Chapter Seven

Everyone chattered around the fire; dinning on fish, mushrooms, bread, and of course some of those fruits. Except for Archer, who was sitting grumpily on a rock while stabbing at his fish with the tip of his dagger. If only I had turned around to catch a glimpse of his dumbfounded face. I guess I had still been a little stunned myself.

"His face was worth a thousand words," Aden whispered playfully in my ear.

I grinned back at him and we both chuckled to ourselves. Archer seemed to hear our laughter because he glared at us both.

"I wish I could have seen it," I giggled softly to him.

"How did you do that by the way?" he questioned, plopping a mushroom into his mouth and chewing it carefully as he watched me.

I just shrugged in response. I don't really know how I did it, I hadn't expected to even come close, but instead I hit one. Not even one, but three! My mind and body seemed to have just taken control and left my subconscious out of it, knowing it would just get in the way. It was a feeling like no other that I'd ever experienced in my life.

"I don't know, I guess you're just a good teacher," I nudged him in the arm. "Where did you learn how to use this? Are you any good?" I picked up the bow—which was now mine for good because I don't think Archer's pride could handle a rematch—and I held it out to him.

He lightly ran his fingertips along the course string and his eyes clouded with an emotion that I had no name for. His eyes appeared full of memories as they swim through his thoughts.

"This had belonged to my father…before he died."

I just lightly touched his hand as it stroked the golden bow. "He taught you?"

He nodded. "Yes, I used to beg him each day to take me out to practice." He smiled slightly like he was remembering a good time he'd had with his dad. "…and he did, until he couldn't anymore."

"If this was your father's, why did Anabelle have it and not you?" I said inquisitively.

"Because this is a sacred artifact, it had belonged to the first 'Anela and it had been given to my father, who had been a skilled archer, as a gift. When he died, it was to be returned for safe keeping until it was meant to be given to…you," he said. He placed it back in my lap, still holding his fingers at its end.

"Do you want it? I mean, it was your dad's and I don't really need it," I muttered, slowly looking up into his eyes, which were bright and flickering like the fire.

"No," he refused in a pained voice, "I cannot take this from you, it is rightfully yours."

"But I can't even use it—" I started before he broke me off with a deep chuckle.

"Obviously you can use it, and well too. Hold on to it so you can humiliate Archer some more." He grinned at me in a mischievous way, and I couldn't help but grin back.

By the time we finished our food and the fire started to die down, it was entirely dark around us. It was kind of eerie, staring out into the foreverness that was the jungle. It seemed to have no borders, and no end. When the fire was almost gone and everyone was dozing off, I grabbed my new prized bow and slid as close to Aden as I could so I wouldn't be alone in the dark.

* * *

The feeling of soft feathers against my back woke me up. They must have not wanted to wake me and loaded me onto Ashlynn's back. Instead of seeing the black and white feathers I had anticipated, I caught a glimpse of a golden dandelion color. I was on the back of that large, shovel beaked bird that had been unusually quiet the whole trip so far. I had noticed subconsciously yesterday that he had drifted to sleep alone while the other three nested together. I sat up and saw everyone bustling around busily, everyone yelling to each other and loading things up.

"What's going on?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"It is Angie, she is not well…" the bird said in his low, somber voice.

"What do you mean, is she sick?"

"We do not know for sure. Aden is taking care of her so you shall ride on me for a while, if that is alright." He sounded like it was a bad thing for me to be stuck with him, and it made me feel bad for him.

"Yeah, that sounds great!" I smiled brightly, trying to keep my voice from sounding overly genuine.

I looked over and saw Angie lying unconscious on Ashlynn's back, shivering occasionally while Aden rummaged through a bag and held up vials of medicine, trying to decipher which one to use. Aden would know what to do and she would okay. I hope.

We lifted off and headed towards the desert. The air felt hot and sticky from the jungle and it made me wish they hadn't taken my old clothes and replaced them with this soft, yet warm, white blouse and cotton gray capris. It turns out my iPhone survived the drowning as well as I did, the waterproof case coming in handy. I found it neatly tucked away in the small fanny pack like thing Aden had packed for me for the trip. I also found the slightly water damaged picture I had taken with me and three quarters and a dime. There was even a very soggy looking piece of spearmint gum. They must have emptied out my shorts pockets before disposing of them.

