The shot of hope

5

Kingsley

The horses made easy work treading through the thick snow but I also meant out tracks were clear which meant if someone in the inn was bribed they have clear direction to where I am located which puts me into danger and the rest of us, especially rose since a royal blood and a pure kiosk would seek for far too much. Dismounting as Sam pulled out a large map so we could navigate where we were heading so we could loose them, climbing up at a large tree as I hung off the side while looking for any clear landmarks though it was miles of forest making me slide back down.

"We need to hurry" I sighed.

"Don't rush me" Sam huffed.

"So how you know it was hunters?.." rose asked confused as I pulled myself back onto my horse which was beside hers.

"They use this flower called the ghost lily... they can be even burn into power or you can mix it's petals or pollen into liquids which turns them toxic for us... it's can be toxic for humans sometimes but for us it's lethal... it makes us disoriented and weak... makes us unable to fly and if enough is in our system we can choke on our own blood and after around 24 hours it'll disappear from our system so they can still use and sell our wings" I explained, "but it's also very fragrant so we can smell it from far distances"

"I just though you have some weird connection with the land" she joked and I glared.

"We do..." I spoke irritably.

"So you can feel it?" She spoke confused.

"We can feel it's in a way you are physically unable to comprehend, we bring balance to the land... why you think plagues have started to form and your vegetation has been damaged... because until you humans we keep everything balance and since you have killed most of us we can't have that balance, killing a avian is a sin"

"That's normal, not because some weird ass balance was disrupted" she scoffed and Jake watched me careful.

"Leave her behind" I announced and Sam got back onto his own horse.

"We can't do that" Sam hummed as I moved ahead so I wasn't next to her anymore as Jess moved so she was beside her while I was next to Jake instead and I heard there conversation.

"You shouldn't have said that..." Jess told her, "it was extremely disrespectful"

"I just don't see how someone could have a so called connection with land" she shrugged.

"Have you heard of a spirit tree before?" She questioned, "it's a very sacred tree for the avian people... there tails have nerve endings that wrap around the trees leaf's that glow and fall down in long lines... they can see memories from around the land... feel the pain of the tree and it's literally where past avians souls life... apparently when a spirit tree is harmed it's a intense pain for the clan... apparently there beautiful though..."

There was silence as we treaded through the snow until I heard a set of hoofs behind us as I looked behind us and the other heard it later than me as I could see in the far distance the first horse.

"Run!" I spoke up as the scent hit me as I quickly sped up but it was difficult to ride in the snow leading me to jump up from my saddle as I turned around as I stood on the top before flying straight for rose as she looked scared and started to scream when I we flew up in the skin and I felt something pierce my wing and I saw the arrow but I pushed through the pain as I flew above the hunter. grabbing out a sack from my bag as I threw it over them before fly away as it was a mixture of moon Lily and crystals which made a sharp dust that dug into peoples skin and the moon Lily had a pollen that made people hallucinated and bleed from there mouths, it was basically the ghost Lilys for humans.