Harry Potter and the Earth's Child
A/N: Happy 8 year anniversary to my readers!
Chapter 11
Quidditch
Ayla shivered as a gust of cold wind penetrated her clothing. She pulled the outer cloak tighter yet continued to feel the effects. She realized staying inside for the past few days had been worthwhile if this was the weather she would have put up with. She wished she was back in the infirmary now, no matter how exciting today's activities were supposed to be.
Madam Pomfrey noticed Ayla and cast a spell in her direction.
Ayla felt a warmth flood through her body and her cloak seemed to become as strong as stone, at least in its ability to block the wind. Between the ensorcelled cloak and the wide overhang above her, she almost felt comfortable sitting high above the ground.
She could barely see the ground in this downpour, but she thought she could make out tiny specks of red and yellow converging in the middle of the field. Eventually they met, and a few moments later a whistle like no bird she had ever heard pierced the area.
And then the specks hurtled upward, as if they were falling off a cliff, but in reverse! Ayla watched in suspense, wondering what they were going to do in the sky. They were flying like birds, though they were faster and far less graceful in their flight.
They twirled and dove, rose and twisted, stopped suddenly in place, and turned faster than any bird she knew. They followed an ever shifting path between an area to her left and another to her right. She was mesmerized.
She could hear someone talking from far away but could not understand him; the wind preventing any of the words to reach her.
A flash of lightning filled the sky. Ayla blinked from the change in illumination and winced as the not-bird shrieked again.
The specks of color floated down from the sky and gathered into two groups once more.
Ayla looked around at the others in the elevated structure and waited for some sign of what she was supposed to do. They seemed to be busy trying to stay dry and warm, totally ignoring the specks below yet not making any move towards the castle.
The specks took to the sky once again as the weather grew even wetter than it had already been. Ayla wondered how the sky managed to contain a sea of water without everyone drowning within it. Lightning flashed through the torrent and thunder shook the stands.
Ayla rose in fright. The storm raged around her, yet everything was becoming muffled, as though she was losing her sense of hearing. She wouldn't be able to talk to these people if she lost their primary method of communication. She could feel as the thunder rolled through the building and up her body, yet it was nearly silent. She shivered as an odd cold feeling penetrated deep within her.
The rumbling grew steadily worse as the ground beneath her feet opened and swallowed everything she knew. A voice penetrated the silence. A young voice in a language that she barely remembered. It was a child's voice, and it was crying for her mother. She was crying for her mother.
A lion roared.
It grew dark and cramped, and a huge claw sunk into her left thigh. scraped at her.
She watched as Iza strained to take a deep breath and opened her eyes again. "Always loved you… loved you best…" Iza's breath expired with a bubbling sigh.
The last thing Ayla heard was "Maama, Maama, Maamaaa!"