The scene turned bizarre and chaotic as an overwhelming, musky odor swept over the soldiers.


    The intensity of the smell struck like a physical force, making some of them cough violently while others gagged and clutched their noses.


    The air itself seemed to grow thicker, warmer, and saturated with a strange, cloying heat that was both suffocating and nauseating.


    "What in the world is that smell?!" Harlin shrieked, his voice cracking as he stumbled back, waving his hands in front of his face as if trying to push the stench away.


    "It''s... it''s horrible!" Tova cried, her eyes watering as she mped both hands over her mouth and nose.


    Reva, always the most stoic, tried to steady herself, but even she was visibly shaken, her face pale as she muttered, "This isn''t normal... this isn''t normal!"


    Lucas staggered, clutching his chest. "It''s like... it''s invading my lungs!" he gasped.


    And then, without warning, one of the younger soldiers, a boy named Callen, dropped to his knees, his eyes rolling back as he copsed in a heap.


    "Callen!" Reva screamed, rushing toward him.


    But she didn''t make it far. The stench intensified, a wave so strong that it seemed to twist the air around them. Another soldier, Kell, toppled over, groaning weakly before losing consciousness.


    "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" Tova wailed, stumbling and clutching at Lucas for support.


    "I CAN''T BREATHE!" Harlin shouted, his voice muffled by the scarf he desperately pressed to his face.


    And then it hit them—the source of the stench. The beast beneath them had begun its awkward, jerky movements again, its massive body undting in strange, rhythmic motions. The air was filled with unsettling, guttural noises, low growls, and asional roars that reverberated through their bones.


    "What... what is it doing now?" Tova stammered, her voice weak with dread.


    Lucas''s eyes widened in horror as realization dawned on him. "Oh no... no, no, no, no, NO!"


    "What?!" Harlin demanded, his face twisted in panic.


    Lucas pointed a trembling finger at the beast''s head as it dipped low, then back at the other side of the floating ind where another, slightly smaller creature had appeared, its wings ring and its body trembling in response.


    "It''s... IT''S MATING!" Lucas screamed, his voice breaking.


    "WHAT?!" Reva and Tova shouted in unison, their voices rising several octaves.


    Lyerin, who had been standing calmly at the beast''s back, pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Well, it''s about time someone noticed," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "Didn''t I tell you all that already?"


    The soldiers erupted into chaos.


    "MATING?!" Harlin yelled, his voice cracking as he stumbled backward, nearly tripping over one of the unconscious soldiers. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"


    "How... HOW IS THIS HAPPENING?!" Tova screamed, her voice muffled by the scarf she was now tying around her face.


    "IS THIS EVEN REAL?!" Reva cried, looking as if she might faint herself.


    Another wave of the stench hit them, even stronger than before, and three more soldiers crumpled to the ground, their bodies twitching before going still.


    "LYERIN!" Lucas shouted, his face red with desperation. "DO SOMETHING!"


    Lyerin turned to face them, his expression a mix of amusement and irritation. "What exactly do you expect me to do?" he asked, his tone dry.


    "STOP IT!" Tova shouted, tears streaming down her face as she waved her hands around hysterically. "MAKE IT STOP!"


    Lyerinughed, a low, rumbling sound that only seemed to irritate the soldiers further. "Oh,e on," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "It''s just nature doing its thing. Rx."


    "RELAX?!" Harlin shrieked, his voice reaching a pitch that bordered on inhuman. "WE''RE GOING TO DIE FROM THIS SMELL!"


    Another soldier, barely conscious, let out a weak groan before slumping overpletely.


    "That''s five down!" Lucas yelled, his eyes darting around in panic. "We''re dropping like flies!"


    Lyerin rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine," he said, his tone sharp. "Everyone, listen up! Cover your noses. Use your scarves, your shirts, whatever you''ve got. Do it now!"


    The soldiers scrambled to follow hismand, pulling scarves, shirts, and anything else they could find over their faces.


    "What about the ones who are out cold?!" Reva asked, her voice muffled by the scarf tied tightly around her face.


    Lyerin gestured toward the unconscious soldiers with a wave of his hand. "Wake them up," he said, his tone firm. "p them, pour water on them, I don''t care. Just get them up before we''re left behind."


    Reva and Lucas immediately set to work, shaking the unconscious soldiers and pping their faces lightly. Harlin poured water from his canteen over Callen''s head, and the boy sputtered awake, coughing violently as he clutched his chest.


    "WHAT HAPPENED?!" Callen screamed, his voice hoarse.


    "NO TIME TO EXPLAIN!" Harlin shouted. "JUST COVER YOUR NOSE AND DON''T PASS OUT AGAIN!"


    Slowly, one by one, the unconscious soldiers were roused, though their movements were sluggish and their faces pale. The stench was still overwhelming, but with their noses covered, they could at least function.


    Meanwhile, the beast''s movements became even more erratic, its roars growing louder and more guttural.


    "It''s getting worse!" Tova cried, her voice trembling. "Are we really just going to sit here while this... this thing... DOES THIS?!"


    Lyerin smirked, clearly enjoying the chaos. "Unless you feel like hopping off and taking your chances with the floating inds below," he said, "I suggest you stay put and deal with it."


    The soldiers groaned and mutteredints under their breath, but none of them dared to argue further.


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the beast let out onest, deafening roar and settled back onto the floating ind, its body trembling slightly as ity still.


