Chapter Nine: At the Air-isle of The Airy that is the Airy
At midnight, when the air-skies were full of white, shinning and shimmering air-stars and air-satellites; on an air-place was an air-land, which was an air-isle, and which was the sole air-land in that air-place, and which was a grassland as its short and small white-and-green grass covered its white-and-brown ground. The air-land was also a mysterious one as it emitted out of its white-and-brown ground a white, shinning and shimmering light all around and all about it, which was reflected on the white-and-green grass.
Slightly above the grass, and in the centre of the air-isle, was found a white-aureoled, sparkly, starry air-sphere with a feathers-carved surface, and on whose left and right side protruded each a pair of patagia, and on its up and down side protruded each a pair of wings, with the patagia long and thready, and the wings short and stout, and both patagia and wings all sparkly and starry. The air-sphere's light shone and shimmered, and inside it was a shape as of someone which was a shifting white-and-coloured.
Above the air-isle, and on one side of the air-sphere, suddenly and silently appeared a huge air-portal in the shape of an upward-pointing triangle with a horizontal line bisecting it in its uppermost part. Its periphery was a mass of a sparky, whirling, myriad feather-shaped whiteness; and on its left and right side protruded each a pair of patagia, and on its up and down side protruded each a pair of wings, with the patagia long and thready, and the wings short and stout, and both patagia and wings all white. In its centre, above the horizontal line and below it, were white double doors, which like their doorposts, lintels, and thresholds were carved in feathers as their doorknobs also, as these ones each consisted of a wing.
The winged doorknobs of the smaller double doors above the horizontal line then waved in a blowing sound, and the doors sprang open revealing an air-way which was also a mass of whirling, myriad feather-shaped whiteness which was sparkly, and immediately flew and glided out of it in a whoosh an air-man and an air-woman with their air-beast-man and air-beast-woman before them, who stopped, and swiftly and silently swooped down to stand beneath the air-portal and before the air-sphere on one side.
Then the winged doorknobs of the bigger double doors below the horizontal line of the air-portal immediately waved also in a blowing sound, and the doors sprang open revealing another air-way which was also a mass of sparkly, whirling, myriad feather-shaped whiteness, and also immediately flew and glided out of it in a whoosh several air-men and air-women with their respective air-beast-men and air-beast-women before them ⸺ who were air-men and air-women comprising the air-beings and air-breeds of air-humans, and their air-beast-men and air-beast-women comprising the air-beings and air-breeds of air-beasts, who all stopped, and swiftly and silently swooped down in sweeping robes to stand behind the air-man and an air-woman with their air-beast-man and air-beast-woman who preceded them, and all puzzlingly stared at the air-sphere.
The white light showed these arrivants as air-wizarders and air-wizarderesses and air-wizards and air-wizardesses and their respective air-beastwizarders and air-beastwizarderesses and air-beastwizards and air-beastwizardesses before them, and they were cloaked, robed or gowned, and hooded or hatted in white, with diamond embroidery for the first arrivants and platinum embroidery for the second arrivants, which were the colours of the great and most famous air-school of Airia and its AirBeastia.
Immediately again appeared another air-portal on the other side of the air-sphere, which was similar to the first air-portal.
The winged doorknobs of its upper, smaller double doors also waved in a blowing sound, and the doors sprang open revealing the same air-way, and immediately whooshed out of it baggage which was succeeded by the whooshed flying and gliding out of another air-man and air-woman with their air-beast-man and air-beast-woman before them ⸺ the Archmaster and Archmasteress and Archbeastmaster and Archbeastmasteress of the Airagon, who stopped, and also swiftly and silently swooped down to stand beneath the air-portal and before the air-sphere on that side as their respective baggage came and fell at their feet. The Archmaster and Archmasteress did not only hold again babies AarryAir and AarrietAir as the Archbeastmaster and Archbeastmasteress did not also only hold beast-babies AarrybeastAir and AarrietbeastAir, but they respectively held in their other arms other babies and beast babies, as all babies and beast-babies were blanketed.
Then the winged doorknobs of the lower, bigger double doors waved also in a blowing sound, and the doors sprang open revealing the other air-way, and also immediately whooshed out of it baggage which was succeeded by the whooshed flying and gliding out of several air-men and air-women with their air-beast-men and air-beast-women before them ⸺ the Antemasters and Antemasteresses and Antebeastmasters and Antebeastmasteresses of the Airagon, who all stopped, and swiftly and silently swooped down to stand behind the Archmasters and Archbeastmasters as their respective baggage also came and fell at their feet. The Antemasters and Antemasteresses spouses and Antebeastmasters and Antebeastmasteresses beast-spouses also each held a baby in blankets in their arms. They all also stared at the air-sphere before them and also saw the air-wizarders and air-wizards and air-beastwizarders and air-beastwizards beyond.
