Garth and Kiza took the rearmost, Furry sat in the center and Nickolai and Skii sat up front.Garth and Kiza took the rearmost, Furry sat in the center and Nickolai and Skii sat up front. Garth found it odd that his roommate had changed so much since their arrival here on Pendor. He seemed one of them. He felt different to Garth; interacting with Nickolai felt similar, but not the same. And somewhat he felt as if he were talking to Ken Shardik or Skii or some other Pendorian male. He sighed. "Kiza, I didn't get to say goodbye to your family." "I'll tell them you thought of them." She kissed his cheek warmly, her fur brushing up against his whiskers. Skii looked busy for a moment, and the craft took off, flying over the open fields of grain. The rows rippled by underneath them, the roar of air and the buzz of rotors loud in Garth's ears. Every once in a while a >crack< would echo through the hovercraft, and once Skii said "Wow, they grow grasshoppers big out here." He seemed to dive for the SDisk. The ground loomed close as the hovercraft banked suddenly, laying it's bottom flat to the surface of the SDisk and vanishing. Garth's stomach threatened revolution as the hovercraft's momentum seemed to reverse, heading up instead of down, and he realized with chagrin that he was gripping the armrest so hard his claws were extending and the tips were growing cold. "Whahoo!" Skii shouted from the front as he righted the hovercraft again. Garth finally looked out the window. They were flying over water, and up ahead of them Shardik Castle grew larger and closer. Skii flew the hovercraft over the mountain range and confidently slid into the Castle's parking garage. "Wow," he said. "Wow is right," Nickolai agreed. "Are you sure you had a backup every second?" "Every second," Skii replied. "And I never felt it kick in once. See, I told you! I'm the greatest pilot on the planet." "I think your father would disagree." Ken's voice echoed through the vehicle hanger bay. "You're driving is impressive, Skii, but you're to reserve it for displays and self-satisfaction. |