Shattered (Sequel to Shadowfax)

Finally

              Sphinx didn't have any time to register what happened. One moment, she and Jax were planted in the deepest parts of the Wakandan jungle, and the next, they were tumbling through the air five hundred feet from the ground. Sphinx's animal instincts took over, and she felt her wings snapping out to slow her decent. Her eyes, wide and panicked, searched out Jax.

The older Tarrow was handling the situation with little more composure than her. Instead of screaming like a lunatic, he was cursing like one. The profane stream of terror coming out of his mouth was almost impressive. Understandable, considering he couldn't fly remotely, and was pretty much dirt-pizza if Sphinx didn't intercept him.

Sphinx wasn't even considering the possibility, already angling herself into a nosedive. Her eyes narrowed in determination as she gained on Jax's free-falling form. As she neared him though, she realized that the issue wasn't whether she was going to catch him; the issue was whether she would catch him without killing him. At her current speed, combined with her mass while in griffin form, trying to catch Jax would be like chucking a semi at him.

Realizing this, Sphinx concluded that it would be better if she flew under him and allowed Jax to fall onto her back. That made her even more pressed for time. She tightened her wings more compactly against her sides, desperate to increase her speed. It worked, and she pulled up underneath Jax just in time. He hit her back with a soft "oof!" into her feathers.

Sphinx snapped her wings out again, dipping down and skimming the treetops as she searched for their attacker. Jax, breathing hard, followed suit. He squinted at a black smudge silhouetted against the bark of a high tree branch. Tapping Sphinx on the shoulder, he pointed the figure out to her. Sphinx banked right and glided down towards it.

As the duo neared their assailant, Jax took a running jump ten feet from the branch and got out of Sphinx's way as she mutated back to her human state. Her abrupt change startled the other person, eliciting a small gasp of awe. "How extraordinary."

Jax bristled as he recognized the voice, wheeling on the speaker. He found himself face-to-face with a young man of a strong build and a handsome face. He had sandy blonde hair, complemented by an almost dangerously bright smile currently aimed at Sphinx. His arms were crossed over his chest in a playful expression, and he raised a hand in mock greeting as Jax looked on.

"Apologies, miss." The man was saying, completely overlooking the Scotty. "I don't typically make a habit of harming beautiful women, but your companion and I have a long history of disputes. If you would step away, I'm sure we could settle this without involving you in any way."

"Excuse me?" Sphinx scoffed. "You just dropped my feathered ass out of the sky. I think we're well past involved."

The blonde shrugged. "I meant for no harm to come to you. For a woman to come to any sort of injury by my hand is an abhorrence. Especially if something were to happen to one so lovely as yourself."

Sphinx spluttered, a bit dazed. Her attackers didn't usually compliment her after attempting to kill her. Jax interjected swiftly, placing a calming hand on her arm. "Leave her alone, Silas. She isn't interested."

"Then why is she blushing?"

Jax gritted his teeth. "Can it!"

Silas put his hands up in surrender. "Apologies, mate. You're correct. After all, we have a score to settle from last time."

Jax inclined his head in agreement. "Speaking of, this quite a way from your usual stomping grounds, in't it? You don't normally run with a pack, either."