Winged

Chapter 9: Falling

The more days that passed, the more I got to know Torray and come to accept him as a demon. The more I trusted him. The funny thing was, I always expected demons to be ugly red beasts with horns and when I told Torray this he laughed. Torray was actually really kind once I got to know him, and he was funny. He had feelings unlike anything I would ever expect from a demon. I did not feel fear when I was with him but only a sense of safety. I had seen what he was capable of, and I felt that if anything attacked us, he would be able to fend for us easily. I also kept having the same nightmares, except I never did dream of myself dying again.

The house we were staying in was very cosy, and it even had a warm fireplace. I could have stayed there forever. But the longer we stayed in one place, the more danger we brought upon ourselves. The more chance we had of a raptor invasion or a human gang loitering through, scavenging for food. It would not be long before we were going to have to keep moving. Luckily, Torrays demon abilities seemed to enable him to be able to heal a lot faster then humans, so he was almost fully recovered by the second day.

That was the day we went hunting for rogue animals together. I had a lot of experience with hunting animals from the last seven months but I had never been very good at it. Torray on the other hand, was fantastic. He could find a rabbit or chicken any time, anywhere. When he threw his knife to capture the prey, he never missed. I was not sure if his amazing hunting skills were natural, like his strength, or if he taught himself. I did not bother to ask.

Torray made me a bow and a set of arrows from wood. It was smooth with gorgeous patterns engraved into it. I liked the feel of my hand against it and I often rubbed my fingers up and down it soothingly. I had never used a bow and arrow before, but with Torrays help it was not long until I was hitting almost every target I shot at. Even the moving ones. He was a good mentor.
"Easy does it," Torray said as I tried to place the arrow into the bow for the first time.
It kept on falling off its perch, much to my frustration. When it fell off for the fifth time, Torray laughed and reached down to help me. He steadied my hands on the bow and showed me how to hold it properly. Then he showed me how to stand, side on with my feet shoulder-length apart. I quickly perfected the stance and looked up at Torray proudly.
"See? Simple. Now try shooting something."
This was even harder then I had originally thought. My first few attempts went completely haywire, landing in roots of trees and one even nearly poked out Torrays eye, not going anywhere near the target.
"Hey! Watch where you're shooting that thing!" He cried.
I smiled at him cheekily.
"Well I'm sorry I'm not suddenly a professional shooter, Mr Perfectionist!"
"It really isn't that hard, don't worry. Just keep trying and you will get it shortly."

I sighed and lined up the arrow again, positioning it to face the painted target. The arrow shot through the air and landed smack in the centre.
"Bullseye!" I yelled.
I did a little happy dance, much to Torrays amusement.
"Beginners luck," he snorted.
I banged my hip into his playfully and ran a hand along one of his magnificent wings.
"Hey! I'm a natural!"
It turned out that I really was a natural, as I got bullseye after bullseye, leaving Torray wide eyed in amazement.
"That is not normal," he said jokingly, "I guess maybe you're better with a bow then I thought you were. You're almost as good as the Earth Angel."
"The Earth what-a-what?"
Torray quickly looked away and suddenly seemed really preoccupied in examining his hand.
"Oh, nothing. Come on let's go get something to eat."

Torrays strange need to change the subject slightly bothered me, and made me more then a little curious. It eventually left my mind as more precious days ticked away and Torray had finally decided his wing was completely healed and we should probably move on. It had been about a week now and even though we did not really want to leave we sat down to decide what we should do.
"So... Now what?" I asked, "We have to leave this place sometime soon because it won't be long before someone else comes along."
Torray looked away from me sheepishly, biting the corner of his lip.
"Well, I was sort of going to leave tonight..."
I leant forwards in the cushioned chair.
"Wait what? Were you going to leave without even telling me?"
"No. Maybe. Yes... I just, it's best if you don't come with me where I'm going."
"Where are you going?"
"Back to the Bellor."
His answer caught me by surprise.
"But you hate it there. You've made that pretty clear."
Torray nodded with an unreadable expression on his face.
"I have unfinished business with Norus, that's why I'm going back, not because I actually want to be there!" He spat.
I sat back, crossing my legs over thoughtfully. The Bellor sounded so intriguing and I was so curious to see what the deal was with that place. I almost felt drawn towards it, as though it wanted me to come check it out. There was so much I could learn about the demons lifestyle in The Bellor. My sense of curiosity overran any sensible thoughts.
"Take me with you."