Chapter 28

Blake

My talons wrap around the highest branch of an oak tree that towers above the canopy of the forest. I kept waking in the middle of the night and eventually gave up to watch the day come once again. The pale pink sky signaling the dawn drape across the sky and cast shadows along the edges of the cloud. I would've thought this sunrise was beautiful if I was here on my own leisure. But, the thought of the graveyard surrounding me and, dare I think about it, what today's mission will bring. I won't lie to myself, I'm terrified of what lies ahead. All of us are. We have to do this, though. It's not an option. If we don't do this, who will? We're the only ones crazy enough to try this. There's no denying it, the task lies to us.

I effortlessly leap off the branch and glide in the cool morning air back to the cave. Maybe Dawn and April had more luck sleeping than I did. Probably not. They probably have all the same emotions I have. So, we'll be walking into enemy territory scared stiff. I wander through my mind, daydreaming about what could be lying in wait. I pay no attention at all to where I'm going, but my wings just know what to do and where to take me.

In moments, my talons scratch the rock floor of our little cave. They land hard and startle Dawn and April who are already packing up our supplies. It's not my usually smooth landing, but I'm not taking any criticism now. I waddle over to Dawn who's sweeping out the leaves and twigs with her tail. Our unused makeshift beds are shoved off the edge of the cave. We're close to enemy territory. If we leave any tracks, it could lead to our downfall. I help Dawn by using Gust to blow the little pieces that she missed out of the cave. In seconds, any evidence that we took shelter here have vanished.

April ties up the bag, but not before setting aside a huge breakfast of our remaining food. We'll need a big meal for extra energy today and tonight we eat back in Skyborne. The oran berries and pecha berries that sit in front of me pile up in a huge mountain. It takes every ounce of my appetite to get halfway through the meal. I look over at Dawn and April, but they're not making much progress either. Dawn stares down at her food and sighs.

"Look. I know that last night was hard and we're all down and unmotivated, but this is the wrong time to be like this." April and I look up to see Dawn stare each of us in the eye. "It has to be now. If we go back, they'll know that we escaped and they'll keep us in Skyborne for sure. They'll crack down on security so that we can never pull a stunt like this again. We have enough food to last us one more day in case of emergency. ONLY emergencies. So, we're either gonna take down the Wings of Legend today or we let hundreds more warriors die." Her voice rolls like thunder and her stare is ablaze with determination.

We both nod, not knowing what else to do. Dawn turns her attention to April. "If we bring that food, it might slow us down. We should hide it in a tree or under a bush somewhere." April nods, takes the bag in her hands, and flutters away without a word. Dawn and I watch her turn the corner. I wait until I'm sure that April is out of earshot.

"I lied to April last night because I thought that she was too timid to handle the trauma of something like that. I didn't want her to feel scared but... she was braver than either of us." My voice is level and only reaches the walls of the caves and Dawn's ears. "I don't understand why or how..." I drop my voice and wait for something from Dawn. An explanation, a reason, some sort of that motivational wisdom she seems to pull out of thin air. Sure enough, she answers me after enough time.

"I don't think it's bravery... there's something else. I just can't come up with it, though." All I do is nod. To question it now is useless. All further conversation is forgotten when April returns. She gives us a warm smile, reassuring us that everything will be fine. I grin back and return my gaze to Dawn.

"So, what's the plan?" I ask nonchalantly. Dawn beckons April over and brainstorms.

"Okay, we know that the Wings of Legend are in Mt. Coronet. We're guessing that the terrain resembles some sort of ruins. And we know that there is a Zapdos, an Articuno, a Lugia, a Ho-Oh, and their leader is Rayquaza. Our main goal is to knock out Rayquaza quietly. If we can somehow attack all at once while he's off-guard, maybe we can take him down. We get in undetected, attack Rayquaza all at once, and get out. Any questions?" Dawn waits for one of us to say something, but nothing comes to mind. Besides that fact that we're flying into practically unknown terrain, it's a pretty straight-forward plan. After a few seconds of silence, Dawn nods towards the mouth of the cave. We get her signal. The three of us open our wings and take to the skies.