Chương 85: Book 3; Chapter 84; Beauty of life

The boy started to struggle while trying to reach back to the tree to hold onto the branch. But he couldn't reach it; all he could grab were a few twigs that didn't support that much... But he wasn't giving up; determination was radiating now from his heart again. The girl who was holding him stopped swinging and was quietly watching him. The very next second, a massive bird flew right under them and disappeared out of sight again. The boy froze in disbelief, forgetting about his struggles for survival.

The size of this massive hawk or falcon was enormous, and it just glided silently under their feet before flying away. And in his claws, this bird was carrying something black and furry... it was nothing else but the very same dog the boy was trying so desperately to save just moments ago! Rainee was watching the boy and waiting for him to calm down so he would be able to listen to reason.

She didn't want to force him to do anything, nor to cause him more stress than he was already experiencing, but on the other hand, there was only a limited amount of time she could hold herself and the boy in this position. They just missed a chance to land on the falcon's back.

Once she jumped from the bird earlier to grab the boy, she also pushed the bird down to increase its speed as it went after the falling dog, and sure enough, the dog was caught in the middle of the fall and was now in the firm grip of this massive bird. The falcon made a round and came back to get her and the boy; however, she wasn't able to land on him safely without hurting the boy in her arms. So they would have to wait for a bit longer now. She was watching the boy.

Fright, helplessness, determination, anger — what a strange composition of feelings was coming out of him at once. She sighed again and moved her eyes from the boy to the scenery. It was so beautiful and magnificent… The angry river at the bottom, walls of stone rising steeply on both sides. The walls of the canyon were shiny with streaks of red and golden patterns, as if making some giant painting that didn't make any sense.

On the other side of the canyon, there was a meadow of flowers stretching to both sides as far as the eye could see. Her darling unicorn was calmly grazing in the midst of these beautiful flowers. Then, after the blossoming field, there was a magnificent forest stretching far into the distance, and on the horizon, there were the tips of the mountains sticking out of the mist. A bright blue sky with a variety of clouds was crowning the view. Even for her as a mist chaser, such vast open views were outstanding.

And the little person next to her didn't even want to spare a single look at it… He probably had never even seen anything similar to it in his life, but all he could see after looking around was only water and stones that could have ended his life. Nothing else… Maybe it is really people themselves who unintentionally (or intentionally) created the mist so they would not have to see anything that is beautiful around them any longer? If so, such ignorance…

At that very moment, Rainee felt how her arm holding onto the tree suddenly got weaker, making her aware of the weight it had been holding for a while now. She giggled inside. Just for a split second, she thought badly about others, and her body reacted instantly. Old John once told her that every time you believe a lie about others, or you express a bad thought about others or yourself, you will become weaker.

Every time you trust in others, when this trust is true, every time you think or say nice things without expecting anything back, without exaggerating or lying in your thoughts or tongue, you will become stronger.

When someone is in need, and you genuinely try to help without a second thought, without anything in return, without a doubt about whether you should or should not, whether it is worth it or not, whether you will succeed or not, whether you are capable enough or not, at this very moment, the person is at their strongest. Strength and abilities they have would not depend any longer only on their own qualities, but on the current situation and one's heart; if that is not enough, then help will come to their aid.

Always. Just now, she lingered on a thought and got a reaction — that means the thought was a lie or not true, which is more or less the same." Thank you," she thanked silently in her head, feeling really grateful towards any force that didn't allow her to think badly about others without making sure she understood what she was doing. Then she addressed the boy again.

"We cannot stay here like this for very long; the bird is coming for us again. It would be good to allow him to help us this time, but we have to do our bit too. We are very close to the cliff, and it makes it difficult for him to get close to us. Also, he cannot stop and wait until we land on his back, so it is best if we are already moving forward at the time of landing to stabilise ourselves.""

Also, so that we wouldn't hurt him or cause him pain," Rainee thought, but she kept that thought to herself, realising that too much information would not do any good.

"Is he dead?" The boy asked, staring into nothingness.

"Dead…?" How could the bird be dead and still be flying? Rainee thought for a moment, but straight away she knew it wasn't the bird the boy was asking about.

"You know the truth, but also, you try to convince yourself that you don't know it, or that it might not be the truth after all," she replied.

"If you asked a question once and the answer was given to you, and you accepted it as the truth, why then doubt it all over again or question it again?" The boy looked at her in surprise at his mind being read aloud.

"You trusted me once in the past," Rainee said.

