Chapter 9: Nine
Angel POV
I lay awake that night and listened to the night. The crickets chirped quietly, a small stream trickled far below the cave, and rain lightly fell against the rock walls. We were far back into the cave enough that no water could get to us, and the smoldering fire kept us warm. I rolled over onto my stomach and leaned my head on my hands with my elbows on the ground. The night sky was dark and no stars could shine through the thick rain clouds. I hoped that Dr. Martinez would be able to leave the hospital soon. The horrible smells and sights of that place were enough to make anyone queasy. I looked over at Fang as he lay on his side, one arm tucked under his head. His eyes were closed but his rigid frame told me that he wasn't asleep. His dark hair hung in front of his eyes and one wing lay draped over his side like a blanket.
'Couldn't sleep either?' I sent my thoughts out to him, and his dark eyes opened to look at me instantly. The fire's light danced in his pupils and I could just make out the different shade of the iris against them.
"You either, huh?" He said calmly and I shook my head. He groaned and opened his draped wing out to stretch, then folded it neatly back up. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, glancing out the entrance to the cave.
"The rain's nearly stopped." I observed, and he nodded. "Morning will be soon. Couldn't we just start now?"
"Might as well." Fang said and stood up, brushing dust and dirt off himself. He began stomping out the fire as I stood and moved towards the edge of the cave. I knew it was early morning, probably around 4 or 5. I was tired, but the anxiety and stress from the flock being in the school wouldn't let my mind shut down. Hopefully flying today would allow my system to reset tonight. I looked back at Fang as he walked towards me.
"Are we ready?" I asked but he didn't answer, instead jumping off the side of the cave. His black wings opened up and gently caught the rising updraft, gliding up high above me. I copied his moves and allowed the slightly warmer air to carry me higher into the sky. Fang moved his powerful wings to gain speed and soon we were coasting at over 90 miles an hour. If we were halfway through Arizona, then California was probably at least another days flight away. Death Valley would be in sight soon enough.
The rain had become a mere drizzle now, and the morning dew had begun to settle on everything, including us. Pretty soon were were wiping cold mist from our eyes and the water glided off our wings. My feathers were wet and cold, and so was I. The sun had finally come up, but it didn't yield much relief. The sky remained dark and cloudy, and the temperature only continued to drop. As we got closer to Flagstaff, the weather began to change. Instead of cold rain and mist, it now was becoming a frigid snow and sleet. My teeth were chattering and my fingers were growing numb as the water on my body began to freeze. Fang's black wings had ice beginning to form in his feathers and his damp clothes crystallizing. Scanning the ground revealed a small city just before Flagstaff; Sedona. The little town was surrounded by steep canyon cliffs and thick pine forests. To my amazement, the area had already been blanketed in snow. The reddish brown rock faces contrasted with the pure white snow beautifully, and all the pine trees were weighed down by the powder. Multiple houses below had smoke coming from their chimneys and I wished I were in front of a toasty fire.
"We're gonna land and take a break. Aim for the trees there." Fang pointed out a cluster of pines a half mile from the town. I nodded but he was already beginning to descend. It only took a minute to get close to the trees and begin back beating the air to slow down. Fang's 14 foot wings moved with ease and he landed in the thick snow. I landed next to him moments later. He knelt down and folded his wings in tight as he formed a handful of snow into a ball. I barely managed to duck as he chucked it at me.
"Fang! Get back here!" I yelled, making my own snowballs. I began pelting him with the snow, but he avoided most of them. I finally hit him square in the chest with one and he put up his hands in defeat, a smile on his face.
"We better get moving," Fang panted, his breath coming out in clouds in front of him. "Maybe we can get something to eat."
"Sounds like a good idea. Hot chocolate would be nice right about now, or a hot sandwich. How much money do we have?"
"About 10 bucks. I don't know how much that will get us." He said as he walked through the knee high snow. I walked next to him, shivering in the cold. The pine trees around us looked amazing though. The sunlight sparkled off the snow and little song birds chirped amongst the branches. I could see the occasional Prickly Pear cactus poking out from the snow, its thorns frosted over.
