6

She took another cautious step. The wood plank creaked again beneath her but didn't give way. So she put all her weight towards it and continued along. She didn't know how many steps she had taken and didn't know how many more there would be. The bridge swayed a little more than she was comfortable with but the wood had proven to be far sturdier than it looked. The ropes strained but didn't snap. 

Yariel looked back. The foggy mist had settled and she could not see where she had come from or where she was going for that matter. All she could see where the few steps around her. And yet, she continued moving.

For a while, she would hear the back and forth call what she could only imagine to be flying aspias. She knew there where no such things as aspias that could fly but she would hear the distant beating of big wings. Sometimes below her. Sometimes above. And when one flew close enough, Yariel could see the long, slender silhouette that resembled an aspias. 

The high pitched screeching of the winged creatures started getting louder, closer and more frequent. Yariel thought to walk across faster but after stepping on a plank and it breaking in two, she knew she could not risk it.

Then suddenly, a flying aspias bumped up against the rope bridge. The wave knocked Yariel off balance and she grabbed on to the side rope right before one of her legs misstepped off the wooden plank. 

The flying creature had scales with tuffs of hair randomly spotting its purplish body. The end of the creature as an ever thinning tail that abruptly stopped. 

There was no doubt that these creatures were relatives of the aspias. Creatures that had no legs and slithered along the ground. They were said to be sentient beings that could communicate telepathically. Only a few who lived in the mountain tribes had seen one. They lived mostly in the noreastern desert. There were many tales of how the aspias had come to the rescue of man, had helped man as well as many more stories of being swallowed whole or squeezed to death by one of them.  Each story would end with a version of "and the aspias can sense the heart of man and knows if he deserves to live or die."

Yariel quickly got her balance back and, while holding tighter to the side rope, quickened her pace. 

Another bump against the bridge. A high pitched call. It made Yariel shiver. 

And another hit. The wave almost knocking Yariel clear off the bridge. 

A screech from above.

A silhouette down below. 

The bridge began to sway uncontrollably. Wave after of wave. The ropes stretched and you could hear the snapping of fibers. Some planks began breaking.

Yariel looked up and saw unforgiving fog. Down was no better. She stopped trying to walk across. All she could do now is cower down and hold tight.

Then a loud snap. A tear. Another snap. And then the beautiful sensation of being weightless for a few moments. 

The rope bridge had been broken in two somewhere behind her. She knew only to hold fast. She felt the stomach sickening plunge as the half of the rope bridge swung low. 

Yariel braced herself. Any moment she would hit the bottom or swing and hit the side of the mountain. Either way, it was going to hurt.

Sure enough the fog cleared at a certain distance that allowed Yariel to see the grey rock on the side of the mountain that was speeding towards her. With a low, powerful thud, Yariel was knocked unconscious. Her foot tangled in the rope as she herself swung upside down.

The flying aspias continued to call back and forth to each other. And then one, the purple one with grey feathered wings landed on a ledge near the unmoving girl. The purple aspias craned its neck forward a downward and nudged the girl. She slightly swayed.

Three other aspias-- one was green with flecks of gold scales, the other two were different shades of oranges and reds-- gathered, still in the air, flapping their wings to stay in place. They screeched one to another. 

The purple one again lowered its neck and then opened it's wide mouth. It took the girl in its jaws and then clamped down.