    The soldiers sat in stunned silence, their faces pale and their breathsing in short, shallow gasps.


    "Is it... over?" Reva asked hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper.


    Lyerin chuckled, shaking his head. "For now," he said. "But don''t get toofortable. Who knows what this thing will do next?"


    The atmosphere grew unbearable as the beast beneath them began to thrash with renewed vigor.


    Its movements were no longer awkward or sporadic—they were forceful, rhythmic, and earth-shaking.


    Each motion sent tremors rippling through the floating ind they rested upon, and the very air seemed to hum with the resonance of its activity.


    "WHAT IN THE NAME OF EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING?!" Harlin screamed as he clung desperately to one of the beast''s massive feathers. His knuckles were white, and his face was pale with terror.


    "It''s—it''s worse now!" Tova shrieked, nearly losing her grip as the beast bucked beneath them.


    The smell hit them again, tenfold, an overwhelming wave of musk and heat that seemed to sap the strength from their bodies.


    Several soldiers began to cough violently, their faces twisting in disgust as they tried and failed to block the stench from reaching their noses.


    "It''s like it''sing from everywhere!" Reva shouted, her voice muffled by the scarf she had tied over her face. "There''s no escape!"


    Another tremor rocked the beast, and several soldiers slid across its back, scrambling to find something to hold onto as the creature''s movements grew more erratic.


    Lucas yelled, "Hold on to the feathers! Don''t let go!" He dug his hands into the base of one, his face twisted with both determination and sheer panic.


    Callen, still woozy from his earlier fainting spell, whimpered, "I can''t do this anymore! I''m going to fall!"


    "You''re NOT falling!" Reva barked, reaching out to grab his arm and anchor him in ce.


    The roaring intensified.


    The beast let out a guttural, thunderous cry that reverberated through the soldiers'' chests like the deep toll of a bell.


    The sound was so powerful it left some of them temporarily deafened, their ears ringing as they clung for dear life.


    And then came the earthquakes.


    The ground beneath them, or rather the beast''s massive body, began to tremble violently.


    At first, it was subtle, like a low vibration beneath their feet. But it quickly escted, the tremors growing in intensity until it felt like they were standing on a copsing mountain.


    "IT''S AN EARTHQUAKE!" Harlin screamed.


    "IT''S NOT THE GROUND, HARLIN!" Lucas yelled back. "IT''S THE BEAST!"


    "THIS IS WORSE THAN AN EARTHQUAKE!" Tova wailed, her eyes wide with terror as she hugged a feather tightly, her legs dangling precariously off the side of the beast.


    The smell grew even stronger, an oppressive wave of heat and musk that seemed to choke the very air around them. One by one, soldiers began to gag and cough, their faces pale and their movements sluggish.


    "I CAN''T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" one soldier shouted, clutching his stomach as he tried to fight the nausea.


    "We''re going to suffocate!" another cried, his voice breaking as he buried his face in his arm.


    Lyerin, who had been sitting calmly near the beast''s massive neck, let out a low, rumblingugh. "HAHAHA WERE GONNA DIE!," he said, his voice cutting through the chaos like a knife.


    "YOOUUU!" Reva screamed, her voice high-pitched and incredulous.


    Lyerin smirked, shaking his head. "You''re not going to die," he said, his tone as calm as ever. "Like I said, this is just... nature doing its thing."


    "NATURE?!" Lucas yelled, his face red with exertion as he clung to the feathers. "THIS ISN''T NATURE, THIS IS TORTURE!"


    Another deafening roar from the beast silenced the soldiers for a moment, their eyes wide with terror as they felt the vibrations intensify beneath them. The feathers they clung to began to heat up, glowing faintly red as the beast''s body temperature seemed to rise with its activity.


    "IT''S GETTING HOTTER!" Tova cried, pulling her hand away from the feather as if it had burned her.


    "WE''RE GOING TO BURN ALIVE!" Harlin screamed, his voice breaking.


    "NO, YOU''RE NOT!" Lyerin snapped, his voice sharp andmanding. "You''ve already adapted to the heat. Your bodies can handle this!"


    The soldiers stared at him, their faces a mixture of disbelief and panic.


    "How can you be so sure?!" Reva demanded, her voice trembling.


    Lyerin chuckled darkly. "Because I made sure of it," he said simply. "Now stop whining and hold on. It''ll be over soon."


    Another roar, even louder than thest, shook the air around them, and the beast beneath them began to thrash wildly. The soldiers screamed in unison, their voices drowned out by the creature''s cries and the rumbling of its body.


    "I CAN''T HOLD ON!" Callen shouted, his fingers slipping from the feather he had been gripping.


    "You CAN and you WILL!" Reva yelled, grabbing his arm just as he began to slide off the beast''s back.


    The tremors reached their peak, the beast''s body jerking and bucking so violently that it felt like they were riding through a storm at sea. Feathers began to rise and fall in strange, erratic patterns, creating a dizzying, chaotdscape around them.


    And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the thrashing stopped. The beast let out one final, triumphant roar before copsing onto the floating ind, its body heaving as ity still.


    The soldiers were left panting and trembling, their faces pale and their bodies drenched in sweat.


    "Is it... over this time? For real? Please let it be over…?" Tova asked weakly, her voice barely above a whisper.


    Lyerin smirked, leaning back against one of the massive feathers. "I hope so," he said, his tone casual.