Bigger than you know

Artorias watched while his avian ward went to dismount as soon as he announced they had arrived, then saw the panic on Zephyr's face the moment his talons hit and sank into the soft sand an inch. The baby raptor hung from his dense fur for a moment in fright, then hurriedly scrambled back up him, declaring in a panic that the ground was going to eat him and then the water was going to eat him. Artorias couldn't help the laugh at Zephyrus' innocent mind. Everything was terrifying to the young bird until explained otherwise. Art began to silently wonder if this was how parents had to teach their pups how to navigate and interact with the world; had he been like this at Zephyr's age? "It's all right, Zeph! It's not going to eat you. See?" Artorias demonstrated by hopping up and down on the sand a few times, his paws sinking just a smidge into the soft earth each time, but never rising above them. "This is sand. It's like the dirt we walk on, but it's made softer and more pliable thanks to the ocean. It feels weird at first and is kinda squishy, but it's totally safe." As for the ocean itself... Artorias gazed out over the western sea to their left.

"The water won't eat you either, but it does need to be treated with respect. This big water is called an ocean. It goes on for as far as we know, and can be very dangerous if you can't swim. So you can go near it, but don't go in it, okay?" With his warning given, Artorias turned his head to smile back at the argentavis clinging to his back fur. "If you'd like to try walking again, I promise I won't let anything hurt you. Or you're more than welcome to stay on my back for now, and I'll keep you safe up there." Once Zeph had made his decision, Artorias began a slow walk along the isthmus, crunching the soft sand beneath his toes. "This place is called the Bifröst. It's a long bridge of land that links our home of Auster with another land to the north, called Boreas." Lifting an azure paw, Art pointed to the hazy land far off in the distance. "Do you see it all the way over there? That's Boreas. A lot of our friends live over there. It's also where I was born before my family moved here." Artorias permitted Zephyrus to explore the land or ask questions as his little feather heart desired. He wanted to be a good teacher, guardian, and mentor to the fledgling, so he gave Zeph quite a lot of freedom to grow and explore.

"Artorias Carpathius"