The first air-man to have arrived shifted so as to be seen by those of the Airagon on the other side of the air-sphere, and spoke in acknowledgement. "Archmaster and Archmasteress and Archbeastmaster and Archbeastmasteress of the Airagon! Antemasters and Antemasteresses and Antebeastmasters and Antebeastmasteresses of the Airagon!" He was a very tall, thin, and old man, with white-silvery hair and beard, which were both long past his waist. He wore a cloak over a long robe, and a pointed hat, which were all white with diamond embroidery, and he was shod in similar white-and-diamond embroidered high-heeled, buckled boots. He was an air-man who had wide and thin but strong-looking wings, long and thin patagia, and thin feathers and thin plumes which rather looked strong too, and he had white eyes which were light, bright, and sparkling behind star spectacles, and he had a long smiling face.
His beast-man spoke the same acknowledgement, and he was in similar white-and-diamond embroidered clothes, and he was elongated and thin and old as his man. His head was long with a tall face, and he had long, white hairs and beard, and thin and long arms and legs, thinning feathers and plumes, and thinning wings and patagia.
"Schoolmaster Aanfack!" The Archmaster shifted, and acknowledged as he bowed to the old man. "Schoolbeastmaster Aaongmo!" He acknowledged to his beast-man. And he peered at those behind the Schoolmaster and Schoolbeastmaster and acknowledged. "Schoolmasteress and Schoolbeastmasteress! Schoolmisters and Schoolmisteresses! Schoolbeastmisters and Schoolbeastmisteresses! Masters and Masteresses! Beastmasters and Beastmasteresses! Misters and Misteresses! Beastmisters and Beastmisteresses!"
And as he acknowledged to them, the Archbeastmaster and all those who had arrived with him in their air-portal acknowledged also to the first arrivants, and these ones also acknowledged back.
The Archmasters and Archbeastmasters and Antemasters and Antebeastmasters were acquainted to these air-wizarders and air-wizarderesses and air-wizards and air-wizardesses, and their respective air-beastwizarders and air-beastwizarderesses and air-beastwizards and air-beastwizardesses, and all were contented at seeing them, as most knew that it wasn't to be a surprise to see them here, as they were as much seen as the most powerful and most important of the air-authorities of the air and its air-land and air-world and its air and its air-beast-land and air-beast-world, as the air-school in which they were the leading staff was considered the foremost authority in all of Airia and AirLandia and AirWorldia and its AirBeastia and AirBeastLandia and AirBeastWorldia.
"I and Schoolbeastmaster Aaongmo immediately aggrouped us and the Schoolstaff here with us after I and he were visited by an Airy that is the Airy at dawn, which informed us about the unfoldment at the ThroneAiria and its WhirlAiria, as we were after confirmed of that by your announcements this morning." Schoolmaster Aanfack said.
"As you heard us say in our announcements, that is how it happened at the ThroneAiria and its WhirlAiria," the Archmaster said and continued downcast, "our fellow 'Of Air', and now former AirAgents and AirAgentesses and AirSaviours and AirSaviouresses, and AirLighter AirLord and AirLighteress AirLady and AirLighter AirBeastlord and AirLighteress AirBeastlady, the OotterAirs of Air, Mr AarryAir OotterAir of Air and Mrs AarrietAir OotterAir of Air, and the OotterbeastAirs of Air, Mr AarrybeastAir OotterbeastAir of Air and Mrs AarrietbeastAir OotterbeastAir of Air, did not survive out of the WhirlAiria, as well as their respective AirAngel AirLord and AirAngeless AirLady, and AirAngel AirBeastLord and AirAngeless AirBeastLady."
"It is their respective twin son and daughter AarryAir OotterAir of Air and AarrietAir OotterAir of Air, and twin beast-son and beast-daughter AarrybeastAir OotterbeastAir of Air and AarrietbeastAir OotterbeastAir of Air, who survived out of the WhirlAiria, and who are now the new 'Of Air' and new AirAgents and Anti-AirAgentesses and AirSaviours and AirSaviouresses, and AirLighterer and AirLightereress and AirBeastLighterer and AirBeastLightereress, and who shall see to the and their new AirAngeler and AirAngeleress and AirBeastAngeler and AirBeastAngeleress." The Archbeastmaster continued in the same despondent tone.
