Breeze Scorchwind's Arc

Chapter 2 of 6

Breeze landed on a narrow ledge halfway up the mountain and folded her wings. The air tasted thinner here, sharper in her lungs. She needed to learn how to breathe at this height before climbing higher. Her chest rose and fell in quick bursts as she walked along the rock shelf. After a few minutes, her breathing slowed and steadied. She practiced launching from the ledge and landing again, testing how her wings caught the wind. Each attempt felt smoother than the last. By the time the sun touched the horizon, she could glide without gasping for air. The first lesson was complete—her body was learning what the mountain demanded. The next morning, Breeze flew down to the desert base where a small hiking store sat among scattered rocks and dry bushes. The building was made of warm wood and sandstone, with desert plants growing near its entrance. She pushed through the door and found racks of rope, metal hooks, and ice tools lining the walls. A leather-bound book lay open on the counter, filled with hand-drawn maps of different routes up the mountain. Breeze studied the pages, tracing her talon along the safest paths marked in faded ink. She pulled down a coil of rope and tested its weight in her claws. The texture felt rough but strong. Climbers used these to scale walls her wings couldn't reach in storms. She grabbed a small metal anchor and a cloth bag of chalk dust. If the peak was going to be hers, she needed to climb it like the earthbound did—step by step, hold by hold. Her wings could carry her high, but only skill would keep her there when the weather turned. She tucked the supplies under one wing and left coins on the counter. The mountain was waiting, and now she had the tools to meet it. Three days later, Breeze stood at the summit for the first time. Her talons gripped the icy rock, and wind whipped through her feathers. She had flown the last stretch, but she'd climbed most of the way using the rope and anchors. The view stretched in every direction—valleys, cliffs, and desert far below. This would be her domain. She planted a red flag into the snow and turned to survey the land. But watching from the ground wasn't enough. She needed to see everything from up here. Breeze spotted a metal telescope half-buried in the snow near the edge. Its surface was carved with desert plants, worn but still strong. She pulled it free and wiped the dust from the lens. Through it, she could see the base of the mountain, the hiking store, even the ledge where she'd practiced breathing. From this height, nothing would approach without her knowing. She set the telescope on a flat rock and anchored it with stones. Her domain had eyes now, and she would use them to guard what was hers. That afternoon, dark clouds rolled in from the west. Thunder rumbled across the peaks, and lightning split the sky in jagged white lines. Breeze crouched low as rain hammered the summit. A bolt struck nearby, close enough that her feathers stood on end. She couldn't build here if storms would tear everything apart. When the rain stopped, she flew back down to the hiking store and searched the shelves. Behind a stack of climbing gear, she found a tall silver lightning rod covered in carvings of cacti and desert flowers. She carried it back up the mountain and drove it deep into the rock at the summit's highest point. The metal gleamed in the late sun. When the next storm came, the lightning would strike the rod instead of her nest. Her domain would stand strong through wind, rain, and fire. The peak was ready. Now she could begin to build.