The Teddy Bear and Vast Skies

"Nnnnoooo! Nnnnoooo!" Benny is wiggling on the ground, flailing its stubby arms and legs. "I don't want that! I won't let that mean bird carry me!"

"How amusing. You're quite hated, aren't you?"

I-I didn't do anything wrong! Master, you said you wanted this creature, did you not?

"Did I?"

Master?!

"Are you that against being carried on the wings of one of my faithful servants?"

"I don't like your mean bird! It's feather's are pretty!" The hawk puffed out its chest in pride. "But it's mean! It ripped me open! My cotton fell out!"

"Oh, it seems you truly are hated if you are called mean twice."

I didn't realize it was so fragile...It was my mistake.

"Just like that girl, this child is quite delicate." The stranger reached out, plucking a flower from their field. "Did you not want this, little creature?"

"I want it!"

"Then, I'll gift this to you. It will never wilt and will never be ruined."

"Woooaaaahhh...That's amazing!"

"Are you fond of stars, little creature?"

"Stars?"

"Do you not know what they are?"

"No! What are they?"

"They are bright lights that hang in the sky at night."

"Night?"

"Yes, at night."

"I wouldn't know." Benny shook its head, holding the flower in its hand against its chest. "Good children go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning! I'm a good child!"

"Hm...those are the conditions, huh...?"

"What's wrong?"

"Little creature."

"Benny!"

"Benny, you have a special mission."

"Mission?" Benny was obviously confused by this. "What do you mean? Do you mean looking for Marie?"

"Perhaps. If you don't want to be carried by my servant, how about riding its back?"

"Don't wanna."

"I'll let you choose on of its feathers to take with you."

Master, what are you saying?!

"A-Any feather?!"

"Just one. it's painful to pull them out too early."

You're serious?! You'll let this thing pull out one of my beautiful feathers?!

"I want the longest one!"

"Alright."

What about my opinion on this, Master?!

"As my servant, doesn't that mean you'll listen to my requests?"

I would lay down my life for you, but my beautiful feathers are another thing entirely! Her ladyship says that ladies should always look their best! How can I look my best with uneven tail feathers?!

"That girl cut her own hair to save the life of her friends. For a mage, the longer and more beautiful their hair, the easier their mana can flow. It was her lifeblood, a medium she could use at any given moment. She didn't hesitate to cut it all for the life of her allies."

Master, you are unfair...very well. I'll gift a singular feather to this odd child. No matter how painful...it may be.

"...I don't want it anymore..."

"Why?"

"Because this mean bird says it's painful...I felt it myself...when my fabric was torn and my cotton falling out. It is painful...a painful feeling in here..."

"...Yes, such a feeling is indeed painful."

"That's why I don't need it!"

"Then I'll give to you a different gift."

"Gift?"

"Yes...a gift only few have seen."

Master, do you mean...?

"That's right. Little creature, I'll cast a spell so you won't fall off my servant's back. Enjoy it properly...the sight of the sky as free as the wind."

Benny is placed upon the hawk's back. Spreading her wings wide, she took to the air in seconds. Benny, afraid of falling off, clung to the back of the hawk...not noticing the hawk had stopped ascending. Instead, she began to glide across the air, aided by her master.

What is it? Were you that frightened?

"Frightened...?"

It means you were afraid, afraid of something happening to you.

"I didn't want to fall again. I don't want my fabric torn or my cotton falling out."

Foolish child. My master has cast as spell upon you. So long as you ride upon my back, the wind will never blow you off. Don't focus upon my feathers, instead look upwards and outwards.

"Outwards?"

Benny slowly lifted its body up...taking in the sights around it. It can see the clouds in the distance...but more importantly...It can see so far away. If it looked in the direction they came...Benny can see the wheat fields that they had passed through to get to this forest...It took days, but from up in the sky, it was almost as if it was a short distance away. Benny looked in the direction Iris once mentioned was the sea...the two blues of the sky and the sea blended together with a white horizon. Benny looked in the direction of the large mountains...it could see the greyish horizon past those mountains and what looked like red rivers. There were things even further away that Benny has never seen before, but isn't sure what it is seeing due to the great distance.

