Chapter 7 – Composure

Max was tired; the muscles in her back and wings ached with every sweep of her feathers. Her breath came in quick little wisps. Each exhale brought upon a puff of condensation as the temperature dropped and the altitude rose. She was hovering too high in the sky, she thought, to see anything below appropriately. If she wanted to find Fang, she had to stay closer to the ground. As dangerous as that could be. She didn't have to stay out of the public eye, since everyone knew about the famous bird-kids, but if an enemy was nearby, she'd be in trouble. Caution was vital.

Earlier the Flock had flown the entire length of the river that they'd found Fang's bag by, but they didn't find anything. There had been no sign of him or helicopters, trucks, or anything that could have taken a bird-kid away. It was like he just disappeared. There was no trace of him. And it was impossible for him to get lost. What happened?

Getting frustrated, she shifted her search from the river to the forest. Dodging trees was simple enough, even in the darkness. Their vision was better than humans, even at night, and it was instinct. The more she searched, the more hopeless it seemed. There were no fires, except for the flock's, which she couldn't see anymore. He was nowhere, and it seemed pointless to keep looking.

The reality of the situation crashed down on her. She choked back sobs, holding the tears in. Even alone, where no one could see her, she hated to cry. She dropped into the nearest tree and slumped on the branches. Her head fell in her hands as she tried to compose herself. She was out of options, with no idea what had happened to Fang. As much as she didn't want to think about it, there were some possibilities that she hadn't considered.

As much as she didn't want to think about it, there had to have been a reason why Fang wasn't around. The most obvious, and the most painful, option was that he'd run away. As unlikely as that would seem, that was the only thing that made sense anymore. One of them should have seen it coming. Angel would have read it in his mind, or Max would have sensed it when they had some alone time. They'd become very close, even more so than they were before. It was like they had a connection, and if anything was bothering either of them, the other would have known. She didn't feel anything change. In fact, everything felt… perfect? Peaceful? Right? She didn't know how to describe it, but it was beyond incredible.

Was there a deeper layer to him that she hadn't thought of? He wasn't the dark, silent one for nothing. Was he getting tired of roaming? Did he finally decide to settle down? No. Of course not. She would have known. Shouldn't she?

Sighing in exasperation, she laid back against the trunk. She was very tired, and thinking about it now, leaving the flock had been a stupid idea. They were all just as devastated as she was, and yet she had been stupid and stubborn enough to fly off anyway. She was being childish about the situation, not wanting to admit that Fang wasn't there. It was horrible, and of course the one shoulder she wanted to lean on was gone. She had four others, but there was something special about it being his.

The more she thought of him, the worse the stabs at her chest felt. Being without him was like being unable to breathe. Having your other half missing made her incomplete. She suddenly realized how sappy that sounded, but there was some truth to the clichés. She was worried for him, and with him being her biggest supported, she had no one to voice her concerns to. And she most definitely wasn't going to talk to the Voice about it. No chance in hell.

It became very cold just then. Extremely cold. She shivered, hugging her windbreaker to her lanky frame. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled and her eyes frantically scanned her surroundings. Nothing was out of place. Birds were still chirping. Bats wings fluttered overhead. Why was she acting so paranoid?

Leaning forward, straddling the branch she was sitting on, she looked at her location. She was about four miles northwest of where the flock had been, somewhere within the state of Missouri. It shouldn't have taken them long to leave; in fact, they should have been in West Virginia by this time. Tomorrow morning, they were supposed to meet whoever the Voice led them to in Virginia. But that would have to wait. They wouldn't leave until they found Fang, or at least know where he is.

She wondered why the Voice hadn't dropped in by now. Even if she didn't like it, it usually had some advice to give her. It always knew what was going on, and its silence was unnerving. Was the Voice stumped? Did it not know what to say? Was she so beyond listening to anyone that it didn't even bother?

Twigs snapped nearby, and her head shot to where the sound had come. Even with her good vision, the woods were too dense for her to see anything that wasn't immediately in front of her. Her heart stopped momentarily before it picked up at a panicked rate. A cold sweat brewed on her skin. What was going on?

She dropped almost silently from the tree to the ground, landing in a crouch. Wildlife rocketed from underneath bushes, flowers, and other foliage as if they were being chased. Her senses were on haywire, too, and she didn't know why.

More rustling sounded, and she took in a deep breath before asking, "Who's there?"

There was no response. The sounds ended altogether, even though they had come from very close by.

She took another step forward. This could be dangerous, especially since she'd already made her presence known. If it was an enemy, they had the upper hand. If it was someone in need, than maybe her risk would be worth it. One of those famous snap decisions on her behalf. Another option ran through her mind, but she didn't dare to bring it up.

"Hello? Is someone hurt?" She was right there. Each breath sounded loud and hoarse in the silent night. What if it was an animal? What if she imagined it? That could be a part of insanity. Peering over the brush, she looked to see who, or what, was there.

Then she groaned in disbelief.

Nothing. She stared at the empty ground.

Maybe she was going insane. She felt stupid for leaving the flock, especially if they were in danger. Taking a few steps back, she ran foward before jumping into the air, beating her wings as she caught an updraft and rose toward the black ocean above.

Sorry for length, but this is the best I can offer right now. Writing is extremely difficult again, and it isn't from writer's block. For right now, I think this story might be my main focus, only because it seems to be the only thing I can write for right now. So hopefully more will come soon. Um, yeah, the more I thought about this story, the more I realize that there are really only a few more chapters left. Maybe like 5-7 chapters before it's done. Well see how it works out.

I was very pleased to see I got 11 reviews last chapter. Keep it up cause I loooove reviews! Like I said in the last chapter of NSN, my trip to NYC is moved from this weekend to Labor Day weekend, so you have to deal with me for another couple weeks. :P It'sTimeToDance, thanks for the review! I love new reviewers and appreciate the compliment. Hey, Dt, we should have, like, a birthday party or something on the site! Everyone can send us virtual presents! :P To anyone, I turn the big 1-7 on the 28th, so, you know, virtual presents are awesome. Kina Kalamari, it's not so much that he has to contact them as it is he needs to let them now that he is (sort of) alive. If they sit there waiting for him to "return", he'll probably die. If he can rally them to find his body, then he can find live. He still has like a day and a half though to look for it.

I don't have much else to say. Keep reviewing. Read NSN if you haven't, and also the poetry corner (I need to work on that, too. Ugh). Yeah, that's it.

--biteoutoflife--