Girl who Speaks to Birds

Chapter 46

I looked at Tyler. "What's going on? Why are they doing this?"

Tyler shrugged. "I honestly have no idea." He had stammered a bit at the beginning. I didn't blame him; this was a confusing situation for all of us. I flew down to dad.

"Madelyn, what's going on?"

"I don't know. Tyler doesn't either. I'll see if Trinity does."

I heard wings flap. I turned around to see Trinity. "I don't know, actually. But it looks like they're on our side. Why else would they be parading across town?"

"Good point." I replied, glancing through the trees at the protesters. The fact that they had came out here to protest for us was amazing. Then, I realized where they were going, and I swear, my heart skipped a beat.

They were going to the hunters. The memories of being trapped there roared back to me, and I stumbled backwards in shock.

"You're not going to let them go there, are you?"

I glanced at Tyler. "They're going to the hunter's buildings." I whispered "Do we do something or...?" I trailed off. I didn't know those people, but still, they were practically walking into their deaths!

"The more important question is; do you think you should?"

I dwelled it over. In those cliche stories, the protagonist always rushed into battle. But this was real life. And I could die. I looked down, biting my nails in nervousness.

"What is the right thing to do? I know, but do you know?"

"I know what the right thing is. The right thing to do is to rush out there and risk my life to save all those people. But I'm afraid. Saving their lives would mean putting myself in the hunter's line of fire. And I don't want to die. But if I don't do this, then they'll die, like Caspian did. Or they could be forced to become hunters."

"I know it'll be hard for you, Madelyn. I've been with many other individuals, and they've felt the same pain and confusion that you're feeling. But you've got to have the courage to risk yourself for others. You want to gain allies, and carry out Caspian's wish? Then go out there and help them, before they're killed."

I glanced at Caspian. "I know what I need to do, but putting ourselves out there is going to be risky. Really risky. But if we pull this off, we could gain allies."

Tyler looked at me. "I honestly think we should do it."

Trinity spoke up. "I do too, and we'll have to be careful, or we could die. But, this is something that is gonna help us a lot."

I had to calm myself before speaking. "Then we'll do it." I trembled a bit as I spoke, and I tried to cover it up the best I could. I glanced at my dad. "We're going out there."

"I'll go get the other shifters, in case we need backup." he stared at me. "Be careful out there. I wouldn't be able to bear it if you died."

"I'll be careful," I promised, looking towards the town. This was it. I took flight, my stomach doing flip-flops. I bit at my nails, wiping away the blood streaming from them. Yeah, that's a habit I needed to break. I heard Tyler fly up beside me, and I was glad that he was going to be in this with me.

We flew out of the forest and into the town. Trinity was behind me; I could tell from the flaps of her wings. I saw the streets I was familiar with, and the memories of my normal life came back to me. I held back my tears, looking at the protesters. They weren't inside the hunter's buildings yet; there was still time. Maybe I wouldn't have to get shot at today.

I came nearer, looking down. They held signs, protesting how we had been treated. Well, it was nice to know that they cared. But, it wasn't nice that they were practically marching into their deaths. I landed in front of the protesters, hearing shocked gasps and whispers.

"You've probably heard about me. After all, news does spread fast. And I know where you're going. You need to stop; you're going to get yourselves killed!"

"But they're being unjust!" I heard a woman shout.

"True, but they're going to kill you. If you stop, then they probably won't shoot. It's nice and all that you're doing this, but it's hard to appreciate the act when it's putting you all in danger."

Was it too late to go back? I could hear hushed whispers ripple through the crowd, and I didn't try to listen in. Would it be bad of me to leave now, and let them decide what they were going to do?

"Madelyn, you know what you need to do."

"I know. But they're not listening!"

"Then make them listen."

I looked out at the crowd, trying to calm my stomach. "I may only be fifteen, but I've experienced a lot of pain these past few months. When I had first became a shifter," I paused a moment, fighting back the tears. "I went to a shifter town. Their leader, a panther shifter named Caspian, could've easily killed me, or sent me off to fend for myself in the wilderness. But he showed me a kindness that I can't repay."

I felt a tear slide down my face, but I wiped it away quickly. "I don't want to tell some sad story and make everyone cry, so I'll just tell it to you straight. The hunters ended up killing Caspian, and I promised him that I'd get peace between the shifters and the hunters. I need your help, and I can't get that help if you're all dead. So please, don't march into death like that."

I looked at the protesters. They all whispered for a while, and then, a man stepped forward. "We'll leave here, but, we want to help you. Tell me what we can do."

A/N- So, how'd you like that chapter? I left you on a cliffie last chapter, didn't I? Yes, I did.

Please comment, vote, share, and I'll see you all in the comments! Bye for now!