Chapter 3: A plan of Action
The next day when Aries awoke he knew what he had to do. He flew down the tunnel, his eyes hard, anger blazing in his gut. He knew that unless he got some help it would be impossible to save Shiva. Sago was his answer. He raced toward her roost intentionally ignoring the fact that it was still light out. The longer he waited the more danger Shiva was in. He Flew up to the tunnel's ceiling and into a crawlspace struggling through the narrow opening until he came into a small chamber. Above, dimly he heard the sound of human vehicles whizzing by and of people walking directly above. He saw Sago's outline in a dark corner. She breathed evenly and for a moment he was afraid to wake her, afraid of what the teacher might say but he forced himself to gently whisper her name.
"Sago….Sago it's me, Aries. I need to talk to you." He saw her ears twitch and then swivel to face in his general direction. Eyes still closed and with the barest hint of annoyance in her voice she said, "Yes?" Aries swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "It's about Shiva. She's in danger." Sago's eyes shot open and she turned toward him. "I do not take kindly to pranks young man, and if that's all that you can think to come up with at Nocturna knows what hour in the morning than you may leave." She started to turn and Aries felt desperation rise within him. "Please." He whispered hoarsely. "I'm begging you to believe me, you're the only person I thought I could trust…" His voice trailed off pitifully.
Sago looked into Aries's eyes and saw genuine fear. He wasn't lying. Couldn't be. "What's happened? Tell me everything." For the next hour Aries talked leaving nothing out. Sago's expressions flitted from tenderness when he mentioned how he had allowed Shiva to stay in his roost for three nights as a refuge from her father to anger when he told Sago about Shiva's injuries. By the time he was finished Sago's eyes blazed with a furious light. Aries felt drained. From his perch he looked at her weakly. Suddenly he felt the weight of the past day's events crash down on his shoulders. Tears formed, and he tried to hold them back. His voice shook with emotion as he said, "I don't want her getting hurt again." His voice broke and Sago instinctively put her wing around him.
After a minute he said, "I'm sorry… I…" he fell silent. "Sorry for what?" Sago said, "There's nothing wrong with crying. It shows that you care about her." She looked at him, anger clouding her eyes. "We will find her, I promise you that. Now…we need a plan…" They sat for a moment their minds churning. Finally Sago said, "I'll speak with the elders and see If we can't get the law on our side." Aries said, "I know the system better than anyone, I'll start searching. If I find anything I'll meet you in the council chamber. "
Aries was the first to go, blasting back through the entrance way to Sago's roost and rocketing toward one of the tunnels that led to some of the other stations. As Sago watched him go, hovering in mid air she thought, He really cares for her. If they survive this, I see a bright future for them both…