"Don't worry, it probably won't attack us." Amir spoke to reassure everyone.
Without much panic, the group quickly composed themselves.
Amir had always been deeply interested in alien creatures. While descending and looking for a landing spot, he used the Force to project feelings of goodwill to the massive beast overhead.
As if sensing Amir's intent, it let out another ethereal, long cry and began to circle The Traveler, like a lonely child who had found a new playmate.
Finally, Amir saw a place where they could barely park. He slowly set the ship down on the narrow ledge.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. A slight scrape from this huge flying creature could make the ship lose balance, and in this mist-filled forest of peaks, a crash would be fatal.
Thankfully, this new friend knew how to keep its distance.
Amir was the first to step off the ramp. Some dark green trees grew here, their leaves hard and needle-like.
He shivered involuntarily. The climate here was much cooler than the plains below.
The group simultaneously raised their heads and looked at a protruding rock face on a nearby cliff. A creature, white with pale green markings, was observing them.
And they, in turn, were sizing it up.
This giant flying creature was covered in feathers. It had a slender neck and an elegant head with large, emerald-green eyes. It also had two strong claws that easily gripped the rock, stabilizing itself on the cliff wall. But the most eye-catching feature was its two pairs of huge wings. As they gently spread, its elegance and beauty were perfectly displayed, like a holy spirit living in seclusion among the layered peaks.
"How beautiful..." Ahsoka stared, mesmerized.
Although the others didn't speak, they all shared her thought. Even BD-4 seemed to short-circuit for a moment.
Amir couldn't help but continue trying to communicate with it. Anyone seeing such a beautiful creature would feel compelled to get closer.
And it also seemed very happy that another being could communicate with it. It flapped its wings slightly, shook its head, and hesitated whether to come forward.
Finally, it couldn't resist Amir's warmth. It leaped off the cliff wall and swooped down, like a small child lured by a stranger's candy.
Ahsoka clearly sensed Amir communicating with the creature through the Force. Hak also didn't seem too surprised. Veronica, however, clearly didn't know what was going on. She just saw a massive bird diving from the mountain toward them. Even though Amir said it had no malice, who wouldn't be scared seeing that?
Although her face remained calm, Veronica silently edged closer behind Amir.
The holy spirit-like giant bird landed slowly in front of them.
It stretched out its slender neck, extending its beak toward Amir.
Amir reached out his hand, slowly touched it, and transmitted all his positive emotions and feelings to it.
Eee~~
It raised its head and cried out happily. Lowering its head again, it looked at these people with growing fondness. They even praised my beauty! Hehe.
Although it was still young—only a few hundred years old—it already possessed basic intelligence.
Amir took some jerky he had prepared from his backpack and offered it. Hondo hadn't taken his backpack but had left it on the ship. After all, it only contained some food and explosives; the lightsaber inside it had been hidden by Amir after he killed Charles.
It opened its sharp beak, curled the jerky into its mouth, and became even happier.
"I've seen a similar creature in the records of Gulina's tribe. The description is vague. It only says 'Green shadow in the clouds, with a song-like cry,' called 'Yunyin'—Cloud Song," Hak suddenly said, pushing up his glasses.
"It seems Gulina's ancestors once left the plains and came to the region of peaks." Amir heard the record and found it very fitting. This planet was always shrouded in fog. Birds high in the sky could only be seen as shadows, but their cries were unobstructed.
"No living being can resist the temptation of the unknown. They live in the jungle, but that doesn't mean they are trapped by it." Hak stated his view, and Amir deeply agreed.
"Yunyin," Veronica whispered from behind.
As if hearing her, the "big bird" Veronica mentioned tilted its head slightly to look at her.
"It seems to like that name." Amir saw Yunyin's reaction and sensed its happy emotions.
"We need to go find that temple," Amir remembered their purpose.
As if understanding Amir's words, Yunyin gave a soft cry and laid one of its giant wings flat on the ground, signaling for the group to climb onto its back.
"You want to take us?" Amir asked, sensing its thoughts with the Force.
Eeya~
"It seems to know the location of the nearby structure," Amir said to the others.
Yunyin's body was huge. With its wings spread, it was almost as big as The Traveler. So when the group climbed onto its back, it didn't feel cramped at all; there was plenty of room.
"Finding a path in this fog is really difficult. It will be much easier with Yunyin's help." Ahsoka half-knelt on the pale green feathers.
Veronica, however, knelt behind its neck, her hands constantly stroking the smooth plumage.
Amir and BD-4 (on his back) climbed up last, grabbing Yunyin's sturdy feathers to get a firm seat.
But the usually calm Hak was anxious, silently moving closer to Amir.
"In a bit... if I... if I fall, you have to use that... that Force thing, to catch me..." Hak became visibly nervous.
"He's always been afraid of heights, hahaha. He rarely even sits in the cockpit of a ship unless necessary," Ahsoka laughed, enjoying the spectacle.
Turning its head to see that everyone was settled, Yunyin slowly began to beat its four wings. It took off very gently, clearly being considerate of its wingless friends.
The beating wings caught the updraft. With a push from its powerful legs, the giant spirit bird soared up and rushed into the mist.
Yunyin flew slowly, as if taking its friends on a tour, even though they couldn't see far in the thick fog.
For some reason, there was no major turbulence on Yunyin's back, and they couldn't feel any wind shear. It was very comfortable. Amir enjoyed the wonderful experience of floating in the air, his mood brightening.
Yunyin also seemed very happy and wasn't in a hurry to lead the way, circling lazily.
At this time, Amir had time to carefully observe the surroundings. Suddenly, he discovered Yunyin was flying toward a mountain peak, seemingly unaware of the danger in the fog ahead. The peak was just a short distance away, hard to see with the naked eye. Amir could only barely sense it with the Force.
Amir immediately warned Yunyin through their connection.
Yunyin turned its head to look at Amir, as if puzzled. Although it was confident in its own judgment, it still listened to Amir and slowed down.
Sure enough, a jagged mountain peak loomed out of the fog ahead.
Yunyin banked sharply to the side, narrowly avoiding a collision.
"I need a seatbelt! Ahh!!!" Hak shouted in terror.
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