Chapter 11 : Harpies

Mountain Trails

The group had been hiking the trails of the Smokies for awhile now with Storm leading them . He was using his Stallion Eyes to see through the mist and fog surrounding and protecting the mountain range and Thunder Mountain .

" Guys there is a clear spot up ahead where we can rest . " Storm said he had been silent ever since Harris went in search of Raven . He was worried , but didn ' t want to show the others that he was worried .

" Okay , sounds good . " Adam said .

" You ' re telling me . The horses could use the rest , too . " Aaron agreed .

" Amy , you okay ? " Beth asked . The others looked at the two .

" Yes , I am just worried about Raven . We have heard anything from Wildcat yet or her . " Amy said sad from not hearing anything on her best friend .

" Chris will find her , he wouldn ' t let her or us down . Nor would he break his promise to us . " Storm said .

" Yeah , then why is it taking so long ? " Adam asked he wasn ' t happy at all that Raven , the one he viewed as a little sister was still missing .

" It ' s a long river , " Storm looked at Adam .

" Quit making excuses for the Cat . " Adam glared at Storm .

" Adam , I don ' t make excuses for anyone , not even Wildcat . He will return Raven to us . I have a connection to both Harris and Raven that no one understands . I can feel everything that is going on . I can feel the emotions you guys are giving off and the negativity , so , stop . Raven , would be pissed if you guys were up here doubting the Cat . Raven , would be pissed if she knew you guys were doubting her . " Storm tried to reason with them .

" If you truely love her and want to marry her then why aren ' t you showing that you are worried ? " Jericho questioned .

" Because , I haven ' t given up on her . Because , I can ' t just go around showing off my emotions like you guys can . It would be a danger to everyone around me , including me . Raven , wouldn ' t want anything to happen to you guys and I am trying my best to keep my emotions incheck . " Storm said .

" Guys , leave Storm alone . He knows what he is doing even if we don ' t . He knows how to feel when those around him are about to give up . I ' ve known him long enough to know that the Cowboy doesn ' t back down or give up on a friend or anything else he believes in . I trust him and so should you . " Roode said getting between Storm and Adam . Then looking at Jericho to show that he ment every word that he said .

" But , I want my best friend . " Amy looked at Storm fighting the tears

" Amy , Wildcat will bring her back to us . " James said easily . He knew that Raven and Amy were close , so , she was taking it harder than the others .

" Lets get to the clearing and rest . " James said again and they followed him to the clearing .

No sooner had they sat down did they see something red coming towards them in the sky .

" Hey , Adam , what is that in the sky ? " Matt asked .

" Its , Sunrise . " Adam said .

The bird finally landed on a tree limb closest to them .

" Sunrise , " Aaron came to him and notice he was carrying a note . He took it off of the phoenix ' s leg and Sunrise flew off back to where he came from .

" He didn ' t stay long . " Jay said .

" Aaron , what does the note say ? " Storm asked .

" It ' s from Harris , it says he found Raven and they are both safe . They are hiding out right now until its safe for both of them to move and when Raven is able to move , preferably before we enter Thunder Mountain . If not go on without them and they would catch up to us . The Wild Riders are back be on the look out and becareful of strangers . P . S . Don ' t travel by road ways anymore for it will make tracking you easier by the enemy . Signed Wildcat , Christopher " Chris " Eric Harris , SAYDL . " Aaron read the note outloud .

" Are we sure its the Wildcat ' s writing ? " Matt asked .

" Matt , " Storm started to say .

" James , I am not doubting the Wildcat would send us a message . But , the note did say be careful of strangers and after seeing the ghost that those goblins conjured up and the thrall . I would not put it past the demons to conjure up a phoenix to look like Sunrise and lie to us by sending a note . " Matt interrupted Storm before he could continue . "

" Let me see the note , Aaron . " Storm said .

" Sure , why ? " Aaron asked .

" Let see , he signed it using his real name and autographed it the way he normally would , including his nickname Wildcat . He also signed in SAYDL , which means Sorry About Your Damn Luck . Only two other people know that I sign my autographs that way : Roode and Harris . This also is his handwriting , Harris sent this knowing that I would see the little details . Plus in the corner of the note on the back he wrote " Guilty " , his own slogan . He sent this note . " Storm confirmed it .

" Okay , fair enough . " Matt said .

" So , I take it Sunrise is going back to them ? " Jay asked .

" Probably to help protect them . " Aaron said looking off in the direction that Sunrise went .

Cave Hideout

Chris was fixing some fish when Raven woke up .

" Chris , " Raven looked around .

" Yes , Angel ? " Chris asked . Raven looked to see him at the campfire .

" What are you doing ? " Raven asked .

" Fixing fish for you . " Chris answered .

" Huh ? " Raven looked at him confused .

" You still need to eat . " Chris said to her .

" Right , " Raven said . She looked toward the entrance to the cave as Sunrise flew in from taking the message to Storm and the others . The bird landed on the ground next to her .

