Gilbert cleared his throat. "While that's great and all...are we going to ignore the bird's eye view of the forest sitting in the glowy circle thing over there?" he asked, holding Gilbird to keep him from flying into the circle. "It's okay Gilbert. We can enter the circle as we wish now. That portion of the spell is finished," said Arthur, walking over to the circle
Allistair walked away from the twins and frowned, muttering something that caused the circle to close in on a cottage. "That's where his wings are...That's not very far away from here," he said. "That's great! We can just barge in, do a smash and grab, leave, and reattach them to Mattie in like a day," said Alfred happily.
Rhys shook his head. "They wouldn't live so close to our kind without some sort of boobie traps or magical traps. They know we would take them out if we could fine them," he said, rubbing his chin as he looked over the cottage with a calculating eye. "Magical traps? I thought they were human," said Matthew.
"Some humans are able to harness the same energy as us. It's incredibly rare but happen," said Reiley. "Aye. At least that's according to the legend," said Allistair. "Ooh, there's even a legend here? What's the story?" asked Alfred, curious. Francis frowned. "It's not a very nice one," he said. "Just tell em. They aren't babes any more," muttered Reiley. Arthur sighed.
"Legion says that the first hunter was an old avian who lost his wings. After a few decades of living among us, the loss of his wings made him go mad. He hid in the woods, trying to find a way to get them back. For reasons unknown, he came back to the mountain and took away two members of his old flock before killing them. They were his own sisters," he said.
Reiley nodded solemnly. "Not only that, but when he found that he couldn't use the wings of his siblings as his own, he went to a nearby village and convinced those who would believe him our kind exist that we were evil. He made them think we were planning on overtaking the village. With that, he started a group of hunters, teaching generation after generation the perfect ways to track us down and kill us," he said.
Alfred blinked. "You were right. That wasn't a nice story. And no one has bothered going after him? What about his sisters?" he asked. Gilbert shrugged. "We never found the bodies. The guy was a creep to begin with. So was his youngest sister. I happened a few centuries ago," he said.
Matthew swallowed. "Do you think he's the one who took our wings?" he asked. Arthur sighed after hesitating a bit. "I didn't get a good look at them when they had you boys...I'm not sure," he said. Allistair looked up. His youngest brother was hiding something. "Arthur, what is it?" asked Rhys, also looking a bit suspicious of whatever his brother was holding back.
Upon seeing the hesitation reappear in Arthur's eyes, Allistair frowned. "Out with it boy," he growled. Arthur frowned. "I thought I saw him in the clearing...when Alfred fell and broke his wing," he said. Francis choked on the sip of wine he was drinking. "What?! And you decided to waint until now to mention it?!" he said.
"Wait, I thought you finished off the git you saw in the forest," said Reiley, giving his brother an impressed look. Arthur huffed. "I'm plenty sure I did. Not many people can withstand a shot to the head. He wasn't moving when I left," he said. "Did you even bother to check for a pulse?" asked Francis.
"I was kinda busy trying to save Alfred's life! I didn't see you doing anything at the moment!" retorted Arthur. They immediately started arguing. Matthew facepalmed. "Oi, would you two act your age?" shouted Reiley. Arthur and Francis grumbled before sitting down. "Alright...We should really go back to the clearing and check to see if he really is dead," said Alfred.
Arthur nodded. "I'll send Lukas a message. They're closer and they'd be able to handle any of his tricks," he said. "One of us should go too," said Alfred, not wanting to just dump this on another flock. "I agree with Alfred, someone should go help them figure out if he's the man Arthur killed," said Rhys.
"Good. I think I can figure out where he is easy then," said Alfred, stretching his wings. Arthur's eyes widen. "Oh no you don't. You need to stay and rest. You've already been put in danger way too many times. Let the adults handle this," he said. Alfred narrowed his eyes. "You guys might be mililenia older than I am but I can handle myself. I've been doing that for over fifty years," he said.
Before Arthur could lecture Alfred on respecting his elders, Gilbert jumped in. "Ja, that sounds like a good idea to me. Alfred would know what the hunter looked like and I know what Ivan looked like. The rest of you need to stay here and figure out that spell. Matthias and I could show him a few flying tricks while we're at it," he said.
Francis sighed. "Fine. I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I'm sure the others in his flock would be happy to see that he's alright," he said before Arthur could get a word in edgewise. Alfred grinned while Matthew looked a little warry. "Hurry up, get your things, and go. We'll keep Arthur distracted," said Allistair. Alfred gave him a grin before flying off to get his things.
