The gryphon's wings unfolded, stark white in the dark of the forest. Artemis didn't have time to think before the beast took off. With the mask's electricity thrumming through her veins, she surged forward, wrapping her arms around the gryphon's neck. 

And then she was flying.

She may have also been screaming.

Without a proper saddle, finding a comfortable seat was almost impossible. Though of course, Artemis doubted she'd have managed it even [i]with[/i] one. She'd never ridden a gryphon before. She'd never [i]seen[/i] a gryphon before. Long, willowy arms were twined tight around its thick neck, her knees trying to find a hold over its back through her skirts. The wind's frigid bite slashed at her exposed skin. Artemis could feel the way impossible wings moved and beat beneath her chest. The Lantern, Kith, and Pirate were forgotten on the forest floor far below. 

And then suddenly the chaos parted, and gave way to quiet. Something changed in the gryphon, the way it moved. Its wings no longer pumped furiously against gravity. Instead they were still and extended, as though gliding. The wind was still there, but not so harsh – it pulled at her hair and clothes without cutting. Artemis cracked an eye open. She immediately regretted it.

[color=darkturquoise]"<Hooooly shit shitshitshit> [i]shit[/i]."[/color]

Her grip tightened even more as she looked down at the forest canopy. It was [i]very[/i] far away.

Artemis was [i]flying[/i].

A laugh, half delight and half hysteria trickled out of her. She was fairly certain she was going to be sick. Her grip loosened just enough for her to push her head up and look out at the island she was now trapped on. Pinpricks of light winked at her from different locations. Her eyebrows scrunched a bit when she found an enormous, blackened swatch of land. A tiny light, like a lone star in the night sky blinked in the middle. Artemis pushed herself up another inch, leaning a bit to try and get a better look. Hadn't the frog said something about a forest fire?

[color=darkturquoise]"Wha – aaAAEEEEEEEI!"[/color]

The gryphon started to dive. Its wings pulled back, almost folding over Artemis as her arms clamped down again. She was fairly certain her body was starting to lift [i]off[/i] the gryphon's back, her aching arms the only things anchoring her to it. Then the wings unfurled again, there was a sharp pull up, and Artemis went tumbling off the gryphon and onto blessed [i]ground[/i].

Artemis fell head over heels, rolling on soot-blackened earth. Ash stained everything from her skin, to her ruined clothes, to her silver hair as she finally landed flat on her back. Coughing through the soot, Artemis struggled to push herself up to a sitting position. A dirty hand came up to yank the rabbit mask from her face, in an attempt to breathe better. The gryphon, looking entirely too pleased with itself, trotted over and dropped the staff into her lap. This did not help her breathing problem. Through the coughing, Artemis looked up at the gryphon. It looked back at her, eager and waiting, with its head cocked to the side.

With a groan, Artemis felt her arms give out under her and she collapsed back into the ash.