"Would you trust me again this time?" The boy understood that it wasn't about his dog anymore. He looked into her eyes, nodded his head, and let go of the twigs he was clinging to. Then he closed his eyes with the decision to trust the person next to him. It wasn't easy, so he kept muttering in his mind: "I will trust, I will trust." He felt himself swinging again, once, twice, and then flying first up and forward, then down… The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

At least it should have been down. But instead, his feet touched something soft, and the next moment, a gust of wind nearly ripped him off this feathery surface, but someone was faster than the wind and forcefully pushed him down towards the feathers, where he stayed crouched in a ball with his eyes still shut tightly.

Rainee was half-kneeling and enjoying the moment. The wind that was brushing past her ears and scattering her hair. The speed, the breeze on her face, the feeling of power and freedom. The feeling of beauty, the sight of beauty in the sky and in the surroundings. The beauty of being alive and capable, and full of vitality.

You close your eyes, and you feel it – the power of the wind blowing in your face, the power of the creature under you flying steadily, your own strength and power pulsing inside, pulsing out of your own cage that people call the body, and joining the power of the surroundings, the power of life… How can one not feel it? How can one not appreciate it? However, the evidence of the opposite was straight in front of her – lying tense and quiet next to her knee. Eyes shut, fists clutched, body tense.

Worrying about nothing else but his worries, feeling nothing but his fears, seeing nothing but darkness, and seeking nothing, as there is nothing to be seen through this darkness full of worries and fears… Rainee stretched her arm and pressed her palm on the boy's shoulder.

"Don't be afraid, you are safe now," she whispered quietly, more to herself than to the boy, but it seemed the boy did hear her. He opened his eyes for a short moment but quickly shut them again, as if trying to prevent himself from seeing something. Terror overcame him, and he pressed back into the "ground", or rather into the feathers of this giant bird. Rainee looked quietly at him for a few seconds, then gently slid her hand to the boy's back, between his shoulder blades.

She could feel his heart beating violently under her hand. Using her arm as a bridge, the fear, terror and worries crept from the boy into her heart too, but just for a moment, just for a heartbeat, and then they went even faster than they came, disappearing into nothingness.

Blake was lying curled in a small ball, but somehow, he wasn't afraid anymore. Soft feathers were tickling his face, his arms, his ankles. The bird's moving muscles under the feathers were so calm, but also so powerful. Every time its wings pushed through the air, he could feel the powerful movement under his side. It was so… calming and reassuring. So strong…

The wind that was scattering his hair didn't terrify him anymore; instead, it felt like hundreds of hands stroking him gently, as if the wind was happy to greet him. He felt… joy…? Blake opened his eyes again, but this time, there was no fear in them, only surprise. Rainee smiled and winked at him while still keeping her hand on his back.

"Do you want to feel how wonderful the world is?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she let some of her own feelings pass through her arm to the boy. Juuust a little, a very, very, very tiny bit. She already knew by now that people either cannot handle it, or do not like it, or… any other reason is good… But Blake didn't freak out as she expected, but kept watching her with wide-open, round eyes.

"Why wouldn't you look around for yourself? To see how beautiful it is around us?" Rainee offered him after a few seconds. Despite talking about the view, Rainee herself was watching the boy. Such an interesting character… She really wished with all her heart to help him. Such a personality hidden beneath, such strength was coming out of him right now, even if it was not known to him himself. That drop of feeling she shared didn't get rejected in the way everyone had done so far.

Instead, it found a home inside this boy, as if it was meeting something that was already waiting for it, or it had awakened something that was already hiding there and wanted so badly to come out but just didn't know how. If, at this very moment, this boy were to try to sign up for the Royal Army, every general would be fighting for him. How come, then, that just a few seconds ago, he was shrinking in fear? Extraordinary indeed. Blake was watching the girl who saved him.

He could remember very well now how they met for the first time and was glad to see her again. She was kneeling on one knee, her back straight, her hair fluttering in the wind; it seemed that gusts of wind didn't have any effect on her. She was watching him with those big, clear green eyes. A voice echoed in his head: " Would you trust me?"

" You trusted me once in the past; would you trust me again?" And he knew he would… He tried to chase that thought away, but other words, which he had heard not so long ago, echoed in his head: " You asked a question once, and the answer was given"... That was it – he had his answer, and he would trust her. Just from the thought of trusting someone, goosebumps appeared on his arms. But he obediently tried to sit up to look around, as suggested. To his surprise, Rainee didn't let him.