" Sunrise , you ' re back . " Raven said looking at her feathered friend . The bird sang his greeting to her . Raven took her hand and stroked the phoenix ' s neck .

" You two are really connecting better . " Chris said .

" Yes , ever since he rebooted my energy back at the Ruins of Northern Canada . I felt like my connection to him strengthened a lot . " Raven said as Sunrise flew off back outside .

" Where ? " Chris asked . The bird had an answer when he came back with a dead mouse .

" Clever bird . " Raven smiled at him .

Sunrise flew and landed on a raised rock in the cave , so , he could eat his kill .

" You need to eat too , Raven . " Chris said .

" Yes , of course . " Raven said . Soon she was full of fish .

" Thanks Chris , " Raven said grateful for the food and medical care he was giving her .

" No problem , Angel . " Chris said .

" So , when can we move ? Or should I let my leg heal more ? " Raven asked looking at her bad leg .

" We need to move at night , so , we will wait til night fall . But , I am not sure if we will catch the others before Storm opens the entrance into Thunder Mountain . " Chris said .

" Right , but . . . " Raven started when Sunrise came to them .

" Sunrise , what are you doing ? " Chris asked . Sunrise looked at Chris then looked at Raven ' s leg .

" Sunrise ? " Raven asked . The bird tilted its head to one side and let a tear fall out of its eyes landing on Raven ' s bad leg .

" What is he doing ? " Chris asked .

" Ah ! Shit ! The tear drop burns . Sunrise what did you do ? " Raven asked grimacing at the burning sensation in her leg . Sunrise began singing .

" Raven , " Chris put a hand on her shoulder .

Soon the burning stopped and Raven had a strange feeling in her leg .

" Chris , remove the splint . " Raven said .

" What ? Why ? Your leg is broke . " Chris said .

" Just do it , " Raven said and he did so . Raven then put a hand on the side of the cave to steady herself .

" Raven , what are you doing ? " Chris asked .

" Here give me your hand . " Raven said .

Chris did so and she stood up on her now healed leg .

" Whoa . " Chris and Raven both said and looked at Sunrise .

" Phoenix tears have healing powers . " Raven quoting what Aaron said when she first received Sunrise as her partner .

" I guess we can move sooner than later . " Chris said .

" Sounds good to me . " Raven said summoning her armor to her .

" Alright lets go then . " Chris doing the same with his Fallen Armor .

They packed up their stuff and left out of the hideout . They made sure no one saw them or followed then made for the Little Pigeon River .

" Sunrise , go ahead of us . " Raven called to the phoenix and he did as he was told .

" We need to watch out for harpies and riders , Raven . " Chris said .

" Got it , " Raven said . They moved as quick as possible .

Mountain Trail

The group with Storm was on the move once again after their small break .

" The sun is shining now on this side of the mountain which is going to make it easier to see a trail . " Storm said to them .

" It will also make it easier for something to spot us , so , be cautious . " Aaron said .

" Ditto , oh my god . " Adam said looking behind them and seeing large half - bird , half - human things flying towards them .

" Aaron ? " Jericho asked looking at the things .

" Those are the harpies . Everyone move to those caves . " Aaron said looking at the vile creatures . Everyone took off at top speed on the horses and reached the caves just as one of the harpies came down upon them .

" That was close . " Jay said .

" Yeah , but now what do we do ? " Jeff asked .

" Storm , do you think you can get shots on them ? " Roode asked .

" I might or would my lightning work better Aaron ? " Storm looked at the wolf shaman .

" Probably the rifle . " Aaron said .

" Hey Storm , do you think you can shoot through that hole ? " Matt asked .

Storm looked and saw a flat spot for him to lay down with a hole just big enough for a gun to fit through .

" Perfect , not a bad idea Matt . " Storm said and called the rifle to him . He layed on the spot and took aim at the birds , but before he could take a shot a spear came through the air piercing one of the birds .

" What the hell was that ? " Glen asked .

" No clue , Sunrise is here . " Storm said looking through the scope on the rifle .

Soon the second harpy was shot by another spear right through the heart .

" Both harpies are down , but who shot them ? " Jay asked looking around .

" Over here . " Harris called as he came to them with Raven .

" Chris , " Matt looked at him .

" Raven , " Amy went straight to her and pulled her into a hug .

" Amy , I ' m okay . " Raven said to her best friend .

" I was worried . " Amy said .

" I ' m sorry for making you worry . " Raven pulled back to look at Amy .

" You will do it again , " Adam said .

" Yeah , but at least you half way know what to expect when I make you worry when I am in the ring . " Raven looked at the Rated " R " Superstar .

" Still doesn ' t make me worry any less . " Adam said pulling her in for an embrace .

" Big brother , I will be okay . " Raven said .

" Our friend is safe again . " Jay said .

" Don ' t do that to us again . " Jericho scolded .

" Whoops , " Raven said and pulled the two other blonde Canadians in for hugs .

" Raven , you are worse than my brother worrying us to death . " Matt said .

