She wanted to see the crystal palace again. But more importantly, she wanted to see her parents. As these thoughts raced through her mind, the edge of her mouth pulled taut, and she carefully opened one eye.

Va’naya choked and both eyes flew open. If the Wyvern weren’t enough, another creature now stood between them. Though everything was larger than her, it couldn’t compare to the size of the Wyvern. That didn’t make it any less alarming. It looked like sentient plant life made of thick brown roots from the ground that fed into twisting green vines around wooden branches for legs. Its body continued in this fashion, with patches like tree bark through the abdomen, chest, and shoulders like natural armor. Its head was formed of more weaving branches and vines, with gaps left for eyes and a mouth. A thicket of foliage topped its head and spilled into its torso, covering it with leaves and brilliant flora, all of which were aglow with an emerald hue.

Especially those eyes.

Va’naya stared, mesmerized as it held her gaze as the Wyvern remained still behind in the backdrop. More stories came to mind for young Va’naya, but these were her mother’s. She recognized this creature, though like the Wyvern, it was the first time she had ever laid eyes on one.

“Va’naya Lya’rin Thu’an.” The Ka’sen spoke her name, the words resonating within her mind as its mouth never moved. The immediate reaction would have been fear or shock, but an unusual calm washed over her, and she found herself nodding in response. “We have waited,” it continued, a thousand voices overlapping one another. “So many cycles. For this moment.” Every set of words were like a single, labored breath and Va’naya could do nothing but listen.

“Time will come,” the Ka’sen said. “For veritable war. We cannot engage. However,” the creature faced the Wyvern and bowed, arms outstretched. Its tendril-like fingers made of vines unfurled, emanating a brighter emerald glow. “This moment is predestined. Still, consent is essential. We ask you.”

The Wyvern regarded the Ka’sen appraisingly, its golden eyes shifting over the creature’s bowed form. Then the Wyvern looked to Va’naya, lowering its head slightly. With that, the Ka’sen turned to face the young Haa’than, eyes locked with hers in a penetrating gaze. “Consent is given,” the Ka’sen said. “We offer a gift. To you. To all Haa’than.”

Va’naya’s heart was still racing, but now it was filled with excitement, not fear. What was happening? The stories of the Ka’sen were so mysterious, but it seemed they were trying to help somehow.

The Ka’sen crouched low, looking directly into Va’naya’s eyes. “Do you accept?”

She didn’t know what they were offering, but a gift was always a good thing, right? Her mouth formed a slight pout as she considered everything. A hundred thoughts raced through her mind all at once and she wanted to make the right choice. But before she could spend any time in consideration, she blurted out, “Yes! I do!” The words rushed out and just as quickly, she sucked in a breath and stood up straight. What if she just made a mistake? Did she choose correctly? Maybe this was some kind of test like the ones her parents would challenge her with.

The Ka’sen bowed before her, its hands reaching out to her chest. She tried to take a step back, when a bright green light enveloped her small frame and held her there. Va’naya began to panic, twisting in place to struggle against the magickal energy. “S-Stop!” she whined, feeling like she’d been tricked.

The outstretched hand opened, the Ka’sen’s vine-wrapped palm on display. The magickal energy was pulled into her body, concentrated into a glowing ball within her torso. Va’naya cried out as pain overwhelmed her, until her glowing white eyes went black as obsidian. The energy ripped free of her chest, and she collapsed. In her place hovered her still-beating heart. The Ka’sen’s magick swirled around it, before being brought around in front of the Wyvern, who watched in steady silence.

The Ka’sen’s other hand extended to the Wyvern, putting it through the same process as magick rushed through its body. The Ka’sen’s hand turned and clenched, drawing the magick out. The Wyvern let loose a deafening roar, its form tensing before its golden eyes rolled into the back of its head and it, too, collapsed. Unlike Va’naya’s tiny form, the Wyvern’s body leveled the surrounding forest in an explosion of trees, dirt, rocks, and other debris. Both of their hearts pumped and pulsed, held aloft within the air between their fallen bodies.

Their hearts were a staggering contrast as the spiraling Ka’sen magick pulled them toward each other. The Wyvern’s was the size of a boulder while Va’naya’s was barely comparable to a small animal. The Ka’sen drew them together until the energies touched, turning the magick into a flaring spectacle. Several moments passed and then, their hearts drifted back toward their respective owners. They merged through their torsos as if there were nothing in their path.

Va’naya’s eyes shot open with a vibrant white glow, and she inhaled with all her might. She sat upright and scrambled to her hands and knees. The Wyvern groaned and growled, adjusting its body to plant one foot after the other into the forest floor. Va’naya’s head swam with confusion, and she looked at her hands in disbelief. Did she die? She couldn’t remember anything.

“You are bonded,” said the Ka’sen. “Intertwined. Live and die together.” Va’naya stood and staggered, when the Ka’sen kept her upright with an oversized hand. “Blessed birth cycle. Va’naya Thu’an.”

She couldn’t respond before the Ka’sen seemed to disappear before her eyes. An actual trick this time, as she watched fauna and flora sprout from the ground with its unseen steps, until she saw no more. Va’naya turned her head back and was once again face-to-face with the Wyvern. She yelped and jumped back, but the Wyvern held fast, staring.

“You… will not hurt me?” Va’naya asked, cautious in her approach as she moved closer. The Wyvern let out a breath, lowering its chin to the ground, wings tucked against its enormous body. Va’naya chewed on her lower lip and took another step forward, followed by another. Finally, she reached out and placed her tiny palms against the Wyvern’s nose. Its scales were cold and warm all at once. Smooth between sporadic ridges, her hands explored the creature’s snout.

