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All it remembered from before was hot fire and singed fur. Of course, the Wystora ran. But nobody followed the small pup. And that's when it looked up.
And then, the Wystora saw it. A large, majestic creature, wings displayed in all their glory. Eyes sparkling with absolute interest, it kept its gaze focused on the stunningly shiny scales of the large creature instead of the charred corpses of its kin below the deadly dragon.
That was when the fascination began.
Still young and curious, during its days, it would head to the desert oasis and gaze at pearlescent feathers and luminous scales. And each time, it grew increasingly curious, of the feathers especially.
During its nights, it would gaze up at cotton candy clouds and midnight colored skies, along with the stars that painted the sky with freckles of light. It wanted to touch them, hold them in its paws and admire its beauty. It wanted to fly. And of course, a feather was all it needed. Or, so it thought.
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Its paws dug into the soft sands of the desert as it continued its trek to the oasis. Tail idly flicking, it padded over to a short tree, taking a yellow bulb fruit into its mouth and chewing it. Juice dripped down from its jaw as it licked up the substance. Trilling happily, it finished off its small snack before continuing on, climbing onto a small sand ledge; its usual spot. The herbs rested close to the oasis, which was another reason to frequent the place. Taking a spot on the heated dust, it gently tilted its head to the side ever so slightly.
A small, white fluffy bird with a black face and legs gingerly stepped into view. The Wystora stared, eyes lingering on its silky plumage as it preened itself. Its eyes were alight with envy, and its fur was fluffed out in agitation. The heat of the afternoon beat down on it, eventually resorting to it retreating to the shade to relax and calm itself.
It continued to spectate the large variety of creatures that were scattered across the diverse ecosystem. Many winged creatures roamed Sonaria's deserts, and it wasn't one of them. Eyes narrowing, it turned to its paws, glaring at them angrily as it squealed. Before long, the Sonarian sun was slowly sinking, orangish-pink hues decorating the darkening sky. Just like its mother, it had a fascination of the sky and what it held. So, it gazed up at the beams of light, reaching a little paw up. Pastel eyes gleamed with admiration.
And so, it made a plan. One that would get it soaring amongst the stars in no time.
It returned to the oasis as usual the next day. A large, feathered owl-like creature rested, its long neck bent down for water. And then it saw the wings, pearly white and tipped with inky black. It was.. perfect. The Wystora crept closer, being light on its paws as it stared. It plucked the feather from its wing with its teeth, letting it rest in its jaw. A loud shrill pierced the air, and the creature whirled around angrily. Its eyes zeroed in on the small Wystora, grabbing it into its talons and lifting itself into the air with heavy wings. Just like that, it was flying.
The sharp talons dug into its soft fur, drawing crimson, but it was too busy watching the sky in amazement. The currents of the wind ruffled pastel pink fluff, and it moved its little paws up and down in a flying motion, squealing in delight. The child looked up at the owl creature, something similar to a grin on its features. Suddenly, it was falling, its body tossing and turning. But it didn't want to fall, it wanted to fly! It wanted to keep going..
The ground grew closer.
The only thing audible in that moment was the sickening crunch of the now mutilated body of a pup colliding with the unforgiving ground below.
And now, it would fly amongst the stars forever more. Never to feel the warmth of the sun or the cool chill of the water. Never to breathe or walk the land of Sonaria again.
Because after all.. in the harsh land of Sonaria, there is no room for the naivety of a child.