noticed he had fingers on his hands instead of big elephant toes, and ... he wore sandals.
"I'm going too. I can take you to the platform if you like, but we have to run."
In the end, pragmatism overrode her disappointment and she smiled. "I'd appreciate it."
It was dash and dodge as they raced between people and luggage vans, trying to reach the elevator chutes before the crowds rushed in and smothered them. Finally, after much huffing and puffing, they reached the fifteenth platform and the elephant grabbed her hand, pulling her towards a giant black junk with silver sails.
"That's it! Dartkala's Arrow !" the elephant shouted above the noise. "That's our junk!"
She was magnificent. Sails billowed out like a king's cloak as crewmen scurried up and down her masts, readying her for departure. She wasn't as large as some of the other junks, but she was much more streamlined. Just by looking at her, Terrana knew she was a fast ship. A junk in the skies, a ship in the void.
Terrana and the elephant leapt onto a bright, orange disk at the edge of the platform and began to rise, leaving behind the madness of boarding time. They were met on the deck by a bald, Cubeyon lady wearing glasses.
"Finally!" she huffed. "I was about to place a call for you two!"
"Sorry, we didn't mean to be late," said the elephant, his face full of genuine remorse. His ears flapped. The lady's expression softened.
"At least you are not the last ones," she said. Her face scrunched up and she pointed at the deck below, from where they had just come. "He is!"
Terrana and the elephant peered over the junk's rail and saw a fair boy running across the platform. He was extremely agile, leaping lightly over luggage vans and people. He landed on one of the orange discs, and in no time he was standing next to them looking as relaxed as a turtle on a beach. He was a head taller than Terrana, with long silver hair tied back loosely. His long eyes were of the palest green, and he had pointy ears. When he smiled, Terrana's heart went thump and she found herself blushing.
"Hello, Mrs. Baldy!" he said. "I bet you were worried about me!"
"It's Balda!" snapped the lady. "A second later and I would have pulled the plank!"
"What? And leave your favourite entertainment behind? Mrs. Balda , your life would be so boring without me."
Terrana could tell he was truly incorrigible.
"Get!" barked Mrs. Balda. "All of you. Get to your cabins!"
Not knowing where to go, Terrana just followed the little elephant as he led her down below deck. The fair boy had run off somewhere, probably to search for his friends.
Going down the stairs for Terrana was like diving into the sea. A new and exciting world opened up to her. Never before had she seen so many races converge in one place, walking, crawling or flying about excitedly as they headed to their cabins. Many of them were older students who seemed at home on the junk, while the younger ones looked just as lost and open-mouthed as she was. A few of them gave her strange looks, but for the most part they ignored her.
The junk was spacious and elegant, reminding her of houses from the Japanese Edo era on Earth . Her father had shown her a book of architecture once, and the ship was typical of the wooden structures with sliding paper doors.
The elephant came to a sudden halt, causing Terrana to nearly trip over him. He seemed rather dismayed. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Mikin Daxtia. I'm from Nipponia."
"Terrana Lee ... Ondur." Saying Baneyon's last name was strange but, if she wanted to fit in with the rest of the students from UWIB, she had to use it. "Thank you, for bringing me here."
"It was no problem at all," said Mikin, looking embarrassed. His little trunk wriggled and Terrana could have sworn he turned a shade of red. She smiled. He was adorable! She wanted to wrap her arms around him and squeeze him tightly but she didn't think he'd appreciate that.
"Is this your first year
"I'm going too. I can take you to the platform if you like, but we have to run."
In the end, pragmatism overrode her disappointment and she smiled. "I'd appreciate it."
It was dash and dodge as they raced between people and luggage vans, trying to reach the elevator chutes before the crowds rushed in and smothered them. Finally, after much huffing and puffing, they reached the fifteenth platform and the elephant grabbed her hand, pulling her towards a giant black junk with silver sails.
"That's it! Dartkala's Arrow !" the elephant shouted above the noise. "That's our junk!"
She was magnificent. Sails billowed out like a king's cloak as crewmen scurried up and down her masts, readying her for departure. She wasn't as large as some of the other junks, but she was much more streamlined. Just by looking at her, Terrana knew she was a fast ship. A junk in the skies, a ship in the void.
Terrana and the elephant leapt onto a bright, orange disk at the edge of the platform and began to rise, leaving behind the madness of boarding time. They were met on the deck by a bald, Cubeyon lady wearing glasses.
"Finally!" she huffed. "I was about to place a call for you two!"
"Sorry, we didn't mean to be late," said the elephant, his face full of genuine remorse. His ears flapped. The lady's expression softened.
"At least you are not the last ones," she said. Her face scrunched up and she pointed at the deck below, from where they had just come. "He is!"
Terrana and the elephant peered over the junk's rail and saw a fair boy running across the platform. He was extremely agile, leaping lightly over luggage vans and people. He landed on one of the orange discs, and in no time he was standing next to them looking as relaxed as a turtle on a beach. He was a head taller than Terrana, with long silver hair tied back loosely. His long eyes were of the palest green, and he had pointy ears. When he smiled, Terrana's heart went thump and she found herself blushing.
"Hello, Mrs. Baldy!" he said. "I bet you were worried about me!"
"It's Balda!" snapped the lady. "A second later and I would have pulled the plank!"
"What? And leave your favourite entertainment behind? Mrs. Balda , your life would be so boring without me."
Terrana could tell he was truly incorrigible.
"Get!" barked Mrs. Balda. "All of you. Get to your cabins!"
Not knowing where to go, Terrana just followed the little elephant as he led her down below deck. The fair boy had run off somewhere, probably to search for his friends.
Going down the stairs for Terrana was like diving into the sea. A new and exciting world opened up to her. Never before had she seen so many races converge in one place, walking, crawling or flying about excitedly as they headed to their cabins. Many of them were older students who seemed at home on the junk, while the younger ones looked just as lost and open-mouthed as she was. A few of them gave her strange looks, but for the most part they ignored her.
The junk was spacious and elegant, reminding her of houses from the Japanese Edo era on Earth . Her father had shown her a book of architecture once, and the ship was typical of the wooden structures with sliding paper doors.
The elephant came to a sudden halt, causing Terrana to nearly trip over him. He seemed rather dismayed. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Mikin Daxtia. I'm from Nipponia."
"Terrana Lee ... Ondur." Saying Baneyon's last name was strange but, if she wanted to fit in with the rest of the students from UWIB, she had to use it. "Thank you, for bringing me here."
"It was no problem at all," said Mikin, looking embarrassed. His little trunk wriggled and Terrana could have sworn he turned a shade of red. She smiled. He was adorable! She wanted to wrap her arms around him and squeeze him tightly but she didn't think he'd appreciate that.
"Is this your first year
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