Hello once again!
This might be a disappointing chapter, it's more of a filler. Sorry.
also i forgot to mention this in earlier author note's but does anyone know the sciencey name for a bear, google is sending me on a wild goose chase and won't tell me.
Dedication... hmm... This chapter is dedicated to the up coming school holidays! Five terrible days to go!
so enjoy...
Belex POV
We walked, and walked, and walked, then we walked a bit more. Stopping little and barely sleeping longer than three hours a day. I was tired and walking dead on my feet. Still carrying a semi-conscious Hawk, he should have recovered by now, but his shoulder had become infected and wasn't healing normally. Blood and yellow stuff constantly oozed from the wound, the skin around the hole's inflamed, hard and swollen.
Asp had returned to his human form, after two hours of rolling around on the forest floor shaking, shivering, screaming and withering in a small curled up furry-ball. He lay there panting for a while then pull himself up and simply said "that hurt like hell". And we continued.
I hate walking.
This is the sixth day of walking.
Have I mentioned I don't like walking? And that where ever we happen to be, it's a pain in the ass, avoiding walking up mountains and trying to stay downhill.
Asp returned to his bird-kid self two days ago and we last saw an Eraser hunting party yesterday. We'd meet five hunting parties after the slaughter fest under the pine tree; two on the day after one three days ago and one yesterday. Each party consists of five to ten blood thirsty erasers all morphed, ready to kill and those evil scum-bags even starved the wolfies. With a bear on our side they were very easy to take down and suffered minimal injury, small cuts, bruises, maybe the odd bone. Nothing major.
But with Asp in his bird-kid skin we had a harder time, I had claws raked down my right wing when I tried to gain an advantage from above, two ribs broken, dislocated shoulder and I broke a nail. Well not really a nail more of a talon and it hurts like hell! Asp didn't do much better he broke some bone in his ankle, broken nose and nearly had a large chunk of leg torn off. Nite looked the best out of all of us with only a few tail feathers pulled out. He's also covered in blood and mud, like the rest of us.
We walked slowly, barely moving, always in the same general direction. The plants were thick and dense so we followed animal trails, occasionally meeting another living thing, different animals, quite a few snakes, skunks, we even passed a cougar. They're also known as mountain lions, so you'd think they would be hunting somethin' nearby. It looked happy and content to just wander on past us.
I eventually turned off the trail and came to a holt, Asp followed sleepily and sat down, pulled off his backpack and went to sleep immediately.
I lay Hawk down on a soft bed of ferns, tried to clean his wound as best I could, it smelt terrible! Like something died then rotted for a long time, which probably wasn't too far off most off, the wound looked like rotten flesh. We needed disinfectant and antibiotics.
I was taking first watch since Asp so kindly asked if I would mind, Nite took last night's watch and I the night before. Therefore it should be Asp's turn! I couldn't be bother waking him up though and with him so tired I'd run the risk of him falling asleep. So I'm stuck with another sleepless night. Yippee.
(Four and a half hours later)
"Oww! What the hell X!" Asp yelled when I kicked him awake.
"Good morning sunshine! Up and at 'em! It's a brand new day!" I said cheerfully throwing a few energy bars at him. I am so going to get him back for stealing my sleep. Which I desperately need.
He tried to roll over to ignore me so I kicked him again. "What is wrong with you?" he groaned.
"Don't quite know myself, but I'm sure it serious." I said happily giving him another kick.
"Will you stop that?"
"stop what?"
"kicking me!"
"I'm not kicking you! That would be mean." I said trying to sound offended and failed, so I gave him another kick.
"Ow! Yes you are! What do you want?"
"I am not!" I kicked him again, "as for what I want I want a lot of things, but you could start with getting up." I said simply, nudging him with my foot.
Asp decided it would be less painful to just get up and have a breakfast of random energy bars, fruit bars and musili bars. I let Hawk sleep till we were ready to move and Nite had woken up sometime during my conversation with Asp.
As we stepped onto the animal trail we'd been following last night I saw the tracks I hadn't seen in the dark. Footprints made by shoes. Probably human (it's hard to tell the difference of human and hybrid by shoeprints). Only one set of prints, leading in the direction we were going. We could easily be walking into an ambush.
Nite flew from tree to tree scouting the area ahead, we had a slight disadvantage with Hawk unconscious, and the delayed reaction time for Nite to fly back to warn us.
I wasn't carrying Hawks body today, Asp was. My thinking is that if there is a trap I'd walk into it first and hopefully Asp would be able escape with Hawk and Nite. I'd then pull off some amazing escape and we'd continue on our way. That's Plan B if Nite misses something or rather somebody.
The forest was fairly empty, besides the trees I mean, very few birds most of them multi-coloured parrots chattering noisily to each other, Nite drifts past and they all fly off in alarm. the odd insect mostly bees, wasps and butterflies fluttered around the native wild flowers. the leaves rustled in the cool breeze and that was about it. Nothing abnormal. Just like yesterday. Two days of peace, most people wouldn't get edgy about that but I'm not normal people. And I distrust this peace.
Yes, I am worried about the lack of people trying to kill me.
I like the butterflies. No! Not in that girly way, pretty pink butterflies, sparkly purple flowers and a smiling happy sun *gag*. No, these butterflies were black and orange with little white spots, Monarch's or Wanderer's is what they are. Large, beautiful, graceful and powerful, if a fluttering butterfly could look powerful, then these Monarch's did it. Each of their quick wing beats were of excellent control, like they'd had years to gain perfection. They are also like many birds, migrating both north and returning south with the seasons, that would explain the vast number I'd seen today. They were on their annual migration southwards.
