Eira sat on a fallen log in the forest's heart with her hands pressed firmly against her face as a whirlwind of emotions ripped at her. The woman’s long silver hair hung in a tangled mess as it draped past her bowed head and cascaded over slumped shoulders.

  Yesterday had been a complete and utter failure, more than Eira and possibly even the dragons had ever experienced; it had become a waking nightmare. Everything felt so overwhelming that Eira couldn’t even fathom it. All she knew was that the canopy above offered the only refuge from the horrors currently plaguing the skies. Even then, safety wasn’t guaranteed, as another series of earth-shattering blasts echoed in the distance.

  It seemed that their new hiding spot had been compromised again, and if Eira was honest with herself, she didn’t understand how they were constantly being found. Most of the time, this… explosion magic would detonate on the outskirts, hitting either no one or catching a few stragglers on the periphery of their horde. Other times, a massive eruption would ensnare a group foolish enough to gather in the clearing.

  It was obvious they were being watched from the sky, but even the few dragons that bothered to stay with them could not reliably identify who or what was observing them. The few times they did, it was by sheer luck, and the strange aerial beast was so far away that it rivaled or even surpassed draconic sight.

  It was maddening.

  Accompanying the blasts were the sounds of war's aftermath permeating the woodland sanctuary. Pained screams from wounded riders echoed through the trees, while the mournful howls of maimed wyverns created a haunting chorus that seemed to shake the very leaves. The proud aerial corps, once one of the most elite forces in the territories, had been reduced to chaos and disarray in mere hours.

  Officers of the several wyvern corps ran around in a panic, shouting contradictory orders that only added to the confusion. Some bellowed at riders to secure their mounts and hunker down, while others screamed to hurry and take to the skies, insisting they couldn't stay in one place for long.

  "Get those beasts under control and find cover!" roared a captain with a bloodied face, his singed uniform hanging in tatters.

  "Mount up! We need to relocate before the next barrage!" countered another, her eyes wild with fear as she gestured frantically toward the sky.

  The commands overlapped and collided, contributing to a deadlock as riders stood paralyzed, unsure whose orders to follow. Many simply froze in place, clutching reins or saddles while their mounts shifted anxiously beneath them, picking up on their riders' distress and amplifying it with their own.

  It wasn’t long before another series of explosions ripped through the forest, physically rattling the trees around Eira. Whatever was being thrown their way seemed to be getting closer, especially as an unnatural and horrible sound of rushing air accompanied each blast. The sound triggered immediate terror in both rider and mount, as they risked being skewered by those unholy projectiles rather than showered with tiny fragments of metal or basically liquefied by shockwaves.

  Eira's hand slid down her face as she sucked in a deep breath through her mouth as a quiet sob escaped with it. Looking up at the dense canopy with red, puffy eyes, she choked out, "Fuckin’ infinite hells... what's even going on?" Her voice was thick, with a stuffy nose and raw emotion as panic ensued in the background.

  Skadi looked up at Eira pitifully, nudging her leg with his enormous head. His eyes reflected a sharp intelligence that separated wyverns from common beasts—an awareness that seemed to comprehend not just her physical distress but the deeper anguish of hopelessness that tore at her soul. The massive creature shifted his body around his master, his scaled bulk forming a protective semicircle as if to shield Eira from the pandemonium that surrounded them.

  The wyvern captain's mount had emerged from the day-long massacre relatively unscathed—which was more than Eira could say about the majority of the conjoined wyvern corps' command. They had flown at the very front, seeking the most glory or any chance to boost their likeness of a promotion.

  Oh, how foolish that had been.

  Now, only a handful of captains remained, leading a veritable horde. Even the Marshal was unaccounted for, presumably obliterated in the first volley of those terrible, invisible strikes that caught them so off guard. No one had seen him fall—there had been too much chaos, too many bodies plummeting from the sky all at once.

  Eira was lost in a fog of despair and indecision. It seemed no matter what path they chose, whether they took to the skies or hunkered down, they were doomed to face an unimaginable loss of wyverns and their riders—or outright annihilation. The enemy's reach appeared limitless, their weapons unfathomable. How could they fight against something they couldn't even see?

