Kernel's Flight {Critiques Welcome}

[Tano-kun]

This is the original version of my short story for my application for the Baby Sunflower Rune Dragon.
If you're interested in seeing the short version, or the rest of my application, it can be found here.

I also want to thank ɾïṿεṉḋεll for the basic concept behind this story.

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Kernel's Flight

The ocean breeze lifted the bright dragon as he hovered over his favorite garden, full of his favorite flowers. The sun shone brightly over all the inhabitants of the island, both plant and animal alike. Though it must be noted that many of the animal islanders had sought shade on such a scorching day. Not this dragon, however. Oh no, he thrived in the harsh weather. Just like his favorite flowers, the summer was his best friend and companion. Only under the summer sun could he shine so brilliantly, fly so quickly, and love so whole-heartedly. The breeze carried him up and up, and drew him back and forth over the crest of his garden’s boundaries to the sands of the nearby ocean. Just like the moon pushed and pulled the ocean every day, he was pulled into the ocean, and pushed back. The two most important things for a sunflower were water and light, and he was no different.

Though his body focused on the feel of the sun against his feathers, and the wind rushing against him, his mind had wandered to the strange being that had recently landed on the island. It was a group of lost folk, and most of them were simple canines, but there was one that was different. He wasn’t unattractive, nor was he like a completely different species. But rather, his proportions were different than the canines, and he had an extra-long tail with a tuft of fur at the end. When first they had come onto the island, it had been evident they had been lost in a storm of some kind on the sea. They were hurt, hungry, and very, very scared. It seemed that they were a family, and had been traveling to an over sea village that was in need of a healer, like the family’s mother. The storm had caught them off guard, and they had been ill-prepared and suffered greatly for it. The youngest of the family, a small female wolf, had very nearly passed away due to a sickness she had caught while they traveled. Had they not stumbled upon the kind Rune folk of this island, they certainly would have lost her.

The remaining family members, four in total, including the strange canine-like creature, had been in trouble as well. They were hungry, and covered in minor injuries that desperately needed tending. The family was very grateful to the Rune folk for their hospitality, and in return were doing their best to repay their debt after being healed. The youngest of the wolf clan, unfortunately, was still very sick, and spent all of her time asleep in a small cave that had been given to the wolves for their stay on the small island. It seemed that the strange one, who the village had been informed was called a Kiamara, was the adopted son of the wolf parents, but was very much a strong part of their family. He didn’t speak much to the villagers, but he had never been unkind to any of them, either. And so, the little Sunflower rune couldn’t help but be curious about the male.

His musings were interrupted, however, when a strong gust of wind drove him into a downwards spiral towards the edge of his sunflower garden, into the nearby forest. The wind was relentless, and shoved him into numerous branches as it threw him towards the forest floor. Had he been paying attention to the winds, he would have averted this disaster, but his mind easily wandered. And so he crashed through the branches, getting scratched up and banged around all the way down. And when finally, the forest floor could be seen, the Rune did his best to keep a position that would allow him a safe landing. Just before reaching a safe altitude, the wind threw another gust at the small dragon, and his position was changed, and he landed onto the ground with a painful whack. A wave of pain hit him, and it was all he could do to not cry out in pure agony.

Without having to look, the young one knew his wing had been broken. Badly, at that. And though his garden was not far from the village, it was a long walk for a seriously hurt Rune. He quickly began to concern himself over what he must do to return to his home, but the pain of his wing washed over him like waves, keeping him from maintaining his train of thought. The power of his pain drove him to sleep, for it was the only way his body was able to cope with such stress. And so the Rune’s eyes drooped, and he fell into a deep slumber.

When we awoke, his pain was not as great as it had been, and he was in his own home. Sleeping on his own nest. There was little joy for him, however, as he quickly recalled the pain that had reverberated throughout his being, as the one thing all Runes feared had happen. His wing had been broken. It may be a very long time before he was able to fly again. And he didn’t know what he’d do until then. He sighed, and fell back into his comfy nest, and forced himself to go back to sleep.

The next time the Rune awoke, he wasn’t alone. One of the Rune village’s healers had come to check up on him, and had brought him some of his favorite berries to eat. She helped him sit up so we wouldn’t dribble berry juice all over himself, and after than check his wing. His concern overwhelmed him, and he couldn’t resist the urge to ask her, “How’s my wing?”

