“One person to control it… Two orbs...” Gründ muttered. Suddenly it clicked! “Wait… What if these circles outside were actually places to land? Or to take off? Feathers, soaring the skies, walking Kurr… Yes! The Ancients built a flying machine!” He laughed. This was almost too good to be true. If the Ancients had really found a way to fly, maybe better than his wings…

“Bared won’t believe me without a proof. I need to find it.” Bared would probably have wanted to see these buildings, even without any proof, but Gründ wouldn’t take any risks. He felt that this discovery was more important than he could imagine, and maybe he could find more…

He rushed out of the building and looked around, almost expecting to see it floating in front of the entrance. Of course, it didn’t. That didn’t discourage our young Töskr, who started running around looking for anything with feathers. He didn’t really know what to look for, the drawing had been partially erased by time, but the runes had said feathers, so feathers he sought.

“Not this… Not that… That’s a bird… Maybe here? Nope. There? Outch! Why am I so clumsy?!” He looked down at the stone that had made him trip. Then he looked again. It looked like… “No. Yes? Maybe. Let’s try and dig it out.”

Forgetting all about the pain in his paw, he started moving the earth away from the stone. The more he saw of it, the more it looked like a feather. Gründ was not believing his eyes. He had found it! Just a bit more, and he saw part of a cockpit. There was his proof. He fell on his behind, suddenly overcome by emotion. He, Gründ, had discovered one of the greatest secrets of the Ancients. He looked up, as if to search the Core for traces of them, and realized how late it was. He would never make it back to the colony before dark if he didn’t leave at once.

A last look at the half-dug machine and he turned to the forest, took a deep breath, and started running. He was certain of the direction now, thanks to the other continents pointing the way, and he had found a path that seemed to lead where he wanted to go. Life was decidedly smiling at him this pulse!

He was so happy that he almost passed by that bush without seeing it. A tail was sticking out of it, that looked like one of his hunting companion’s.

“Hey! What are you doing here?” No answer from the bush, he might not have been heard… Gründ approached a bit more, wondering… “Did you come looking for me? I’m sorry for taking so long, but I found something and… Wait”

The tail moved, retreating inside the bush, and a noise that had nothing to do with a Töskr’s voice resounded.

“Not very talkative, are you?” He was starting to get really worried, and the forest was getting darker around him. That did nothing to reassure our poor little traveller. The bushes opened slowly, letting him see a shape moving towards him. A shape he knew too well.

“You… You’re not a Töskr…”