Evan slept little that night. His mind replayed the watcher’s warning again and again. A Rootstorm. A century old threat. A crisis that could cripple the continent’s trade. And Dragon Freight stood at the center of it.
He rose before dawn and began writing plans on large sheets of parchment. He drew flight paths that avoided deep forest regions. He sketched out new harness designs for emergency turns. He listed every beast he needed. Gale watched him with calm interest.
When the sun finally reached the horizon Evan mounted Gale and returned to the eastern ridge to transport the remaining wyverns and the gryphon he purchased.
The handlers greeted him with surprise. They expected him the next day not the same morning. Evan explained only that the sky was changing and he needed his beasts immediately. They did not ask further questions. Beast handlers understood instinctive danger better than most people.
Evan secured the second young wyvern in a reinforced cage and attached it under Gale’s saddle frame. The flight back was smoother than expected. No storms. No shadow beasts at the ridge. But Evan still scanned the forest with caution.
Back at his camp he set the young wyvern in a smaller enclosure and examined its posture. Calm eyes strong wings slow breathing. A good transport candidate once trained.
The third trip brought the gryphon. The creature shrieked and flapped its wings when Gale landed. Gryphons and wyverns rarely tolerated each other but Evan separated them with a high fence and calming herbs burned nearby.
By afternoon Evan had three new beasts and a growing sense of responsibility.
He named the wyverns Ember and Strand. The gryphon he named Crest.
Ember was quick to respond to sound. Strand preferred to glide rather than flap. Crest watched everything with sharp intelligence. Evan recorded their behaviors in his notebook. Each beast needed a unique training plan.
He spent hours setting up the training grounds. He built posts for landing practice. Climbing perches for wing strength. Narrow tunnels made of wooden frames to train maneuvering. Gale watched from above with quiet pride as Evan worked.
Evan trained each beast with slow patient steps. He rewarded small progress. He taught them not to fear the harness. He helped them learn simple signals. Every gesture mattered. Beasts learned with experience not force.
Gale assisted in a surprising way. When Ember panicked during wing folding practice Gale stepped closer and nudged the young wyvern. Ember calmed quickly. Gale’s presence gave confidence to the others. Evan realized the older wyvern had already taken a leadership role.
By the third day Ember learned to glide from a small hill to a landing post. Strand learned to balance with cargo weights tied to a practice harness. Crest learned to circle the camp at low altitude without losing stability.
Evan watched them with pride and also with worry. The watcher’s warning gave him limited time. The Rootstorm surge would arrive in less than two weeks. His beasts needed to be ready for emergency flight and high altitude travel before then.
That evening a caravan passed near the camp. The merchants gathered around Evan’s enclosure with wide eyes.
“Are those real wyverns” one man asked
“And a gryphon What kind of merchant are you”
Evan smiled slightly. “A logistics founder. A new kind of transport company”
The merchants whispered among themselves. Finally a woman stepped forward. “We heard about your delivery to Northfall Village. They say you flew through storms and shadow beasts. Is it true”
“Yes” Evan answered “And I will continue offering rapid delivery. If you need goods moved across dangerous routes I am willing to take the job”
The woman hesitated then opened a long crate. Inside were silver bars wrapped in cloth.
“We need these delivered to Frostbridge Town. The roads are blocked by frost bears. Our caravan cannot pass. Will your wyvern do it”
Evan looked at Gale. The wyvern tilted its head as if ready for another mission.
“Yes” Evan said “Dragon Freight accepts the job”
The merchants looked relieved.
Evan lifted the silver bars and studied their weight. Enough to slow a small beast but manageable for Gale.
But then he noticed something else in the crate. A faint shimmer across the silver. He touched it gently and felt a pulse of mana.
“Where did this silver come from” Evan asked
The woman frowned. “From the northern mines near the edge of the forest”
Evan’s expression hardened. “The forest that is changing”
The merchants looked confused.
Evan closed the crate slowly.
He knew what this meant.
The Rootstorm’s influence had already reached the mines.
And now he was carrying its echo into the sky.
He tightened Gale’s harness.
Another mission awaited.
Another risk.
Another test for Dragon Freight.