“Are we friends?” Va’naya could barely come to grips with her own question. You couldn’t be friends with a Wyvern. They were ferocious, vicious beasts that devour everything in their path! It just wasn’t possible and yet, this one remained docile. “Can you…” Va’naya swallowed hard, leaning into the Wyvern with a desperate hug, “…can you help me find my mama and papa?” And remembering her plight, she began to cry.

Everything had been a powerful distraction, but now reality set in and she sucked in ragged breaths. “I… got… l-lost and… and…” She struggled, wiping the tears away when she heard a voice. No, felt a voice. There were no words, but it was though she knew what was being said.

“Help.”

She blinked and rubbed the backs of her hands against her eyes, stepping back. “You can?”

The Wyvern lowered its chin and neck to the ground completely, a single wing unfurling to wrap around and rest next to it.

“Climb.”

Va’naya’s eyes went wide as saucers at the mere thought of it, shaking her head. “I cannot! I will fall!”

“Trust.”

Va’naya steeled her resolve and took a deep breath. Her jaw set and she nodded. “O-Okay.” She didn’t know whether to try to climb its snout or its neck. As it happens, neither would be the answer as the Wyvern presented a wing before her. She made a little ‘Oh’ sound in understanding, crawling onto the Wyvern’s wing. It lifted her up. Sudden and nauseating. Her little frame was carried from the ground to the Wyvern’s back in one fast, terrifying motion. But when it set her down, she landed with a surprisingly gentle finish. Head spinning, she wrapped her arms around the Wyvern’s scales, little hands clutching the crevices between them. If she thought that was frightening, those wings flapped and beat through the air, pulling the Wyvern up off the ground. Higher and higher they rose and the forest that had been so overwhelming became an ocean of green, swaying trees below.

Not that she could look for more than a couple seconds at a time. Va’naya squealed with a mixture of fear and exhilaration, unable to believe that she was actually on the back of a Wyvern!

“Where?” came the Wyvern’s silent voice.

Va’naya thought about the question, and it helped to focus on something else. “There was a river! A big river! And my parents were attacked by cats! Big cats with big teeth!”

There was a long pause, until the Wyvern seemingly understood where to go. It turned and swung around and, for a moment, Va’naya thought she might fall. She held on as tight as she could, her legs drifting into the air until they fell onto the Wyvern’s back once more. She breathed out a sigh of relief. A few heavy flaps of the creature’s wings and then they set into an easy drift.

“Do you have a name? What do I call you?” What came into her mind was an incomprehensible word that sounded like Kharinthumaskares and Va’naya blinked. Then she smiled. “I will call you Khar.” There was no response, so that must have been a good thing, right?

They didn’t need to fly for long, as Khar covered much ground in a short amount of time. Distance aside, when she closed her eyes, it was as though she could see what Khar saw, and his vision cut through trees and obstacles with ease. That’s when she saw them.

Her parents trekked through the forest, following the river that had stolen their daughter. They called out her name which, even from such great heights, Va’naya could hear as though she were on the ground with them.

“Mama!” Va’naya cried out, pointing toward them. “Papa! Khar, please take me down!”

The Wyvern responded in kind, but as it did, Va’naya’s parents looked up with horrified expressions. They immediately turned and fled, weaving through the trees, and splashing through a small creek connected to the vast river. Her father helped her mother back up when she tripped, urging her to keep going as they were chased down by the Wyvern. Khar followed them until they reached a wide clearing, where he descended toward the ground and quickly caught up with them.

“Mamaaaaa! Papaaaaa!” Va’naya cried out with everything her lungs had, and her parents stopped and turned abruptly to face the Wyvern. “Down, Khar! Put me down, please!”

Khar came to a halt and wrapped its wing around to Va’naya, hunkering down to the ground with his whole body. Va’naya hopped onto the beast’s wing without any of her prior hesitations. He brought it around, his claw digging into the grass. She dove down the wing like it were a slide, until she popped off the end and took a tumble across the ground. Dizzy from it all, she hopped back up to her feet and tottered forward, right into her mother’s arms.

“Oh, Va’naya! You are safe now, my love! We will never let you go, never ever!” Va’naya’s mother cried into her daughter’s shoulder, pulling her tight as her father joined in with his embrace.

“I should have held on,” her father said, kissing the top of her head, fingers weaving into her hair. Both were disheveled, from the Iscara attack and Va’naya could only imagine what else they endured in their attempts to find her.

Va’naya held on tight as they rocked her from side to side, until they all turned to look toward the glint of sunlight reflecting off Khar’s silver-and-gold scales. He rose to his full height, sitting upon his haunches while observing the emotional reunion.

Va’naya’s mother swallowed hard and pulled her daughter closer still. “Va’naya… sh-should we be worried right now?”

Their daughter laughed and shook her head, wriggling free of her parents to hop toward the Wyvern. “Nope! Khar is my friend!” They stared in disbelief, her parents leaning against one another as they gaped up at the creature blocking most of the sunlight. She would go on to tell them all about what had happened. From the river to the creepy insect to the Wyvern and the Ka’sen, all very elaborate and grandiose. They weren’t sure what to believe, but one thing was certain: this Wyvern was her friend. It watched after her like a protective hound, only… much larger. And more intimidating.

As Va’naya grew older, she and Khar were inseparable. She rarely spent time within the walls of Vy’landrah’s palace, scouting the forests to relay details to the Sovereignty’s High Council. She carved her own path in the realm, helping scholars map everything from the southern shores of Aquinoa to Vy’landrah’s uncharted northern borders. Va’naya would teach others, sharing her gift to any brave enough. What the Ka’sen had gifted her was more than a sacred bond between Haa’than and Wyvern, but rather the ability to bestow that gift upon others. None would share in the same heart connection she held with Khar and though there would be others, she would always have the honor of being known throughout the realm as the first Wyvernrider of Vy’landrah.

END