A Guardian 's Vow (Open Novella Contest 2021)

Chapter 18

Our small group glided through the sky, determination humming through us. Tyrris dangled in Ataq's, a giant eagle known as a roc, talons. He wasn't thrilled with being carried, but he put up with it. Time was of an essence, and running would only slow us down.

Keillih flew beside Ataq, sticking close to her mate. Isao, a kitsune, sat in his human form on the roc's back.

I flew ahead of the bunch with Tara, a creature composed of the head of a fox, the forelegs of and wings of an eagle, the chest of a greyhound, the hind legs of a lion, and the tail of a wolf. Despite the many creatures that she looked like, Tara wasn't the weirdest looking Guardian, not even close. She even held the qualities of each of the animals, and was by far the best tracker that we had, the particular skill that we needed if we were to find Aiden.

"That's the town," I said, motioning to the town not far ahead of us. Together, we descended, heading to the surrounding forest.

Tyrris looked a little relieved to have control over his movements once again. I could see the muscles on his back moving as if his wings were still there. I looked away, it was hard to see Tyrris struggle with his loss, and it hurt me just as much as it hurt him.

"Do we all know the plan?" I asked, turning to face my gathered group.

"I get in the town, keep to my human form, and scout around, see if I can find the place where Aiden was grabbed and hopefully a clue to where they took him," Isao said.

"When he finds Aiden, or where he went, I track him," Tara continued.

"Ataq and I do an aerial search while this is happening," Keillih spoke up, continuing the plan as it travelled around the circle.

"As soon as I find where he is, I call you guys in," Tara finished.

I nodded my head. "Thank you, guys, for all agreeing to help me with this," I said, looking at everyone. "It means a lot to me."

"We wanted Aiden to stay too. No matter what the others said, protecting humans is still very much our duty," Ataq reassured me. "We all are more than happy to help." Agreeance travelled around the small circle.

"Then let's do this," Tyrris said firmly. We all nodded at once, and set off to our assigned tasks. Ataq and Keillih swiftly launched into the sky as Isao left, heading towards the town's entrance. Tara hung back with Tyrris and I, waiting for Isao's signal.

"The only problem with this plan is the waiting," Tara said.

"I agree," I muttered. The three of us settled down, watching the town as we waited. Time stood still as we waited, and the longer we had to wait, the more I worried. We were running out of time; Aiden was running out of time.

Over twenty minutes later, Isao returned in our sights, walking back from the town.

"You were supposed to send us a signal," I said, rising to my feet as the kitsune returned. "What happened?" Concern edged into my voice.

"Well, Aiden isn't in the town," Isao said, dropping a piece of fabric on the ground before shifting back into his fox form. His seven tails swished around as he looked at us. Ataq and Keillih landed, walking in closer. They looked just as confused as Tara.

"This is a piece of Aiden's clothing; his scent is all over it. I found it tied to a house. If I had to guess, he knew the hunters were after him, and that we would come looking."

"Smart kid," Ataq muttered.

"From what I gathered from the town's people, the hunters came in not that long ago and grabbed Aiden, fighting off a griffin too. Their stories all match each other and Adrastea's," Isao continued.