A wing ripped cleanly away from what was left of her body. Grey blood splashed wildly, making Enyst cry. His small snout flared, dripping with mucus and fear. Where was Hameel, she wondered? He was supposed to meet them. It had been their plan for as long as she could remember.

  "We're here," Lizzak screamed, the pain making her head bob and sweat. "Hameel, I'm hurt. You must take Enyst."

  Hameel had been dead for hours. He'd tried to join his family. But the planet found him. It's sands soaked red with the blood of thousands of Merrick men and women.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Enyst watched his mother, her feathers tightening around him. Her eyes were changing; the golden flecks inside her pupils looked dark and dull.

  "Daddy will find us," she said, dragging them both to the back of a hollowed boulder.

  "Let's rest. We'll fly somewhere safer once he arrives."

  Lizzak fell asleep and dreamed they made it to the mountain. In her dreams, Hameel saved them. She died before the echo of her son's cracked skull reverberated inside the shallow cave. No one survived that day. Eons later, another species would try.