"Nudge would love this." I breathed, watching the clouds of steam dissipate in front of me. "She and Gazzy always loved to play in the snow."
"California won't be as cold." Fang mused. He was watching everything, his black eyes glancing over the trees, ahead, and behind us. "Though it will be a tough flight there without anything to fend off the cold."
"We can't afford those huge winter coats, Fang."
"No, but we can still find a way." He flashed me a rare grin.
"You want to steal them?"
"We won't be the first, nor the last."
"What if we get caught?"
"I'm sure two bird kids can take on any adult." He panted. The extra effort of moving through the snow and the bitter cold was sapping any energy we had left. My heart pounded in my chest and I felt like the air was thin. I'm sure Fang was just as tired as I was.
"Can we get food first though?" I almost pleaded, feeling my stomach twist painfully. I could smell all the amazing hot foods as we stopped on the edge of town. "I'm starving."
"Me too, but don't worry. We'll be fine." Fang said confidently, which made me feel a little better. We moved out into the town and I smiled wide as I saw all the Christmas preparations. Dazzling lights lined every store with reds, greens, and yellows. People walked by wearing fluffy coats with fur lined hoods. There was a horse pulling a small sleigh around with bells jingling on its reins, and even all the trees were wrapped with twinkling white lights. Fang moved us towards a small coffee shop and my heart sped up with excitement.
When we stepped inside, a wall of warm air hit me and I breathed a sigh of relief. The small snow flurries in my hair had melted and water dripped down my face. I noticed Fang shaking his head as water dripped into his eyes. The smells of this place put my mind at ease. There were only a few people in here and most of them sat in the far corners of the room on laptops or reading books. A woman with blonde hair stood at the counter ordering.
"I'd like a grande chestnut praline please." She said sweetly to the cashier, who obliged her with a smile. The whole place seemed cheery and warm. The woman looked over at us and I nervously took Fang's hand. He gave it a gentle squeeze and smiled at the woman.
"Good morning, ma'am." He said kindly and the woman smiled back, her teeth bright white. Her blue eyes sparkled.
"Good morning! Don't you two look sweet." She walked over to us and gently put her hands on Fang's shoulders. "I could just scoop you up and take you home."
"Thank you." Fang's voice was polite and happy, a tone that I had very rarely heard. The woman moved away from us and looked over us quickly.
"Where are your parents?" She asked, her voice sweet but concerned now.
"Vacation, ma'am." Fang answered without missing a beat. She nodded.
"I'm sure you're both hungry? And cold by the looks of it, where are your jackets?"
"Yes, ma'am. We can't afford full winter coats." Fang said honestly and I looked up at him. We both had on thin cloth hoodies that were damp from the snow. The woman nodded and then turned to the cashier.
"Put whatever these children want on my card." She turned back to us. "Don't worry, I'll soon fix that. Please, come sit with me." She motioned to a couch by the large window of the store. Fang followed her while I cautiously scanned the shop. No one looked over at us or thought that the woman was behaving strangely. Perhaps she was a regular and was often charitable towards people? Fang motioned for me to begin ordering the food and he took a seat on the couch. I quickly stepped up to the counter.
"Can I get four bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits, and two large coffees? Oh and a few of those cookies." I pointed at some triangle shaped pastries.
"They are vanilla scones." The cashier said and I nodded happily. He charged the woman's card and I moved back towards the couch where Fang and the woman were. She sat in a chair across from him, her own coffee on a small table next to her.
"You two are so thin, are you sure you're ok?" The woman was asking while Fang kept a smile on. He was always so calm at the most stressful times, charismatic and sweet when he needed to be.
"Yes, we just run around quite a bit. Are the carolers going to be in town tonight as well as tomorrow evening?" Fang asked and I blinked, confused. Carolers? I spotted a poster behind the woman on a bulletin board and smiled. Fang made it sound like we had lived in this town all our lives. I sat down next to Fang and the woman smiled at me.
"Yes, are you going tonight?"
"We'll try." Fang smiled and she nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. A man walked over to us and set our food down in front of us. It took all my willpower not to immediately down the coffee and take my time eating the biscuits. We couldn't act like we were starving, which is pretty hard to do when you haven't eaten in nearly three days.
