Kalulah reached down and picked up the ball with a sigh. If this was what the great triad desired, she would do her best to be kind to this little pidgey, and learn all she could from it.
"Looks like you two got a little sister," she said happily, standing up straight. Ionas snorted, acting as if he really didn't care. Colm's eyes lit up. He chirped with curiosity, leaning forward to peck the ball in Kalulah's hand gently. Kalulah laughed.
"Her name shall be…" Kalulah cocked her head to the side for a moment, thinking hard. "Her name shall be Samicah."
Colm and Ionas seemed happy with this—Colm more so than Ionas.
"She has spunk," Kalulah said, grinning. "It'll be fun to watch you guys try to keep up with her."
"Do!" Ionas huffed, moving his leg to turn the body in the direction they'd previously been walking. The clouds shifted beneath them, and Colm followed his lead begrudgingly.
"Hey guys," Kalulah said, stopping them, "Samicah really needs some help. Let's fly the rest of the way there."
They stood still, allowing Kalulah to mount them after tossing the ball into her backpack. She zipped it closed quickly, and pulled her goggles up from around her neck to sit on her forhead, before swinging one leg up and tugging herself onto Ionas and Colm's back. It seemed they'd grown taller all of a sudden—perhaps they'd grown a level after this mornings battle? Kalulah smiled.
"Let us," she called out loudly, prompting a small surprised jump from Ionas and Colm, "thank the mighty avian gods for all they have given us!"
Ionas and Colm both called out loudly in agreement.
"Do!"
"Duo!"
And with that, Kalulah reached up and tugged down her goggles, tapping her steed gently in the side with her booted foot. They took the signal, beginning their straight sprint down the cloud patch, pumping their heads up and down in rhythm. Kalulah leaned down and wrapped her arms around their midsection to allow them better aerodynamics. Her body shifted back and forth in time with Ionas and Colm. When they'd run a few feet, she could feel the familiar lifting sensation in her stomach, announcing the beginning of flight.
Kalulah had always found this part the most exhilarating. Landing was rather blunt—you were in the air, and then you weren't. Flying itself was nice, but not terrifying, like the first few moments of rising and heaving your body upward. Not much compared to it, besides perhaps skydiving, or when you suddenly wake up from a dream where you're falling. As they rose into the air, Kalulah let out a scream, which was typical of her in these situations. Ionas and Colm responded with screams of their own, and then they were off the path, soaring through the air with a clumsy grace. Their body wiggled through the air, like a caterpie wiggled along a branch. The sensation tickled Kalulah's stomach, and she sat up stifling a giggle.
She could see the path dissipating below them. With no current purpose, it felt no need to linger, and so went elsewhere til the time in which a new walker might need its services. The wind flew past Kalulah, whipping her hair back against her shoulders. The curls pulled out, them swirled back in, creating a deep-gold mosaic in the sun. Kalulah's necklace came up and tickled her neck, but she did nothing about it. The feathers simply made her happy with their existence.
Ionas and Colm, with the hardest part of their flight done, set into an easy rhythm, wiggling up and down every now and then to maintain balance in the changing altitudes and winds. Their necklaces bobbed in the wind as well.
A flock of spearow flew up to their left side, and for a brief moment Kalulah was worried they'd attack. She leaned down, and whispered to Colm, who immediately let out a mighty Growl, scaring the flock into the clouds.
Other than that, the flight was rather calm, and with a final glance towards the blue sky mirrored on the tops of the cream clouds, Kalulah ordered the twin heads lower, closer to where the town would undoubtedly soon come into view. The cloud path reformed at Kalulah's willing, becoming completely solid as the pair of bird feet hit their surface. The feet slid a few feet, kicking up puffs of clouds, before stopping completely. Kalulah hopped down, patting both Ionas and Colm, and whispering thanks for their safe flight.
They walked for a few moments, and the gates of the city came into view. A feeling of happiness spread over Kalulah—this was the city of the great god Articuno. There would no doubt be many kind, beautiful people here, and a wonderful temple for her to pay tribute to. The trio picked up their speed, practically jogging through the gates, but were stopped suddenly by a man who appeared from the other sides of the gate.
"Halt!" he called with a voice of authority. All three skidded to a stop, willing to oblige if it meant speedy entrance. "You may not pass into the city until you battle me!"