Flion Aviary

You find yourself in a strange sort of clearing in the middle of the Aviary, surrounded on all sides by ancient trees and deep underbrush. The earth is dark and warm looking, speckled with a few stray blades of grass, but otherwise clean of all vegetation. Almost smack dab in the middle of the clearing, you see a tall, roofless building that looks as if it's been standing for centuries. Certain that it's empty, you decide to explore the inside of it, curious as to what it was long ago.

As you approach, the age of the building becomes more apparent. Long, zigzagging cracks creep up its tall walls, and on the far side, you notice a pale colored leafy vine winding its way up toward the sky. To you, this place looks like it was much more advanced than anything else in Sanori, and you wonder where it could have come from and what it's doing here, in the middle of the forest.

The doors on the front have been torn off and are lying flat a few feet away from the doorway. Upon closer inspection, you see that something large and scale-covered has used this door many times, because there are scratches along the top and smoothed out portions along the sides. Still, you continue on, stepping inside. You look skyward and gasp in amazed shock. Hanging from bars and wires stretching from wall to wall are strange machines, winged contraptions you have never seen before. Along the floor, parts and pieces litter every corner and keep you from walking too far.

A low grumble from the furthest corner breaks the spell over you, and you turn with lightning reflexes toward the sound. Although you squint, you're unable to see what caused it. As interesting as this place is, you decide, it's time to leave, and you start to back away the way you came.

Don't go, a deep and mellow voice echoes within your head. You blink and shake your head, startled by the sudden intrusion of your own thoughts. Please stay. I'd love to talk with you. There's nothing to be afraid of; I'm just a flion. A flion? You've never had any of the flions at Sanori speak to you telepathically. Perhaps this one is different, you think, and decide to stay. The noise from the far corner rattles and shakes, as if it's been under a great heap of the scattered pieces, and before you get a chance to prepare yourself, a magnificent black and white flion emerges, gliding toward you.

My name is Yilsalio. That's the name Jewel gave me when I moved back to Sanori, but before then... I had many names. I have been abandoned twice in my life, and it has been very hard. I don't want to be called by my old names, so I have forgotten them. So if Yilsalio is too long for you, please call me Io. It means Warior, in the old Sanori language, and Jewel tells me that that is what I am. A warrior. You listen intently to the large leopard-spotted flion, watching his bright green eyes shimmer and dart. He's a large flion, almost as large as Zironi, and you decide that he must be a little older than most.

"What is this place?" you ask the lovely flion, still very curious. His eyes widden and brighten, and you can feel that he is very interested in this place as well.

I'm so glad you asked! I have always been interested in the mysteries of the universe, and of this world that we stand upon. Especially in Sanori, there are many mysteries hiding behind every tree and under every rock. While exploring one day, I found this building. It was covered with so many vines that one could hardly tell it was there. But I knew. I could feel it in my bones that something amazing was waiting for me to discover it. So I began to tear down the vines, push back the leaves, rip up the small trees that had taken root. And what I found, I'm sure you know, was simply amazing. He extends his wing upward, directing your attenting to the machines above your head, and you noticed that they look as if they could fly.

As my curiosity expanded, so did my seach. I began looking deep within this place, in and under and around these old things. Finally, I found what I suppose you could call an office, where all the papers and records were stored, and among the official records which don't make much sense to me, I found an old diary. I was stunned. I sat here and read for many hours, never sleeping or eating. Finally, Jewel had to come and find me to make me to take a break. She, too, was amazed at what I had found.

I love it here and I wish to never leave. Jewel has appointed me the Garden Historian and has commissioned me to retell the story of this land. I'm so excited to find out what it was like, and what my ancestors were like. He beams proudly when he finally stops talking, and you giggle to yourself. Jewel has done a good job of finding this lost flion a new home, you think, and you pat him on his massive chest.

You say your goodbyes to Io and promise to come back when he has found out more information. With one last look at the building behind you, you make your way back the way you came.