Chapter Eight

Of course, Danni had given the two bird kids, names unknown, the wrong coordinates to her house, or rather the flock's house.

They landed in a small isolated forest nearly fifty miles from the house. Danni kept quiet but her eyes moved around all over the place, making sure they hadn't been tracked. As much as she wanted to trust the duo, she couldn't.

"We'll start again just before sunrise," the male said. He smothered the fire out, laid back on his side, and fell into a deep sleep.

The girl shook her hair before laying back.

Danni knew that if she stayed that the two would heal away from the hut. Taking a light breath she stood and silently made her way deeper into the forest. After finding a small stream she threw all her outer clothes off to be left in her underwear just as a precaution that she might have been tagged with a tracker by one of the two.

The water was cool against her feet and ankles as she stepped into the river. Her hair on her arms prickled. Shivering she took a deep breath and began slowly walking up river. As she walked on she started to hunch her back in a fruitless attempt to warm herself.

Why was she torturing herself so, because she liked too get freezing cold? No, she was paranoid that somehow the two bird kids would be able to track her, as if they had the noses of dogs.

After two miles she shimmered her way out of the river. Shaking her feet to warm them up she began to run. Weaving in and out of the trees her limbs loosened up after cramping from constant shivering.

After twenty minutes she had covered two miles. She had a mile left and the sun could barely be seen over the trees. She slowed to a trot and listened with her enhanced cat ears for any sings that she was being followed.

Time seemed to elapse slowly as she walked the final mile, but she made it. She walked stiffly to the hut, having worked all her energy up to nothing.

She knocked twice on the door. No one answered, not a surprise- after all the flock was trying to lie low. Sighing she kicked the door followed by three quick, short knocks.

Finally the door opened a crack. Max smiled and widened the door.

"Guys, Danni's back!" Max yelled.

Everyone of the flock entered the room, plus Danica. Suddenly Danica's eyes narrowed, her heart beat faster as she pushed off the floor and leaped into the air. She was heading to Danni.

Spinning Danni was out of the way when Danica landed. Danni sided kicked her. With a closed fist Danni slammed into Danica's jaw, knocking her sister out.

"What the heck was that for?" Danni asked. No one answered. They locked at her with blank gazes. "Guys, what's wrong?" Again no reply. "Guys!"

"Danni, we didn't expect you back," Nudge said.

"It's only been a few days," replied Danni.

Max shook her head. "No, it's been nearly two weeks. Danica told us that if you didn't return within a week we should just assume that you were not coming back."

"And you believed her?" Danni asked incredulously.

"Kinda," Iggy said.

"Gee, thanks guys. I mean here I thought you knew who to trust, but no you trust her over me. I see how things are. If she had wings you would have accepted her much sooner and would have believed three days instead of a week. Fine. I'll keep that in mind." Danni stormed to her room. She grabbed clothes, layering them as she went not wanting to every be that cold again.

Walking back into the main room Danni saw that Danica had been tied up and thrown on to the couch. She raised her eyebrows. Max wiggled her own brows; it was her version of an apology, not being big on the whole saying "I'm sorry" and hugging thing. Danni smiled brightly back at everyone: her thank you.

"I'm glad you're back," Nudge said.

"Same," Danni replied.

"Okay," Max started as soon as Danica woke up. "Time to answer a few questions."

Again this took a while to get up, sorry, but on the plus side it is a few hundred words longer. Thank you for reading. I hope you review. The next chapter will be in at least three weeks because I'm going on vacation so I'll have no access to a computer, but between then and now I'll be working on the next chapter via pen and paper.

SocksE-B4ev- Thank you for the review.