She continued to check his wing, pressing here and there gently to avoid any more pain, but glanced at him long enough to say, “Well, Kernel, it’s healing well, but it may still be a while before you’re able to fly with it again.” Like all Runes, she knew how important a function the wing served, and she’d seen many a patient grow depressed over being unable to fly. Flying for a Rune was like breathing; without it they grew stagnant, and would slowly wilt away.

Kernel was disappointed, and is showed greatly on his crestfallen face, with a claw he touched her feathers, and looked her directly in the eyes, “How long Marie?” She didn’t seem to be willing to answer, as she continued to tend to his wing, and so he pleaded with her, “Please, Marie. I need to know.”

She hesitated, but his broken expression prompted her to answer, “It will be a month, at best.” His claw fell from her is disbelief, and she hurried out of the Rune’s home, to escape what she knew would become a broken dragon.

Kernel couldn’t sleep for a very long time after that, and went through stages of disbelief, pain, and true abysmal sadness in which he simply sat and cried. Eventually, his tears ran no more, and he had nothing else to do but escape to a dream world where he could fly to his heart’s content. He lost all sense of time, though Marie’s visits gave him the sense of a few days passing here and there. A week had passed, and already he was breaking. With concern, Marie went to the village, and voiced her worried to their leader. Meanwhile, a shadow on the outskirts of the village heard of the small Rune’s plight, and began to ponder whether or not it could ease the dragon’s sorrows.

A few days passed slowly for the land-bound Rune, who had quickly lost his appetite, and was rapidly losing weight and feathers. He no longer looked like an even remotely healthy Rune, and he received no visitors save for Marie. But even she limited her time as much as she could, because she had seen too many Runes decay and spiral to their falls. She refused to watch another.

While staring blankly at his collection of odds and ends near his bed, there was a rap at the base of Kernel’s tree. He paid it no heed at first, but it repeated for minutes on end. Finally, he forced himself out of his little nest to the hole used as a door to his hideaway. Careful not to get too close to the edge, the young Rune looked down; for he knew that no Rune capable of flight would knock on his tree for his attention. And indeed he was right. Standing below him was the creature that he had been pre-occupied with when the wind had swept him into the forest, where he had broken his wing. A Kiamara, right?

His eyes, normally very dull, showed some light, and his head cocked to the side in confusion. In a raspy voice he asked, “What are you doing here?” He was bewildered at the situation facing him. There was no logical explanation for this creature to be visiting him; for any creature to be visiting him, at that. He was aware of the way that Marie looked at him, with both pity and disgust. She had condemned him to death, and he hadn’t been fighting it. The Kiamara looked up at him without pity is his eyes. There was no judgment, and no empathy. They were simply the eyes of someone talking to another, without any special emotion behind it. Surprisingly, it relaxed the Rune. He wasn’t being judged for the first time in a very long time.

The Kiamara looked as though he found it awkward to speak, however, but tried his best, “I um, know you’re not in the best of shape, but I have a favor to ask of you.”

Oh, Kernel’s interest was piqued. What could he possibly do for this Kiamara that the brute wouldn’t do himself? He scoffed at the notion, and responded in a tone that dripped annoyance, “What is it?”

The Kiamara paid no heed to the tone behind the question, and directly told the young dragon what his request was and why he was requesting it, “Well, my little sister finally seems to be feeling better, but she’s requested sunflower seeds. And uh, the other villagers I guess don’t really deal with the flowers, so they told me to come ask you about it.” His face was relatively stoic, but when he mentioned his sister his eyes grew soft. Kern could tell that the Kiamara loved his sibling very much, and it stirred the Rune’s heart.

He did hesitate to answer, because he knew that the large creature would have difficulty with gathering sunflower seeds, as they were so small. With a sigh, he informed the Kiamara, “It would be easier if I could come with you, but I’m unable to fly.” The last bit of his sentence was very nearly mumbled, as the thought still greatly pained him. The wing itself no longer caused immense pain, but it was taking a huge emotional toll on the small dragon.

