Hop — I felt something grab me, my head jerked sharply upward, and my legs dangled in the air.
— What kind of flying dinosaur is this!? — I gasped, staring at the enormous wings spreading beneath us and the long, curved neck. The wind whistled in my ears, and the air filled with a strange scent of green foliage and sea salt.
— Pterosaur! — Sabo prompted from the side, looking utterly unbothered, as if he had already ridden these giants a hundred times. He held onto my shoulder, balancing surprisingly easily on the back of the ancient predator.
At first it was almost chaotic: we grabbed at the long necks and claws, screaming and clinging to the scales, and I could feel the dinosaur's strength trying to throw us off. It twisted, spun, and fought to shake us off, as if it understood we were trying to climb onto its back.
— Listen! — I shouted, summoning my will. — I'm gonna try something now!
I coiled my arm around the Pterosaur's neck like a spring, literally wrapping myself around it to keep balance. Sabo, like a seasoned acrobat, grabbed the tail and edge of the wing, and gradually the giant began to calm down. Weak jerks gave way to controlled movements — or so we thought.
But suddenly the giant flung its head and, with a powerful strike of its wing, hurled us to the side. Hop — the wind slammed into my face, and for a moment we were in the air, unsupported, falling down…
Hop, hop — crashing through branches, twigs cracked underfoot, and we found ourselves back in the forest. Dark trees stretched upward, creating a dense twilight through which only rare rays of sunlight broke.
— Ah, that's unpleasant, — Sabo muttered, straightening up and glancing around. His gaze darted between branches and leaves, as if searching for danger above. I barely had time to open my mouth to answer when he suddenly pointed:
— What's that?!
Light pierced through the treetops, and in the clearing appeared two enormous faces. We froze.
— Giants! — I breathed out, almost transfixed as I studied them. Each face radiated a sense of strength and ancient power.
— Yes! — came the giants' friendly laughter, rolling across the area like thunder.
— Hey! We saw you flying on that… fly! — added one of the giants, with a long blue beard and a horned helmet. His eyes sparkled with curiosity, and his grin was wide and a little grotesque.
— He called that Pterosaur a fly! — exclaimed Sabo, still remembering its size.
— It's been a long time since we had visitors! — chimed in the second, with a yellow beard, round beady eyes, and a nose like a pig's snout. His laughter was contagious, and despite his massive body—
I took a deep breath, trying to rein in my amazement:
— What are your names? You're warriors of Elbaf, aren't you! — I shouted, so they could hear me through branches and wind.
— Such a tiny thing knows even that, — replied Dorry, with the long blue beard, peering down at us. His gaze was both friendly and appraising.
— Broggy! — added the second, with the bright yellow beard, tilting his helmet slightly.
The forest winds swayed their long beards, and the axes and swords clutched in their hands glinted in the light.
Hop! In the next moment came a sharp crash. It resounded from the giants' side, like thunder that made the nearest tree shake.
— Ow! — Broggy cried, staggering back. His wide smile vanished for a moment as he nearly lost his balance.
— You beast! — Dorry roared, and his sword sliced through the air with a loud whistle, striking true. In the next instant, the head of a dinosaur — or whatever had threatened them — fell to the ground with a heavy, echoing thud.
— Well then, dinner's ready! — said Broggy, rubbing his huge palms together.
— Got any drink? — Broggy asked, turning to us with interest.
— Yeah, we do! — I replied, already caught up in the rhythm.
— Let's head to our ship! — said Sabo, scanning the path through the forest. His eyes, trained to chaos, instantly assessed the route.
— I'll light a fire, you go on ahead, — said Dorry, waving toward the trail leading to the river.
— Come on, climb on me, we'll get there faster! — offered Broggy, stretching out a huge, strong hand. Without hesitation, we joined in, grabbing onto him. Each giant step felt like the earth itself was pushing forward, the leaf-and-branch bedding crunching beneath us.
The sound of the giants' footsteps echoed through the forest, bouncing off the tree trunks. In just five minutes we had made our way to the river, slipping through foliage, leaping over roots, and skirting around rocks…
— Here! — said Sabo, pointing to our ship moored by the shore.
— Oh! We had one like that, only bigger! — he shouted, pointing at the ship and noticing the dragon figurehead…
— Be right back! — I said, jumping inside the ship and hauling out two barrels of supplies.
A thought flickered: Maybe I could learn something about Elbaf, since I knew almost nothing about it.
Karina came out of the cabin, spotting us:— Bellamy, you're back already? — she asked, smiling and exhaling with visible relief.
— Step out onto the deck, — I suggested, lifting the barrels and balancing on the rocking boards.
— Ah! Who's that? — Karina pointed at the massive figure beside the ship a second later…
— That's Broggy, — I replied, nudging Karina toward meeting the giant. His broad smile and eyes immediately lightened the atmosphere for us — but not for Karina, who fainted on the spot.
— Take her and let's go, — I said, jumping onto his hand with the barrels.