Saviour

14. I Return Home. Again.

Chapter 14.

I must've drifted off sometime during the day. Something solid nudged against me, trying to pull me out of my nap. I groaned and tried to push it away. "Five more minutes..." I mumbled and curled up.

'Alex.'

"Five more..." I yawned widely.

'Alex, wake up! You've been dreaming again!' The voice said urgently and I identified it as Nikkon's.

I lifted my head up off of the cold floor and blinked the sleep out of my eyes. Sitting up, I realised how stiff I was after having been laid on the floor for who knows how long.

'What's up?' I asked him, looking up at the feathery mass that towered over me.

'Like I said, you were dreaming.'

'Oh. Never mind. How's the wing?' I stood up and stepped down towards his wing that was folded close to his body.

He stretched it out, catching me at the side of the face as he did so. I looked at the feathers and saw that the singed, burnt ones had dropped out overnight to be replaced by a new gleaming set.

'Woah...' I admired, he looked even more stunning than before.

'I know right?' He said and pounded his wing hard, buffeting me with a blast of air.

'Nikkon?'

'Yeah?'

'C-can I go home? Today?' I tilted my head to the side a little, watching his expression.

'What if they try to fight me? Try to drive me away again?'

'Then I'll make sure they know you're with me!' I said determinedly. 'I won't let you get hurt again.'

He nodded curtly and stretched out. 'Nice cave art by the way, young hero. Very prehistoric.' I detected a slight chuckle in his voice.

I strapped my sword onto my side and looked at him. 'Ready.' I nodded.

He bent down on his forelegs and lowered his wings so they brushed against the ground, low enough so I could climb on. After I hauled myself up and made myself comfortable on his back he set off towards the mouth of the cave, the stone door sliding open as we approached it.

We burst out into dazzling sunlight. I squinted and held a hand up to protect my eyes, not wanting them to get frazzled like an ant under a magnifying glass.

Nikkon raised his head and took in the sights. This was one of the only times I had seen Mount Vexadus without a thick cloud covering. I felt a summers breeze blowing through my hair and I longed for Kara. I longed to know if she was alright. I had to see her again.

I felt Nikkon's hind legs tense and a moment later he sprang forwards into the air, those giant wings spreading as wide as possible and powering us up into the sky. I wasn't surprised at how short the journey took. It had taken me nearly all day to reach Vexadus from Novalon, but it took Nikkon around fifteen minutes.

I still couldn't help but be amazed at the admirable friend and beast that I was riding. He let out a cry like an eagles and I guessed that meant he was happy. I grinned over my shoulder as I looked behind me, his long tail wavering in the wind as he flew.

As we flew over Novalon a terrible sight caught my eyes. It had been days since I had disappeared but the town still looked as if it had only been destroyed the day before. Many buildings had been reduced to piles of black rubble. As we flew over the plateau, I saw hundreds of bodies covered in white shawls all lined up individually. The smallest ones made me feel sick. I knew they were the innocent children of Novalon, they had never deserved any of this chaos and destruction.