Ethan stared down at the churning mountain range below, his eyes tracking the violent ripples racing along what they now knew was not stone at all, but the vast, living body of a single creature. It stretched beyond sight in both directions, coiling and uncoiling with a force that made the entire Forbidden Vale tremble. From this height, its length was almost abstract, too immense to grasp. He would not have been surprised if the thing could wrap itself around the entire Vale and still have flesh to spare.
Blackie continued to climb, instinctively seeking higher ground as they reached what must have been the creature's midsection. The air thinned slightly as he pushed upward, wings beating harder, scales vibrating with tension.
Ethan slammed his palm against one of Blackie's horns.
"Stop climbing. Any higher and we're dead."
