The Valkyrie (Obi-Wan x OC) completed

Chapter 33: The northern woods

Above the final design for our dear Lyanna. Might do one of Aidan or Arthas soon if you guys would like to see them!

When the sun rose the next day the two jedi and their troopers were ready to go as soon as they received their gryphons from Finn. At first most of them had difficulty handling the fierce beasts, but with some practice and some advice from their Valerian friend they were soaring through the sky. Lyanna guided them over the vast forest, over the steep northern mountains with its narrow mountain passes and cliffs. The air got colder with each hour they travelled, replacing the warm forgiving weather of the southern areas of the tropical planet. The nature grew wilder and darker with each mile they journeyed.

As the wind became harsher Lyanna continued to skilfully manoeuvre her way through the cliffs. Obi-Wan watched in amazement as she seemingly effortlessly flew over every single mountain ridge and glided on the wind that changed directions with every cliff they passed. Never once did she falter, her wings carrying her swiftly and elegantly. Above all he could feel her worries falling off her shoulders as she enjoyed the freedom she experienced in the air. The poison of the deathshot had definitely worn off. Every now and then she would show off her skills by falling dangerously fast, performing tricks near the edges of the razor rocks or just by facing the unforgiving northern wind.

"Gotta hand it to her, she does know her way around." Anakin commented as she performed yet another trick way ahead of them. He laughed as Obi-Wan cringed when she almost plummeted to her death, unwrapping her wings just in time to avoid being pierced by the trees.

"She reminds me of you." Obi-Wan sighed deeply, his nerves getting worse each time she increased her speed. Every time she did anything besides flying straight his heartbeat fastened remarkably. He grasped his gryphon a bit more tightly, trying to urge it to go faster to catch up with her. "And the way you crash each ship you fly."

The setting sun cast warm shadows on her distant figure, making the golden tips shine brightly in the light as she slowed. When he squinted his eyes, Obi-Wan could make out the mountains on the horizon where their destination lay. It was still too far to reach that day, just like they had discussed before.

"More like crash each ship that attacks me." Anakin remarked offendedly. He pulled on the reins of his gryphon rather clumsily when Lyanna landed in a clearing surrounded by a thick forest and tall mountain sides. His eyes focused on the ruins of what seemed to be an old farmstead surrounded by broken walls.

"We'll camp here." Lyanna nodded at them when they landed before her. She had already taken off her thick cloak and scouted the area for anything of interest.

"What was this place?" Obi-Wan asked as he looked at the broken towers surrounding the area. Nature had overgrown almost each part of the stone walls and even inside the barns creeks flowed wildly.

"An old outpost from before the second war." Lyanna said as she guided them to the barn they'd be resting in. She rubbed her hands together and softly blew warmth into them after being exposed to the northern winds for so long. "The war between Fireheart and Blackwing took down most of these sites. But that isn't anything new to you. I suspect you've already seen what war can do to a planet."

"More than you know." Obi-Wan commented sadly as they followed in her footsteps. Compared to the war that was going on in the galaxy, this one seemed rather peaceful still. In a weird way this felt like a vacation to the two jedi, trading a galaxy-wide war for a small, civil war on a distant planet. As soon as they'd arrived the clones made a campfire and decided on who should take which watches during the night. They shared tales of their wars and traditions as they ate their supper, laughed as Obi-Wan told about the numerous blunders Anakin had made during his training and shared fond memories of their youth.