Soaring (Soaring Saga #1)

☆Chapter Sixteen~The Trail Mix Wars☆

     We made our way down the river by air, passing over nothing but forest for a while. We had to stop multiple times for snacks and bathroom breaks, and once I swear I heard Neil and Ari whispering behind my back, which made me suspicious. 

      We actually managed to avoid any strange creatures coming after us... except for the griffin. I should probably explain that.

      We had sat down in a tree for snacks, and I pulled out the trail mix again. Seriously, that stuff's addicting!

"Uh, is it okay that we're over half way out of food and we still have to come back?" Neil asked, eyeing the backpack. I peeked in. He was right, we were running out, fast.

"Can't we just buy some at Essex?" Ari offered, "We packed some money, so we can just find the grocery store before we take off over the ocean. Am I right?"

"And how much money did you pack?" Neil asked him. Ari looked at Neil weirdly.

"I thought you packed it! Did you girls grab some by any chance?"

"No, the only money I had was spent on dinner before we found you, and Cirocco didn't bring any, because we were just at school before," Audra explained. I made a face saying yeah, sorry. 

"Then where the herkett are we supposed to find more food?!"

"What's a herkett?" I asked. It sounded like a word he probably shouldn't be saying.

"A strange Auruman cat-thing with big ears and a stinger on its tail that you do not want to see."

"Um, 'kay then..."

"But seriously, what do we eat once it's gone?" Audra intercepted. I shrugged, thinking. However, my bladder had other ideas.

"Uh, I gotta go... I'll be back!" I called, swinging down from the tree and going off into the distance.

      Not going into details, but I did my stuff, and began to walk back. I think it was this way... nope, other way... was it? I decide to go that way anyway, then realized I just came that way and turned right.

     Dang, if I wasn't so self-conscious I wouldn't have to go this far! Argh, where are they! 

     And then I remembered: I have freaking super-senses! I focused, trying to take all my senses and pull them into my ears, trying to focus on every little snap or rustle or-- Audra and Neil and Ari yelping? That's what I needed! But why were they yelping?

     I followed the sound of Ari yelling, then Audra shrieking, then wing flaps that slowly but surely got closer. Then something bigger, obviously one of the others, following it.

"HEY GUYS!" I shouted, "WHAT IS IT?!" They didn't need to answer.

     Out of the trees came, tumbling right into me, a big, white bird with greyish-gold flecks on its wings and back, and with the back legs and tail of a lion, the same colours. A griffin!

     I yelped as it tumbled out of the treetops and landed right on my face, shoving me down to the ground with the force. I noticed its eyes were large, curious, energetic, and dark golden brown. It was actually kinda... cute. It had a Ziploc bag tail mix in its silver beak, my bag of trail mix in fact, and I saw it more of a sneaky look all of a sudden.

"Gimme that!" I told it, stealing the trail mix back and trying to shove it off me. It replied with the signature griffin chick screech one had shown us a few nights ago when we first got to Argentum, and it clawed at my hand with its front talons until I dropped the bag.

"Nuh uh," I replied, snatching it back and getting up. It screeched again, louder this time, and it leaped up to try and get the bag. I quickly turned and it missed, falling. It screeched again, with a different tone it seemed.