Chapter 320

320 Flying Luna... and a Frightening Realisation

Katie expected the eagles’ talons to be rough and bring her bruises and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for them to roughly yank her from the balcony. To her surprise, however, her feet left the ground before she felt any significant pressure on her arms.

Peeking through one eye, she found they had long taken off from the balcony. When she did though, her second eye opened as well, taking in the marvel before her.

She had long left the balcony and was gracefully soaring higher into the sky. The feeling of breaking free of the restraints of gravity washed a wave of excitement through her.

She looked up at the eagles, musing over their graceful wing strokes that swiftly carried them up without seeming like a burden in the slightest. The two majestic kings of the skies flapped their wings in perfect sync and soared through the air calmly. Their grip on her hands was soft and barely perceptible.

“Just relax. We’ll be there in no time,” Darla commented over the roar of the wind. The little pigeon was floating behind them, keeping up them on the stream of air that was let through by one of the eagles. The two pigeons had taken two positions behind the eagles. It almost looked like they were being carried by the eagles as well.

The eagles flew lower and closer to the beautiful greenery of the forest, going further and further away from the city. If she didn’t think of the eagles that were carrying her, the Luna could feel as though she was the one flying. Feeling the need for more speed, she muttered, “A little rush would be good.”

Darla was not one to lose focus on the person she was tending to and had heard her speak to herself, “That’s not a tone for a werewolf to have,” the pigeon huffed.

However, before the Luna could reply, the eagles suddenly tucked their wings into a short drop before beginning a vicious climb, ascending higher and higher into the air at incredible speed. The sudden rush frightened the girl for a second before she relaxed.

“What’s wrong?”

.....

“Well, you did ask for a bit of a rush and that is what you shall have,” Finn chuckled. That being said, the eagles only accelerated faster and took the Luna further into the sky.

Katie’s initial shock was gone and now replaced with exciting anticipation. She looked back to the capital and gawked at how small it already appeared. They’d only been flying a short time, but the castle was already farther than she’d thought it to be.

“I’ll be able to go back before evening, won’t I?”

“We swear it on our lives, your majesty. You’ll make it home in time for your date with the king,” one of the great eagles’ voices rumbled deeply above her. The voice startled her, but not enough for her to miss the admittance to another invasion of privacy.

“You guys have a stalking problem,” she chuckled, “Let’s see what you can do.”

'

The eagles’ wingbeats got even stronger at the sound of a challenge. When they were high into the sky that the forest itself was just a patch of green, they hovered for a moment, turning to their desired destination before tucking their wings slightly close to their bodies.

Everything was frozen for a moment as they reached their peak height. Katie’s body continued up just for a bit, completely horizontal in the air. The two eagles, however, began angling their streamlined bodies to the ground.

Katie was sure they would be falling straight down, but that wasn’t quite the case, the eagles soared almost horizontally, losing only the slightest of altitude.

It was slow at first, but soon, Katie realised it was only momentary. The Luna was soon screaming in delight as their speed started to pick up and the acceleration had the wind roaring at her.

While the Luna was enjoying her flight, she missed the point when the eagles angled down and tucked their wings completely into a sharp nose dive. The wind was so vicious it wouldn’t let Katie open her eyes, but the feeling of freedom... was not lost on this seasoned hunter.

The joyride lasted a short time, but for the Luna enjoying it, it took much longer. She could feel the freedom the eagles felt when they were in the sky. Gravity was not a force to be worried about.

Instead, it was something to help them merely tell up from down. If she had it her way, she would have stayed in that moment for eternity. Alas, the flight came to an end and the eagles slowed down gradually.

The sound of rushing water was the most significant when the blurring of green finally came to a stop and the wind calmed down. The eagles came closer to the canopies and began to follow the river downstream until the water began to pick up speed.

Katie felt she would be swept away by the current from simply looking at it. Looking further ahead, she saw the river come to an end. The moment of realisation came a bit late when they were passing right above the waterfall that fell a few hundred metres. The sudden change in altitude sent a dizzying feeling through the girl... suddenly she was very grateful they were flying.

“Don’t struggle. You’ll bruise your hands,” one of the eagles warned the squirming Luna, easing the tension that had gripped her in place.

“Oh, right... I had almost forgotten...”

The rest of her words were lost to the roar of song and fluttering wings as a multitude of birds erupted from the trees on the other side of the waterfall, flying high into the air and flocking around them.

Katie was astounded by their sheer number. Her ears picked up on the different sounds of excitement... ‘Is that her?’ ‘Oh my, she’s so pretty.’ ‘I wonder if she can talk to every one of us... maybe she only speaks to wolves?’ ‘It’s one thing to see her, I can’t wait to hear her speak.’ ‘Do you think she sounds like the wolves do?’ ‘Alphas can be intimidating, you know...’

