LOG-029.Time had a way of flying by when one travelled. It had happened during my initial exodus from the shores of the Kyra’meta to the forests of the Omatikaya, and now it had happened once more, as I travelled the world in search of something to keep the RDA satisfied while Parker worked his magic.Taking in a breath from my position standing atop an airborne landmass that defied most conventional physics, I stared at a two headed…thing, tilting my head as the wind trader beside me, garbed in a mixture of cloth and leather, maintained a healthy distance from me, his expression uncertain.
Eyes narrowing slightly, I ignored the sights and sounds of the floating mountains around us (no small feat, considering just how beautiful it all was) and did my best to take in every last detail of the creature.Immense wings of a greyish blue, almost iridescent tint that held a plumage that almost looked like glass, with a hide that looked more suited to blending in with the sky itself rather than the rocks it was currently perched upon.Twin draconic heads sniffing about for something I could only guess at, additional eyes set upon its two necks glancing all about as I roughly guessed it at around three times the size of the average ikran.It was only after I’d realised that it was in fact two separate organisms seemingly holding on to each other, forming a greater whole, that the Na’vi beside me spoke, slowly running a hand across his largely bare head.“A twinmoon. Paired mates. Not entirely unseen within our stretch of the Path. The fleet carries a few for long range scouting. Highly prized.”Turning to look at the man out of the corner of my eye, I tilted my head slightly.“I’ve seen them fly higher than anything else within your skies. It’d be useful for avoiding the raiders I mentioned…how difficult is it to bond with one?”There was a sharp intake of breath at the question, one that felt more incredulously bemused than anything else, even as the sound of panting began to sound out from behind us.My counterpart turned to glance at the sweat soaked sec ops marine that had finally managed to trudge up to our neck of the mountain, before looking back to me with a raised brow, shaking his head and moving to scratch at the back of his neck slightly as he did so.“I’m afraid it’s not possible. The twinmoon is of two minds, and two souls. Just as it can not fly without both its hearts, nor shall it suffer a single rider. Only a pair of Na’vi who know each other's own souls may ride such a creature.”At my stare, the Na’vi frowned slightly, tone turning firm.“Make no mistake, pale Tsahìk of the Kyra’meta. My people have communed with the Cloud Tree, and Eywa has spoken. You are Chosen, and so I will speak to you of what I know, as will the rest of the Tlalim.”His hand rose, then gestured towards the massive flyer, which had turned both of its heads to face us as Lyle awkwardly swapped out one of the canisters of his exopack, visibly holding his breath beneath his mask as he took a knee to perform the change.“The twinmoon will not bow to the will of any one Na’vi. It is simply…unnatural.”Staring back at the variety of light purple, almost pinkish eyes that had begun to focus on me, I tilted my head.—A few hours had passed since I’d spoken with the leader of the Tlalim clan fleet my little expedition had encountered, enough that the sky had begun to darken slightly, and the calls of the local fauna that preferred the sun had been swapped out for those that dwelled in the dark.“Mm, give me an overview of how everyone is doing, please?”Currently, I was perched atop a particularly comfortable rock, munching on what could charitably be called a glorified MRE as the corporal standing in front of me crossed his arms, sighing at the sight of the distant wind trader airships sailing off into the horizon, their latest anchoring session finished now that they had retrieved what value they desired from their landing point.“Pretty good, all things considered. Your fellow blue people are fairing better than any of us terran monkeys, but that’s no surprise there. Nomad Three has reported some issues with one of her rotors though, so we’ll either need to either postpone our trip further afield, or leave the crew behind to sort things out themselves.”My eyes narrowed slightly as I recalled the designation. Out of the six SA-2 Samson’s Quaritch had been willing to let me borrow for the sake of trying to path out a decent approach to the burnt lands of the Mangkwan, Nomad Three was the one currently carrying most of our field rations.Swallowing down the last of my meal and wiping the remaining crumbs away with an arm, I licked my lips before waving a hand at my human counterpart, shaking my head as I did so.“We can afford to rest up for a night. I’m sure the rest of the expedition unit would appreciate the break as well, considering how hard we’ve been riding lately.”The man nodded, glancing out into the encroaching dark as the distant calls of some creature shifted to panicked squawks of alarm, before those too were silenced by something letting out a bellowing shriek.“I’ll tell the guys to set up a rotating patrol. It’s been pretty smooth flying out here, considering the wildlife haven’t been trying to feed us our own teeth, but if what you said about those local wackjobs is true…”Standing up, I brushed myself off and nodded, tail swishing about behind me as I began to stride past the man.“Yeah, I’ll sleep better knowing I’ve got a few guns pointing to the sky as well. Do your thing Lyle, I’m…gonna go try something, shouldn’t be out for longer than an hour.”The walk wasn’t too long, though I could feel nonetheless feel the marine’s eyes on me as I moved closer to the sounds of a makeshift encampment being set up, exchanging a few greetings with what few Kyra’meta clan members I’d been willing to bring along, and RDA volunteers that were apparently crazy enough to actually want some action.A sharp whistle had Alfa looking up from beside the prefabricated structure he’d settled down next as I moved towards him, hauling myself up his saddle and patting his neck as one of my kuru interlinked with his own.“C’mon boy, let’s go catch ourselves a twinmoon.”