Dark Days

Chapter 3

                Miyuki took another sip of the water that Hakan had offered her while Ritsu continued to attend to her wounds. She would wince every few seconds but attempted to keep her back straight and head held high in hopes of looking strong. Makka continued to do perimeter checks of up to a ten mile radius, making sure that the Shadows were not coming back anytime soon. Niyol slightly whimpered as Malelia wrapped her wing and tucked it close to her body. An elemental that could not fly would be in a lot of trouble out on its’ own, but Malelia agreed to carry her when the time to move came. There were few other wounds on Niyol which told Malelia that the Shadows were not after her at all; she just got caught up in the fight trying to save Miyuki. Every now and then Miyuki would glance to both Ritsu and Malelia, but her gaze always ended up on Niyol again in a steady glare.

                “Miyuki, please don’t give me that look,” Niyol pleaded, shifting uncomfortably, “I didn’t know any more than you did, but at the same time I was sure that there had to be more out there. I just wanted you to be happy, and I would have told you after you gained your power, I swear!”

                “Regardless, you let me believe since I was a baby that I was alone! My whole life I grew up believing that I was a sole survivor of a massive genocide, but now you’re telling me that it was just the start of something worse! How can I trust you?” Miyuki snapped.

                Shocked, Niyol just turned her head away and didn’t say another word. She closed her eyes and sat there quietly, letting Malelia tend to her wounds some more; no whimpering or wincing. Malelia glanced over at Ritsu and Miyuki and saw that she was turned away as well.  Ritsu smiled at Malelia, and she instantly knew that it was time for her to talk to Miyuki and calm her down. Malelia walked over to Miyuki, preparing a little speech in her head, as Ritsu went to finish bandaging Niyol’s wounds.

                “You know Miyuki, you’re very lucky with how life has treated you,” Malelia said grabbing the wrap that Ritsu had not finished.

                “Oh yeah, how do you figure?” Miyuki hissed through her teeth, trying to keep her calm.

                “Well,” Malelia started softly, “Your elemental worked to raise you and help you since you were a baby. Ritsu and I had to work to raise each other since we were about five years of age. We had to teach each other to fly, to hunt, to live without civilization. We didn’t have an elemental to help us, all the ones in our village were killed, but we pulled through.”

                “You had each other though… You knew you weren’t alone…” Miyuki countered.

                “True, but we thought we were alone… For 14 years we only associated with each other, and taught ourselves how to live in the wilderness. When you have an elemental that has already been there for a while, you pick up on things faster. Hell, you probably know more than we do,” Malelia smiled sweetly.

                “Still not picking up on how I’m supposedly lucky…” Miyuki persisted.

                “You had someone from the start who knew how to live in the wilderness,” Malelia stated, “Niyol worked hard to raise you. She taught you everything she could, and you know what else? You didn’t have to prove your worth to her. Makka, just recently, almost killed me. Her power was great, but I managed to defend myself long enough to find an escape route. She respected me because she knew I had just found my power, and she found it astonishing how I could use it with some control, more than what was expected. She wants to teach me to control the power now, hence why she is staying by my side. Hakan challenged Ritsu to a fight about a year ago, but he got overwhelmed almost instantly. Hakan couldn’t just ignore such power, so he stuck around and decided to help us. My point is, Miyuki, next to Ritsu and I, life has given you an easier path. Your elemental raised you like her own child, and she didn’t have to do that. She’s practically your mother, and you should be thanking her for all she has done for you.”

                Miyuki glanced back over toward Niyol finally, and found that Niyol had been watching carefully, waiting for Miyuki to turn around. Malelia smiled at Niyol, almost asking if she hit the head on the nail. For a moment, Miyuki seemed to be contemplating her next words, but simply hugged Malelia tightly. Shocked, Malelia hugged her back realizing that her story must have made Miyuki sorry for everything she said to not only Niyol, but also to her and Ritsu. When she pulled away and smiled, the atmosphere in the room instantly got lighter. Malelia continued to bandage up Miyuki’s wounds as Ritsu kept packing supplies. As soon as Malelia finished the last wrap, Miyuki’s first and foremost goal was to test her flight ability. She transformed herself into a snow leopard and launched herself out the window, extending her wings and soaring to the sky. She was clumsy in her flight, but she seemed to be able to manage for a while at least. As soon as Miyuki landed and transformed back into her normal self Makka came plowing through the window at full speed.

                “We need to move now! They’re going to be here any second,” Makka cried urgently, “And they’re coming from every direction, fifteen miles out!”

                “What do you mean?” Miyuki asked, fear creeping into her voice.

                “The Shadows are back, Miyuki,” Malelia said briefly, “and this time, they’ll make sure to kill us if we don’t move. Hope your flying is as good as you feel, because that’s going to be our only ticket out.”

                Malelia and Ritsu grabbed a bag of supplies and slung it over their shoulders, making sure that their wings could still function without too much interference. Malelia grabbed Niyol and put her in a pouch that she slung across her front so that Niyol would be more comfortable for the long flight. They all rushed out of the house to see Hakan and Makka circling in the sky above. Ritsu launched himself in the sky first and turned around to make sure Miyuki could get into the air. Miyuki spread her white wings and managed to launched herself into the air just fine, but it took her a second to get up to Ritsu’s level.

                 Once Malelia was sure that Ritsu would be able to catch Miyuki if something went wrong, she launched herself up, only to be caught by a scaly claw that threw her back down. Malelia spun herself so that Niyol didn’t get harmed on the crash to the ground. Fear filled her heart as she opened her eyes and saw the pure black figure standing above her. The only thing she could make out on this beast was his sharp blood red eyes, and the horns that protruded from its’ skull like a goat’s. The skin seemed to be held tight against its’ body, but at the same time it seemed almost transparent.

                “Malelia!” Ritsu cried out. He wanted to go down and help her, but he couldn’t leave Miyuki behind now that she found her kind.

                Panicked as the beast lurched forward, Malelia brought her arms up out of pure instinct. A green shield covered her and the beast could not penetrate it. Malelia’s heart was racing and she could see the surprise in Niyol’s eyes.

                “Malelia,” Niyol whispered, “make your arms move outward, quickly in an explosion type motion.”
                Not sure that would do anything, Malelia tried it. The shield moved with the motion of her hands and turned into a very powerful attack that shot the Shadow back into the forest. Realizing her opportunity, Malelia got up and launched herself into the sky again, only to have another Shadow miss her by a few mere inches. She flew up high into the sky to meet her group that was hovering there. They all stared at the Shadows growling and circling below before flying away. The group knew that they would be followed, and they knew they had to take refuge somewhere the Shadows could never get to; a human city.