  Her tear-filled eyes scanned the chaotic forest clearing, absorbing the sight of people arguing about their next steps. The disputes had escalated, with shoves and pointed fingers becoming increasingly common as fear overpowered military discipline.

  "If we leave, we'll just get picked off like those other poor souls who tried before!" a grizzled lieutenant shouted, waving his weapon in frustration towards the sky. "Except this time, we'll all die together!"

  "It’d still be better than to sit just… fucking sit here and be slowly picked apart by whatever the hell is bombarding us!” Countered a younger officer as her hands gestured wildly toward the sounds of distant explosions. "At least in the air, we have a chance!"

  Both ideas appeared equally dreadful as they were. Neither offered any real hope of survival, just different ways to die. They were trapped like rats, scrambling over one another as the walls of their cage slowly closed in around them.

  A dark, sardonic laugh escaped Eira’s lips as she looked back down and pressed a hand against her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she cried. Not even heartbreak had been able to fully bring her to tears. However, when faced with a situation where there was no winning move and the only certainty was death without the ability to fight back, it affected even the strongest of folk.

  The chuckle had startled Skadi, who tilted his massive head in confusion at his master's seemingly inappropriate reaction. The beast knew his master only made that sound when overcome with joy, but there was no joy to be found anywhere. Especially when another explosion made his master jump.

  This one was close, way too close. So much so that the ground beneath them trembled, and the shock wave rustled through the leaves above. She whipped her head up, sending her messy hair flying as Eira instinctively scanned for incoming threats.

  As she looked around through gaps in the foliage, Eira noticed that smoke and dust had been kicked up in a clearing a few hundred meters away. It was a rather convenient view considering the density of the forest; although mostly obscured, Eira still managed to make out a small cluster of mangled bodies belonging to riders and their mounts, all strewn about. The poor fools had gotten too close to each other while exposed by small breaks in the thick canopy.

  It was clear that whatever was hunting them seemed to target groups, especially those visible from above. They couldn’t quite pin down the main body of people, but each explosion indicated they were being pinpointed. With the frequency of these explosions increasing, it wouldn’t be long before they would have to make a mad scramble to escape or face death.

  Eira looked up to make sure she wasn't making the same mistake as those unfortunate souls and saw that the canopy above had completely covered her. It seemed that this entire forest was either Gloambirch or Faewood trees, and their intertwining branches formed a nearly impenetrable ceiling. The pale red luminescence of the Faewppd leaves seemed to be a complete godsend and obstructed vision from above enough to keep the vast majority of the horde hidden.

  She couldn't help but feel the bitter irony of the situation. The one enemy they had been training to fight for generations had become their salvation. While not exactly in the druid’s part of the forest, Eira was much closer to those damnable fae than she felt comfortable with. Or rather… should she find comfort in their presence instead of this new enemy? Eira couldn't tell.

  Either way, the wyvern corps had ventured close enough to be within spitting distance of fae territory, and it wouldn't surprise her if the Enaeris or even a fairy popped up to either attack or try to strike a deal with someone. One could never tell with the Fae, regardless of which sect or faction they belonged to. Their moral compass pointed in literally every direction, and their concept of fair exchange often left mortals dead, making it hardly worth speaking to them.

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  One day, they’d help you out of the kindness of their hearts and offer you a spectacular deal on any contract that makes you sigh. A few fortunate souls had benevolent patrons who empowered them in ways beyond normal means. At the same time, those very same benevolent patrons would enter another pact with someone else, leaving them crippled for life in some way or another. The last thing Eira wanted was to run into one that was a tad bit more on the malevolent side and end up a frog or some insect for the rest of her life.

  Looking back toward the devastated area, Eira’s eyes drifted over the splintered trees and noticed they were already attempting to reorient themselves. It always unnerved her how the trees in the Fae’s forest snaked out their roots to reclaim any severed branches. This was one of the many reasons why you never set camp in it for very long. There was never anything to start a fire with.

