The Renegade

Chapter 18

I waited patiently, listening intently to my prey as they moved around the RV. Finally all four were in a good position for me to make my move. I leapt out through the bush I was behind and took only a few more steps before soaring up to the large tinted window on the side of the RV. My weight hitting the vehicle caused it to wobble once as I peered in through the window. As I landed I used my wings to cover up whole window, blocking most of the light that could get in the RV. I clung to the side of it by the bars on the top as I let out a loud, half-animal shriek that ended with a hiss.

I could sense the panic and adrenaline rise in the vehicle when they heard me. There was a small table with a bench built into the wall on either side, just under the window, where the brother and sister were sitting across from each other. They both jumped on my impact against the side of the RV and now, realizing something was out there, slowly slid away from the window while never taking their eyes off me. I heard the mother and father rush to the middle of the RV from opposite directions, wondering what the sound was. I leaned closer to the window, letting them see how my breath steamed it up. The girl let out a gasp and shakily jumped up from the bench.

I took my right wing and dragged my claws along the glass slowly, leaving behind an echo of the terrible sound in the forest and five large scratches in the glass. The girl screamed and backed into her mother who stood silently behind her. I fed off their fear and panic and finally couldn't hold back any longer. I took my right wing and jammed my claws into the glass as far as I could without shattering it then pulled back on the entire window until it exploded outward and the entire family inside screamed. I let out another loud shriek and crawled in through the window, clinging to the ceiling like a spider by digging my claws into the cheaply made walls. The boy and his father were on the side of the RV with the door and both quickly fled through it. I listened to their footsteps as they stopped and turned back after getting only ten feet from the vehicle. The daughter and mother screamed and started weeping and I chased them to the very back of the RV blocking the hall with my outspread wings. I purposely made my movements jerky and pained to heighten their terror.

The girl and her mother clung to each other as they scrambled in the back of the RV where there were two bunk beds. They cowered in the bottom bed pushing against the back wall in a futile attempt to escape me. In all the excitement I didn't hear the father and son come back in, one with a baseball bat and the other a golf club. The father advanced, swinging the club at me but clearly to far away to actually hit me. I turned my back on the mother and daughter, figuring they were too scared to try anything. I stood up tall making my movements eerily elegant and terrifying all at once. I sucked in a huge breath of air and let it out as a horribly loud scream that made even my own ears hurt and then before the two even had enough time to react, I lunged at them.

I crouched behind a bush, hidden from the destruction happening before my eyes. Fang was also next to me silent with whatever emotion was in his head. I could never tell. I listened to the echo of Aven's screams and shrieks as they bounced around the forest. The RV would shake every few seconds and I couldn't help but wonder what was happening. Maybe, I don't want to know. I thought hearing the people inside scream.

"What's going on in there?" I whispered to Fang, keeping my eyes locked on the vehicle. After getting no response I looked to Fang, he looked like he was in a daze, almost hypnotized by the scene before him. "Fang?" I asked again. Finally he broke out of his trance when the boy and his father burst out of the door and started toward the forest. I fell silent and readied myself if we would need to run. They stopped only a few feet from us and the father led his son to the front of the RV where they gathered a bat and a golf club and went back in.

"Do you think we should do something?" I asked Fang, "She's still hurt… she might need help." Fang finally looked back at me and shook his head.

"No, I think she can hold her own." As he finished his sentence another chillingly loud shriek escaped the RV. I was surprised to find myself hoping that she was alright and let my eyes fall back onto the vehicle as it bounced around with the scuffle inside.

I was careful with the move I made, using both my wings to knock the weapons out of their hands. I knocked both of them down and crouched over them, spreading my wings so all they could see was me. I slid my claws across the boy's neck as he sucked in quick short breaths. His father pulled himself up and started digging around franticly through the drawers and cabinets of the RV. The boy leaned up and struggled to get away. I slammed him back down against the floor and let out a hiss in his warning. Finally the father stood up and pointed something at me. A gun.

My breath stopped for a second and I froze, pausing to think of how to get myself out of this situation. I let out another short shriek and darted past the man, purposely pushing his hand up so he couldn't aim at me. I tore out of the RV's door and started running out, preparing to fly away but stopped in my tracks as I watched a shadow cruise down into the clearing and land in the middle of it.

"Aven?" Asked the voice belonging to the shadow.

"Iggy!" I heard Max shout from just outside the clearing. The man burst out of the RV and pointed the gun at me then Iggy. Max tried to jump into the clearing but Fang held her back, and mumbled something about all of us getting shot. The man started walking towards Iggy, cocking the gun, with it aimed straight at him. I threw myself between Iggy and the gun, thrusting the gun up and away from both of us with my arm as the man pulled he trigger. The blast temporarily deafened me and I couldn't hear myself as I sucked in a quick breath in pain. The bullet had missed me but my arm had been on the gun as it went off and it burned the skin where I hit it.

