Cloud took a breath and charged.

Her spear was nothing more than air but it savagely cut through her aunt's hold, Cloud's wings flaring in anger. But Glorianna would not budge. She was as calm as a summer breeze, brazenly dodging with ease. Acting as if she didn't know her light footing infuriated her niece even further.

"Concentrate." 

Cloud hissed, the lilting sound of her aunts Folka aggravating her own but the solemn promise she made would not break so easily. Seething, the Elfari kept her stance lower than usual and allowed the typically patient Glorianna to come to her instead.

"You need to use more than just sylph tactics, Cloudless! Use your Folka!"

She grit her teeth, ignoring Adrisa's outbursts towards her choice of evasion, knowing full well her partner was about as hard to break as an Ironthorn tree. She wouldn't. She refused to use her Folka.

Cloud steadily dodged each blow but the Thornguard remained steadfast and parried each attack as if it were her own before slamming into her with every ounce of Folka she had. Galeforce. Her family's legacy.

"You won't get anywhere with only half your strength."

The young Elfari crashed to the ground, her spear now dissipated into thin air as she struggled to stand against the fury of her aunt's abilities. Glorianna's weapon was poised at Cloud's neck but her niece's resigned sigh was enough of a surrender. 

She offered the Elfari a hand up before the doors to the training room boomed open and the Thornguard almost dropped her. Adrisa couldn't help but laugh, helping her wife up but those waiting at the door were far more severe. 

"Lady Elfari. Your father…"

The apprentice healer gasped, breathing heavily as he had run directly from one end of the Arbor walls to the other. Cloud's frustration towards her training evaporated at the news that her father, Venta's illness was getting worse. 

"Go. We'll be right behind you." Glorianna told her, her eyes wide with fear and understanding. 

The trio immediately discarded their short sparring session and headed for the Aspen Wing, Cloud ahead of her aunts by a full wingsbreath. Gossamer wings flared outwards as they took off towards the hollowed out walls in a full sprint, almost knocking over the struggling apprentice in the process.

"I'm sorry, I-" Cloud began but she was already too far away for him to hear her.

His tired wings had carried him long enough to report to the Thornguard but no more as she darted between running and flying through every branch of the hollowed out forest. The Arbor was made of a large series of trees that housed all of the sylph's and various other amenities but when guests were visiting they were simply known as the Collective. That would end once the Solstice did.

"Excuse me! Thornguard patrol coming through!"

Cloud silently thanked her Aunt Gloria as they veered past the Loggery, the Twisttail Weavers, the Dawndew flying school and finally the acorn shaped door frames of the Healer's Hovel. Aptly named for its dishevelled placement the hut shaped grooves of the trees and sweet smelling mushrooms helped ward away fatigue. But Cloud didn't recognise any of the unfamiliar grains of wood.

"There!" Adrisa called out, pointing towards the bright green sign shaped like a tree.

Cloud skidded to a halt, barely missing the wonky signs leading to the Aspen and Ivy wards. Each one had a different name for the specialized healers who helped fix the damage done by the Minor and Major Folkas of Health and Combat. According to the messenger boy, the Alpen ward housed the most recent casualties.

"I've never been to the Inner Core before." Cloud admitted, the large foliage both intimidating and disorientating her.

She scanned the ceiling desperately for directions, following the scrawl of green pine tree icons towards the tucked away waiting room of patients struggling with different ailments of their own. 

"Don't worry, your aunt and I will help you. It's rarely seen by the Elfari anyways. Not until much later." Adrisa said, encouraging her despite the waver in her voice.

One woman was trying to wrangle a one winged pyrith back into his seat as a young nymph beside him hiccuped bubbles of flame. The aide suddenly caught Cloud's eye, gaping at the sudden familiarity of the sylph heir.

"Oh! Lady Cloudless, forgive me I didn't recognise you without...with your Thornguards. How can I help?"

She fought the urge to smile, noting the colour of their horn tipped helper before moving on. Green. She was new. Each healer or aide dyed the different tips of their wings or horns depending on which assigned entrance they entered. The mushrooms had more than one way of being useful just like those who lived here.

"We received urgent summons from a messenger winglet about my father." She explained, her jittery wings betraying her nervousness.

Cloud had been introduced to the Major and Minor Grand Healers prior but the golden horned dryads were nowhere in sight and recalling their faces wasn't exactly on her agenda today. After all, the impromptu war council had been her first attempt as acting leader without him.

"Your father?" The receptionist asked, as if asking the most obvious question in the world.

Cloud pursed her lips, trying not to let her emotions unravel despite the annoyance of the urgent summons. The fact she knew who she was and that she was the Elfari was understandable but not her father? That was frustrating.

"Venta. Venta Galeforce? Acting Elfidari of the sylphs?"

Cloud didn't care how rude she was being, the look of embarrassment on the dryad's face was priceless. She glanced over at the book of records and hurriedly sifted through them to try and look busy.