When he came out of his room, Gilbert was waiting by his door, a sack slung over his shoulder. "Let's get going. If we get there soon enough, maybe Matthias would be up for getting some drinks," he grinned. "Non, he's much too young for that. Just make sure he gets home safely Gilbert," said Francis, coming up to meet them.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine. In fact, he'll be in awesome shape when he comes back. After all, I do rub off on people," he said. Francis smirked. "I think that's what Arthur's afraid of. Go ahead and take the back exit. Arthur isn't exactly thrilled with the idea of letting Alfred leave the nest so soon," said Francis.
Alfred frowned. "Dude, I know you guys missed us and all but he really needs to let up. We've been on our own most of our lives and we've been fine so far. I'll be fine," he said. Francis sighed. "Just be careful alright mon petite? Also, if you go drinking I'm sure Arthur will have you caged so don't have too much fun," he said.
Alfred rolled his eyes. "I'll see you in a few days. Don't worry," he said before flying out of the caves. He quickly gave Mattie a goodbye hug before following Gilbert into the sky. Arthur frowned when he spotted the two flying away. "I have a bad feeling about this," he said. Reiley rolled his eyes. "You're not the diviner of the group or the clarvoyent one. I'm sure everything will be fine. You're just a worry wart," he said.
"Aye. The kid is tougher than he looks. They both are. You don't survive two hunter attacks without knowing how to handle yourself. Heck, you don't get attacked by hunters twice and get to live to tell the tale," said Allistair. Francis landed next to Arthur. "Oui. Alfred needed space. Smothering him is just going to make him angry Arthur," he said.
Matthew nodded. "The villagers treated us like little kids even though we were twice their age. It drove Alfred crazy. He would either storm off or isolate himself and sulk," he said. Reiley raised an eyebrow. "What about you?" he asked. Matthew shrugged. "Usually Alfred was vocal enough for the two of us. It annoyed me but not as much as it did him. He doesn't like feeling caged in any way," he said.
So an Albino and an American with a Superhero Complex walk into a bar an hour later…
Gilbert grinned at Alfred. "So you and your brother and I are good now?" he asked. Alfred nodded, grinning back at him. "You seem cool and Mattie's not one to hold a grudge. Besides, it's nothing he hadn't heard before from the villagers," he said. Gilbert blinked. "You lived among humans?" he asked.
Alfred nodded and Gil's eyes widened. "What was that like? What were they like?" he asked. Alfred shrugged. "Like you and me except they can't fly. I mean some of them were jerks but there were a lot of good people. Like the ones who took Mattie and I in. They treated us like we were their own kids," he said.
"What were the ones who took you in like?" asked Gilbert. Alfred's face looked sad, lost in memories. "It was an elderly couple who took us in. They hid us from the hunters and kept my wings a secret while they could. Their kids took us after, warming up to us once they realzied what had happened. Each generation has taken turns looking after us," he said.
Gilbert smiled. "Did the village find out about your wings?" he asked. Alfred smirked. "Yeah...I kinda was a showboat...One of the kids was making fun of Mattie and I for being 'abandoned' and not knowing our real parents. When we were climbing trees, he pushed me out of the branches. He wasn't expecting me to whip my wings out and fly above him before shoving him out," said Alfred.
Gilbert grinned. "Good. Sounds like the jerk needed it. That was an awesome idea. We should be at Mathias's place in a few minutes. Good thing because Gilbert needs to rest," he said, gesturing to the yellow fluff ball sitting in between his wings. The poor little thing needed to be carried five minutes into their flight. "He's tired from running messages," said Gilbert defensively when Al had given him a smirk.
About fifteen minutes later the landed at the edge of the Nordic's stone formation. There was a black blur and suddenly Alfred found himself hug-tackled by a Danish man near tears. "You're alright! When you didn't return we got worried. It was even worse when Pierre told Mr. Puffin that you got shot down by hunters! Tino was ready to go hunt them down but Waldy kept him from doing anything," he rambled, squeezing Alfred.
Alfred chuckled. "Dude I'm fine. I was a little banged up but I'm fine. Just be careful with my right wing okay? It still gets a bit sore every now and then," he said. Gilbert snorted. "Matthias get up before he gets hurt and we have to hear it from the Brit," he said. Mathias rolled his eyes and got up, helping Alfred up.
"Actually, about the hunter that shot me down, that's kinda why we're here," said Alfed, brushing himself off. Mathias raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure the others would want to hear this. C'mon in," he said. Alfred nodded and followed him into the entryway, Gilbert right behind him. Norway was reading a book in a corner, Tino and Berwald were cooking, and Emil was writing stuff down on paper and handing it to a small army of puffins (the closest thing to texting he has.)
