Dark Days

Chapter 4

                “So, what did it look like,” Miyuki questioned after a long while of flying, “and how did you do that… magic, I guess?”

                “Well,” Malelia started, “it had very thin black scaly skin with horns protruding from the head… That’s really all I could make out…” she trailed off.

                “One thing I noticed,” Niyol piped in, “was that it didn’t look like any skin was on the head, almost like a bare black skull… with just a glowing red gas for eyes. Seemed very ghost like in appearance… Its’ body seemed gas like and solid all in one sense…” Niyol said contemplatively.

                “What about the magic stuff?” Miyuki persisted slightly.

                “Didn’t you get told the legends by Niyol?” Malelia glanced under her wing asking. Miyuki and Niyol both kind of shook their heads as if they had no idea what she was talking about. She glanced over at Ritsu, who had an equally shocked look on his face. “Well,” Malelia thought, “our parents told us a legend that said one day, a great evil would come and wipe us all out. Those who survived the initial attacks would gain the powers of nature, just like the elementals, and fight alongside them to stop this evil… I have the powers of the Earth it looks like, and Ritsu has the power of Fire, and you… well your power is undiscovered. I’m sure it’ll come forth eventually.”

                “Hey, Ritsu,” Miyuki began, “Where is this human city after all?”

                “Honestly, I’m not sure…” Ritsu spoke softly, “I just know it is underground in a cave system. It seems that the Shadows need light to be able to function. In pure darkness they shut down and become nothing more than a shadow again; like the ones we cast. At least, that’s what I’ve read in some human books I found recently… Poor fellow shouldn’t have left home, probably trying to figure out how to stop them…”

                “Does that mean they can’t function at night then?” Hakan questioned hopeful since the sun was setting.

                “Only if it’s cloudy or a night of a new moon…” Ritsu frowned, “luckily tonight is new moon so we should be able to land and rest within a few hours.”

                Malelia glanced back at Miyuki who was now falling more and more behind. She didn’t look like she was going to last much longer at this rate which made a few hours out of the question. She needed to relax so her wings and wounds could heal, and her energy levels stay high. Malelia glanced over to Makka, who instantly understood her concern, and she did a sweep of the area. Makka was determined to find either a cave or tall enough tree for them to stop and relax in. She had almost lost hope when she spotted a small town with a wooden fort, towering taller than all the trees. She quickly veered over to the town and flew in over top the fort wall where she was instantly greeted by a multitude of humans.

                “Please,” she pleaded to a taller man with ocean blue eyes, “we need a place to rest and get away from the shadows for the night! We have an injured Ralquid!”

                For a moment the man just stared at the owl. His shoulders were extremely strong and built but the rest of him look light and swift. He hesitated for a moment, trying to find some words to say, but he didn’t say anything. His eyes fell to the ground, and he just didn’t say a word.

                “Ralquid, aren’t welcome here,” someone from the crowd called, “all they do is bring those Shadows and cause us more trouble than they’re worth!”

                “Please… Just until night fall at least!” Makka pleaded loudly, “We’ll leave once the sun is set and the stars are out! I swear!”

                “Let them stay…” the tall man said silently, “Tonight is the night of a new moon, and if they land in the village, the Shadows won’t be able to track them as easily if they land nearby. It’s safer in the long run…”

                A lot of people looked at the man in shock, but the more they began to think, the more they realized he was right. Makka searched the crowd for a sort of answer; waiting to her a final verdict of what was happening. She became antsy and kept glancing back at the sky to see where her group was. Finally, she saw one person nod, then another, and another before the whole crowd came to a general consensus.

                “Thank you so much!” Makka squealed as she headed back into the sky. When she finally caught up with the rest of the group, she found that Ritsu was flying underneath Miyuki to support her. She was so weak at this point that she couldn’t beat her wings hard enough to keep her completely airborne. Makka wheeled herself over next to Malelia and could see the concern on Malelia’s face.

                “Makka, we’re not going to be able to make it until night fall… Miyuki is just too weak and Niyol is getting uncomfortable not being able to move…” Malelia spoke in a downtrodden manner. 

                “Malelia, I found a village of humans. They have agreed to take us until night fall, no later. After that we can travel on foot for a while before we have to find a different place to hide and get some sleep,” Makka said with relief in her voice.

                “Alright, Makka, you lead the way then. Ritsu, Hakan!” Malelia shouted back under her wing, “Makka found us a place to stay until full night fall!”

                Ritsu just nodded and began to wheel around to follow Makka back to the village. Malelia turned to follow as well, and relished in the fact that they would be able to relax for at least a little while. The village was well off, but they began to make out the tips of the fort wall before long. Suddenly Makka stopped in midair and just stared off in the distance. Hakan soon saw it too, along with Niyol. Malelia attempted to focus her eyes a little better and took notice to what they were seeing; the Shadows were heading for the little village. It all made sense to the group now, they weren’t stopping at the Ralquid, they were stopping whenever they cover the world in shadow.