"I'm Stella." The woman said and Fang set his coffee down.
"I'm Nick, and this is Crystal." He said and she nodded.
"It's nice to meet you both. Now, I have other errands to do this morning, but please take this. It will help with those new coats." She winked at Fang and slid a 100 dollar bill towards him. She stood and put a hand on his shoulder. "Merry Christmas." She patted his shoulder and then left the coffee shop.
"Wow." I whispered as I looked up at Fang. His smile was gone, his eyes no longer as bright as they were during his show for the woman. He had already pocketed the money and was now drinking his coffee. "How can you be like that to her so easily?"
"Just be confidant." He shrugged and ate the last of his first biscuit. He quickly started on his second. I quickly finished my food as well.
"We can buy those coats now." I sighed, feeling a little better. I was still hungry, those biscuits hadn't really put a dent in our appetites, but it was better than nothing. Fang remained quiet as he set his empty cup down and leaned back into the soft couch. He eyed the tall Chsitmas tree standing in the corner of the shop. It was beautifully decorated with candy canes, tinsel, glass ornaments, and a large star on top.
"Come on, we shouldn't stay too long." He said, tossing the trash away. We left the coffee shop and I gasped as the frigid air hit us once again. I shivered as Fang led the way to the small clothing store down the street. His hands were in his hoodie pockets and his black hair ruffled in the cold wind. I hooked one arm around his and tucked my hands into my own pockets. As we walked, I became aware of footsteps behind us. I mentally scanned around us and found a middle aged man walking behind us, one of the same men from the coffee shop. I looked up at Fang and saw that his jaw was tight and his eyes continued to watch everything. He was already aware of our pursuer. Either the man was an Eraser or one of the school's spies, or he was after the money the woman had given us. Either way it wasn't a good situation.
We made it into the clothing store but the man remained close by, watching us carefully. We stood by one of the clothing racks and I skimmed through the pretty coats. Fang stood next to me, watching the man as he hovered in an isle close by.
"When we go to pay, he'll make his move then." Fang said quietly, almost to where I wasn't sure if he had said something. I nodded and continued looking. "Let him, but chase him down with the coats. We'll use him to our advantage."
"Let him take the money?"
"Yeah." Fang slipped me the money and I put it away. I understood his plan. That way we could get out of the store without paying, and get the money back from this one thief with no issue. This town was so small and quiet I doubted anyone else would try to aid us.
We selected the most high quality coats and moved to the register. The man was right on our tail as expected. As I took out the money to pay, the man bolted, just like Fang assumed he would. He easily snatched the bill from my hand and booked it out the door.
"Hey!" I yelled and immediately gave chase, toating the coats with me. The cashier was yelling but we were long gone by that point. The man had moved towards the treeline but Fang was already on him. Any one of us could outrun a fully grown human with ease. I watched as Fang punched the man in the gut and knocked him to the ground, taking the money. The man kay on the ground gasping and wheezing, I almost felt bad for him. I could see men running out of the store and looking for us. We were already running deep into the trees, leaving the little town behind. Once we were in a clearing, Fang took off, his wings kicking up snow flurries in the process. I followed him and we gained altitude quickly.
"There." He pointed down towards a small cave in the side of one of the snowy rockfaces. He veered sharply to the left and made his way down. He landed hard, panting. I stumbled and nearly fell with the weight of the coats but I held steady. I handed Fang his and he pulled off the tags. His coat was a nice forest green color with fur lining the inside and downy feathers for extra insulation. Mine was a pretty dark blue color with the same interior.
"Fang, you're bleeding!" I pointed to a dark red spot forming on his side. He nodded, his jaw tight as he lifted his shirt up. A cut ran along his side, about three inches wide. The man had managed to cut him before Fang knocked him down. It wasn't a deep cut at least. I could see the outline of Fangs ribs as he put pressure on the wound, his hands shaking from the cold. We were both in pretty bad shape.
