Flight (new version)

Chapter 29: Scarlet Band

Wolf led all but Night Shade and Hedgehog over to the body. The first thing Griffin noticed was the stab wound. No. Stab wounds. Several dark splotches riddled her corpse and the blood was spreading quickly through the clothing, already merging between some of the closer punctures. Her face had taken on a slightly blue tint and her eyes froze unblinking at something in front of her. The waterskin lay in the grass next to her, dropped and forgotten.

Wolf closed the eyelids. He stared at the body, wordless. Spark bent down and picked up the waterskin, shaking it a bit to make the water she'd collected slosh around.

"Who could have done this?" Fern whispered.

"Clintston is in the Zai-ron Forest," Wolf murmured. "The human capital. They have highly skilled and thoroughly trained soldiers."

"You, you think a human did this?" Burn asked.

"I don't know. Maybe." Wolf stared quietly into the trees where he'd left Night Shade and Hedgehog. "With the return of magic, they might've been given to order to kill on sight. And this is a human-made road. It wouldn't be uncommon for a Clintston soldier—or any human—to pass through here."

Highly skilled soldiers...Griffin shivered. Unlike the ones we fought in Tepora Forest, something tells me these would know how to use obsiterite.

They buried Violet and stood over her unmarked grave for a long moment before Wolf finally broke away and led them back to Night Shade and Hedgehog.

"We need to keep moving. Get away from this road." Wolf took Hedgehog from Night Shade and motioned for the others to follow him away from the road.

They traveled for a long time. No one spoke. It didn't seem appropriate to do so.

The sun began to sun, tinting the light rose pink. Hedgehog tugged on Wolf's shaggy gray hair. "Wuff? I sweepy."

A faint smile flicked across Wolf's face. "You're sleepy? Me too." He slowed down and glanced back at his band. "Let's rest here for the night."

"Rest?" Fern repeated uneasily.

Wolf set down Hedgehog by Night Shade who had begun to pull out blankets from the travel bag. Wind began to sweep furiously around them, and Wolf raised both hands, silver skin thick with magic, then he pushed outwards. With a faint humming boom, the wind rushed past them in all directions, making the trees and foliage whip wildly in the air. The wind settled. The tree limbs stopped shaking.

Wolf lowered his arms tiredly. "I just set up a wind barrier. Nothing weaker than me can get in or out."

It provided a bit of solace, but Griffin found it extremely difficult to force his eyes close as he lied on a blanket next to Fern. Violet's dead purple eyes wouldn't leave his mind. And they remained with him as his travel-weary body finally succumbed hours later to sleep.

#

The others seemed to have the same luck with sleep as he did. Heads drooped. Bags hung under eyes. Mouths stretched in perpetual yawns. No one spoke about the missing member.

They ate a quick breakfast. Wolf flew above the treetops to check their positioning then came back down and picked up the travel bag. "Let's go."

Griffin found himself walking alongside Burn. The phoenix was doubled over slightly, hands clutching his stomach.

"You alright?" he asked.

Burn sucked in a breath and slowly straightened up. "Yes. Fine. I get bad stomach aches when I have lots of anxiety."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Griffin fell quiet and played with the edges of his sleeves. "How are you doing? After what happened yesterday."