They all looked up when Matthias came in. "Guys, look who's come back?" he called. Tino blinked before giving Alfred a bear hug. "We were so worried about you. Where's your brother? Is he okay? Are you okay?" he asked. Berwald picked up Tino and moved him to the side. "His wing's been hurt," he mumbled.
Tino tilted his head, eyes widening when he saw the scar. "Oh my….Is your brother okay?" he asked. Alfred nodded and grinned. "Got him into a tree before they could grab him. He got a broken wrist though becasue he fell out of said tree five minutes later," he said. Emil snorted and Lukas smirked. "So what brings you here?" asked Tino.
"We're going on a witch hunt," said Gilbert. Lukas raised an eyebrow. "Let me rephrase that, we're hunting down some unawesome hunters," he said. "Are you two crazy? Or just stupid?" asked Emil, setting down a quill. "It's for a spell. We think we might have found a way to get Mattie his wings back," said Alfred.
Lukas sat down and gestured that they should as well. "Tell me about this spell," he said. "It was able to help us track down his wings. That's the first part. But we only have a week to actually get the wings and reattach him before he starts to get sick. After that, we lose every known chance of getting them," said Alfred.
"But why do you need to find the hunter who shot you down?" asked Tino. "We need to find out if it is that Russian, Ivan. The one who went crazy. Becasue if it is, he'll know all our tricks. Plus there might be something on the body of the hunter that Arthur killed, if it isn't Ivan, that might help us figure out what he's up to," said Gilbert.
Mathias jumped up. "I'll go. If we hurry up fast enough, we can be back by dinner," he said. Emil stood up too before being pulled back to his chair by his brother. "No. You're too young," said Lukas to a scowling Icelandic teenager. "Whatever," said Emil, sitting back down to continue his messaging.
Tino nodded. "Be careful alright? Are you sure you don't want me to come along too?" he asked. Mathias hefted a battle axe from the wall, swinging it expertly. "Nah. I have my axe and Gilbert has his sword. They may be a bit old but they'll do the job," he said. Gilbert glanced over to Alfred.
"Do you need any weapons? Or are you more of a hand to hand fighter?" he asked. Alfred blinked. Lukas raised an eyebrow. "Gilbert, he probably left before Arthur or Francis had a chance to teach him how to fight or use weapons," said Lukas. Alfred scowled. "I can fight plenty well...Just not when shot out of the sky and after landing and breaking a wing. I've gone up against plenty of jerk humans," he said.
"Humans aren't as resiliant as us kid," said Mathias happily, before asking, "Hey Gil, which weapon do you think would be the most fitting?" Gilbert looked Alfred over. "He looks like he'd be good with the cross bow. Something he could use to hit someone from a distance but still have on him in case he has to punch someone," he said.
"Huh, I saw him more as a club person," said Mathias, digging through a closet filled with an assortment of dusty weapons. "We don't really use these that often so you can go ahead and keep them. Here ya go. These both should be in working order. Here's a knife to hide in your boot in case of anything," said Mathais, handing him several different weapons.
Alfred nodded, quickly strapping the various weapons onto his person. "Stick close to the awesome me okay? I'm used to fighting with other people. Mathias...has a tendency to forget you're with him before rushing into the heat of things," said Gilbert. Emil smirked. "Fighting has a tendency to make us go into Viking mode," he said. Lukas also smirked. "That and Mathias is an idiot."
Alfred rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine. I've got good aim and a wicked right hook. I'll be fine. Let's get going before it starts getting dark out," he said. Tino nodded. "You two can stay the night. Mathias, try to have them back for dinner. I don't want their food to get cold," he said. Mathias grinned and nodded, sling the axe into a strap on his back. "Will do. We'll be back in an hour, no worries," he said. With that, he led them to the ledge, jumped off, and the trio flew into the forest.
Alfred frowned when he scoured the forest below. "I don't see anything, do you guys?" he asked. They both shook their heads. "Are you sure this is the right direction Alfred? Gilbird is getting tired," said Gilbert. Mathias snorted. "It's been ten minutes. You should have gotten a word with bigger wings and a less puffy body," he said.
"You did not just call Gilbird fat did you? Because that would be an unawesome jerk thing to do," muttered Gilbert, watching as Gilbird flew off his back over to Mathias, bit him, and flew back onto Gil's back. Gilbert smiled, taking the fluffy chirping Gilbird off of his back and cupping it in his hands. "That hurt!" said Mathias, rubbing his cheek where he had been bit.
