Chapter ten
The next event was also for the Sky Knights except that this one could turn out to be a lot more lives threatening then the little game of capture the flag before. This time they had to retrieve a key from the other side of the Terra. The course was the most dangerous part. They had to pass through a forest that had been filled with bog howlers from Terra Gruesomess, make it through a living tar pit and a jungle of meat eating plants, climb a mountain made to be exactly like Storms Peak and finally they had to get through a angry hoard of saber-spiders with poisonous skin.
The Sky Knights lined up again including the Dark Ace, much to Aerrow's annoyance. The Talon shouted for them to go and once again they started running. Aerrow could hear the bog howlers before he actually saw them and for that he was thankful. If he hadn't known that the beasts were coming he wouldn't have had enough time to draw his blades. The bog howler pounced at him and he was pushed to the ground by its massive paws. The wind was knocked out of the young Sky Knight and he couldn't breathe with the weight on his chest. Before blackness took over his vision completely from lack of air he managed to drive one of his blades into the monster's leg. It bellowed in pain and let him up, limping around. Aerrow climbed to his feet gasping and trying to catch his breath.
He hurried past the bog howler and luckily it didn't pursue him, finding the Talon that had just appeared to stop Aerrow more interesting. "Okay, next stop the living tar pit." Aerrow muttered to himself as he ran. When he got there Harrier, Suzie-Lu and Tasha of the Screaming Queens were already under attack by the living tar. Aerrow hurried to help them. Remembering the living tar he and the other Storm Hawks had encountered in the Black Gorge Aerrow called "confuse it! If we can confuse it, then we can get past it!" Tasha had already been grabbed be it though. She was struggling strongly but the living tar seemed completely unfazed. Harrier and Suzie-Lu heard and understood. Suzie-Lu ran to its left banging her crystal staff against her shoulder plate, drawing the monster's attention. It turned on the Blizzarian, still holding onto Tasha, even though it didn't seem to remember she was there. Harrier ran to its right, waving his Solaris Crystal powered sword to draw its attention over to him.
Aerrow ran at it from the front yelling and taunting it to look at him instead of the other Sky Knights. "Hey ugly!" he called, "over here!" Suzie-Lu joined in. "No over here!" she cried. The monster turned its head to her before Harrier shouted "over here you barbaric piece of scum!" the monster was starting to look confused, showing them that their plan was working.
It went cross eyed and dropped Tasha who landed nimbly in a crouch; summer salted and came up on her feet. The four Sky Knights exchanged glances before the living tar roared angrily. They didn't stick around any longer. They took off in different directions. Onwards to the jungle of meat eating plants.
Aerrow had a hard time as soon as he entered the jungle. He was sprinting and hearing a sound behind him; he glanced back over his shoulder and tripped over the root of a meat eating plant. Great. It wrapped its root around his ankle, holding him so tightly he was already starting to lose feeling in his ankle. He pulled out his blades but the plant was smarter then it looked. Okay, that was a weird thought. Smart plants? I'm going crazy. Aerrow thought, shaking his head to clear it. The plant knocked the blades out of his hands with another of its roots. They skidded far out of the fourteen year old's reach. He cursed under his breath and glared up at the plant that was about to kill him.
As its grip tightened around his ankle Aerrow winced and had to bite his tongue to keep from crying out. There was a painful crack and he realized it had come from his ankle. Aerrow grunted and struggled even harder. The plant wove its roots around his arms and legs, pinning him to the ground. "Aerrow!" someone called. He looked up at his name as someone raced past him, grabbing onto his arm while she did so. Somehow she managed to pull him free and the two of them stumbled along, Aerrow bending down to retrieve his weapons. They ran out of the jungle together and the whole time Aerrow couldn't tell who it was that had saved him because of the pain radiating from his leg.
As soon as they were out the young woman slowed her pace. Aerrow's knees buckled but she caught him and helped him sit down. She knelt down beside him. Then and only then could he make out a head of familiar purple hair and a face with olive green eyes filled with concern. "Starling." He said weakly. She gripped his hand and gave him a tight smile. "But what're you doing here?" he asked her, struggling to stay focused. "You don't have a squadron." She smiled, a real smile this time. "I do today."
Aerrow smiled. Starling never failed to amaze him. She had heard about what had happened to the Sky Knight Squadrons and had wanted to help. Starling was a Sky Knight but she had lost her own squadron to the hands of the raptors. The Storm Hawks had offered her a home aboard the Condor with them several times but she had never accepted. Sky Knights and their stubbornness. "Can you keep going?" she asked. Aerrow winced as his ankle flared with pain and realized that it wasn't just his ankle that was damaged but his whole left leg up to the knee. He took a deep breath before saying "yeah." Starling, knowing that Sky Knight's would always tell you they were okay no matter what happened, let him get to his feet with her help.
He winced again as he put pressure on his injured leg but Starling noted how good he was at making it look like he wasn't in any pain at all. In fact if she hadn't known that he was hurt then she probably would have never known. She helped him to the base of Storms Peak Mountain. He looked up at it and Starling noticed the tiredness in his eyes. Starling could also see what seemed to be old tear tracks along his cheeks from crying. Since when had Aerrow cried? And that led to the Sky Knight wondering just how much he was holding back. "Ready?" he asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Are you sure you can do this with your leg?" she asked. He shrugged. "We'll never know if we don't get started." Starling had to smile. With this fourteen year old Sky Knight's stubborn will and determination it was hard not to.
As they began their climb Starling sent Aerrow a look. He was clearly struggling but he kept a brave face on and she knew why. He was doing this for Radarr. Aerrow was so loyal to his friends that he was climbing a mountain with a broken leg. But one thing was for sure, Starling realized. It was hard to see the pain behind the mask.
A/N: do not worry people! This is not the end of the story I promise! I don't really have a lot to say right now…. does anybody find my story dramatic? Well if you don't I promise you I have something very drama and tear filled planned for the next few chapters. And if you don't feel sorry for Aerrow yet then you will once I post the next few chapters! Please review! Bye for now!