I tried to make the silence less awkward by talking to the giant bird, but he didn't seem too chatty. Every time I'd comment on our surroundings or mention something from home, he'd just give me a quick one-word answer and keep flying. All I found out about him was his name was Alfozo and he liked to keep to himself. When it finally sank in that he wasn't up for conversation, I sat back quietly and stared down at the jungle below. Suddenly, I was no longer looking at luscious green treetops and hearing the sounds of flowing rivers and buzzing insects. I started to see where the trees cleared out until there was only sand and rock.

"We are here!" Aden called out, signaling for us to land. "Watch your wing beats!" he warned the birds, and I wondered what he meant.

I soon figured it out. As they lowered themselves to the ground, the wind currents their huge wings were creating whipped up a small sandstorm. The sharp, rough grains scratched my eyes and irritated my throat, making me choke on the dry air. I heard the others coughing too as the sand slowly cleared away. Everyone rubbed their eyes and shook the sand from their hair, clothes, and feathers.

"We'll have to be more cautious when we land from now on," Aden reminded the four birds.

He lifted Angie into his arms and laid her carefully on the soft sand. Everyone unloaded the supplies from the birds' backs, and we set up another small campsite so we could rest for a while. At this rate I'll never get back home.

As everyone bustled around, carrying packs of food and pouches of water, I noticed someone missing. Where was Adalynn? Was she too high and mighty to help us set up? If that was the case, she was sadly mistaken if she thought we were going to pull her weight. I whirled around to find her and tell her to start helping, when I saw she was curled up in a ball in a shallow pit of sand, lying on her side. I ran over to her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, lightly shaking her shoulder. Her pearly skin felt feverish and her eyes were shut.

"I…do not feel well…" her voice came out as a choked whisper like someone was crushing her throat.

"What doesn't feel good?"

"I cannot…move," her arms jerked slightly before going limp again, "And it is hard to breathe..." Her chest seemed to be struggling to rise and fall steadily.

I felt her forehead, which was even hotter than her shoulder had been. She was still lightly coated in sand; she must have been too weak to brush herself off. I suddenly felt guilty for thinking she thought she was too good to help out.

"Aden! Help!" I yelled back where everyone continued working, not noticing us. I couldn't hear his footsteps in the smooth sand, but suddenly he was crouched down beside me.

"What happened?" his voice sounded full of concern.

"Adalynn's sick too, she can't even get up."

He felt her forehead with the back of his hand and then checked the pulse in her wrist. "Tell me cousin, do you have difficulty breathing?" he asked her.

She nodded feebly, her gritty, sand colored eyes looking glassy.

Aden shook his head and sighed, scooping Adalynn into his arms and carrying her limp body over to the campsite. As he walked with her cradled against his chest, he mumbled tiredly to himself.

"I do not know what kind of illness this is. She has the same symptoms that Angie does, but I do not know how to treat them properly." He sounded frustrated like he'd just been asked to cure the plague.

"Will they be okay?" I asked.

The look on his face made my stomach sink inside of me. He could not answer, whether he didn't know or if he just didn't want to scare Adalynn, I wasn't sure. His eyes seemed beyond range as he glanced down at his cousin in a warm and brotherly way that I hadn't seen him look at her in before.

"What if we all catch whatever this is?" my voice hesitated in my throat.

"That is what I am afraid of."

He lie her carefully down beside Angie, who was trembling like a leaf under the thin white blanket that was draped over her. Adalynn was starting to shiver slightly too, which seemed almost impossible to do in this intense heat. The air was no longer hot and moist from the jungle; it was now hot and dry like the sand. Aden unscrewed the lid of a small blue bottle and trickled some medicine between Adalynn's lips, which were barely passing air. Aden turned to me with worry lines creasing his forehead and tension in his beige colored eyes that matched the grit of the sand.

"I will need to figure out how to treat this before it takes us all."

The rest of the day, Aden did not leave his cousin's side. He held her hand, he told her stories from their childhood, and then he occasionally would slip her some more medicine from that blue bottle. The bright, flame colored bird, whose name was Aliza, also stayed close by her head. This was probably her pet bird, or whatever they refer to them as down here. They seem more like friends or partners, staying by each other's sides no matter what. Like what Aden and Ashlynn are to each other.

