The Creature - 📝

Bitter wind swept through Semiplume’s hair and filled Buttercorn’s wings. The bird-mollusk could feel her rider shivering as they dipped closer to the Northern Sea for the umpteenth time. Buttercorn screamed when the thing they were looking for finally surfaced, showering the pair in liquid ice.

“WHOaAAA BUTTER!!! Calm it! Please!! You nearly threw me off!” Semiplume gasped, arms wrapped around the spooked trabble.

“AAA It’s big!! Really big!!” Butter screamed back.

Semiplume’s face twisted into a smile. Familiarity with Butter’s exaggerated, child-like expressions made it do so.

Semi waited until Butter’s flying leveled out and tightness in Butter’s plumage (feathers? fur? Semi wasn’t sure what it was) eased beneath her hands.

“Can you fly us a bit closer? Please?"

Butter huffed. “Fine.”

Trabble and rider drifted lower to the creature. Cold-stiff fingers worked out a couple of pages from her satchel. (Semi’s journal was too valuable to risk losing to the sea.)

“Does it bite?”

Semi held back a laugh. “Not from what I heard. Some guys from Salvagé said it’s tipped some boats before.” And because Butter was warily eyeing the creature (mammal? fish? mollusk?) she added, “It can’t bite us from up here.”

Semi (occasionally out loud) noted down an approximate length. Observations. Swim patterns. Hypothesis. She sketched the creature as well as one could do with numb fingers on Pterrabble-back, dodging ocean spray.

She noted until she registered her companion flight was slightly trembling and the sea had started to drift closer.

“I’m getting kinda tired.” Said Buttercorn.

Semi patted her friend with an apologetic smile. “Yeah. Let’s get back to Salvagé. Ali’s gonna be annoyed we were gone this long.”

New strength filled the trabble’s wings and Buttercorn dove towards the ocean before streaking into the sky. Semi could feel Butter hum as she checked over her notes and sketches of potentially bioluminescent eyes (or eye patterns; yet to be determined).

Mostly, she was checking if she had enough RC to treat Buttercorn to a big cup of hot chocolate.