The wind screamed past Jake's face as his ikran plunged through the clouds. The huge, living forest spread out beneath him like an endless green sea. Up here, in the thin, cold air, he finally felt free. Every worry from his old life was gone, blown away by the storm of flight.

He and his ikran moved as one creature. He could feel its strong heart beating through their bond, a steady, wild rhythm. He leaned into a turn, the mountain peaks brushing close. A feeling of pure, fierce joy burned inside him.

This wasn't just flying. It was becoming part of the sky itself. He was the wind and the shadow. The forest below was his body. The roots of the great trees were his own. He was home, completely, and he would never leave.