I had a pet once, a German Shepherd named Polo, who got lost on a vacation to Hawaii when I had been six years old. We went out swimming together and the tide came and sucked us both out to sea. I had somehow gotten back to shore, but Polo was gone when I came to. I remember very little of that day.

I kind of sat back on my own, not sure what to do. I usually talked to Aden, but he was busy with Adalynn and Angie and I didn't want to get in his way. Archer's neon orange bird, Alivia, and Ashlynn sat huddled together in a sand nest, sound asleep. Amrit has been cordial to me, but he still didn't seem too friendly as he sat to the side sharpening his sword with a smooth black stone. You couldn't pay me to go and talk to Archer, so I slowly trotted over to Alfozo, who was sitting all alone in a small sand pit.

I sat about five feet across from him and his big black eye looked over at me for a split second before going back to staring out into the vast desert. I didn't say anything, hoping maybe he'd come around and start up the conversation. He didn't of course; he just continued to stare coolly ahead of him while I drummed my fingers in the sand.

"So…" I said, stretching the word out into more than one syllable. "How come you're over here by yourself?"

He didn't answer right away, his eyes just hardened even more. "I am not wanted amongst the others." He said this sharply, his dark eye flashing over to the two sleeping in the nest.

"What do you mean, they don't like you? You seem nice to me," I said.

He lifted his head and tuned his long feathered neck so he could face me. I saw my curious reflection in his eyes, which were black like coal.

"It is not a matter of them thinking I am nice," he hissed, "It is the reputation that I hold, that my family holds, that sets me apart from others."

I cocked my head to the side. "What did they do?"

"My father is the ruler of the Ahi Manu colony in the Ash Lands, where we were all born." He glanced over at the other three. "He rules over our kinds with cruelty and brute strength."

"So…is he like a dictator or something? Like Hitler was?" I questioned, picking up a handful of sand and letting it drain through my fingers.

He looked at me blankly. "What is a dictator?"

I bit the inside of my cheek to think for a minute. "A dictator is…like a ruler who has total power and control of the people. They usually get to power by force and they're usually bad."

"Was this Hitler you speak of like that?" he asked.

I nodded, "Yeah he's like the evilest dictator that ever lived, he killed like, thousands of innocent people during his reign."

He made a deep rumbling sound in the back of his throat, "That sounds about like my father then. Long ago he had tried to lead an army to wipe out the Iki colony near the Ash Lands. He wanted to do this simply because they were weak. To my father, if you are weak than you have no right to life. He even has the young of our own kind killed if they do not meet his standards of a good warrior."

Man, his dad does sound like Hitler. He killed the innocent, those he found inferior to him.

"That sounds even harder to get along with than my dad," I grinned slightly, missing my father.

"When I was a hatchling, he saw great strength in me and he did not want me to have competition, so he killed my brothers and sisters." His eyes seemed in the distance like he was remembering that obscene moment, "He later killed my mother, who always tried to protect me from him. My father had desired me to be a bloodthirsty killer like him, and I didn't want that life, so I left for Malu to become a civilian bird for the humans," he said.

"What's a civilian bird do?" I asked him.

"It is what we all are. When a human turns thirteen, an Ahi Manu is to be assigned to them to be almost like their other half. We fight for each other to the death, and we do all we can to protect one another. For us, it is either join a human or fight in my father's brutal army and join the five hundred year war."

"It's good you got away," I sighed. "Are you and Amrit…like that?" I wasn't sure how to word the bond between the two.

He shook his head, "No, I do not have a kahi. Amrit's kahi, Andon, stayed behind on this journey due to injury…"

"What's a…kah-hee?" I asked, surely pronouncing it strangely.

"A kahi is what we would call the human we are bonded with, and it is what we are to them. Kahi means 'one', which is what we are when joined together. One being," he said.

"How come you don't have one?"

His eyes hardened and he buried his beak into the sand, making it seem more like a shovel. "No one wanted me as theirs. Every year we are lined up on decision day before the young humans and they are the ones who choose which one they get. Every year I have always been one of the unwanted ones. Who would want the son of a killer?" His voice sounded sad, but hardened beyond caring in a way.

