“Your turn, Artemis! I can’t do all the work for you-” His smirk is cut off by the full grown Wild, as we call them, barreling straight into Razi’s chest in a furious rage of primal instinct. The impact throws Aerys off of his Wyvern’s back and plummeting to the ground. My small smile immediately vanishes and I let a shriek escape my mouth.
“Forward! Forward!” I holler to Karu, over the roar of the wind, giving a harsh squeeze to his sides, straddling his back with my knees. The younger Emperor dives, air streaming across his sides as we plunge rapidly towards the distant earth. I press myself flush to his back, sending us to the ground faster and faster until we’re just a blur in the cosmos. His talons wrap around Aerys’s arms, so I clutch both fists around the saddle pommel, arching my body backwards and pulling up as hard as I can without falling. Karu draws up sharply, coming to a halt in a hover, wings beating heavily, through the air. I let out a breathy laugh, tears stinging my eyes from the high speed and wind whipping through my eyes. The riding visor had fallen off at the sudden drop. “You alright?!” I hail down to his limp form that is dangling from Karu’s claws.
“Uh-huh, had a hell of a time!” He looks up, face a lopsided grin. I smile back down, myself, still a little shaken from the sudden event.
“Get up here! We still have an Emperor to take down!” I reach out a hand, despite his lower level. I turn my gaze back to the sky, sweeping it across the clouds and searching for the tell tale sign of an Emperor Aero: The large segmented wings, and its mane of long spines. He manages to clamber onto Karu’s back, using his long legs to propel himself upwards. He nestles behind me on the leather mount, arms loosely draped over my waist, and careful not to disturb me. Karu launches us forward and sends us soaring through the air in a whoosh of wind in my face. Aerys clings to me, nearly falling off at the sudden acceleration.