  The way the forest healed itself always fascinated anyone who watched, but the most interesting—or more accurately, the most terrifying—aspect was how the same roots latched onto the corpses of the deceased and slowly dragged them down into the soil. Nothing biological was left to waste in this place. Flesh, bone, scales, even the tanned leather of saddles—all of it would be broken down and absorbed by the hungry forest.

  Eira flinched as one of the fallen wyverns suddenly began to struggle and screech, its massive body thrashing weakly as silvery-green tendrils coiled around its limbs. The poor creature was too injured to escape properly, and the forest seemed to be aware of that. There was a strange intelligence at work as if the woods could somehow sense which creatures were beyond saving. For those unfortunate souls, the forest would claim them and hasten the inevitable, recycling their essence into new growth.

  "What a truly awful place this is," Eira murmured to herself, even with the forest's undeniable beauty, adorned with luminescent foliage and ancient, twisting trunks. "I suppose this is it. My corpse will be claimed by the fae, too." The thought made her skin crawl—the idea of roots weaving through her flesh, pulling her down into the dark earth while she still breathed.

  But as she kept watching, something caught her eye. A few of the more agile wyverns scampered away from the clearing, using their clawed wing fingers to navigate through the dense forest. They dug into the trunks or sturdy branches and effectively hopped from tree to tree, with their wing webs retracted as far as possible.

  One of the less injured wyverns dashed between the trees like an oversized land predator. What made the sight even more impressive was the rider still mounted atop it, somehow maintaining his seat through the jarring experience. The beast used its powerful hind legs to provide thrust while its wing fingers kept it balanced, allowing its master to stay upright.

  Eira's brow furrowed, and her mouth fell slightly open as a new thought formed in her mind. She had always known these creatures were far more nimble on the ground than anyone gave them credit for, but witnessing them maneuver through the forest like terrestrial animals was truly something to behold.

  This was a significant blind spot in their tactical thinking—one that had been drilled into them through years of training focused exclusively on aerial combat. ‘Wyverns belong in the sky’ was almost the corps' motto, repeated so often that it had become unquestioned doctrine.

  But what if they didn't need to leave the ground to escape? Or... to launch an attack even?

  The idea felt almost heretical. It contradicted everything she had been taught about being a rider. Hell, it contradicted everything about wyvern warfare in general.

  Yet, as another distant explosion rattled the trees and sent birds scattering in panicked flight, Eira couldn't help but see the potential. It was evident that their enemy dominated the open skies with weapons beyond her understanding, but perhaps the dense undergrowth provided not just a layer of protective cover but a new way to fight.

  Eira's imagination began to run wild. It was painfully obvious they couldn't effectively contest the air—but why should they have to? If they could swallow their pride and abandon traditional tactics, the possibilities would be endless. For instance, Eira envisioned small flights emerging from anywhere in the forest or flying low, skimming just above the ground in open areas, only rising when absolutely necessary.

  Sure, it would place them at a disadvantage compared to their usual aerial dominance, but they had lost that right from the start. Eira would prefer facing a disadvantage to being outright dead. At least this way, they'd have a fighting chance to contest the airspace.

  Shaking her head, Eira realized she was getting ahead of herself and was strategizing tactics before they had even secured basic survival. Right now, Eira needed to put these fanciful thoughts away and focus solely on keeping as many of her people alive as possible. However, the spark of life that had nearly been extinguished hours ago had finally reignited within her chest.

  The officers glanced at each other anxiously. They knew that already. Everytime some brave soul tried to break out of their prison, they’d immediately be swatted out of the sky or absolute hell would rain on them.

  With a burst of adrenaline coursing through her veins, Eira immediately felt the urge and jumped off her mount. The movement was so sudden and jarring that Skadi nearly leaped from his scales. The massive wyvern uncoiled from his protective curl, shook off the grass and twigs from his body, and trotted after his master as she made a beeline toward the arguing officers.

  "Alright, alright! Enough of that!" Eira's voice cut through the chaos like a blade, silencing the bickering officers mid-sentence.