"Iggy, get out of here!" I mumbled to him. He started to open his mouth to protest when Fang swooped in and literally scooped him up under the arms, throwing him in the air so he'd start flying. When I looked up Max was already up ahead of them looking over her shoulder to make sure they got away safely. I turned back to the man just as he regained his composure and set his sights on me. From behind him I could see the boy looking out at us through the newly broken RV door. The man cocked the gun for another shot and I stood there, unwillingly hesitating to move or think. I finally snapped out of it, backing up slowly, feeling my way around with my feet.

This would be a really good time for Max or Fang to swoop in and save meI thought to myself. The last time I'd been in this situation Truence was with me and he saved me. He's not here! You have to stand up for yourself now! Stuck in my thoughts I started concentrating less on where I was going. I was transported back to reality as I tripped and fell on my bad shoulder. I stayed on the ground and tried to squeeze the pain out of my wound. Damn it! I can't take much more of this! I thought angrily. I attempted to convert all my pain, frustration, and sadness into anger and felt the rage build up inside of me. The anger fueled me as I got back up staring straight down the barrel of the man's gun. His hands and knees were shaking but I could almost see chills go down his spine when he caught the look in my eyes.

I wouldn't have been surprised if he could have seen the rage seething out of me at that moment. He made the mistake of turning away from me to look back at the RV. I gave him a quick high kick to the chest and he snatched away his gun while holding him down with my foot and one of my wings. I glanced back up at the RV where the man's wife was holding a cell phone to here ear and frantically trying to describe their location as her daughter cried behind her. I jumped up and gave my wings one strong pump to charge back up to the RV.

"Oh my God, it's coming back!" The woman screamed into the phone as I approached. Her son tried to stand in my way but I grabbed him by the shirt with my claws and through him down the stairs and out of the RV. I heard him run over to his father and start weeping in fear and frustration. I then pulled myself up the stairs and I was just inches away from the mother. I shoved her against the wall and grabbed her cell phone, easily snapping it in half. I started for the girl when I heard sirens blaring through the forest. Oh no…

I spun around quickly and rushed out of the RV just in time to see one of the park rangers trucks pull up one of the paths. I leapt up off the last stair in the RV and started to fly away, staying above the trees and then later diving down just under the canopy so I couldn't be tracked. I barely had enough strength to make the steep rise in altitude that lead up to my cave and collapsed when I finally got there.

"Aven!" Iggy said rushing to my side. I forced a smile for him and then remembered he couldn't see it, which only made my smile grow. I looked around at what little I could see and noticed that their backpacks were full and zipped and Fang was glancing around the cave looking for anything they might have forgotten. They were leaving.

"Are you alright?" Iggy asked, helping me up. As I stood the gun I had taken from the man slipped out from under my belt and silence fell as it hit the rocky floor.

"Yes, I'm fine." I said picking up the gun. "I had to take it away from him, he was going to shoot." I walked past them all into the cave where I dropped the gun in the pile of junk by the storage hold. I walked back to the ledge of the cave and sat down with my feet dangling over the edge. I shakily opened my wings and let them rest around me as I rolled my bad shoulder, clenching my teeth to restrain some of the pain.

"Aven, I know we've only been here for a few days but we think-"

"It's better if you go. One of them called 911 and the park rangers saw me." I looked back at them with a small smile. "Fewer people; fewer chances of getting caught. It will be best if you go." With my words Fang continued to pack and the others looked over the view for the last time. Finally in late noon Max announced that they were ready to go. We said our good-byes and I tried to act like I was okay with all this. I felt Iggy lightly brush against my arm in order to find me. He sat down next to me without saying anything, yet I knew exactly how he felt. He stayed there until Max called for him to go. They all took off gracefully, Iggy being the last to go. I waved at them until they were out of sight and then returned to my place on the ledge. I leaned back on my hands and felt the warmth from where Iggy's hand had been just seconds before and now I was alone.

I put away all of the supplies, including the gun, and left out my pillow and sleeping bag. I pulled it out to the ledge and crawled in, laying on my stomach and looking out over the ledge with my wings outstretched on top of me. I examined the burn on my arm, which still stung a little. It was red with a few blisters in a clear line where the metal of the gun had pressed against my skin. I sighed and rested my chin on my hands and struggled to keep my composure. I hadn't felt quite so alone since the first night Truence had been gone.

I had no idea what to do with myself. All I could do was lie there and pretend everything was okay. I thought of Truence and how much I longed for him to be here, with me, more than ever before. Tears slid down my face as I watched the sun begin to set. Finally an idea came to me and I slipped out of my sleeping bag, stretched my wings and through myself off the cliff, opening my wings at the very last second. I had someplace to be.

Author's Note: Hello all! I'm very very sorry to my fans who waited soooo long for me to update but hey, I finally did it!!! I had a hard time writing the ending of this chapter because that's right when my first boyfriend broke up with me and I was feeling pretty alone too. But I'm happy to report that I've got a new boyfriend who treats me a million times better than the first one so now I'm happy and confident enough to write for you guys!!! YAY!!!