"Too windy, you don't have the balance or strength," she said. He was looking at her with a question in his eyes,"What then do you want me to do?" Instead of answering, Rainee lifted his little body by his shirt and flattened him on his belly, arms and legs spread, head close to the bird's head so he could still see something while lying down." Like a little starfish," Rainee laughed to herself. Well, at least this way he could see something, and the wind would not take him.

Never in her life would she have thought that it would leave such an impression on him. Blake looked and looked and was breathing in and feeling. That little bit of feeling she shared with him increased multiple times and was rising with every clap of wings. He was lying stretched out on the back of this massive bird with his own hands spread open as if he had wings too. The wind was blowing in his face. The speed was unbelievable… the strength was indescribable… He was feeling… free?

He realised that he did feel free. Free, and happy, and powerful. Powerful to the point that nothing could compare to him, that there was nothing in this world he wouldn't be able to do or achieve. He saw nothing around but the beauty… Yes, he understood now what she was trying to show him. It was so beautiful to be free, so beautiful to be powerful, so beautiful to be… invincible? Every time the bird moved its wings, he moved his hands in the same motion.

Every time the bird was gliding, he had a feeling as if he was supporting himself in the air. First, he kept his eyes open, then he closed them and was just feeling the wind on his face, the power of the muscles under him. When the wings of the bird moved, his arms moved in unison. His body mimicked every movement of the bird's body. He even felt as if his own body had grown to match this giant creature. No, more like this giant bird became his body.

As if they would go faster when he tried to go faster, and they would turn when he wanted to turn… What if they tried to somersault? Why not – let's try, and yep! They did it! They really did it! He opened his eyes, and he saw the sky and clouds. There was the earth somewhere too, but he didn't pay much attention to it. The speed, the strength… never in his life had he felt like this before. But he knew that something was missing, and yes, it was… His dog, his faithful friend…

But at the same moment, his eyes landed on the ground, and here he was – running at full speed right under them. Not a step behind. Then a thought came about that strange person who somehow helped him to feel this way… And as if on command, they turned to the side, and there she was – on the ground too, waving at him. How is it that she and Deamon were on the ground and only he is still flying? Well, it didn't really matter. But had she seen how well he could somersault?

He had to show her just in case she missed it. Here – he closed his hands - the bird's wings and twisted once, and spread the wings again. Then twisted twice, then, laughing, did it three times. The ground was approaching rapidly, but he didn't care about it at all; he laughed and laughed and laughed in joy. The bird glided just a few inches away from the ground, slowed down, and then shot back into the sky after dropping Blake to the ground.

He rolled a few times, still laughing, then stayed flat on his back with arms spread to the sides, still full of joy and laughter, watching as this magnificent winged creature flew away until it disappeared from sight.

"Did you see it???!!" he asked, looking at Rainee, who came and sat next to him.

"I did!"

"Did you see me?!!! Did you see how I flew, no, how we flew! …"

"I did see it!!"

"But it felt like it was me who was flying! Like I had wings! Ohhh, it was just unbelievable! I didn't dream or imagine it? Did I? You saw it too?"

"I saw it! How did it feel?" Rainee herself was no less happy than Blake was right now.

"It felt sooo good! It felt so fast, so so fast!! So strong, so free and open. I was free, as free as one can be, as the wind! I could do anything, anything I wanted. And it was so fun, oh, I still cannot fit in my own chest, it feels like my body is too small for me. I feel so happy, I don't remember ever feeling so happy." Blake's eyes were shining, his breath was ragged, he lay stretched on the ground on his back, living in the moment. His big black dog was lying next to him.

Blake rolled to his side, grabbed his dog, and pressed him to his chest.

"This is the best day of my life," he declared, squeezing his furry friend in his embrace while, at the same time, looking at the sky with longing.

"Do you often do it?" he asked, still looking at the sky. Rainee was sitting next to him, hugging her bent knee.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Fly like this?"

"Like you just did? I have never done it."

"You didn't?!!! Why not? I thought that was what you tried to show me!"

"Maybe it was." Rainee couldn't stop smiling. She also lay down on the grass while looking at the sky.

"I wanted to show you how wonderful life is, and I think you saw it."

"Yes! I did! I did!" Blake confirmed, still breathing with his full chest, taking in more air than he had ever inhaled before. Rainee didn't say anything anymore. What he "saw" wasn't exactly what she was trying to show him, but at the same time, it was. The beauty of life everyone must see differently…