The Kiamara perked up, and gave a genuine smile to Kern, and without a bit of hesitation, offered to let the Rune perch on his head. Kern blinked, intrigued at the thought, but wondered on the safety. Sensing his concern, the Kiamara told Kern that, “I can walk, if need be. No reason to run and cause undue risk.”

Excited at the thought of being able to leave his stuffy hideaway, Kernel agreed, and proceeded to carefully hop down the branched of his tree until he reached the lowest one. This was where it would become difficult. The other male, being extra sensitive to the other's needs all of a sudden, got closer to the tree’s bark, and jumped up with his front paws resting on the trunk, decreasing the gap that the Rune would have to fall substantially.

Kern hesitated, because the drop was still larger than he felt comfortable with. But, he closed his eyes, recalled the young wolf lying in bed, and jumped. The Kiamara caught him faster than he had expected, and he landed with a light thud onto the creature’s head. Opening his eyes, he noted that he was unharmed, and they may proceed to his beloved sunflower fields. He sighed in relief, and began to look forward to seeing the bright yellows of what he believed to be his true home. “The name’s Chiron, by the way,” the Kiamara announced, causing the Rune to jump slightly.

“Well, Chiron, you may proceed to the sunflowers. Assuming you know where they are?” He added the last part as an afterthought, as he realized that few of the island’s inhabitants actually knew its location. Few ventured so far out of the village, so it would probably be safe to say that this Chiron would not know its location.

“Yeah, it’s not too far from where I found you.” And with that, Chiron began to walk towards the sunflower field, a distance away by foot. Kern was amazed, never having thought about who had found him in the forest that day. So it was this creature? He had been saved by Chiron? The thought puzzled him, as the creature had no reason to be in the forest, but he silently gave his thanks that in fact the Kiamara had been nearby. His thoughts quickly turned to the rush of the wind against his feathers. Though they weren’t travelling fast, they still had enough momentum to get some air circulating past Kernel. And he loved it! He took in every ounce of it he could get, loving the feel of it and the sun beating down on him through the leaves overhead.

Once they exited the forest, heading for the cliff that the flowers resided on, the beauty and feelings of freedom again washed over Kern. He closed his eyes, and lifted his wings out, to regain the feeling of flight. Chiron noticed, and sped up his pace, still keeping to a safe speed. The extra rush really made Kern feel as though he was again flying through his beloved sky, over the beautiful sunflowers, and shimmering ocean. For minutes they kept it up, Kern not even noticing that Chiron had changed course so that they were running back and forth along the cliff.

When finally Kernel opened his eyes, any trance of the miserable Rune was gone. He was back to his old self, full of light and energy, and love for his land and family. He pulled his wings back in, and let out a great sigh of contentment. He looked over the cliff to the ocean, and smiled without pain. He would fly again, he knew it. He wouldn’t let his spirits be crushed by a little time without flight. He had something to look forward to, and would never let himself fall into a depression so deep again. He closed his eyes again, with the smile still pulling at his mouth, “Thank you, Chiron.”

The Kiamara slowed down to a normal walk, and wandered back over to the sunflower garden. He said nothing, but let Kern off of his head, and let the Rune take in the brilliance of the flowers. They still thrived without him, for they had what they required to live. They were still bright, without their caretaker, and did not fall under the harsh winds. He would live to be like his flowers, and he would survive this broken wing. It would heal, and he would again be able to fly like he used to. With determination in his heart, the small Rune climbed up the smallest sunflower stalk he could find, and gather as many of the seeds as he could. Once done, he gave them to Chiron with a great smile.

“I can’t thank you enough for that,” his eyes met the Kiamara’s golden orbs, “Whether intended or not, you’ve saved me from what would have been a pathetic death.” Chiron laid down on his belly, and brought his head to level with the Rune’s, and gave him a smile. He said nothing, but his eyes said everything. Somehow, he understood Kernel, and was happy to have been able to help. Carefully, Kern lifted his good wing to his face, and pulled out two golden feathers. He placed them at Chiron’s paws, and left the Kiamara to wander his garden. Hours later, he returned to his home, with the help of the Kiamara, completely refreshed, and eager to fly again.

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This is certainly not my best piece, but it's one of the few short stories I'm willing to share.
As such, I'd very much appreciate critiques.