The LAB

Chapter 16

            The night sky slowly changed to different hues, none of which Larry could see. The older Mustang could feel the change in the air though, and tapped the back of the large flying jet-beast. Even for a creature built for flying, made from a vehicle built to fly, this flight was getting tiresome. Dan was having trouble keeping his wings extended, and his eyes were starting to blur. The large beast felt the tap and glanced back, seeing he wasn't the only one tired from this journey. Jaslo was barely keeping up, falling some length behind with exhausted and uneven wingbeats. There was no way they could make it to the city he knew like this, they had to stop.

"Blazer, climb on, we're heading for a rest stop," Dan ordered, slowing down with skillful wing positioning. Jaslo did as ordered, quickly flapping her wings and half crashing onto the jet's back. She placed her wings flat against her body, placing her tail to the back of the jet and holding on with everything she had.

"Dan, I don't want to sound like I don't trust your knowledge of the world outside those walls," Larry started, the wind cutting off his voice a lot. "But where exactly are you taking us?" Dan gave no verbal answer, his turbines falling silent as he tensed his wings to glide on the currents. For those that could see, it was a sight to behold. A large valley, nestled within dense forest and steep rocky cliffs all around, a perfect border from both sides. A cave spouted a narrow waterfall which carved into the valley and bottomed out into a great lake almost dead center. It felt like a dream through the fog, and the hint that the water flowed through a cavern from another source outside grabbed the attention of beasts upon the jet's back. He craned his tail, beating his wings with legs outstretched, digging his heels in deep into the ground near the lake and slamming his tail to the floor. Dan soon came to a grinding halt, launching the blind Mustang off his back and the winged Blazer as well.

"I've seen this place a few times on my delivery runs in the past. Never saw anyone in here, so I feel it's safe to rest here for the time being." Dan's voice was slightly startling after such a time of silence, but still welcoming. He lowered his chest to the ground, allowing the remaining passengers to leap off without injury, or too much discomfort. The Hummer went to assist the elder of the group as Jaslo shook herself free of dirt with a grunt. Cunner was the first to zip off through the trees, Dan getting a bit worried and thundering after the young Mustang.

"At least I can feel the ground now..." was Larry's blunt statement, and with a light chuckle from the two SUVs, they drove on after the others. It wasn't long before Cougar had tracked down his younger brother and the giant jet, climbing up onto a rocky outcrop along the mountainside. Dan was laying comfortably on the mostly flat surface, head laying across his large front legs and wings placed against his sides while his tail curled around himself. Cunner gave a screech of sorts from inside a cave next to the jet's head, calling the others to follow.

"Damn, this place is rather big," Jaslo started, driving into the cave to find Cunner leaning against the wall about ready to fall asleep. Larry chuckled, being able to feel much better on such surfaces and took the time to find himself a spot to rest.

"It's not too bad, guess we should get some rest anyways..." Cougar said, looking over to the Blazer that was busy making a small nest from loose dirt and rocks. He couldn't help but smile, it was still so new to them all and he couldn't believe they made it this far. Naturally, the Hummer drove back out to the cave entrance, standing just a bit past the already asleep jet.

"How much more do we have to travel until we're really free of that place?" Cougar asked himself, squinting as the sun broke the peaks of the mountains around him. His eyes shut, taking in the warmth, the scents, and even the sounds. Was this freedom? He hoped it was, with every bit of his being.