"Of course, of course. Who was it that sent you?" She asked, her innocent tone grating on Cloud's nerves.

She held her breath, letting it out slowly as if being forced to laugh at an insensitive joke. All she could think about was the time that was being wasted but the urge to strangle the living daylights out of her was halted by her aunt's hand on her shoulder.

"I believe his name was Aurelius. First Flight Unit. He was a little winded so I let him go for a break early to the Witch's Cauldron." Glorianna explained plainly, staying a lot calmer than her niece.

A loud clatter interrupted the receptionist's reply, a cascade of bits and bobs went flying from the shelves as an unfamiliar person broke out from the mess and stumbled into the waiting room.

"Winded, you say?"

Adrisa let out a visible groan, throwing her head back in exasperation as Glorianma gave Cloud a shrug, smiling sympathetically before being rudely interrupted by a crotchety old dryad.

"That boy couldn't outfly a Trollian without a tail let alone get winded by a simple delivery!"

The dryad flicked its wings outwards, his hybrid parents allowing him to make the most of his healing and flight attributes. Cloud took a moment to register the crazy amalgamation of scales, horns, wings, snippets of growing vines and ivy weaving its way around his shoulder as he swatted them away along with scatterings of soil.

Yes thank you, Avaitus. Not all of us can be Speedchasers like you. Retired or not. Berating your grandson won't help him get any better." Glorianna reminded him dryly.

"Or faster." Adrisa added, folding her arms like she was scolding a child.

Cloud gaped at her aunt's casualness, barely recognising the healer despite his gold tipped wings. He was a Grand Healer she'd never met before. His wings were slightly more leathery than the usual sylph gossamer like wings. Hybrids were rare and it was her first time seeing a...drylphs? Sylphads? Whatever name was called it wasn't why Cloud was so starstruck.

"You're Avaitus the Great? The fastest windspeed racer in Collective history? What're you doing here?" 

Cloud's Elfari persona began to slip as she giddily realised who was in front of her. Adrisa raised an amused eyebrow at the sight of an excited fangirl but she said nothing.

"In all of Nocturus, girl. Watch your tone."

Cloud flinched at the harsh tone, mildly hurt by the old Grand Healer's words but her hot headed aunt beat her to it.

"Don't talk to her like that, ya old sprigwicket. You're supposed to be focusing on your patients not reminiscing about the old days."

Avaitus glanced at the entourage in front of him, noting the armour of the Thornguard's and finally the silver circlet around Cloud's head. Tutting, he turned to his unflappable receptionist and ignored the insult. Being called a glowing mushroom probably wasn't the worst name he had received.

"Go take a break, Marigold. I'll deal with Venta's spawn and her Insult Patrol."

Cloud had to restrain herself, furious at the new Grand Healer but her aunt's laughter dispelled her frustration enough to listen to their conversation.

"You haven't changed a bit, Aviatus."

The Grand Healer gave her two aunts a wry grin.

"Neither have you two, younglings. Still chasing after girls instead of going through your flying drills. I'm glad to see the Thornguard put some spines on you both."

Gloriannna blushed as Adrisa nudged her with her elbow cheekily, Cloud rolled her eyes but she couldn't help but smile. Her aunts had met at Brushburrow Hollow: the training grounds for the Thornguards but only because they had both stirred up trouble at Dawndew flying school. 

The shoulder guards were engraved with the familiar sigil of a sword and shield made from darkened wood and woven branches but the twigs were painted in forest green and touches of silver. Proof they were not only loyal to the slyphs but charges of the Elfari and Elfidari themselves.

"I'm glad to see you're a little less prickly with your patients than you were with us, Grand Healer Aviatus."

He grumbled, striding ahead and jostled them aside but Cloud stepped away before he could knock into her. His awkward gait betrayed the wooden leg jutting out of his clothes but Avaitus glanced at the few patients he had.

Before Cloud had even recognised it his warbling Folka had already passed through the room and everyone seemed to breathe a little easier. She blinked, unaware of the Grand Healer hovering over each door and making sure each one was at least resting comfortably with an attendant nearby. Cloud hated to admit it but he was a pretty good healer, despite the introduction.

"Whatever you three are expecting...expect the worst. Elfari or not. And don't forget to keep your Folka to a minimum, dammit. I won't have another repeat of last time."

The mood dampened immediately, the last door of the Aspen ward clamped shut despite all the other rooms they had passed by. His Folka was so quiet she had barely noticed it stop. 

"Yes, Flight Master sir." 

Her two aunts responded in unison, far less laidback in the presence of their old flying teacher...no the healer responsible for every patient in the Inner Core. Including her father. Cloud caught his steely eyed gaze but all she could do was nod, wringing her hands nervously.

"Ruddy Thornguard fledglings." Aviatus muttered, opening the door with a ghost of a smile.