My heart ached for him because I know how he feels. At school, I was that reject who got picked last for dodge ball, not because they wanted me but because they had to be fair and allow everyone to play. I know what it feels like to be the third wheel that no one wants around.

Slowly, I reached out my hand, my fingers extended and spread apart until they met the soft golden feathers on his face. He was so soft, like a freshly groomed puppy or a pile of velvet. I watched his large, dark eyes judge my facial expression. He didn't speak, but he didn't pull away from me either.

"We need a pair to go out scouting for our guide. We are losing time sitting here waiting," Aden said, looking up from his patients.

"I'll go with Alfozo," I said with my palm still pressed to his feathers.

My outburst surprised not only everyone but myself too. I don't know what came over me to offer this. I've never really flown on one of the birds alone before. Aden nodded and told us to circle over the small canyon that stretched around us. I mounted up on Alfozo's back and he took off into the air, this time being careful not to cause another whirl wind of sand with his wings.

"Do not be out too long in this heat!" Aden cautioned us as we flew off.

"Sorry," I mumbled to Alfozo after a short silence stretched on. I hoped he wasn't inconvenienced by this little scouting trip.

"I do not mind," he replied.

I looked down to search for some sort of figure of the person who was our guide, but I saw no one. I just saw Alfozo's large shadow soaring over the desert below. Being lost in a desert must be the worst. It's hot and miserable, and there's no way to find where you've already been, your footprints seem to just fade away as soon as you make them.

"There is no sign of anyone out here, we should go back," he sighed, turning sharply around and heading back to the campsite.

I hadn't been paying attention as I was leaning over his side of his wing, so my arms and legs weren't holding on very tightly. As he spun, the sudden sideways jerk sent me tumbling over his side and plummeting down to the sandy ground.

I let out a high-pitched scream as the ground grew closer. My stomach dropped like it did when you went down a hill on a roller coaster and I squeezed my eyes shut tight. A loud oomph sound hit my eardrums and I realized that it had been me when I hit. I didn't hit the ground though; I landed smack onto Alfozo's back like I did when he caught me that other time in the courtroom.

"Thanks," I grinned, spitting out some feathers that stuck to my tongue.

My blood was coursing wildly through my veins, rapidly bubbling inside of me. What a rush that had been, just free falling.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm great! That was actually pretty fun!" I felt myself grinning and I couldn't make it go away. Alfozo surprised me by breaking his gloomy streak to utter a low laugh.

"You are a very interesting human," he said lightly.

"Why, because I like free falling?" I chuckled, and he did too.

"You mean like this?"

The next thing I knew, I was plummeting to the ground again and a small shriek escaped my lips. I saw Alfozo tuck in his wings and plummet beside me, soaring beneath my body and then opening his wings like a parachute. I hit his back again, a little less hard than last time but still bruising my sternum.

We both laughed lightly as we flew back up into the sky, which was a hazy pinkish gray color with that same strange mist high above. It went on like this for a good few minutes; he would tip me off and let me fall, and just as the ground came close, he would plummet down and scoop me onto his back before we hit. Each time I got a little better. I didn't slam onto his back anymore, instead I was able to maneuver my body to land in an upright riding position gently on top of the gold feathers.

"We should go back now," he sighed, looking around to see if anyone was looking for us yet.

"Please, one more? I want to try something," I begged until he huffed and rolled me off his wing.

I held my arms out to my sides and then clasped them over my head before spinning in the air. I then shifted myself so I was in a diving position and I saw Alfozo swoop down under me. I locked my elbows and held my arms strong, and I landed in a handstand on his back. My fingers almost slipped on his smooth feathers, but I managed to latch on and stay balanced.

Alfozo laughed at me as I tucked my legs down and flopped onto my back. He turned us around and headed back to the campsite. When we landed, Aden was tapping his foot impatiently with a frustrated look on his face.

"What took you so long? We were starting to worry," he said.

I jumped off Alfozo and skipped over to his side, still feeling that grin on my face. "We're fine. We were just having some fun, sorry to make you worry."

He narrowed his eyes at me in a leery way before the hardness in his features softened and he shook his head, a smile playing on his face.

"Did you find them?" asked Aden looking between the two of us. We both shook our heads and the frustration returned to his features. "Anabelle said he would be waiting for us, I don't understand."

"Do you think we might have missed him, and that he could have been here yesterday, or even a week ago?" I asked.

