Jovian and Julian travels with the dragons from somewhere on the Chaosside of Ygg to a place near Ygg.

Jovian and Julian speak privately for a few moments, discussing strategy. The discussion seems heated at times, perhaps covering old, contentious ground. It ends with Jovian and Julian heading back to separate dragons.

Julian reaches Hoshith and asks Kourin and Hoshith to carry him. They mount and the two of them speak quietly while they are waiting for Jovian and Canareth to give the order for the wings to lift.

The order comes and the score-and-a-half dragons, now no longer carrying their wounded passengers, take off into the too-bright sunrise.

Jovian takes the wings high in the air, dizzyingly high, quickly losing the detail on the ground below in the fog and distance. The wings re-form in a high, cold double-V formation with the sun warming their backs.

Julian looks at Jovian and nods. The dragons fly forward and Jovian begins to feel for shadow to shift. It is still difficult from here, but it is no longer fragile. Jovian starts to burn the fog away, and then thinks otherwise, letting it re-form and making the shadow colder. Eventually the fog dies as the ground loses it's warmth. Soon there is snow, great expanses of white on the ground with tall broom-like trees rising above them. Jovian is startled by a flock of flying things--not birds, but things, flying. When re regains his composure they have shifted again.

The dips and rises have gone from rolling terrain to hills and now to mountains, snow-capped, low and smooth. Jovian concentrates on the mountains and they grow taller and younger. At one point Jovian is sure he smells the sea, or a coppery version of it.

After much travel and about where Jovian feels confident enough to do so. He looks down. He has succeeded. Below him, on the lower slopes of the mountains, are vast herds of beasts. Furry, long-necked animals with barrel chests, they bleat and run along the foothills. The almost make a patchwork blanket on the foothill, and their fuzzy coats come in many colors.

//What are those?// asks Canerath, obviously interested.