Although the Monarchs distracted me for a while I eventually became aware Asp was lagging behind. He was still carrying Hawk over his shoulder, which look painfully uncomfortable for Hawk. Asp was panting heavily so I stopped to wait for him, when he caught up he nodded and we continued, a little slower than before.
I hate walking.
So slow, so very, very slow.
"Hey," I called back to Asp who'd fallen behind again. "I think I can hear something."
"Something real? Or is your insanity talking?" He replied obviously not having heard what i thought I heard.
"My insanity really does talk I swear! It sounds just like my voice!" I'm not really crazy but denial is the first stage of acceptance, and Asp will use anything I say against me in the future. So it's best to play along.
There! I heard it again! A truck, defiantly a truck. I stopped, straining my ears to listen to the road I could only hear faintly.
Asp had no idea what I was doing, he hadn't heard it yet. "What are you doing?"
"Searching for the meaning of life."
"Ah huh… of course."
Signalling Asp to be quiet we snuck up towards the road. Peering through the tall road-side grass and bush I saw a moderately busy highway. Most of the cars were five seaters or four wheel drives. A couple of motor bikes and a semi-trailer. They all whizzed past, returning home, not a care in the world for us homeless bird-children. Not that I want anyone to know about us… we could end up in a zoo or circus or anywhere people can observe us like freaks. No privacy.
A large blue sign caught my eye,
USery Mountain Regional Park
~ N Bush Hwy ~
It also had a logo for something in the corner which I didn't recognise. It was a badge like frame in yellow and the letters 'US' with a Christmassy looking pine tree between them. And why would I recognise it? Living in a cage doesn't teach you these things. It might teach the meaning of hell and pain and pure evil, but not park logos. Anyway the sign didn't tell me much, so it doesn't matter.
I motioned Asp to retreat back into the bushes, where we could move and talk without anyone seeing.
"Think we should follow the road?" I asked, gesturing south down the road.
Asp shrugged in reply "we can't go back, unless we want to become dog chow."
"Okay, to civilisation we go!" I pointed enthusiastically ahead and started marching, Asp followed less enthusiastically.
(Another hour… or five, later)
Walking…
Walking…
More walking…
Another step…
Walking…
Time ticking by…
Even more walking…
Walking…
Step after step…
Foot after foot…
…
Some more walking…
Bit more…
Hate walking…
Stiff wings…
Walking…
Grounded…
Too much walking…
Hungry…
Should stop…
Need food…
Need sleep too, but that ain't happnin'…
So on with the walking…
And walking…
Few more steps…
One foot after the other…
Rhythmic thuds…
One step, two step, red fish, blue fish...
Love my insanity…
So tired…
Exhausted…
Hate bloody walking…
Wing too tender to fly…
Stupid Erasers…
Stupid Itex…
Stupid world…
Stupid walking…
Hate walking…
To many sleepless nights…
Lucky Hawk…
He doesn't have to walk…
Always sleeping…
Not even conscious…
Shoulder is in pain though…
Poor Hawk that must hurt…
Still hate walking…
Death to walking!
"Hey, X? Are you okay?" Asp's gravelly voice cut off my pitiful wandering through my messed up mind, and brought me back to reality.
"Huh?... yeah, fantastic. It's getting dark so we should probably make camp." I tried not to sound to exhausted but I think I failed. Stupid yawn.
I don't know when I fell in behind Asp, I didn't even notice this until I followed as he veered of the track which ran parallel to the highway, into thicker bush.
I would have just loved to sleep immediately when Asp finally stopped walking. But the world is a cruel place…
Seven Erasers stood between me and my sleep.
I'm too tired to fight, too tired to run, too tired to attempt to fly, but I WILL NOT be taken back! Summoning my miniscule energy which remained to me, along with the adrenaline now pulsing through my veins. I got into a fighting stance, legs apart, claws raised, head up, eyes watching.
Something felt different.
My arms felt strange… looking down expecting to see my black feathery shoulders, scaly grey skin and sharp black talons. I nearly had a heart attack.
My arms, my beautiful unique arms, were gone. Replaced. Replaced with normal, average human arms. My wonderful sharp talons too. Also replaced with ugly, useless, blunt, round human fingernails. How did I not notice this!
I am, for once in my life defenceless. I can't fight without my talons. I've had them my entire life! I can't punch, I don't know how to. I slash, cut and stab! That's how I fight!
We are doomed. Not that we had much of a chance before, two exhausted bird-kids and a bird against seven morphed well-rested Erasers hungry for blood. I was hoping luck would help out with those odds evening us out. But no, now I can't fight properly! I'll still try, I never give up, I'll only last seconds though.
Kinda sad. Surviving a mass-slaughter days ago to be taken down from running ourselves to death.
Funny too, for the same reasons. Oh the irony…
I'm ready for a suicide mission! I'm not going to be taken alive! To exist in cages, not really living! And I'm taking these bastards with me! Haha! Death to every one!
Everything seemed to be in slow motion from then on. I wasn't aware of my insane laughing, the joyful smile of a lunatic on my face, where Hawk was, what Asp was doing, why the Erasers suddenly turned tail and ran, where the dead or unconscious Erasers disappeared to, how I was suddenly on the ground, the soft warm hand pulling me up, the same warm hands patching up my bloody gashes, the many children quaking at how beat up I looked. I didn't notice any of this cause I was only barely holding onto life.
what did you think? boring? slightly depressing? pointless? repetative? like the kicking Asp awake part?
once again that was a filler... plot is coming soon... hopefully.
I don't have much to say... except I wasted a whole day writting this and reading FanFiction.