This whole little community of stone and wood and lacquer was such a strange place, so high up and yet no it was no aerie. So high up and yet the [i]landbound[/i] races had decided to come here and make this a center of learning.
High up enough to decide that hitching a ride would have been a worthwhile choice had that been a consideration [i]before[/i] starting the high-flying trek here. But Garuth had not taken that path. He'd decided to try flying himself right where he was going. This was obviously, in hindsight, a mistake. The mountain had looked so [i]small[/i] before but after that hot and endless pursuit to the peak it was obvious just how not-small it was. But the sun was so close now, so much closer than it had been at home.
This was just another conquest for Garuth Stone-Singer, yes, just a few more flaps, a bit more pumping with his wings and he'd be there among the rest of the students. Well, above the rest of the students, but that was just a given when being Garuth Stone-Singer. And like crossing the finish line, flying above the student body came with an immense, immeasurable relief that could not hope to be quelled or quenched. He'd made it here, after all.

He shrieked, exactly as one might expect a bird to, and then he proceeded to whoop and loop and swoop in the air like no mortal bird the size of an eagle was meant to, every senseless caw to the heavens cutting through the air to invade the ears of anyone unfortunate enough to be near him.
[i]I wonder if I can borrow someone's shoulder...or if there's a good place to land around here...they were expecting me right? I don't wanna land on the ground and get stepped on.[/i] Some small part of the bird thought, the part that wasn't busy assaulting the ears of innocent passerby.