"He might not even be here in the dry lands. My guess of where to go could have been way off and he could be waiting for us in the western jungles for all we know!" He fell back flat on his back and covered his face in his hands, letting out a deep groan of frustration.

I sat down beside him and crossed my legs, brushing the sand out of his hair. "He'll be here soon, don't worry. We can't give up hope or we'll never make it out of here."

His muscles didn't seem to loosen though, they almost looked tenser. His sand colored eyes looked drawn and tired, dark shadows clinging to the light skin beneath them. He must be exhausted, taking care of Angie and Adalynn around the clock as well as worrying if this guide will ever come. I suddenly felt guilty for having so much fun sky diving while he sat here worrying and trying to heal them.

"Don't worry, Aden," I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Did you hear that?" asked Archer, suddenly on his feet with his sword tightly in his fist. His taupe colored eyes danced around wildly as he listened.

"What?" Aden asked, sitting up and peering around.

We all suddenly heard it, a faint scratching sound. It reminded me of a fork scratching at a glass plate's surface, making my ears cringe. The birds were all suddenly alert; the high noise seeming to bother them more than it did me. All four had their necks tucked in and their wings slid over their heads to block out the sound.

"What is that?" I griped, cupping my hands over my ears as well.

Aden seemed to be set on edge at the irritating pitch too. His eyes were suddenly wide and alarmed. "It sounds like…claws…"

And sharp claws at that, I thought.

Everyone grew still, not moving a muscle as the sound continued to grate our nerves and peel away the layers of our sanity. It was literally making me feel crazy and I wanted to scream as it hit me right in the backs of my teeth. The air was suddenly silent again, not a sound to be heard. We all looked around to see if it would start again, but it didn't.

"Thank God," I mumbled, dropping my hands from my ears just in time to see a gray flash shoot out from a deep crevice in the canyon wall. Before us stood a seven foot Po'ele, its fangs bared and its claws poised and ready to fight.

Everyond jumped up, Aden and Archer readying their swords while Amrit pointed his long, pointed spear at the beast. The three of them ran at it, swinging their blades around wildly. Each time they missed the creature by a landslide. It was very skilled, seeming to know when and where to maneuver right before the blades struck. From all the small scars that zigzagged through the creature's fur, it must be an experienced fighter. A good one too.

A daring look glowed in its eyes as it danced around, avoiding the jabs and slices of the swinging blades. While the Po'ele seemed unfazed and almost bored, the others were tiring fast, their movements becoming slower and more lethargic. Archer's breathing started to become more labored and Aden seemed to be running out of steam too. With a quick flash of its tail, it snapped Amrit's spear in two and knocked Archer and Aden's swords from their hands. They were toast, all three tired and now weaponless.

Aden pulled out his dagger from his belt, and the creature's mouth pulled up into an animal-like grin. The teeth were long and sharp though, sending a chill through me. A faint burn mark along its snout stood out to me as it smiled. It dodged each blow Aden tried to deliver, and for the first time I noticed something was wrong. Why isn't this creature fighting back? Not a single wound had been delivered by the Po'ele; they all seemed to be hurting themselves more than the giant possum was as they battled exhaustion. This creature doesn't seem to want to fight; it's simply testing the waters and their strength. I had thought it was thirsty for our blood, but I guess I had judged too quickly…

"Wait!" I cried out, running to Aden's side and trying to stop him. I wrapped my hands around his wrist to stop the chopping of his blade. His eyes grew panicked when he saw me, and he pushed me back.

"Shelby, stay back!" he shouted to me, turning back to try and stab at the creature again.

Its dark, intelligent eyes were now focused on me, its muzzle occasionally twitching along with its clear, wire-like whiskers as it met my gaze.

"No stop, it doesn't want to fight!" I insisted.

He looked at me confused like my words didn't make sense to him. A Po'ele that didn't want to fight him, to kill him, was it possible?

I stepped around him and looked up at the giant fury creature, who stared back with its flat black eyes. It watched me carefully, taking in my stance and expression with a sarcastic smirk playing on its pale gray face. The claws were down and the teeth no longer bared; a more civilized look to the creature now. I studied all its scars and that jagged burn mark on its face until I came to a conclusion.

"You're our guide," I said softly.