"Dudes, I see the clearing. It's behind that tree there," said Alfred, pointing the clearing out. The two older avians stopped their bickering, turning to look at the clearing. "Mathias, Alfred and I will go first. You cover us, alright?" said Gilbert. Mathias nodded, dropping back in their formation.
Gilbert nodded and took the lead. Alfred kept a hand on his crossbow, feeling some of the hairs at the back of his neck raise. He can see why Arthur was so against him going back to the clearing. Every fiber of his being was screaming against being here. He quickly took a deep breath and worked on keeping his mind and emotions cut off from any of his flock that might be eavesdropping before following Gilbert's downward angle.
Gilbert scanned the area before letting himself drop to a landing. He gave Alfred the signal that he deemed it clear to land. The younger boy landed behind him, sharp blue eyes sweeping across the clearing. "The body's missing," said Alfred. Mathias landed behind the American. "Are you sure?"
Alfred gestured to the empty clearning. "Do you see a fly ridden body laying around? The jerks's still alive," he said. Gilbert nodded, glancing around with a calculating look in his eyes. "Search the clearing. See if you find anything that doesn't belong. Maybe we can find some blood or something to track him by. It could be he dragged his body out of the clearing and died somewhere else," he said.
Alfred and Mathias nodded, spreading out to search the clearing better. Alfred avoided the spot where he had crash landed, looking over the clearing's edge for any clues as to what happened to the hunter. He froze when he saw droplets of blood at the base of tree. "Guys, I got blood over here," he called out.
Mathias looked over from Alfred's crash site. "I found feathers...but I'm thinking they're probably yours. You really did hit the ground hard. The's an actual indent in the ground," he said. Alfred rolled his eyes as Gilbert walked over. "There's foot prints headed in that direction too. I'm guessing that it's our hunter, considering they lead from that pool of blood over there," he said.
Alfred nodded and Mathias grinned. "Then why are we standing around? The sooner we go the sooner we can kick back a couple of pints at the nest," he said. Alfred grinned back and the three started walking, following the foot steps.
Two's company, Five's a crowd
"For the last time Reiley, if you wanted to drink so badly, you should have brought your own stash. You're not having any of my rum or gin," grumbled Arthur, ignoring his older brother's puppy dog eyes. "A good host would share," the Irish man pouted. "Every true gentleman knows that Albion," grinned Allistair tauntingly.
"You're always welcomed to some of my wine," said Francis happily. "It doesn't have the same kick," grumbled Reiley, glaring at Arthur. Matthew frowned. "I still think one of us should have gone with Alfred and Gilbert," he said. "I agree. Alfred's too young to be flying around on his own. Last time he flown, he had to have Francis and I carry him. That, and Gilbert's not the best rolemodel," said Arthur.
"Don't worry mon ami. We healed Alfred. His back won't bother him a bit. If it did, we'd be feeling it, or at least Matieu would. And Gil is a good man. He may be a bit obnoxious when he wants to be, but he'll keep a good eye on the boy and watch his back. You got to remember, he did raise Ludwig on his own and look how well that young man turned out. Alfred is in good hands," said Franis, sipping wine.
"Shouldn't we start to try to figure out how we're going to get into that cabin?" reminded Matthew. Allistair nodded. "Aye lad," he said, getting up and walking over to the circle. He crouched down, Rhys walking over to him and doing the same. "I can already tell you that there are some trip wires in this area," said Allistair.
Francis jumped up and quickly made a sketch of the house in the dirt and marked where the trip wires are. Arthur raised and eyebrow. "So we know where all the traps are, non?" responded Francis with a shrug. "Good thinking mate. I can spot a few weights hanging in the trees by the trip wires," said Arthur.
"What's that?" said Matthew suddenly, pointing at what seemed to be an empty sky. "What's what lad?" asked Reiley. "Is there any way you can, I don't know, make that part easier to see?" asked Matthew. Rhys nodded and muttered something under his breath. The circle zoomed in revealing a thin netting above the cabin.
"Good catch Mathieu. We wouldn't have noticed it until it was too late….How are we going to get in then?" said Francis, adding the net to his sketch. "We still have our magic. And Gilbert has a few swords left over. I'm sure we can find some way through," said Reiley, bending down the inspect the netting over the cabin.
"What other traps can you see?" asked Matthew. Reiley shrugged. "There is a gap in the net, presumably where they come in and out. That'd have the most traps though," he said. Matthew looked over the house. "I guess going in through the top of the net would be your best option," he said. Arthur nodded.
