Thankyou to all my reviewers! this chapter wasquick to write, but I might not be sofast to update in the future because of the other story I'm currently writing. Anyway, please review!

I was in bad mood by the afternoon. Ebony had kicked me while I was grooming her, then thrown a shoe while I was riding her. I had a large bruise on my leg.

Getting to sleep wasn't easy, because I couldn't lie on my side. Every time I did the pressure on the bruise was unbearable. At last, though, I fell asleep again and into my hawk body.

Tristan was riding at a walk through the forest. I was on his arm, but I just couldn't settle. I felt like I was being watched. I clicked my beak and ruffled my feathers, searching for the people I couldn't see.

'What's up, beautiful?' Tristan murmured, sliding a finger down my feathers.

I flapped my wings, and he raised his arm. I took off, struggling at first but eventually I sort of worked it out. I was still rather unco-ordinate at flying, but at last I was above the tree tops.

There was movement in the trees, on either side of Tristan. Movement so slight that I wasn't sure I had seen it. But then I dropped a little in the air and hovered. There were people, painted blue, hiding.

I screeched a warning and swooped down. Tristan understood as I hurtled past towards the men hiding. I almost collided with the trees, but managed to rise into the air enough to avoid the branches.

Tristan drew his sword, and the blue painted men ran at him, screaming war cries. They must be the Woads he had talked about.

The battle was brief but fierce. Tristan was outnumbered eight to one, but I helped as much as I could. I dived, raking my claws along the face of a man aiming a bow at my master. He screamed and dropped the bow, his hands covering his face.

Tristan was an efficient killer. He had a deadly grace with a sword – it was amazing watching him. Soon only he was left. His horse had blood splashed on his grey legs.

Hovering above, I couldn't help feel admiration and awe for Tristan's skills, yet at the same time a horror and revulsion that made me want to be sick. Men were dying below me on the ground – I had injured one badly, my claws tearing into his eyes.

My master dismounted and held out an arm for me. He whistled, and I slowly flew down. I wanted to go to him, to land on his arm, but I just couldn't. He was a killer. I think that I had already known that – Tristan had the look and air of a killer. Tristan seemed to understand why I wasn't landing on his arm.

'Please come down,' he said softly. 'Don't hate me for what I have to do. Please, beautiful, come down.'

That did it. I landed, none too elegantly, on his gloved arm. He gave a true smile of relief and gave me a piece of meat. I didn't really want to eat it after seeing men die right in front of my eyes, but I took it anyway. Tristan stroked my feathers, and for once I didn't snap back.

'Thankyou,' he whispered. 'You don't know how many people fear me for what I do.'

I clicked my beak, wishing I could talk. He smiled slightly before turning to the bodies of the Woads. All traces of gentleness was gone from his face as he surveyed the corpses.

Tristan gave a last look at the bodies before mounting his stallion. He turned the grey horse towards the fort and nudged him into a trot.

'Time to report to Arthur,' he said to me. 'Normally I'd search the area, but Arthur made it very clear that I was to return on time.'

I clicked my beak, happy just to be with him. Already Tristan had become more than a master. He was an ally, a person who I felt attached to. I don't know why, but Tristan made a sense of loyalty stir in me. I would follow him wherever he went, even if it were to the very gates of hell.

Tristan didn't speak the whole way back. He urged his stallion into a fast canter, and eventually the fort came into sight. I spread my wings a little, telling him I wanted to fly.

He smiled and lifted his arm quickly, helping me into the air. I was getting the hang of flying, although sometimes it still scared me when I looked down and saw the earth so far below me. At times like that, my bird and human minds seemed to war against each other. The human part of me screamed for me to get down, back to the ground – while the bird told me to fly, to swoop, to dive and hunt. The bird always won in the air.

I hovered over the fort as Tristan went inside and dismounted at the courtyard. Jols took his horse and Arthur came out. The two talked, and then went inside the fort. I saw Tristan look up at me, hovering in the sky. He nodded his head slightly, and I knew what he was doing.

He was releasing me. I was free to leave.

That night at the tavern Tristan was completely silent. A barmaid tried to flirt with him, but he just ignored her until she went away. He was moodily staring around, his face in a rather aggressive mask.

I was perched on a nearby roof, watching him. I didn't want to leave, but he hadn't seen me yet. Occasionally he would raise his head and glance around – he was looking for me, but hadn't seen me.

Lancelot was losing a game of dice as the two biggest knights walked in. The first had a huge scar down his sombre face, but for all of that he seemed kind enough. Gawain grinned when he saw them.

'Bors! Vanora's looking for you. Something about not minding a child properly…'

Bors paled and looked around. 'Dagonet, warn me if she comes, alright?'