Once the bleeding had stopped, Fang began to cut slits in the backs of our coats for our wings to go through. He handed me mine and I pulled it on quickly. It felt amazing as the wind was unable to penetrate the material. Fang pulled his coat on and zipped it up. He pushed his wings through the slits and folded them neatly. He looked over at me.
"Are you ready?" He asked and I nodded. We'd need to keep moving to make good time to Death Valley. And now we had some more money and proper coats for the winter.
Fang POV
"Are you ready?" I asked Angel as she zipped her new coat up all the way. She nodded and I opened my wings, letting myself fall off the edge of the cave. My wings caught the air and I pumped them hard, gaining altitude. I had to admit, these coats were the bomb. The wind couldn't get in now and the downy feather lining kept all heat trapped inside. I glanced back at Angel as her white wings beat rhythmically. She was holding her own, like the tough little girl she was.
We had flown for another 4 hours before the sun began to get low in the sky. I felt light headed and exhausted. The coffee we drank earlier had been a great boost of energy, but now that its effects had worn off, we were essentially crashing. I knew the sun would set early this time of year, and estimating where it was now, we had about an hour of daylight left. We'd need to make camp for the night. I had seen numerous cabins tucked away in the woods below us and I wondered if one of them would make a decent shelter for the night. Hopefully no one was home.
"Come on, Angel. I'm calling it for the night." I said and I swear I thought her sigh with relief. I angled downwards towards the smallest cabin. It was secluded from the others by quite a ways, so we should be safe there. I landed with shaky legs in the snow, underestimating the impact. The cut in my side stung but I ignored it, moving towards the cabin. The door was cracked open so I was on high alert. Angel reassured me there was no one here.
"They just recently moved out." Angel said as she looked over the boot prints in the snow leading away. I nodded and walked inside the cabin cautiously. I flicked on the lights and looked over the interior. It was just a single room cabin. There was a single couch in front of the fireplace, a bunk bed in the corner, and a small kitchenette on the opposite wall. Angel walked up behind me.
"Whoa, it's so tiny." She said as I closed and locked the door. These cabins usually were for hikers looking for shelter, which meant they were usually stocked with food and basic supplies. I began my search through the tiny kitchen. Angel walked over to the bunk bed and sat down.
My inspection of the cabinets hadn't turned up much. A few granola bars and a couple packs of beef jerky weren't enough to feed us both. I split the food up equally and began getting the fireplace lit. Angel snacked on her jerky while handing me logs of wood. I breathed a small flame into life, allowing it to engulf the fire starter I had chucked in there. This cabin wasn't designed to be a home. It was only equipped with descent heating and a few foods to sustain the hiker through the night. It hadn't encountered starving bird kids before.
"You can have the bed, Angel." I said and sat down on the couch, feeling the heat roll out of the fireplace. Soon this cabin would be nice and toasty. I finished off the last of my jerky and kicked leaned back into the couch. I sighed, putting my hands in my pockets. This place reminded me of when we were trying to save Angel from the school. I looked over at her as she fluffed up her pillows and blankets. She had hung her coat on a hook by the door. I unzipped mine and did the same.
The cabin was heated nicely and I laid down on the couch as I enjoyed it. Angel was wrapped up in her blanket as she sat down on the ground in front of me.
"This place is so neat and cozy." She smiled, her golden curls laid out around her shoulders. I smirked.
"We stayed in a similar one when we were trying to get you." I said and she grinned.
"I wish it had more food though."
"Same." I admitted, feeling my stomach growling. "But it's safe and warm, and that's what matters for now." My eyelids felt heavy and my mind was cloudy. I closed my eyes and let the warmth of the fire seem into my bones.
Angel POV
The fire felt amazing on my side as I leaned against the front of the couch. Fang lay on it and looked comfortable. His eyes had finally closed and his breathing was deep and even, his chest slowly rising and falling. He was exhausted and couldn't fight sleep anymore. I was just as tired, and I slowly stood. I pulled the blanket from the top bunk and laid it out over Fang's sleeping form. He didn't stir and I went back to my own bed. We'd sleep for now and then move out at first light as usual. I knew that we were almost to California, almost to the school, and almost to the flock. But for now, the warmth of the fire lulled me to sleep...
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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stone