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The rookery, much like a giant birdcage nearly the size of the castle itself, was almost void of birds when the three arrived there. Skyel was roosting on the mounting platform, and Aurin was already in the process of strapping on the harnesses that they would have to wear to keep safe.

"Are you all ready?" the captain grinned at them as he tightened some of the straps.

"I think so," Earendil replied. Skyel turned her enormous head towards the voices, looking at them all through eyes bigger than even Earendil.

Aurin finished strapping the harness on Skyel. "Good. Up you go, then. Earendil, you first."

Earendil climbed up on the massive bird, and as he strapped himself in, Aurin reached down to give Miyuki and Lin a hand up.

Earendil smiled reassuringly as Aurin helped her to her spot and started to harness her in.

"You used to ride with us all the time on Haldia's roc," he told her bemusedly, "and you loved it."

Lin was right, Haldia's roc was quite different from the rocs of Amon Darthir. Hers was much smaller, and not at all unpredictable or dangerous. It was an extension of herself, rather than an animal which needed training and keeping.

"When you're all strapped in, we can go," Aurin said, waiting for Lin to strap herself in.

Aurin nodded and quickly strapped himself in, then spoke to the roc in a quick, clipped voice. Skyel rose and hopped off the edge of the roosting platform, diving towards the ground below. Before hitting the ground, she pulled up, gliding out of the rookery and into the open air.

The ground fell away from them as they rose, each wing beat bringing them higher into the air. Earendil could feel his stomach lurching, but thankfully, there was no sickness accompanying it - not this time.

Once up, they leveled out, and Skyel held her wings steady, simply gliding on the currents towards their destination.

It wasn't long before they reached their destination: a plateau high on one of the mountains on the far side of the island. At one edge of the plateau was a large cave opening, and it was there that Aurin guided Skyel. She landed carefully, and Aurin quickly unfastened his own harness, then began to help Miyuki.

Earendil unfastened himself and hopped down, feeling better than he had expected to. The malek really did help, and better as a preventative than afterward.

"How's your stomach?" he asked Miyuki, knowing that Lin would be fine and that she would possibly be insulted if he asked her.

Earendil chuckled and ruffled Miyuki's hair affectionately. "We'll fly again when it's time to go back to the castle," he grinned at her. "For now, we're going to explore the cave. All right?"

He set the lunch basket on the ground. "Captain Striate, will this be safe here?" he asked.

Aurin looked at the basket thoughtfully. "Probably best to take it into the cave, birds might get at it here."

Earendil nodded and picked the basket up again, and headed towards the cave entrance.

Earendil set the basket down just inside the cave. With Skyel watching the entrance, he felt safe just leaving it there. Though really he would have felt safe leaving it out in the open, too - though at least this way it would be out of the sun.

"Want to take my hand, too?" he asked Miyuki with a grin, holding one hand out to her.