The rain lashed Estelle’s yellow fur as the skyder scrambled up the tree, looking for shelter. Panting, she climbed onto a branch, staying as close to the trunk as possible. Thunder rumbled above, and she cowered in fear, covering herself with her wing-membranes.
But then… out of the corner of her eye, Estelle spotted something that stood out against the dark blue of the night. It was a creature, about ten times the size of a skyder, that had collapsed on the forest floor. Its scales were various shades of orange, and it had wings that were loosely connected to its forelimbs.
One of its wings was torn.
Estelle had no idea what it was, or what it was doing in the forest. She should have felt scared… but she felt curious instead. Apprehensively, she spread out her wings; as she was about to glide down, lightning struck a nearby tree. Startled, she fell off the branch.
The next thing Estelle saw was an orange face with golden eyes looking at her. At first she thought she was about to be eaten, but then she realised there was a look of… concern in those eyes.
“Are you alright?”
She didn’t know things-that-weren’t-skyders could TALK!
“You fell from a really high place. I would’ve rescued you, but…” the creature lifted up a wing, revealing that it was torn.
It was only then that Estelle registered what this creature was: a bonflier. Bonfliers, she had been told, were the biggest, fiercest predators in the world. During the day, they patrolled the skies, swooping down to grab their prey in their huge claws and countless, sharp teeth. Supposedly, the only reason bonfliers didn’t eat skyders was because skyders were so good at hiding during the day, when bonfliers were awake.
So why was this one concerned about her? In the middle of the night?
You call him an it, third-person-limited Estelle!