There was a moment of silence on both sides in memorial to the OotterAirs of Air and OotterbeastAirs of Air.
Schoolmaster Aanfack then broke the silence. "Hard and heavy all this happenstance for us, as especially as it is the first time in any battle of all the battles ever fought between the Air and the Anti-Air that the AirLighter AirLord and AirLighteress AirLady and AirLighter AirBeastlord and AirLighteress AirBeastlady, and the AirAngel AirLord and AirAngeless AirLady and AirAngel AirBeastLord and AirAngeless AirBeastLady didn't survive the battle!"
"And thankfully the Anti-AirDarker Anti-AirLord and Anti-AirDarkeress Anti-AirLady and Anti-AirDarker Anti-AirBeastLord and Anti-AirDarkeress Anti-AirBeastLady, and the Anti-AirDemon Anti-AirLord and Anti-AirDemoness Anti-AirLady and the Anti-AirDemon Anti-AirBeastLord and Anti-AirDemoness Anti-AirBeastLady didn't either too!" Schoolbeastmaster Aaongmo said.
"That should surely be so," Schoolmaster Aanfack sighed, and continued. "How then fares our new AirLighterer and AirLightereress and AirBeastLighterer and AirBeastLightereress?" He said this as he flew to the Archmaster holding AarryAir, and all the air-wizardering and air-wizarding and air-beastwizardering and air-beastwizarding school-staff flew and glided forward to the Archmasters and Archbeastmasters, and these ones stretched forward their arms holding babies AarryAir and AarrietAir and beast-babies AarrybeastAir and AarrietbeastAir, and all one by one stared at and examined the babies and beast-babies.
"Here they are AarryAir and AarrietAir and AarrybeastAir and AarrietbeastAir, the new 'Of Air' and AirAgents and AirAgentesses." The Archmaster moodily said as the babies and beast-babies were examined by the school-staff.
"Yes, here are our new air-human AirLighter AirLord and AirLighteress AirLady and air-beast AirLighter AirBeastlord and AirLighteress AirBeastlady!" Schoolmaster Aanfack puffily said.
"And to think that their parents are no more . . ." the Schoolmasteress sniffed as she stared at a fast sleeping AarrietAir held by the Archmasteress, "to think that we lost the AirAgents and AirAgentesses when this had never been heard of, and which have never been heard in the history of our Airia and AirLandia and AirWorldia and its AirBeastia and AirBeastLandia and AirBeastWorldia since the Air created the air and its air-land and air-world and its air and its air-beast-land and air-beast-world." She said as small sobs were heard from the air-wizarderesses and air-wizardesses and air-beastwizarderesses and air-beastwizardesses, and snorts were heard from the air-wizarders and air-wizards and air-beastwizarders and air-beastwizards.
"Alas, it has been so!" Schoolmaster Aanfack simply said.
"It has terrifyingly been so!" Schoolbeastmaster Aaongmo spoke in unbelief.
The Schoolmasteress spoke to the Archmasteress. "Truly the WhirlAiria shut and sealed without the OotterAirs of Air and the OotterbeastAirs of Air out of it?" She still asked in a tone of unbelief.
"True is it, as we saw it." The Archmasteress sadly answered.
"And the CrownAiria and ThroneAiria also?"
"So also!"
"What could this means Schoolmaster?" The Schoolmasteress turned to her husband and asked frightfully.
"What could this terrifying mean?" The Masteress shiveringly asked.
"What could come from it?" One schoolmister asked aloud.
And similar questioning murmurs resonated amongst the air-wizarders and air-wizards and air-beastwizarders and air-beastwizards.
"My dears," Schoolmaster Aanfack heavily began, "even I have no answer to this. This is something neither I, nor you, nor all of the air and its air-land and air-world and its air and its air-beast-land and air-beast-world have ever seen before, or ever thought of happening."
"All I can certify is that this however should surely mean something and many things to be and to happen, be it evil or good; and also it might mean many things never thought of, never heard of, and never seen of just as the loss of the AirAgents and AirAgentesses as well as the Anti-AirAgents and Anti-AirAgentesses in a battle of the Air against the Anti-Air."
"All I believe we should do now is to continue living our lives as we lived them, and also watch and wait for those of us who are in such positions, and see if anything new and never seen happens, then we do our best to see how we could handle it; and if any ever such thing happens and it is benevolent, then good, and if it is malevolent, then we see how we can defend ourselves from it and survive out of it as we always do in such circumstances, and also ask for the help of the Air."