The excitement warmed the girl’s heart and relaxed her earlier tension. The eagles took her down and set her by the river bank. As soon as they’d set the girl down, the entire gathering of birds quieted down and perched in the different trees that bordered the river. The vibrant colours from the different species of birds brought a smile to the girl’s face, “Now this would be picture-perfect,” she said to herself, checking her pocket. It was empty.

From the silence came the sound of a low growl. Katie turned, curious to find out why the growl had not inspired fear in her. From the cover of the trees emerged a lion. The creature was completely out of place in the forest, but then again, it was right in front of her, as clear as day. The birds bowed to the creature nonetheless, ‘So it wasn’t practised!’ she wondered internally, remembering the gesture from the pigeons.

“What’s a lion doing in this kind of place?”

“The power that resides within someone like you is more than enough to adjust the ecosystem,” the lion’s voice boomed across the low-lying riverbank they stood on. When the lion was a safe distance before her, it bowed low, “We welcome you, Katie Sirius.”

“I am honoured although I don’t exactly know what I’m doing here,” the girl smiled nervously.

A pigeon fluttered from the trees and landed atop the lion’s golden mane, “It’s like I told you before. The creatures of the wild are at your service. You were sad... so that’s what we are here to fix.”

The girl was stunned by the pigeon’s words that she lost her words for a moment. ‘Isn’t this a bit much?’ the girl wondered.

She looked around, seeing the different species of birds and relishing in their vibrant plumages, however, something crept into her mind. Even with the vast numbers of these birds, none of them had the power to return her to her former self, “What can you all possibly do for me? I mean no offence by it, but I can’t think of a...”

“You don’t know how to rely on others, do you? I heard of it, but I didn’t think it was this bad?” the lion cut her off, chuckling deeply, “Didn’t you realise how much help you had back in the reserve? If it wasn’t for the creatures there, a number of the wolves you were trying to protect would have died.”

‘How much do these creatures know?’ the girl was shocked they knew about what happened in the reserve. She held off the question of how they’d found out about it. After all, two eagles had brought her here from the palace.

There was no telling what kind of birds had made the journey to spread the information. “I will make it a point to thank them the next time I see them. However, we were in a reserve. That was their territory. This is different. I’m getting weaker with each passing day and I don’t know what to do about it. Sending a lion into the capital would only cause mass panic.”

“Who said anything about sending a lion? Your creativity needs a little work,” the lion chuckled, “there is always room to learn something new.”

The lion turned away from the girl and gestured for her to follow it. Katie walked alongside the creature and into the woods. The air in the forest was full of energy. The creatures about her were all in high spirits that she found contagious. The stubborn light smile on her face was proof of that.

“Doesn’t it bother you to serve under someone who doesn’t see your use?” the girl asked.

“You don’t mince words, do you?” the lion laughed this time. His voice was akin to that of a wise king... A king similar to King Davin. The similarity brought a feeling of nostalgia into the girl.

“Saying things the way they are usually helps the conversation make progress,” she replied, trying to fight the fatigue making its way into her body. The lion noticed her rugged breathing and offered to carry her. To this, she declined and instead asked if she could pet him... which was beside the point, but she found it irresistible, ‘This must have been how Uncle Thorrin felt back then.’

Against his pride, the lion accepted, “Your mane is silky and smooth,” the girl commented, shock in her voice, “It would make a nice pillow.”

“I do not intend to become someone’s pillow. Even if that person is you, your majesty.”

“I was only messing around...”

After a short pause, the girl came to a stop and took a seat by a tree, breathing out sharply. Sweat had already started trickling down her face.

She focused on keeping her breath calm and steady, but her exhaustion was already visible. The flight through the air and the time she had spent in the gym had been enough to rob her of all her strength, ‘Where is that breakfast I had earlier?’ she mentally yelled.

She was, however, aware that the food would have done nothing in providing her strength. She could still eat, but she didn’t recover. The exhaustion she felt had nothing to do with her diet, “This is bad. You’re running out of divine energy,” the lion observed. Even worried, the lion was able to pull off his proud royal tone.

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“We heard what happened in your battle against the evil werewolf. The scourge that disrupts the natural order of the wild as well. He was the one you went up against and I’m afraid... During that battle, you might have pushed yourself past what you’re supposed to. You’re going to lose all your divine energy,” the lion explained.

“Oh...”

“And that’s what we’re doing here. We came to help you,” the lion tried, “For starters, what plagues your mind when you’re on your own?”

“A lot really... but mostly, I feel useless for not being able to help anyone in my current state. The kingdom is under attack and I can’t do anything about it. Cole won’t even tell me what’s going on because he doesn’t want me to worry, but he doesn’t realise that’s impossible. I am worried,” the girl spilt her mind out, “My wolf has almost gone completely silent...”

She didn’t know why she was so open with the creatures around her, but she didn’t feel guarded towards them either. Without being able to sense someone’s ill will, she couldn’t tell whether they meant to help her, but that all didn’t seem to matter one bit...

Just then, the thought she’d dreaded most this entire time was able to form in her mind... and it spilt out just as soon as it was formed, “Why does it feel... like I’m running out of time?”