Morning 2

The hot liquid left a warm burn through his mouth and down his throat, so he savored the taste in small portions, just resting feeling the world about him, the smell of burning wood hung in the clear morning air from the fire at his feet, the fading chill of the night as the suns continued their trek upward, the faint warming on his bronzed skin as the rays bounced from his flesh, the rustling of the leafs of the trees growing behind that shaped the clearing he had set camp up in these past few days.  Smiling as he watched Kadeyrn stripping away the flesh from the ofra, a small field grazing herd animal, now more plentiful since their main predators the dragons’ numbers had dwindled.  Reflecting to a time not so long ago as he continued to sip from the cup, when once the mighty beast had flown in packs across the skies, now their ranks thinned to the point you might see the occasional breast circling high.  Was it the flying machines of the traders that had chased the beast away he pondered?  The dragon’s only rival in the skies had been the Aryr, great magnificent birds, their often multi colored vibrant feathers, wings that stretch 40 feet and more on the larger males, and talons formed for grasping and snatching their prey strong and sharp.  The Aryrs’ numbers had diminished long before the dragons had begun to disappear from the skies, till now the rare sighting of their brilliantly feathered bodies sparked awe on the towns when such a beast would be seen.  Like Akindle himself, the bird’s preferred the solitude of the mountains and back country, safe from mankind, who had once trained them to carry warriors to battle.  These he pondered as he watch the sharp talons of his companion Aryr, not endowed with the multi colored plumage, but still a remarkable brilliant blue, tear the flesh from his morning meal, often eyeing Akindle with an look of offering to share of the mornings capture...