" I thought I told you to leave the extreme to me . " Jeff said .

" And I thought I told you I just might be more extreme than you are , Jeff . " Raven said to them .

" Will see . " Beth said .

" Sticking to his side are you Beth ? " Raven asked .

" Yes , stand by your man . " Beth said .

" Ain ' t that , uhh , Bobby , can ' t breath . " Raven said as Roode picked her up for a big bear hug .

" Little sis I thought we lost you . " Roode said .

" Kiddo , its good to see you back with us . " Mark said as Roode put her back on her feet .

" Thanks , Mark . Storm , I ' m sorry if I worried you . I ' ll be more cautious my Cowboy . " Raven looked at Storm .

" No you won ' t , I know you . You are reckless and crazy , but I love you for it . I don ' t want you changing one thing that I love about you . I thought I lost you . " Storm said as tears came down his face rain began to fall as well .

" Sshh , its okay Cowboy . I know how you feel . " Raven said hugging him tight to her .

" I know you do . " Storm kissed her .

" Well then , " Roode looked away .

" Hey , I hate to break this up . But , can we get going before more of those things show up ? " Jay asked .

" Wait ! We can ' t , " Raven said .

" Why not ? " Adam asked .

" Because the harpies are not evil . We found out why the harpies are back and acting wierd . Harpies only attack those that are pure evil . We found two more harpies awhile back and found darts in them . The darts were laced with a special poison that causes them to go crazy . When the two woke up after having these things removed and medical treatment , they thanked us and took out some of the Wild Riders trying to hurt us . We can ' t just leave these poor creatures here . I know they tried to harm us , but it wasn ' t their faults . The demons are behind this , they sent the Wild Riders to poison them knowing that they would be a threat if they woke up and they did . " Harris explained .

" So , Leviathan , Asmodai and Molloch lied to us ? " Jericho asked .

" They are demons , deceptive and diabolical , they like to trick people into doing anything they want them , too . They were trying to get us to kill off the harpies in order to get rid of the problems they were having with these creatures . Harpies are warriors and protectors of the innocent like us . They also have young ones they need to care for so that the next harpy generation can provide the same protection for Earth . " Raven explain .

" So , how do we help them ? " Jeff asked .

" I ' ve got it . " Raven said .

She walked over to the first of the big creatures and began examining its wing until Raven found one of the darts . She pulled it out and destroyed it . Then she took the spear and removed it . Raven then pulled one of her gloves off of her hands and focused on her healing heat inside of her soul . Her hand began to get warm and she placed it over the wound of the harpy . Soon the wound was healed completely . She moved to the next harpy and repeated the process .

" That should help them both . You guys might want to step back . " Harris warned and the others didn ' t hesitate to move away from the harpies .

Soon the creatures began to wake up and stretch their wings to get them working properly .

" Harpies , " Raven called and they both looked at her .

" Raven , that might not be a good idea . " Jay said .

" Don ' t worry we do not harm the Shaman Warriors or the Fallen Warrior , nor do we attack the innocent . I am Cypres and this is my brother Damien , we are both warriors from the harpy tribes . Tell us what has happened since we awoken ? We don ' t remember anything , but darkness in our thoughts and severe pain . " Cypres spoke to them .

" You were poisoned into thinking we were the enemy . The Twelve Gates have been opened and demons have begun to walk on the surface spreading their evil ways at the request of Lucifer and the other Demonic Princes . They felt you and your kindred awaken and preceived you as a threat to their plans . So , they invented these poison darts that would turn you against us . The Fallen Warrior and myself met your patriarch who was also under the influence of these darts . The Wild Riders have been going around and setting them into your fellow harpies . We ment you and your brother no harm , but we had to get those darts out of you before you could hurt an innocent . Forgive us might warriors of the sky . " Raven explained to them .

" We have no quarrel with you or your kind shaman and like my brother already said we don ' t hurt the Shamans , the Fallen , or the innocent . No , our battle is with the demons and Demonic Princes . You say you met our patriarch , Marcus ? Was Delilah with him ? " Damien asked .

" Yes she was , " Harris answered .

" Good , then we will join them and plan a course of action against the forces of the Twelve Gates . You have our gratitude and our aid , warriors . May you fight the good fight and the light shine in you for all to see . We shall meet again before the war is over . We name you friends of the harpies . " Cypres said as he rose into the sky .

" May your heart always stay true to the light . Good luck in your journeys and remember the harpies are always watching and guarding the skies above you . " Damien said as he followed his brother .

" They weren ' t so bad . " Jericho said .

" No , they ' re not . We have to be on the look out for more harpies and creatures like them who are being tainted by the demons . We can ' t have our allies and those that are pure of heart turned dark by those of the Pit . " Raven said .

" Agreed . " Aaron said .

" Lets move from this area before the demons or Wild Riders show up . " Harris looked around at the area .

" Right , Storm , lead on . " Mark said .

" Got it , " James said focusing back on his Stallion Eyes to guide them through the fog and mist of the Smoky Mountains .