Chapter One
"Hey, look dad! It's the Storm Hawks!" A little brown-haired boy yelled excitedly, pointing at the band of teenagers standing around the tree with their skimmers. "Sonara, look!" He tugged on the cloak of the teenaged girl beside him. Finn puffed up in pride as he hear the excited little boy's unrestrained excitement.
"I can't look, David. I'm blind, remember? Anyway, can you tell me what they look like?" The girl, Sonara, asked gently. Her words caught Aerrow's attention and he shifted his attention to the trio momentarily. The boy was about to start talking when his father cut him off.
"Those aren't the Storm Hawks. Not the real ones. Come on, David, Sonara." The father began pulling the little boy away but the Sonara shook her head briefly.
"I think I'll stick around here for a bit. I've been inside for the past few days and could use some fresh air."
"Are you sure you'll be able to find your way home?"
"Yes, I'm sure. If I can't, I'll make sure to find a Storm Hawk to get me there, right David?"
"Yeah!"
"I'll say it again, Sonara. Those kids aren't Storm Hawks, not the real ones." The father's cruel words instantly deflated the morale of the young Storm Hawks. Aerrow, the ever good leader, spoke up.
"Come on, guys. We're here to do something about that, remember?" With that, the band walked off toward the Council headquarters to register as an official Sky Knight squadron.
The massive wooden doors of the Council headquarters slammed shut before the 5 Storm Hawks, leaving Aerrow awkwardly scratching his head. Finn kicked the ground angrily.
"I told you it was a waste of time!" Piper sighed sadly.
"I just wish people would take us seriously!" Just then, the familiar sound of approaching motorcycles roused the group from their depressed states.
"It's Carver and the Red Eagles!" Junko stated excitedly.
"Let's go meet them!" Piper cheered, rushing over to the group.
"I'm Aerrow, of the Storm Hawks. It's a real honor to meet you." The redhead introduced himself, sticking out a hand to greet the reowned Sky Knight. He looked down at the teens disdainfully.
"Aren't you a little short to be a Sky Knight?" He mocked before riding off.
As the rejected young Sky Knights mounted their skimmers, the skies above Atmosia suddenly went dark. Concerned civilians gasped and pointed in shock, as did Junko.
"The beacon tower! It stopped beaconing!"
"Something must be wrong with the Aurora Stone." Piper reasoned.
"Storm Hawks, let's roll!" Aerrow commanded, revving up his engine and shooting forward... to slam into a slim figure that had been crossing the street in front of him. The person yelped as they were sent flying to hit the ground painfully a few feet away.
"Oh my gosh!" The young man yelled, jumping off his skimmer to run over to the figure. "Are you alright?" Finn, ever the hothead, decided to take another path of action.
"Hey, why don't you watch where you're walking?"
Aerrow helped roll the person over and met a pair of misty blue eyes. His own emerald eyes widened. "She... She can't, Finn. She's blind."
"Well, you're a smart one." The girl remarked. "Was it the cloudy eyes that gave me away or what?"
"I-"
"Relax, I was just joking with you. I'm Sonara Sparks Echo but just call me Sona!"
"I'm Aerrow, of the Storm Hawks. Are you alright? I didn't mean to hit you with my skimmer. I didn't see you there."
"It's alright, really. Could you help me up?" Aerrow gently held onto the girl's forearms to pull her up to her feet. When her full weight landed on her left ankle, Sona's leg buckled from the pain and she fell forward into the Sky Knight's arms with a grimace.
"So maybe I'm not alright."
"You probably sprained or broke your left ankle. We can treat it at the Condor. I'm really sorry..."
"It's okay, really, Aerrow. It's not like you hit me on purpose. But that can wait. We need to get to the beacon tower."
"Oh right! You can ride with me - It's not like we can leave you here right now." Sona smiled faintly as the well-mannered youth helped her onto his skimmer, wrapping her white cloak around her shoulders snugly before climbing on behind her. Unbeknownst to Sona, Aerrow's face flushed deep red when he realized that the short dress the girl wore under her cloak had ridden up to show glimpses of her upper thighs. His heart beat a little faster as he wrapped his lean, muscular arms around her to keep her steady and to reach the controls. "Storm Hawks, roll out!"
"And try not to hit anyone else!" Finn called out snarkily.
Sona just laughed.
The squadron slowed to a stop outside of the beacon tower where everyone - almost everyone - gasped in horror at the sight before them. The Red Eagle squadron stood frozen in various positions of terror, their skimmers toppled over on the ground behind them. Everyone slipped off their skimmers, Aerrow turning to help Sona off as well.