"This is...this is the world around me?"

This is indeed our world. As a hawk and a servant of my master, I can fly higher than any creature...this is a privileged sight given to very few individuals.

"What does that weird word mean before sight?"

That would be...It would mean only a select few individuals. My master who has always seen such sights...her ladyship who was brought up here by him...there are sights even I haven't seen even higher than this.

"There's beautiful sights more beautiful than this?"

This world is a vast place. I am not confined to the forest...I can fly freely as I wish, go as far as I wish...but I cannot do so.

"Why?"

I know not the details of that day. They day many Otherworlders disappeared from this world...the day her ladyship betrayed my master. My master has been bound to this forest...unable to leave.

"I don't get it..."

It matters not if you understand or not. I will remain at my master's side...I will await another chance...to make my master happy again.

"Why is your master sad? I want to make your master happy too! They were very kind to me and they gave me this flower!"

When the promised day arrives, then my master can be happy once again.

"The promised day?"

My master has not said what this promised day is...but that when the promised day arrives...he can finally see her ladyship again.

"I wonder what this promised day is..."

I know not, but I shall still await this day with my master. Strange child, have you had your fill of this vast world?

"Just a moment longer..." Benny held the flower in its arms. It can't feel the wind against its fabric...nor the chill in the air. "I want to remember this as clearly as possible...this beautiful sight."

You are similar to her.

"Who?"

Her ladyship...her ladyship also asked this to my master when he flew her high into the sky like this...when they had first met. Master said that she asked for a moment longer...to stare out at this world before...

"Before?"

As I have said before, do not concern yourself with that. My master said that he fell in love with her that day. The pure and untainted gaze of a maiden who saw the beauty in all things around her.

Benny went silent, choosing not to ask anymore questions about this mysterious lady. Benny thought that she must be a kind and gentle person like its Marie, but its Marie wouldn't do mean things like betray others. Its Marie is a lovely girl who never breaks her promises, even if it makes her sad and want to cry.

"Grandpa said that I can't cry today...I'm not allowed to...He wants me to smile...but...but...It hurts...! Grandpa is going to go far away and never come back...!"

I don't believe your friends will appreciate me being around. Fall from here, the wind shall guide you to them.

"That's scary, I don't want to!"

You don't trust my master?

"I trust them..."

Then fall.

Without warning, the hawk twisted in the air, forcing Benny off her back. She quickly righted herself, watching as Benny stared at her as it began to fall. It took the teddy bear a few seconds until it realized what is happening.

"YOU REALLY ARE A MEAN BIRD! NNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"

Benny held the flower in its hand as it kept screaming, crying about how the hawk was just a 'mean bird'. Benny is only staring upwards and didn't notice that down below it is both Ansel and Philia.

"Benny?!"

"The bear is falling form the sky?!"

"Ansel!"

"Why are you coming from the sky of all places?!"

"That mean bird dropped me from the sky!"

"Explain properly, you dumb bear!" Philia wanted to strangle Benny, but refrained from it. "What happened?!"

"No, before that, let's get out here as fast as we can! Philia, toss Benny in its bag! Don't let anything have a second chance at kidnapping it!"

"R-Right!"

Philia grabbed Benny, not so gently shoving it into its bag and secured it tightly. Benny could only sit in the bag since there wasn't enough space to pop its head out right now...it can hear Philia and Ansel arguing before it was clear that they were riding off as fast as possible.

"I wonder...what the next destination will be like..."

For the first time, Benny didn't think about Marie right away as they continued their journey. Instead, Benny thought about the vast stretches of water...of the red rivers from those grey lands...it was curious...so curious about the world that it is in now.

"Marie, did you know? This world is beautiful! I saw it from hhhiiiiiigggghhh in the sky on the back of a mean bird! It was so pretty, I stopped thinking about you...so when I realized it, I felt guilty. Iris said that I shouldn't feel guilt about that because she said that looking at things around me more will make my stories to you more interesting!"