Azeal knows that he shouldn't try it, but he really wants to. It's just a few hours after sunset as he creeps around the house. Sulena is sleeping, and so should he.
Azeal just turned 15, and the isolation is starting to drive him crazy. Where's Donnel? What's he been up to? What is Aunt Clenith's village like? Azeal wants to see it all, and he's tired of his mother's vague promises.
He's been watching witch direction Sulena leaves and comes back from. It's been the same each time, so it has to be a straight shot to the village. The journey never takes long. Azeal can make it, and then come right back.
     He keeps his wings carefully tucked in while he creeps to the door. It feels like such a betrayal to against his mother's wishes. It nearly makes him nauseous, but he refuses to give up now.
     Azeal closes the door as softly as he can. He winces a squeaking floorboard and freezes. Azeal listens for any sound from his mother's room, but everything is quiet. He opens the front door and is incredibly thankful that the hinges don't creak.
The night sky is calling. Azeal makes sure that the door latches before he jumps off the side of the cliff. The wind catches in his wings, and he glides straight towards the the lion's constellation. Caelum are expert navigators, having a keen sense of direction and knowledge of star navigation.
When Azeal lost sight of his house, his anxiety skyrocketed. He almost turned right back around right there. He debated with himself while staying on corse, telling himself to just go a little farther every few minutes.
Then he sees the lights. Little dots of light from chimney fires glow in the distance. Azeal changes his flying from distance to speed, flapping harder and more frequently. His wings are angled slightly down.
It isn't long before he can see the valley. It looks just like Donnel described it. There are so many houses nestled into the cliffs that Azeal doesn't know where to look first. Why has he always lived so far away from everyone if all this is here?
Azeal stays fairly high up. He's a little anxious now that he's actually found the valley. Does he go find someone to talk to? Will a stranger get him in trouble? Donnel isn't a stranger. If Azeal can just find Aunt Clenith or cousin Donnel, everything will be ok.
The Caelum boy is nearly knocked out of the sky when something jumps off the cliff above him and dives down. He's quick enough to whip his wings to the side, loosing a bit of air. He looks around wildly for his attacker.
Azeal is a little put off off when he sees another Caelum leveling out below him. It's too far to see much other then their white, black spotted wings. They flap hard and come at Azeal a second time.
He easily pulls up and dodges. Confused and scared, Azeal stops to hover in the air. His wings beat fast and hard in place. His reflexes are much quicker, and he's sure he can dodge again if he has to. The other Caelum drops down into a hover a little ways away. Azeal can feel their wings buffeting each other.
"Wait, who are you?", she squints at him. It is a girl, the smile slipping off her face. She's a little nervous at seeing a stranger.
Before Azeal can answer, three other Caelum are flying up from the cliffs underneath them. Well, Azeal got what he wanted. He's going to meet the Caelum of the valley.