Flighted

Loss and Tears

AN: Next chapter guys. Yes, there is a lot of stuff taken from MRF. Forgive me, it'll branch out once the Cullens appear. Which is very soon.

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I careened down in spirals headfirst for a few stories before I managed to slide my wings out of the slits on my back. Taking a deep breath, I managed the familiar up down motion despite the crud heavily layered on them. I would need to find a place to rinse them off.

I turned to look at the mangy hounds snapping their jaws at us.

Several unfortunates got pushed out the window by their eager packmates, and we swerved out of the way as they twisted through the air, baying as they plunged downward.

"They're more like cry-enas now!" Gazzy joked wearily as we headed toward the outer edges of Sydney.

"Mangy cry-enas. They're so ugly. I wonder what happened for them to get that way," I said curiously.

"Who cares? They're gone for now. I just hope we don't run into something worse," Iggy said.

I nodded, thinking about his words.

For me, worse was human eating vampires slowly starving to death. Though that brought about thoughts about the Cullens starving to death. My gut twisted, felt like a knife had been shoved into it and turned around in painful circles. I hoped for their sake that they were okay, that nothing had happened to them.

Even though they had left me behind, they still felt like family to me. Like home. As crazy as that is, its the truth.

I took note of the others and noticed Akila's mangled appearance. My stomach dropped. Would she be okay?

When we stopped on a hill overlooking the city, we took stock of our injuries. Max ripped off the sleeve of her shirt and tied it under her chin.

"Does it hurt bad?" Max asked Nudge.

"It's f-fine," she lied, her voice quivering as she bit back the pain.

Max looked at Nudge sympathetically. "What girl doesn't want more defined cheekbones, am I right?"

Nudge nodded and forced a weak smile.

"Zombie chic," Max pressed, and Nudge actually giggled.

"Lame, very lame, Max." Nudge shook her head and adjusted the bandage, but her eyes were smiling.

"You'll feel better soon," I said to Nudge soothingly.

"Thanks," Nudge murmured, the least I'vs ever heard her say.

"Does that count as zombie chic?" Angel pointed.

A silence fell over the flock as we took in the grim scene below us.

Our hill overlooked a subdivision, and while we couldn't see inside any of the houses from our perch, we definitely saw the circular cul-de-sac drives-or the vague shape of them. I only caught a glimpse of cracked asphalt here and there, because the cul-de-sacs were littered with... skeletons.

Humans, animals, young, old. The ash was doing its best to bury them-it had already piled in drifts several feet deep in some places-but you could still see thousands of corpses in the mass grave.

"Horrifying," I uttered.

"Jeezum," Max whispered.

It was a modern Pompeii: Some of the skeletons were curled in fetal balls, with arm bones circling skulls. Others lay side by side holding hands, or clasping their own hands together. Many looked like they'd been crawling away, their jawbones hinged open in a permanent, silent scream.

It was more than horrifying, as I felt bile rise up the back of my throat.

"What happened to them?" Max asked helplessly, "The volcanoes couldn't have erupted until pretty recently, or this whole place would be one big ash pit. But something killed these people long enough ago so that only bones are left."

"Mass murder, mass extinction?" I said hopelessly. "Who knows?"

Gazzy started hacking again, and Nudge lifted a worried eyebrow.

"Ash inhalation from some other volcano?" Nudge suggested.

When we'd flown over the open ocean, we'd seen any number of "new" islands being formed. It was like the earth itself was splitting in two, and volcanoes were erupting everywhere.

Gasman shook his head. "What about aftershocks from wherever that sky fire thing crashed? We got a lot of quakes on our island, and that's hours from here."

"Or starvation?" Iggy countered. "Maybe they didn't have any rats...."

"Everywhere has rats," Angel scoffed. "Besides, they've got loads of snakes, rabbits, dogs, cats, deer, even kangaroos. Tons of protein for the taking."

"Maybe the climate change drove all the animals nuts and they went on a murderous rampage," Gazzy said.

"Or someone-or something-more powerful did...." Nudge said, trailing off.

"Could've been mass suicide," Max said seriously.

"True," I agreed. "Maybe they all killed themselves off because they didn't want to deal with what was to come."

"Maybe," Max agreed.

"Stop it. Just stop it, will you?" Total snarled suddenly, and we looked at him in surprise. "These aren't statistics. They were families. Look at them holding each other, protecting each other. They died with dignity. Just like... Akila."

I looked at the bundled cloth that held Akila. Blood had seeped into the fabric and her eyes were closed. Oh no, Akila.

"Total, no-" Max said, then broke off.

Gently Total nudged her nose with his, and Max hurried over to kneel by the still, beautiful dog. Max put her hand on her ribs, feeling for breath.

"Total, no," Max whispered again, and I knew Akila was gone.

The rest of the flock crowded around. Nudge and Angel had tears rolling down their cheeks, leaving odd, pale lines where they washed away dirt.

"A couple of the Cryenas got her good," Total said, his words muffled. "And the ash-she breathed too much of it. She sacrificed herself. Miserable excuses for canines..." He coughed a bark. "Pure courage. Pure grace. That was my Akila."

Weeping, Angel wrapped her arms around Total's scruffy neck, and then he couldn't keep his composure any longer. He howled, and the sound was utterly heartbreaking. It brought back to mind my loss, and the unknowing of whether or not they were okay.

Total howled for Akila, but also for Dylan, for the thousands of people below, for the whole world. And by the time he was finished, every one of us was all cried out.

But personally, I'd cried for the Cullens. For Carlisle and Esme's warm, caring nature. For Rosalie's tenacity and Emmet's goofiness. For Alice's love of shopping and Jasper's love of history. But most importantly, I cried for Edward, for the way his arms would curl around me; the way his kisses had felt on top of my head; and the way his eyes lit up when his fingers flew over they keys of the piano.

God, oh god. Even if Edward doesn't love me, I hoped they were okay.