I Am A Flyer

II: Flight School

Sprawled flat on his back, Jett stared hazily at the pale blue sky. It was completely cloudless, and guessing by the position of the sun, it was somewhere around midday. The air was still. The dusty, dry land was silent.

If he closed his eyes, Jett could pretend that he was elsewhere, perhaps lying down in the tall grasses of his home, or resting on a soft bed of moss in the Putarc Forest. He could pretend that he didn't hurt, that his swollen injuries and sprained muscles didn't exist. He could forget about the flyers, Troit, the Kairg, and imagine that he was about to set out on a hunt, but after a small mid-afternoon nap. His bow would be resting beside him, along with a leather quiver of arrows. The birds of the Putarc would be singing melodious lullabies, while small creatures would scamper about curiously, watching him out of the corner of their eyes while they went about their daily tasks. A cool, gentle breeze would tumble playfully throughout the forest, disturbing leaves, swishing grass, tugging at his hair. A warm ray of sunlight would shine on him, its gentle flow a soothing blanket that would urge him to drift off into a peaceful sleep. . .

"Hey." Fingers snapped in front of his face. Yanked out of his daydream, Jett opened bleary eyes, too tired to be much annoyed. He met Raven's violet gaze, which was still as grave as ever. "We need to get going again," the flyer told him.

Already? "But we just stopped a few minutes ago. . ."

There was concern in Raven's eyes. "That was over thirty minutes ago."

Jett blinked. That much time had passed? There was no way! He could still remember flopping over onto his back to rest – just barely a minute ago. However, looking at the Talon's face, he could tell that the flyer was not lying.

Raven crouched beside him. "How are you feeling?"

If he wasn't so drained, Jett would've shrugged. "Everything hurts, I'm too tired to move, and I can't believe I haven't died yet."

"Hn." In response, Raven dug into a pouch at his hip, pulling out a small case. He flicked it open, and took out a familiar white tablet. Holding it out to Jett, along with his canteen, he told the teen to take it.

Jett recognized it as the same pill he'd been given before, so long ago. He also recognized that the first pill had been the source of the amazing energy that had enabled his body to move, much less stand. It had worked miracles during the past six hours, but now it seemed to have worn off. And now he felt even worse than before.

Reaching out shakily, he took the pill and the canteen. He brought the small, innocent-looking tablet to his lips, then hesitated. "These pills," he said apprehensively, "They're not dangerous, are they?" Considering how powerful they were, he was just a little suspicious about the safety of taking them.

A hint of a smile played about the Talon's lips. "No, they're safe enough. Even I've taken an ES tablet once or twice. Now hurry up, take it."

Thus reassured, Jett popped the pill into his mouth, then chased it down with a large swallow of water. Handing the canteen back, he wiped his mouth.

"Although. . ." Raven murmured, seemingly as an afterthought. "I should probably warn you about the aftereffects."

"After – what?" Jett froze, suddenly uneasy.

"Oh, it's nothing, really," Raven waved it off.

"No, wait. I want to know!"

The flyer paused, then gave a tiny smirk. "Are you sure?"

Jett shivered beneath that chilling stare. "Uh. . .I guess not? Erm, it's not – it's not terribly dangerous, is it?"

"Forget it, kid. You won't die. Or, you shouldn't, anyway. Besides, you're looking better already, so why don't you get up and we can get started." Raven rose, and held out a hand.