The Fray of Werebirds [Discontinued]

Chapter 20 - Now or Never

Sirena and Brock gaped at me like I was from Jupiter. The forest was noiseless except for Jay's faint snoring, as if the tree themselves were astonished at hearing my decision.

"I'm going to become a werebird," I repeated, a little louder.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Brock yelled.

"Look who's talking," I shot back.

"It wasn't my choice, I already told you, didn't I?"

"Yes you did, but now, this is my choice," I said defiantly.

"You idiot, you can't just toss your humanity behind you like that, you'll regret it!"

"I'm sick and tired of being powerless," my voice rose with each syllable, "I don't want to be a burden anymore. I'm here right now and there's nothing I can do about it but do my best to survive, even if it meant losing my humanity. If you've got any better ideas, then, please, enlighten me."

Brock held his tongue, but instead, replied with his fist. My head lurched backwards when his knuckles landed on my jaw. As soon as I recovered from the shock, I leaped at my friend, throwing both of us to the ground. The grapple was a blur of tangled arms and legs. I knew that Brock was holding back, but part of me wanted him to unleash his full strength. Our wrestling match was cut short by Sirena, who grasped a fistful of my hair and yanked me off Brock.

"I'm weak," I whined, "I don't want to become a werebird, I have to."

"You can't," Sirena let go of my hair and placed herself between me and Brock to avoid any further rows.

"Yes, I can! Brock was once human. He's not a real werebird, he's a fake. I can be a Bogus too. All I have to do is–"

"I'm not saying you can't as in it isn't possible," she put in, "I'm saying that I won't let you."

"Why not?"

"You're a human, Caleb! You have a mom, you have a family, and you have a life to return to once this is over. You can't become one of us. Not to mention that one extra werebird won't make a difference against what we're dealing with. Your friend is right. You'll end up regretting it."

"I'll regret it even more if I return dead to my mother. It's just like you said, this is bad. This is war, even. The chances of a bag of bones like me living through this are slim. I need to become a strong bag of bones."

"Don't you understand?" Sirena said, drilling her dazzling eyes into mine, "That's exactly what makes us such a corrupted species. We're strong and we know it. Not only that, we want more. I know you're just a feeble human but you have something we lack – compassion.

"I'm not sure if you remember, but you saved me once before the piano performance. It was after I first escaped from Tamara. I was injured and too weak to appear any larger than a small budgie. You took me in your house and fed me until I could fly again. I recognized you in the auditorium. You came for me once again, even though you had no idea who I was."

It took me a moment to remember what she was talking about. "That little bird... Was you?" I whispered with disbelief.

"I never bothered to express my thanks. I ripped you and your human life apart. I drove you to the brink of helplessness. I'm sorry, Caleb."

We fell silent. I was surprised that Jay managed to remain asleep through our loud conversation. Brock observed the cluster of glowing stars in the sky and Sirena returned her gaze to the fire. I processed everything she had told me and rearranged my thoughts. My decision, though, didn't falter.

"I'm going to become a werebird," I said firmly, "I want to be able to protect you, and not just myself. Even if I do have werebird blood flowing in my veins, I'll always have a human heart. And if I ever start to lose my compassion, you can remind me of it."

I held her gaze, hoping to show her my resolve.

"Fine," she said simply.

"Fine?"

"Fine, but from now on, you're responsible for yourself. I'm not obliged to save you anymore."

Her statement was unsettling, but I had to accept it. I couldn't expect her to be my guardian angel forever.

I glanced at my friend for approval. "Brock?"

"It's a little offensive that you would want to become a werebird after I told you my story," the boy sighed but grinned, "Well, I can't say I'm not excited. I can finally have a friend to fly with."

I grinned back, but not for too long. Something caught my eye in the sky. Two dark shadows soared above us, blotting out the stars. Brock shook Jay awake right before the werebirds plummeted in our direction. The four of us scattered away when they landed next to the fire. For a fleeting moment, I thought that the intruders might be Gregory and another one of his friends. My hopes were squashed when Jay transformed to fight one of them and Brock the other.

While the birds clashed around the fire, Sirena darted to my side and whipped out a knife. I recognized it immediately – it was the very knife I had tried to kill her with back in the forest. Now she swiftly used it to slash her wrist open. Blood oozed out of the cut.

I winced in her stead. "Wait, we're doing this now?"

"We don't have much time to waste," Sirena said, "It's either now or never."

Panic screamed in my ears and my heart pounded like it wanted to punch its way out of my chest.

I forced myself to calm down.

"Now," I squeaked, and then I repeated, more confidently, "Now."