The sun rose over the edge of Ironwind Valley with a pale gold light that softened the sharp rocks and wild shadows. Evan finished feeding Gale and checked the bindings on the wyvern’s saddle. The first delivery was a success but the work had barely started. Today he planned to expand the operation by visiting a remote beast handler camp on the eastern ridge. He needed more young wyverns and possibly a gryphon if the price was acceptable.
Gale folded its wings and waited calmly. The wyvern sensed Evan’s mood. There was a slight tension in the air because visiting beast handlers was never simple. Most of them lived far from towns and followed old customs that outsiders did not understand. Some saw beasts as tools. Others saw them as sacred partners. A few saw them as living treasures not to be sold to merchants. Evan had dealt with one camp before but the eastern ridge group was different.
He finished his morning tea packed dried meat into a leather pouch and mounted Gale. The wyvern launched into the sky with a steady beat of wings. As they gained altitude Evan looked down at the valley and saw the usual morning movement. A herd of stonebacks marched along a rocky path. Their heavy shells made a deep rhythmic sound. Above them a shadow glided. It was a cliff hawk searching for prey.
Gale avoided the hawk and followed a current of warm air that lifted them higher. Evan guided the wyvern toward a narrow pass where the stone cliffs formed a natural gate. The wind changed direction as they entered the pass. Gale adjusted its wings and slowed just enough to avoid turbulence.
After half an hour of flight the eastern ridge appeared. It was a long stretch of flat land broken by scattered pine trees. Smoke rose from two camps. The larger one had wooden fences and tall watch posts. The smaller one was simple with tents arranged in a half circle. Evan guided Gale toward the smaller camp.
When they landed three beast handlers approached. They wore heavy leather coats and carried long staves. Their eyes studied Gale with sharp focus. Wyverns trained from hatchlings were rare. Seeing one land calmly with a rider attracted immediate attention.
One handler stepped forward. He had gray hair but strong posture. His coat was decorated with small pieces of carved bone. He looked at Evan then at Gale.
“You ride well” the man said
“Not many can sit on a wyvern without fear pressing their chest”
Evan bowed slightly. “My name is Evan Drakemarch. I run a new transport company using trained beasts. I am looking to purchase young wyverns or gryphons if you have any for sale”
The handlers exchanged glances. The gray haired man tapped his staff against the ground.
“You wish to use them for trade routes”
“Yes” Evan answered “I plan to build a safe network across the continent”
A younger handler frowned. He walked closer and studied Gale’s harness.
“Trade routes have taken more lives than wars in these lands” he said “Beasts are not simple animals. They sense danger. They react. If you force them to carry goods through the valley they will suffer”
Evan kept his expression steady. “I do not force them I train them. I study their habits and design routes based on their natural strengths”
The handlers seemed surprised. Most merchants only cared about speed not safety or biology.
The gray haired man crossed his arms. “How many beasts do you intend to buy”
Evan looked at the camp. There were at least six cages in the distance. Inside he saw small shapes of young wyverns still growing their flight muscles.
“As many as I can afford without harming your balance”
The gray haired man raised an eyebrow. “Balance”
“Yes your breeding lines your population needs your long term stock. If I buy too many I break your cycle. That is not good for business for you or for me”
The handlers nodded with new respect.
They led Evan to a tent where they kept their training tools. Inside were feeding logs claw growth records and lists of parent lineage. Evan studied each document carefully.
The younger handler watched him. “You read beast lineage like a scholar”
“I worked in a merchant house for years” Evan said “But my mind was always on beasts I grew up around sea drakes so I understand training cycles”
The gray haired man smiled slightly. “You are not the usual fool who thinks he can tie a saddle to a beast and call himself a rider”
Evan closed the ledger and looked at the cages. “I want to start with two wyverns from separate bloodlines. They need strong wings and calm personality. I also want one gryphon if possible”
The younger handler hesitated. “Gryphons are not cheap”
“I know” Evan said
“And they require special training Some bite through harnesses”
“I can pay with coin and with routes” Evan replied “If you want goods delivered from towns I can do it faster and safer than caravans”
The handlers looked at each other again. Trading routes with a new company was risky but they saw Gale standing calmly behind Evan and they saw the confidence in his voice.
After a long discussion they agreed to show him the young beasts. The first wyvern was a dark green female with steady eyes. The second was a sandy brown male with broad wings. The gryphon was a young male with golden feathers and curious eyes.
Evan spent an hour observing their breathing patterns wing stretches and reactions to noise. He selected all three.
The handlers prepared the beasts while Evan calculated weight ratios. Gale could carry only one at a time. Evan arranged temporary cages and planned three trips.
When the deal was sealed the gray haired man held out his hand.
“You have vision” he said “If you succeed the continent will change”
“I intend to” Evan answered
As Evan mounted Gale again he felt the weight of responsibility growing heavier but also more exciting. The company was no longer one wyvern and a dream. It was becoming a fleet.
He guided Gale up into the sky with the first young wyvern secured in a cage below the saddle frame. As they flew back toward the valley he felt the shift in the wind. A storm was forming fast.
He smiled.
Of course the world would test him the moment he expanded.