<h4>Chapter 9:</h4>


    Well, once all thatmotion settles down and we go back to our nest, as my mother barely leaves my side and when she goes hunting she forces me to hide in the nest until she gets back, and even if I dislike being locked up for so long I can''t really me her for it, but at least all that gives me enough time to truly analyze my status.


    And the enormous difference between them.


    Stamina is alright is seems, but not only my HP is very low but my magic is sky high, what''s up with that? Is clear for me, however, that the only path I can follow to became stronger is to invest my training into magic.


    So I ask the only person around, my mother, to teach me those as well but... oh well.


    "Is something you feel inside and forms outside, you know? Like when you feel a buzzing in your stomach and it gushes out a wind st, you know?"


    ... Feeling in our stomach? Wind st? Isn''t it just stomach ache? Sorry, but no, I don''t understand at all!


    "...Momma, don''t understand." I say, but she is not surprised by it anymore, only sighing, thinking that perhaps her son is a little stupid, and not that her exnation doesn''t make sense at all!


    "Momma, magic teacher! Magic user!" I say, still a little far from makingplex phrases with this beak.


    She tilts her head, cleaning her beak with her paws as he munches on a red sweet white apple, called white apple even though is red because it only grows in cold ces like this, and until is ready to be eaten it is actually white to meddle with the snow, but very red and easy to spot once is done.


    After enjoying such sweet meal she seems to ponder about my words, thinking, then she finally says:


    "Oh, right, how about we meet some of my friends? They must be very eager to know you! And perhaps we can find a magic teacher there too!" She gives a little jump to stand, making noticeable her excitement as out of nowhere her face is up close to me as, like a mother cat, she grabs me by the back of the neck and stand with me at her beak, and without giving me enough time to settle in jumps up into a dash fly, where she would hover above the ground for a few moments before leaping again.


    Mother, I appreciate the concern of not taking fly with me on your beak, but please could you stop shaking so much, I''m starting to feel a little dizzy and sick and-


    Ok, scratch that, very, very dizzy now.


    The less evil is that, at least, we get to the ce quite quickly, so my tormentsts only a few minutes when we go towards one of the peaks, this one is made of pure rock and soil, not many trees and no rivers or snow on them, and I learn why in a moment.


    For, after looking closely, I start noticing that the one seemly empty smooth rock is actually filled with wholes here and there where flying winged peoplee and go in and out from, like bees out of a beehive.


    Looking up to it I already dread seeing that they look like the only way in and, dreading the following events already, I''m not really surprised when mother finally takes fly to get to one of the lower rock balconies that the ce has, but still I have to close my eyes to stop the world from spinning.


    She puts me softly on the floor, and it takes me a few moments to adjust after the gushing air and the deafening buzzing sensation, having to blink my eyes a few times to adjust to the darker inside as I look towards the round carved entrance.


    "This is their outpost hon." My mother says as I finally manage to have a good look in the insides of this oddlyplex yet hidden construction.


    And if it looked like an average mountain from the outside, the inside is far from it.


    There are some smaller holes here and there that let the natural light in, brightening up the gigantic open space in the middle where enormous pirs hold the ceiling and inner walls of the mountain steady, but beyond that natural part and some stgmites left intact the remaining structure is molded for the use of its members, with manynterns, wooden or rock made houses, smooth paths serving as roads to intertwine them, even though most of its users are flying about instead of walking like us.


    "There are a few outposts in the inds surrounding the main one where the big city is located, and they serve for housing and as market ces as well so to take the traffic off from the main city a bit. I usually just go this far too, no need to meddle in more troublesome things in the big city...usually at least." Mother says.


    I''m so excited by all the new things surrounding us that I''m almost trampled over by the passing people,pletely forgetting just how small I''m currently and that it would be dangerous for me to wonder about like this.


    Back and forth in such situation, I end up conceding and climbing at my mother''s back, making sure not to harm her with my ws even though they are too small to do any damage, but once I''m at her back is like a new world opens up in front of me.


    And all the smells, the sounds,e to life in front of me, for truly it is a merchant outpost, filled with many goods, from colorful cloth hanging to vibrant crystalnterns that fill my eyes with gleam, books, writing utensils, armors, weapons, meat, fruits, leather, all sorts of things are sold here.


    "Hello Alinda! What a nice day isn''t it? Is being so long, where have you being? Brought any goods to us today?" A merchant says, the one selling bows and arrows, making so my mother approaches him to greet.


    "Is has been quite a while indeed, I did not bring any feathers this time around, sorry."


    "Oh, is alright, just that your feathers make the best arrows, I''ve evene up with a name for them, they are now the "Silent Arrow" because your feather makes no sound at all! Is amazing!"


    "Haha, thanks, I actually came to find a mage to teach my son, have you seen any?"


    "Wait, son?" At that he finally looks around for me and, being a little darker than my mother''s white back, he manages to spot me. "Ah! What a cutie! Hellou there, name''s Roger, nice meeting you!"


    "Wait, Alinda''s son?" "Alinda? Where is she?"


    After that chaos unfolds for every seller around gazes at us and, seeing Alinda, then seeing me, they all came to greet and congratte, and many even bring presents with them, chattering and smiling and sometimes petting my back.


    In the end, not only we got a hold of many goods to bring back to our nest, but discovered that there was no mage there, and the only one they heard of was in main town.


    Another travel for another day... for these apple fresh pies cannot wait!