His voice was loud, and I ruffled my feathers in irritation. I much preferred Tristan's quiet voice.

I watched as the other knights continued to drink, but Tristan only stared into his cup. At last I could stand it no longer. He looked so depressed, but at the same time so angry. I was about to fly down when Wenda made her appearance.

She was dressed in a black dress that barely covered her, setting off her golden hair and ivory skin. Her blue eyes were so cold that I didn't move. No doubt she was here to see Tristan, but I didn't want to be anywhere near her. My feathers ruffled as I twitched my wings irritably.

'Tristan!' she cooed, walking over to him.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek. He stood straighter, and I could see him smile. His eyes lit up, and I could hardly bear the look of love that came into his eyes.

I wanted to scream that she was evil, that she was a snake who couldn't be trusted – but even if I did, I doubted that he would listen. He was in love with her. He was the scout, he should be able to see that trickery and lies were underneath that pretty mask. But he was blinded by love.

I waited for her to leave, but she wasn't going anywhere yet. For the rest of the night she stayed with Tristan, talking and flirting at last I heard the words from her mouth that chilled me to the bone.

'Will you marry me, Tristan?' she purred seductively. 'Will you be mine forever, dark knight?'

I heard him answer yes. Rage build inside me. Wenda was a cow, a bitch… I wanted to screech and attack, to claw her pretty face off…

No, that wouldn't work. I couldn't let Tristan marry her. She would betray him, destroy him. Yet I could see the love in the man's eyes. If he saw of her betrayal before they married, would it destroy him just as much?

It was nearly midnight when Wenda left. Tristan looked after her, a slight smile on his face before sighing. He turned back to watching the other knights. He was leaning against the wall in the darkness. He still seemed depressed.

I flew down and landed beside him on a table. He jumped when he saw me, but then his face cracked into a grin. He held out his arm, and I willing stepped onto it.

'Came back, did you?' he whispered, smiling. 'I hoped you would. Does that mean you'll stay with me now?'

I clicked my beak and chirped. He smiled and I felt happier than I ever had before. I was with my master – the man who I held above all others.

My alarm clock woke me.

Groaning, I rolled over and turned it off. Those dreams about being a hawk were interesting, but they really deprived me of sleep.

I looked in the mirror and quickly looked away again with a grimace. There were shadows under my eyes and my auburn hair was wildly tangled. Wonderful. Somehow I knew the coming day of school would be hell.

'Jenny. Jenny! What's the matter with you?'

I snapped out of a daydream with a start at Rachel's annoyed voice. I looked around quickly, then back to my friend.

'You've been mumbling something about a guy called Tristan all day,' Rachel said exasperatedly. 'Mrs. James has told you off five times. What's going on?'

'Nothing,' I said, shaking my head slightly. 'I'm just not with it today, that's all.'

Rachel rolled her eyes and I sighed. It had been a long day, and the only thing to look forward to was once again becoming the hawk.

Tristan's dark eyes narrowed as he focused on the targe in front of him. He drew the string of his bow back and with deadly accuracy shot. The arrow joined a cluster of others in the centre of the target.

I clicked my beak from my perch on the fence. Galahad looked on with a slight twinge of envy evident in his face. He was a good archer, but no one was as good as Tristan.

He collected his arrows and walked over to where I perched on the fence. He held his arm out for me and I willingly stepped on. He smiled slightly as he watched Galahad take his place in front of the target.

'Well, beautiful,' he whispered to me. 'How do you feel about hunting?'

I clicked my beak and spread my wings a little. Hunting. The bird in me was eager and ready to go – the human part tried to refuse, but was overridden. Tristan grinned.

'Off you go, then.'

He threw his arm into the air and I took off. I noticed with a glint of triumph that I was getting better at flying. I rose into the air and rested on the current. I spotted movement in an open field outside the fort.

With excitement mounting I flew towards the green stretch of land. Flying as a bird was something wonderful, beyond anything else that I had known. There was no loud engine, no parachute, nothing but my wings and the air which carried me. It was, in a word, freedom.

I spotted the movement again, and spiralled lower. It was a rabbit, a large one, eating crops. The human part of me shrieked that I shouldn't kill, that I shouldn't take life – but I refused to listen. I dived.

The air whistled past as I hurtled downwards. The rabbit never knew what happened. In a moment it was dead, struck down by my claws, and I was rising into the air.

I brought my catch back to Tristan. He smiled and took the carcass as I landed on his arm. He ran a hand over my feathers and nodded approvingly.

'Nice, little one. You're a good hunter.'

The wild, unseeing eyes of the rabbit seemed to stare at me. Suddenly my human brain screamed that I was a murderer – I had killed! Admittedly, only a rabbit – but killing wasn't something I did every day.

I woke up, sat up straight in my bed and screamed.