Free The Three Feathers - The Magnificent Journey of Joshua Aylong by Stefan Bolz

them physically, he saw them in his mind. And what came with the image was the sound of laughter. It was laughter that brought with it the glad realization that the wolf was alive, and Joshua couldn’t help but jump up and fly the last distance before he came around a large rock and saw them.
    Wolf and eagle sat next to each other on a moss covered rock. The eagle was an impressive bird as it was about the same size as the large wolf. Grey gave out howls that, under different circumstances, would have been bone chilling to Joshua. The eagle let out long cries and throughout that, Joshua could hear their laughter in his mind. First he was stunned, watching them in disbelief. Then he couldn’t help but join in. He laughed long and hard and the joy of having found his companion safe and sound swept over him and he laughed until he sank to the ground.
    “Tidings of a red rooster and his companions searching for the cave of dreams have reached us in the deep.” The eagle’s thoughts stood in Joshua’s mind and for a moment he felt as if he was lifted up high into the heavens, soaring there.
    “You know of us?” Joshua replied.
    “Yes we do. Sometimes legends become legends while they happen,” the eagle answered. “There has not been anyone searching for the cave of dreams within this lifetime and many before that one. The freeing of the Pegasus has set in motion an infinite number of possibilities that did not exist before. But be wary. There are forces at work here, my red friend, that will try to stop you from ever reaching your goal and there are forces here and inside the mountain that will do whatever it takes for you not to find what you are looking for.”
    “So, it is real?” Joshua was surprised about his own question. Did he not think his dream would have a chance to become reality? He had to admit to himself at that moment that, for a while now, he did not really believe in his dreams anymore and that he had mainly been on this journey because of his companions.
    “That’s why they are with you,” the eagle interrupted his stream of thought. “They are with you to keep your dream alive within you. Do not abandon it. Do not give in, whatever may occur. Hollow’s Gate, the Great Deep, is what you must conquer in order to reach the entrance to Storm Mountain, the entrance to the dark. For you must first face your nightmares before you can reach the cave of dreams.”
    With that, the eagle jumped off the rock and landed in front of Joshua. He was easily four times Joshua’s size with white feathers around his massive beak and down his chest and light brown wings with dark edges. His eyes, Joshua felt, could see deep into his soul. He was in awe of the eagle but at the same time had the strange sensation that this awe was reflected back to him.
    “Ayres greets you.” The eagle opened his wings and when Joshua thought he would take flight, he bowed his head deep before Joshua. Then he pushed off the ground and with a few powerful strokes of his wings, he was already high up in the air where he began to circle overhead, crying out several times.
    Joshua, stunned and somewhat embarrassed, looked in disbelief from the eagle to the wolf who jumped down from the rock and came toward him.
    “I’m so glad you are alive,” Joshua couldn’t contain his joy. “How did you… how is it possible that you live? And what in all the world does this all mean?”
    “Come,” the wolf replied. “Let’s find some water and food and I will tell you everything I know.”
    As they walked through the green pasture that was dotted with large trees with branches wide and low to the ground, Joshua wondered how he had heard that Hollow’s Gate was a dark place filled with creatures who avoided the light. What he saw now was a lush landscape with hills and valleys and—”
    “Do not be deceived by its beauty,” Grey brought him back. “It is a place of trials and tribulations and its laws are completely its own. A day