Chapter 14: Mercy

(Wolf's P.O.V.)

I store at the two in shock, and it was Rafeal who broke the silence as, "what happened to your shoulder Wolf?"

I grimaced as he said that, and I said as I kneeled down, "Long story short, a gunfight with smugglers… again." When I heard a soft screech in the distance that originated from outside, I flinched. Only a few birds sound like that… I need to go before this place gets ransacked by them. I looked down at the two, and I said quietly, "I'm still running from them… I want you two to either stay together, or stay in here… I need to go; I can't risk you two getting involved in this." I stood up to walk away, but just as I took a step away, I quickly turned around and said, "Rafeal, if you see my chicks, or Blu and Jewels, tell them I am safe, and for them to stay hidden."

When he nodded, I gave him a quick thanks before rushing to the entrance. I slung my rifle onto my back and held the gate as I leaned out and looked both ways. When I didn't see anyone, I inched my way out of the garage and quickly raised a hand up to shield my eyes from the sun. I took off away from where I had first originated, and soon, I was feeling better; considering I wasn't staying in one place any longer.

While I was walking, I was along the concrete fence than ran the length of the sidewalk, and bordered a cliff that seemed to be high up. I had just turned to face the scenery when I saw several brightly colored birds fly by quickly. I looked behind them and nearly lost my breath as I saw what, or rather who, they were flying from; Arien.

He was still a far distance away, but that didn't stop me from quickly walking in the opposite direction. I saw something reflect on my back just as he looked up, and I swore as he suddenly dove towards where I think the smugglers were. I turned around and started sprinting down the road.

Further ahead, I saw a stairs pathway leading down to what seemed a street that was rundown and uninhabited. The garbage and abandoned home seemed like they could give good cover if I could just manage to get to them. I frowned as I looked back, and saw Arien was once again rising into the air. I know I can't kill anybody since Azure said so, but desperate times call for desperate measures…

I unslung the rifle from my back, and I kneeled down just as I heard a door on the other side of the street open up. I ignored the loud gasp and Childs voice the best I could as I zeroed in on Arien, and when I felt it was time for it, I unleashed a few rounds from my rifle, and fired a few more bursts as I heard screaming. I relished in my short victory as I saw Arien flutter in the wind before plummeting downwards; and then I turned around and started sprinting. Before I reached the stairs however, I looked across the street, and saw a mother with a kid wrapped up in her arms and a father standing slightly besides them; and in the fathers' hands were a miniature backpack.

I'm so sorry they had to see that and me… but there is nothing I can do now…

The steps downwards weren't too hard since I jumped the last few ones to save time, but every time I did so, the jolt to my shoulder would cause me to wince from pain. When I reached the bottom stairs, I looked over, and saw nothing but trash bags fluttering and leaves blowing in miniature tornadoes. All I could hear was my breathing and the yelling from the street high above me.

I turned back forward as I rushed towards a broken door, and I flung my good shoulder forward and crashed into it, and it crumbled as I was standing inside a dormant home. The floor was concrete and the walls looked like they hadn't been repaired or washed in decades. And the ceiling looked scorched in several places. Other than that, it seemed like it was relatively clean, except for a pile of moldy… something… sitting in a corner.

I sighed as I leaned against a wall, and when I slid down into a sitting position, I took my rifle and laid it across the floor. Just as I was about to try and relax, I heard a creaking noise that caused me to tense up. I reached over and grabbed the rifle just as I heard the soft creaking noise again, and this time accompanied by the sound of someone breathing out. I stood up when I was able to, and I slowly crept towards a doorway that was where I suspected the intruder to be.

After I arrived at the doorway, all noise ceased and I slowly peeked my head in. it was extremely dark, but I still didn't see anyone; so I walked in and observed the room. Ah, must've been the wind…

Turning around and walking into the main room wasn't such a good idea, since as soon as I turned, I heard a rushing sound and I spun around with my rifle ready. It was thrown from my hands, and soon I saw someone else's rifle fly from the dark as it rammed me in my gut. When I was winded, I saw Valis sprint from the dark like a phantom brandishing a combat knife. She swung it forward and up towards my gut, but I raised my hand just as she reached her target area.

I grunted as I was still weak from the rifle blow, but while I was holding her wrist, her other fist swung out and struck my face. I yelped in pain as I fell backwards, forgetting to let go of her wrist. Before we crashed to the floor, I remembered to twist he wrist slightly, and I was rewarded by the sound of something clanging off the concrete floor. With my breath finally back, I used my strength to shove her off of me as I quickly crawled backwards in search of my gun.

When I heard more clinging, I looked back forward and saw Valis coming at me with her knife again. I tucked my one leg to the side, and just as one of her feet came down, I swung it sideways; staggering her long enough for me to get up and tackle her in the gut and to the ground. I quickly grabbed the hand with the knife and wrenched it from her grasp, and just as I did do, I cut my palm. When I flipped it in my hand, she started flailing about in fear, but just as I pressed the tip of the knife into her throat, she swallowed audibly and stopped struggling. She was looking up at me with her eyes dilated, even though there was hardly any light in the room. "I'm sorry this is how it had to happen…"

Valis shut her eyes tightly as I pressed harder, but I quickly took it away and threw it across the room… towards that moldy thing. Her eyes instantly shot open, but I still held her down as I asked, "Luckily for you, I'm not bent on killing you like you are for me…" I sighed heavily as I asked, "I don't even know why you have to kill me… why don't you just find jobs like a regular person?"

After I asked that, Valis just continued to stare up at me with a highly confused look in her eyes. I slowly got off of her, and I swiped her rifle off the ground and pointed it at her as I looked around quickly. I spotted my target, and when I looked back forward, Valis was now sitting up as she continued to stare at me. Slowly, yet deliberately, I walked over to my gun, and swung hers over my back as I bent down and grabbed mine. I walked towards the doorway I came in, and I slowly stepped in it and took a step outside. Before I exited, I added in a harsh, but relatively calm and soft voice, "I'm only like seventeen still… I shouldn't even be dealing with stuff like you or smugglers… why don't you just stop being a smuggler… I'm tired of you smugglers always threatening my life…"

I swung my rifle over my back as I rolled my stiff shoulder and shifted into a Hyacinth macaw and started to fly away… unaware of how stunned I had just left the murderous lady…

(Valis' P.O.V.)

Why did he let me live…? He had my life fair and square, yet after even taking him from his home, he still showed me mercy… I rubbed my neck where the knife had been shaking against my throat; he clearly wanted to kill me from the anger he was in. And then he became a bird… which means Marcel wasn't lying when he contacted us… I should've listened when I had the chance. As I pulled my hand away from my neck, I looked over to my knife, and saw it was lying near something moldy. I looked down at my hand and saw it was slightly bloody, but not to where it would be noticeable.

When I pushed myself up off the ground and walked over to my knife, another thought popped into my head, If he is only seventeen years old… that means he bested two groups of smugglers… and if what I was heard was correct, he only suffered major injuries… when I reached down and picked up my knife, I saw blood on the handle and blade.

"Why don't you just stop being a smuggler…" That small question he had asked was still ringing in my head as I thought it over, and no matter what angle I thought of it, one answer always came back to me; and this caused me to shed a tear of sadness. Because once we joined… we couldn't leave…

A.N.: This is like a second half of the first chapter… but if I put this stuff in the previous chapter, the title would've needed some revising… hope you like this, I literally wrote it all last night…