Fugitive of the Sky

Chapter Two: The Sounds in the Forest

Aqie snuck another glance at Rrari. Her mother stared out at the forest, her body still tense despite her reassuring words. Aqie followed her gaze, trying to understand why. Nothing moved as far as she could see. All seemed clear. So why was Rrari still worried?

A new suspicion snuck into Aqie's mind, bringing with it a stab of resentment. She nudged Rrari. "Do you think that we're in danger?" she asked. "Don't hide things from me. I'm not a child anymore, remember?"

Rrari turned from the forest and sighed. "No, you aren't." She paused and seemed to be lost in thought while staring at Aqie.

"So?" Aqie prompted.

Rrari shook her head. "We can't know for sure. Maybe it's nothing."

"Stop it, Mom. Just tell me already!" Aqie whispered harshly, beginning to feel angry. "You obviously don't think it's safe yet."

Rrari shook her head again. "What do you hear?" she asked instead of answering.

Aqie glared at the evasion, but sullenly replied, "Nothing."

Rrari sighed. "Exactly." Aqie waited for more explanation, but her mother continued to scan the forest. Apparently, she either was flat-out refusing to treat Aqie as an adult or expected her to figure it out herself.

Aqie briefly let herself fume at Rrari's overprotectiveness before suddenly connecting the dots. "The birds aren't singing." Rrari made no sign that she had heard, but Aqie knew she had hit the answer. "Which means they don't think it's safe," Aqie reluctantly added. Rrari nodded but said nothing, letting Aqie draw her own conclusions.

A chill ran down Aqie's back. So there really were most likely hunters on the loose. At the very least, there was a strange presence in the valley that made the wildlife fall silent in fear. Only a human could make the birds fall silent for so long, as far as Aqie knew. She still remembered the tense winter when a group of hunters had camped beside the very brook she had just washed in, though further upstream, and how nothing had moved or chirped in the valley until they were long gone. That was the year she had found the injured human girl lost in the mountains.

"Let's fly," Rrari said in a low voice, then quickly took a few running steps up the boulder they were hiding behind, pushing off backwards into the air. Aqie followed a moment later. They skimmed low over the trees, not daring to fly any higher and show themselves against the skyline, swerving often to dodge possible arrows. Aqie fought a thrill of fear. Warble had taught her the essentials of living on her own, but this was the first time she had used his tactics in earnest.

Swerve often. Left, right, straight, up, or down, just swerve. Never follow the same pattern. Always take a different route than before. Fly erratically, so they can't predict your movements. Above all, don't let them find your home. Warble's advice rang in her head, and Aqie tried to follow it all, but she was sure she was forgetting something. What if it cost her her life?

Rrari glanced back at Aqie and motioned for her to fly closer. "Fly the long way home," she called over the wind, "Don't stop. I'm taking the other way round, just in case."

Aqie gulped, but nodded. This was all too real now. Split up and divide the danger. They can usually only track one of you at a time. Hide your route home. She desperately wanted to object, to insist they stay together, but that would be foolish, the pleadings of a child. She wasn't a child anymore, just like she had reminded Rrari earlier. Funny how it can be such a bittersweet thing. So instead of giving into fear, she put on a brave face and nodded. "Stay safe," she called.

Rrari gave Aqie's arm a quick brush and veered off sideways, rising just a bit higher. Her puffy kaprae of wild color billowed behind her, and it struck Aqie that the beautiful cape was also deadly, both identifying and condemning her to the hunt. Aqie stifled her tears and flew onwards, taking care to put as many turns between herself and the probable direction of the hunters as possible. I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. We won't die, Aqie admonished herself. It'll be just like before, and they'll pass us right by.