Thanks for all reviews and keep 'em coming! Sorry i take so long to update...i have a really slow imagination...

Oh yeah sorry if I made a few spelling/punctuation mistakes, thats my weakest skill -sweat drops-

Yeah, so...enjoy!

"Is Max alright?"

"She's fine Angel."

"She doesn't look fine…"

"Well you wouldn't either if you'd just been shot, Gazzy."

"But…is she gonna wake up soon?"

"Yeah Fang! What if she never wakes up again and she dies, and then we'll be left alone, and the erasers will get us and we'll all be sent back to the school, or killed, or-!" Nudge's panicked voice seeped into my consciousness, pulling me out of the darkness.

"Hey, don't kill me off just yet." I muttered groggily, eyes shut tightly trying to hear through the pounding in my head.

"MAX! You're awake!"

"Unfortunately" I said groaning.

I shifted slightly away from the piercing light stabbing at my eyes and buried my head into what felt like someone's shoulder. My eyes flew open and worried faces filled my vision, along with that torturous light which came from the rising sun.

"Ouch" Squinting I looked around and noticed the flock were all hovering in the air surrounding me. I opened my eyes fully as I realised that Fang was carrying me, once again, while flying.

"Max, you ok now?" Nudge asked worriedly, hovering as close as she could to me.

"Yeah I'm just dandy" I said giving her a pained smile to reassure her. She smiled and flew closer to angel above us. The flock spread out enjoying the freedom of flight hidden by slight cloud coverage.

I turned my head to Fang who looked down at me; eye's blazing, and gave me a look that told me I was in trouble later.

Oops.

I tried to remove myself from Fang's grip but he just pulled me closer and muttered a low "Stay still"

"Huh? Let me down, I can fly on my own." I muttered back indignantly. He raised one dark eyebrow sceptically and then proceeded to completely ignore me.

"Hey!"

"No Max." I rolled my eyes.

"Stop having such a masculinity complex and let me fly for myself!"

O.k. maybe not later. He is not gonna let that go easily.

"Masculinity complex?! - You've been shot! You collapsed on us once already, you really think I'm about to let you fly on your own, fall, scare me half to death, only to end up carrying you again. This way you can cut out the beginning and middle and save your self some time!"

He stopped breathing heavily, obviously trying to stop himself from yelling at me further. I watched him silently, studying his normally stoic face, which at the moment was full of mixed emotions, each replacing each other before I had a chance to identify what they were. I realised how much I must have scared him, to have broken his calm exterior.

"Sorry" I whispered softly burying my head into his shoulder again. I felt his body slowly relax.

"Do you-" He stopped, and I felt him take a deep breath before speaking.

"Do you know how many times I've had to watch you get injured, or fall from the sky? First there were those damn Brain explosions. The first time you fell I nearly yanked my feathers out trying to reach you. Then you try to kill yourself, getting the chip out on that beach."

I tried to protest but he cut me off.

"And then you go and collapse after being shot and are then out like a light for hours without being able to be woken. I was nearly going insane trying to reassure the rest of the flock and not freak out myself" He sighed, sounding worn out and drained.

I shifted myself in his arms so I could wrap my arm's round his neck and rested my head in the crook of his neck. I winced a little as the movement caused my wound to throb.

"I'm sorry" I murmured miserably. "I don't do it on purpose, just to scare you"

"I know but still. You've got to be more careful."

"You get hurt all the time too."

He gave a short laugh "That's so you don't, Max." He breathed gently against my ear.

"You say you can't lose us, but if we were separated, you would survive. That's what you do Max. But we wouldn't be able to. Without you we'd all be dead by now."

"That's not true!" I insisted disentangling my arms from his neck and facing him. "You're so much stronger than me. You don't break down and cry, or have a voice leading you or-"

"Shut up Max" He said cutting off my rambling gently. "Those things are not a sign of weakness. Nor are they your fault. And your voice, though I don't trust it, hasn't gotten us in danger yet." He shook his head as I opened my mouth to argue again.

"Just go back to sleep so you'll heal faster and stop throwing me off balance" He gave me a half smile as I lent back in his arms.

"Land soon, ok?"

"I have to. You're no lightweight Max"

He laughed as I scowled and thumped him, then I let myself drift off again, safe in Fang's warm arms.

I woke up about an hour later, just as we were about to land over another huge forest. I almost fell over again when I finally stood on my own but Fang steadied me easily, and soon we were all busy setting up camp, deep in the forest. Angel's wound had healed a little, thanks to our ability to heal faster than normal humans. This is one of the times I'm actually glad we're not normal.

I offered to take first watch, as I had slept for ages while the rest of the flock had flown. They were all visibly exhausted so my offer was met with only weak protests from Fang and a small snore from Gazzy who had already curled up next to Angel and Total who were both fast asleep. Even Nudge was quiet, sitting staring off in to the distance, eye's half closed. I smiled slightly; she was trying so hard to not nod off. Fang gave in at my insistence and soon all 5 bird kids were dead to the world while the sun rose higher in the sky.

I sat leaning against the trunk of a massive tree and tried to sit as still as possible, so as not to disturb the wound healing in my back. I wasn't in pain but there was a dull ache with every heart beat. I tried to feel the wound, probing the area where the ache was coming from but could only feel the pain intensifying when I skimmed the injured area. I had found just after landing that I'd already been bandaged up, most likely by Fang, who was the best at applying first aid out of us all. Well he'd gotten enough practice.

I sighed wearily and rubbed my eyes. What was I meant to do now? We had destroyed the Itex building which now seemed to have been a set up by the school. But why?

Hello? Voice? Anyone there? A little help now would be GREAT.

I don't know why I bothered asking. The voice hadn't answered me before. I hadn't heard from it since blowing up Itex. I wasn't expecting much now.

I woke the flock up about mid afternoon and we set off flying to god knows where, considering I had no idea where we were. When I had asked Fang where we were he had said "Georgia somewhere". Great.

So we went north west, for no particular reason. It just felt right. I went with the flow.

Hope you enjoyed, if not then too bad.