  The officers turned their heads toward her, their expressions ranging from surprise to relief that someone—anyone—was finally taking charge, while the few surviving captains still looked lost. Wing Master Maris stood with his arms crossed, with a frustrated look, while Captain Renissa kept glancing nervously skyward, flinching at every distant explosion. The rest remained silent, either too shell-shocked to contribute or too uncertain about what to say.

  "Look, we're not going to solve anything by shouting over each other," Eira began, clapping her hands loudly to assert control over the conversation as she stepped into the center of their loose circle. "The enemy obviously has control of the skies. Trying to outfly them is suicide—we've seen that already."

  The officers exchanged anxious glances, already aware of this. Every time a brave soul attempted to escape their prison, they were swiftly swatted out of the sky or subjected to a deluge of whatever hellish magic was at work.

  "So what, we just sit here and wait to die?" challenged a younger officer who had been advocating for flight, though her voice had lost much of its earlier conviction.

  "No," Eira replied, gesturing toward the forest surrounding them. "We’re going to have to adapt. We need to use the forest as our ally instead of viewing it as an obstacle." She pointed out several wyverns still navigating through the trees with surprising agility. "Look at them—if we stay under the forest’s canopy and keep moving, we might have a chance to reach friendlier territory."

  "That's ridiculous," Wing Master Maris scoffed. "Wyverns are aerial combat mounts, not Drakes or Wyrms."

  "And yet they're maneuvering through the forest quite effectively," Eira countered, standing her ground. "Would you rather cling to doctrine while we're picked off one by one or try something new that might actually keep us alive?"

  Nobody knew what to say to that. All options before them were terrible, but this wild, nearly blasphemous idea seemed far more reasonable than it should have. Survival had a way of making the unthinkable suddenly practical.

  Eira wasn't about to let them dwell on it, however. She needed to get them up and moving before anyone could voice dissent or before that infernal magic truly unleashed its fury upon their position. Every second spent debating was another second the enemy had to locate them.

  She straightened up and yelled, “Skadi!” causing her wyvern to rise to its full, massive height. The beast towered over the other wyverns surrounding it, making them shy away from such a blatant show of intimidation. The message was clear: she was not going to accept a ‘No’ for an answer.

  After seeing that the rest of the officers were sufficiently cowed into silence, Eira finally spoke up. "I'm taking charge of the combined Corps," she announced in a tone that brooked no argument. "Does anyone contest that?" She swept her gaze across the gathered officers with a glare that carried an unspoken threat.

  Several faces appeared uncomfortable as they looked around with an expression that indicated they wanted to protest—after all, there were captains with more seniority present—but no one dared to speak up. But it was only until Captain Renissa, the most senior captain that was still living, spoke up to voice her support.

  "Aye. I vote for Captain Eira to be acting Wing Marshal." Her voice carried clearly through the tense silence.

  A moment of silence followed before, one by one, they lowered their heads in deference or offered reluctant nods. Eventually, a few more voices chimed in, each adding their "Aye" to the chorus. Caught up in the wave of 'ayes,’ even the skeptical Wing Master Maris ultimately expressed his acceptance. There was little point in contesting when everyone else had agreed, and the burden of leadership during such a crisis was one few truly desired.

  Eira stood there with her still red and puffy eyes from her earlier sobbing, but the weakness she'd shown before had been replaced with an iron resolve. Sweeping her gaze across the forest at the officers who now looked to her for direction, Eira found her course and with it, a new purpose—and more importantly, a plan that just might keep them alive.

  "Good!" she clapped her hands decisively. "Get to your wings and spread the word—we move through the forest, not above it! Keep the wyverns under the canopy at all times. We leave as soon as possible!"

  There was a moment of silence as the wyvern riders composed themselves in front of their new acting Marshal. They straightened their uniforms and adjusted their weapons—small gestures to reclaim some sense of military bearing after hours of disarray. Then, as one, they responded with a strong, "Aye, Ma'am!"

  Relief was etched on every face and evident in every voice as commands echoed through the forest. The men and women of the combined wyvern corps were just glad someone had finally taken charge of this clusterfuck and given them a direction, regardless of how unconventional it was.