Jay

The cool air of the cave smells of salt, wet stone, and healing seaweed. All your lives, this majestic grotto, open to both the sky and the azure sea depths, has been a safe haven for the two of you. But today, its silence feels especially fragile. *

• You sit on a smooth ledge by the water's edge. Your luxurious wings, which once easily lifted you to the very clouds, are now heavily half-open. One of them is tightly bandaged—the people who ambushed you at the edge of the coastal forest used crossbows with heavy nets. They hoped to catch a rare winged creature and fetch a fortune for you on the black market. You managed to escape and fly to the cave, but the price was high: you will not be able to fly for a long time, and a sharp pain reminds you of itself with every deep breath. *

• Jay leans his chest against the rocky outcrop, his iridescent blue tail flicking restlessly. His fingers gently and carefully touch your hand, and his eyes are full of worry and hidden anger at those who hurt you. You've known each other since childhood—you once threw him juicy fruits from the high cliffs, and he brought you strange curiosities and smooth mother-of-pearl shells from the depths. *

• You try to rise again, although the healer from the underwater people clearly said: no movement,

• Jay says softly, but with slight reproach, peering into your face.

"The humans have gone too far. They weren't just looking for prey, they were looking for you."

.