"Speaking of which, who all is going to the cabin? Someone should be here to watch over Matthew in case he starts getting sick," said Rhys. Francis frowned. He had been hoping to go with to finally face the man that took their boys from them, but if he had to stay behind to watch Mathieu it was the least he could do.
"We can have Alfred stay. It'd be safer to keep him out of the way. Perhaps Gilbert would be willing to look over them as well," he said. Matthew bit his lip. "Alfred won't like being put on the sidelines. He'd try to backtrack and follow you," he said. Arthur gave him a reassuring smile.
"We'll just tell him that we need him to come and burst in in case anything happens to us. Plus, he'll want to make sure you're okay. If Gil stays, I'm sure he wouldn't mind staying behind," said Arthur. "Plus we could always change the barriers to keep him in unless we really need his help, which we hopefully won't," said Allistair.
Matthew smiled. "Okay… That sounds like it should work. How much longer do you think it will be before they get back?" he asked. Francis shrugged. "Knowing the Nordics, Tino won't let them leave until they had something to eat first. Knowing Gil and Mathias, they'll wait until morning, maybe noon, to leave because they decided to have a few drinks first," said Francis.
Arthur frowned. "I hope Alfred has good enough sense not to have any himself. He's too young," he said. Allistair smirked. "He's old enough. You started drinking around his age, maybe easier. Who knows? I was a bit soused whenever you did start. I'm sure he hasn't inherited your inability to hold his own," he said.
Arthur scowled at that. "I'll have you know-" Matthew tuned them out, looking over the cabin. For some reason...he felt like this was too easy. All there was was a net and some boobie traps? He looked at the cabin once more and frowned. "Guys...There's some sandpits and other traps along here," he said, pointing them out.
The others stood to attention, quickly glancing at the image. "I wonder what else we're missing," said Rhys, frowning. Arthur nodded and quickly looked over the circle. "You guys see what you can find with your bare eyes….I'm going to look to see if there's a spell that could reveal any dangers we may encounter there," he said. Everyone nodded and he flew back into the cave.
Alfie, Gilbert, and Mathias together. That sounds like the beginning of a bad joke.
Gil frowned as they continued following the droplets. "Am I the only one who thinks there's something off about these droplets? There should be smeers, not just splatters. Arthur shot the guy in the head...Even our kind sees that as a pretty bad blow. He should have been dragging himself away from the clearing," said Gilbert.
Mathias shook his head. "Ivan was a strong guy, remember? He once let himself sky dive because he though the snow would soften his blow. Came out of it only with a broken leg. Then again, the guy was strange. I think he was slight crazed before he lost his wings. Anyone who would want to live up in those icy mountains," he said.
Alfred opened his mouth before a platinum blonde streak rushed out of the forest and knocked over Mathias. Gilbert quickly shoved it off, revealing a man with a scared forehead, a smile, and a long nose. Alfred quickly grabbed his cross bow but tripped when Mathias accidentally grabbed his leg in his search for his sword.
Gilbert roared as he rushed the man, who immediately dodged and grabbed one of his wings in a stone-crushing grip. Gilbert screamed, dropping his sword. Ivan happily hit Gilbert in the face with a knee. Alfred managed to get up and shot a bolt from the crossbow into the arm breaking Gil's wing. Ivan frowned and let go of the wing, jumping back to avoid another bolt headed his way. "IVAN YOU SON OF A-" howled Gil before Mathais jumped in, swing at Ivan with the axe.
Gilbert reached for his sword before finding his hand crushed by Ivan as he backed up to avoid Mathias. Ivan blinked before smiling and grinding his foot into Gilbert's hand. Gilbert let out a scream. Ivan dodged a few swings from Mathias and shots from Alfred before grabbing the axe and throwing Mathais against a tree. He turned to Alfred with a smile.
Alfred growled and threw the crossbow to the side before trying to slug Ivan in the face. He made contact before a hand roughly grabbed his arm and bent it. Alfred heard a sickening snap and felt tears come to his eyes. He clawed at Ivan's face before the broken arm was twisted and he was forced onto his knees. Hands quickly tied him up, ignoring how Alfred cried out when his broken arm was forced behind his back.
Mathias groaned, jumping up and running over to them, axe in hand. Ivan held a knife up to Alfred's throat and put pressure on his broken arm. "You move he dies. If you follow me, I drop him. His wings aren't exactly usable like this, da? He'll come back to you once I have my wings back," he said.
So enough with the fluff. I think I'm going to go back to messing with the characters. The next few chapters are going to be a doozie. Thanks so much fluff nights for your sweet review. Also, I would like to know how pairings would be taken. They won't be anything heavy handed or overemphasized, but enough to kind freshening things up.