Murmurs of approval sounded at this saying.
"We should just be as we are and were, as for sure, time will tell us and throw to us all of it!" Schoolbeastmaster Aaongmo said.
"We shouldn't also be as so despondent as we are." Schoolmaster Aanfack cheered. "We have with us a new AirLighterer and AirLightereress and AirBeastLighterer and AirBeastLightereress, and if they were seen out of that WhirlAiria, that should surely count for something and much things, as they would help us also deal with any happenstance beyond our handling."
The air-wizarders and air-wizards and air-beastwizarders and air-beastwizards spoke murmurs of approval again.
"With this aside done with, I think we should go now to the business of what brought us here tonight." Schoolmaster Aanfack said as he, followed by the school-staff, flew and glided back to their positions on the other side of the air-sphere with satisfaction showing on their faces at seeing the babies and beast-babies soundly sleeping in their swaddling. "As I mentioned earlier, the Airy that is the Airy visited at dawn, and not only informed us about the unfoldment at the ThroneAiria, but also told us that it will send at late night an air-portal in an air-way that will take us somewhere which reveals itself to be here, and told us that we will be coming to witness you taken away."
"Yes, that is it." The Archmaster confirmed as he adjusted back his arms holding the babies. "The Airy that is the Airy visited us also after we left the air-place of the ThroneAiria, and told us that as the AirAssisters and AirAssisteresses and AirAssistants and AirAssistantesses to the AirAgents and AirAgentesses, we will be living Airia and AirLandia and AirWorldia and its AirBeastia and AirBeastLandia and AirBeastWorldia tonight, and that it shall take us to somewhere safe and secret to all, and to all airers and air-landers and air-worlders and all air-beasters and air-beast-landers and air-beast-worlders, and told us to announce to them this too. It also sent us the air-portal that took us through the air-way to this air-place as we are here now."
"The Airy that is the Airy told us to take with us all as is necessary for us to start a new life in this somewhere secret it shall take us to." The Archmasteress said as she alluded to their luggage.
"And it told us to bid farewell to all as they are of importance to us, as we shall stay away from them for as long as it shall be." The Archbeastmasteress added.
"Well, I hope you have all seen it so then!" Schoolmaster Aanfack said as the AirAssisters and AirAssisteresses and AirAssistants and AirAssistantesses replied positively, and he continued "and so, and so then will we witness you taken to that safe and secret place where you shall stay safe and secret from all then!"
"Yes, safe and secret from all," the Archmaster repeated, "as the Airy that is the Airy said it shall be for some years, though it didn't said exactly how much, and said only we who will be accompanying the AirAgents and AirAgentesses will know where we will be living with them."
"Of course, of course," Schoolmaster Aanfack said, "as the assisters and assisteresses and assistants and assistantesses to the AirAgents and AirAgentesses, it encumbers on you to live your lives along the AirAgents and AirAgentesses and to assist them, especially as these ones are babies and beast-babies."
More approvals sounded at this saying.
"Well, here we are, and here I believe is the Airy that is the Airy!" He said this as they all brought back their gazes to the air-sphere in their midst, and immediately then, they saw as the shape in it stopped shifting and stayed static, and then a voice, an eerily air-human-like voice spoke out aloud.
"AirAssisters and AirAssisteresses and AirAssistants and AirAssistantesses to the AirAgents and AirAgentesses!" The voice called out.
"Here we are!" The AirAssisters and AirAssisteresses and AirAssistants and AirAssistantesses alerted, all answered as they evidently recognized the voice again.
"I an Airy, I the Airy take you." The voice promptly said, and a shinning and shimmering light similar to that of the air-sphere haloed the AirAssisters and AirAssisteresses and AirAssistants and AirAssistantesses and their baggage, and they instantly disappeared on the spot as the air-sphere also simultaneously disappeared as its light was no more in that air-place safe for the light of the air-land and the air-stars and air-satellites.
The Schoolstaff of the air-school simply stayed stun and silent at the suddenness of all of it as they did not bid farewells to the AirAssisters and AirAssisteresses and AirAssistants and AirAssistantesses, and after a moment of watching the empty spot on which the air-sphere had earlier been, in a wordless agreement, they all flew and glided towards the air-portal and into the opened air-ways which sucked them in as the double doors above and below the air-portal silently shut and the air-portal disappeared.