Raven's Will

17. Catch the Rabbit

Jett buried himself in a flurry of training exercises. As he'd been slacking for the past while, he rediscovered why he hated training to start with. It hurt. It was exhausting. It was the most evil thing on the face of the planet. Actually - the second most evil thing, because that first place pedestal was saved for a certain Kairg leader.

Even so, it let the time blur from one miserable hour of exhaustion to the next. The need to grow stronger pressed him forward, and the need to bury his troubled thoughts motivated him. When someone was bone-tired, it got kind of hard to worry about the world's impending doom.

Before he knew it, two days passed. And once more, visitors came.

He was up in a big old tree doing a set of handstand pushups while balancing on a thick branch, when a familiar beaten truck rattled its way towards the farmhouse.

Considering how the last visit went, he wasn't in any particular hurry to rush down and meet them. Even though his dying arm muscles begged him to stop immediately and do just that, he stubbornly decided to finish his exercise.

Besides, he told himself sternly, it was important to maintain his upper body strength – he was a flyer, after all.

The vehicle grumbled past below and came to a stop near the remains of the last fire he'd built. As the driver's door opened with a creaky groan, Jett slowly lowered himself so that his nose nearly touched the rough bark beneath him. His legs and feet were held straight above his body, wavering dangerously as he struggled to keep his balance.

He held the position for a long breath, watching as a familiar man stepped out of the truck. Jerrick. Following him came another somewhat familiar face. Mystery Man, Jett had dubbed him, since he'd never given a name or introduced himself when he first came to visit a few days ago.

Exhaling, Jett pushed himself back up, arms trembling from the effort. Admittedly, he was a little curious as to why Jerrick would come here, especially so soon after dumping him here. The last passenger disembarked, slamming the door shut enthusiastically. The sound was like a deafening cannon blast compared to how gently the first two people closed their doors.

"Is he here?" A familiar voice made Jett's brow furrow. Why was she here? It didn't surprise him, exactly, but it was somewhat baffling. Jerrick, he could understand. Mystery Man, sure.

But Callie? She had no reason to be here. Frowning, he lowered himself once more. He had to tilt his head back so he could see, and it was making his neck hurt.

"Hmm." The visitors gathered together beside the truck, looking around the place. Jett kept silent, even as he grimaced. The tremble in his arms grew more pronounced; it seemed like he was nearing his limit.

"I'll look inside," Callie decided, and started bounding towards the farmhouse door. She didn't even bother to knock or even call out. Instead, the door was unceremoniously shoved open. "Hellooo? Jett?"

"Just a second, Callie," Mystery Man called out. He wore a odd little smile, his gaze focusing on Jett's upside-down form in the trees. "He's over there."

Pushing himself upwards, Jett grunted softly. One more... should do it. By this point, he was fully extended, straight as an arrow from toes to hands. He could feel his muscles burning, to the point where it was painful. His side was angrily shaking its metaphorical fist at him, even though the bruises were faded and healing insanely fast, thanks to whatever it was Ra'Skevvor gave him.

That jerk.

All eyes looked towards him. It wasn't that hard to spot him, considering his suit was a blazing white mass in the middle of green foliage. For a second, he pictured a series of green leaves painted onto his white suit, wondering if that would help him hide in the trees. It could almost work, but what about when he flew? Did leaves fly through the air like birds?