"Whoever did this must be very powerful..."
"This is the result of a frost crystal." Sona whispered, her fingers resting lightly on a statue. "The effects will wear off soon." Aerrow glanced at her.
"How do you know that?"
"That is a story for another time, Aerrow." She whispered softly. "Let's go up. We need to find out what happened to the Aurora Stone!"
"Yeah. Let's go!"
Aerrow slipped an arm around Sona's waist to help her walk, trying desperately to ignore the warm feeling he got from having the petite girl's soft body pressed against his own. She sank gratefully against his strength, taking a lot of weight off her injured ankle.
When they reached the beacon level, Piper gasped. "The Aurora Stone, it's gone!"
"You needn't worry." A deep voice said, someone stepping from the shadows while holding the glowing Aurora Stone.
"Carver?" Aerrow gasped.
"It'll find a good home on Cyclonia."
"But you're a Sky Knight!"
"A Sky Knight wise enough to know which way the wind is blowing! The future is Master Cyclonis. The stone belongs to her." He proclaimed as he stood atop the staircase.
Aerrow drew his energy blades, dropping into a fighting stance as Sona moved away a bit. "I will not let that happen." He growled.
"You're welcome to try and stop me." The elder Knight snarled, drawing his own red blade.
Carver made the first move, leaping from the top of the stairs towards Aerrow who leapt away. The redhead jumped towards Carver who knocked him up into the air. Aerrow pushed off the ceiling to land nimbly on the floor again.
Carver smirked and beckoned him forward. Aerrow leapt forward, his blue blade clashing against Carver's red one. The dirty blonde kicked Aerrow backwards after a moment but the resilient teen jumped back at him. Carver sent him flying.
"Aerrow!" Sona and Piper called out in alarm.
"It's your job to protect Atmos!" Aerrow stated vehemently, pointing his blade at the fallen Sky Knight. "You made an oath!"
"Oh, that's right. You fancy yourself a Sky Knight. Sorry to disappoint you, but you're just a bunch of kids." Carver stated condescendingly as Aerrow rose to his feet.
The young Knight's eyes narrowed and closed, as he began to gather his strength for his next blow. When he opened his eyes, his emerald eyes were blazing blue and he and a similar blue aura. Blue wings formed where his blades were and he brought them together to reform the wings into a single powerful bolt of energy.
It struck Carver dead center in his chest, sending him flying backwards. The Aurora Stone fell to the ground.
"When was the last time you saw a kid do that?" Piper asked as Aerrow sheathed his blades and picked up the Aurora Stone.
"That was... that was..." Carver stated, going limp.
"Aerrow, you did it! That's- that's-" Piper cheered.
"The Lightning Claw! Guess I finally figured out my move." He smiled as he moved to place the crystal back in its rightful place. Just then, Carver's eyes flew open and he lunged at Aerrow's exposed back with his blade.
'Aerrow!" Piper screamed.
There was a flash of movement and Carver found his blade's path blocked by a glowing green energy blade. His eyes moved slowly from the blade, down its holders arm and up towards the face of its wielder. His eyes met misty cerulean ones.
"You... you..."
"Carver, you are a disgrace." Sona stated coldly, effortlessly holding the defeated Knight back with her one blade. All the other Storm Hawks gaped at her, including Aerrow. "Accept your own defeat with some sort of dignity."
"Only Sky Knights have blades! You are nothing but a BLIND CHILD!" He roared in her face. She didn't even flinch.
"These were his last gift for me. He gave them to me so that I could protect myself when I inevitably left my terra. As for my blindness, I have other abilities that negate my lack of sight." With that, she kicked the man where the sun doesn't shine. He went down.
"Sonara..."
"I will explain later but let's take care of this coward first."
"The worst is yet to come." Carver proclaimed darkly as he was lead away. "Cyclonia will rise again!"
"Storm Hawks, we'd like a word." The Council stated as they approached the young warriors.
"See, I bet this is the part where they beg us to protect the terra!" Finn stated excitedly as he elbowed Junko. The lead Councilman's eyes fell on Sonara who stood beside Aerrow, still leaning against him slightly. She had adjusted her blade sheaths to rest on her hips, one on each side, in plain view. She didn't need to hide them anymore.
"So, I believe you have found your place, Sonara Sparks." His eyes moved to Aerrow. "Take care of her, young Knight. She will prove to be a great ally and an even better friend. I do so hope you will let her join your squadron. There are many things she could teach you and you, her. Now let us find somewhere more private to speak."
