The next thing I know, something slams into my side, and I hit the ground hard. Something clutches around me tightly just before a powerful gust of wind sends me tumbling even further away. Followed by a loud crash that makes the ground shake. The unmistakable sound of wood cracking and snapping. Trees falling over. And then a sound that makes my blood run cold and my ears hurt.

  SCRRREEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

  I grit my teeth and cover my ears, but the call still manages to deafen me somewhat. All I can hear is ringing.

  My body is suddenly lifted up and draped over a shoulder before I’m being moved quite fast. Finally, my brain catches up, and I realize that Thorpe had tackled me out of the way and is now carrying me like a sack of potatoes.

  I lift my head to look back at where we came from. The already horrifying mating ritual site has been almost completely decimated. A whole slew of trees that once stood there have been toppled over and smashed to pieces. The dirt has been caved in and dragged in between the uprooted trees.

  Something big definitely crashed through.

  Even the body of Sawtooth has been basically flattened.

  But the scene is getting further and further as Thorpe carries me away with speed. Weaving around the trees and covering several yards with each stride.

  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him move this fast before. So whatever just nearly snagged me for lunch probably isn’t good.

  We keep moving for a good 5 minutes before he finally slows down and ducks behind a tree. Setting me down and immediately patting me over, trying to find any sign of a wound. His eyes are frantic.

  I grab his arms, halting them. “Stop! I’m fine…I’m okay.” I assure him, looking up at his panicked face. The plague mask likely fell off during the tackle.

  His expression doesn’t change much, but he retracts his hands. His usually slicked-back auburn hair now scattered and disheveled, showing its curly nature. “Are…are you sure? Nothin broken? No cuts? Guts all in one place?”

  I nod slowly. “I’m all in one piece. You got me out of the way quick enough.” I answer, hoping the extra assurance will help some. “Are YOU okay?”

  Thankfully, his expression seems to soften somewhat, but he still appears frustrated. He passes his hand through his hair to sweep it back out of his face. “I’m unharmed. Very nearly was tho. Talon came an inch past the back of my head.”

  I shudder at the thought. “What the hell was that thing?”

  The old man stops to listen for a moment as we both hear crashing sounds off in the distance where we ran from. Another loud screech breaks the air, but thankfully, we’re far enough away that it’s tolerable.

  Old Guard listens for a few more seconds with a frown firmly sculpted into his face. “It’s a feather drake. Must have been stalking us for a while since it went straight for you instead of the pile of fresh meat right next to us.”

  My brows furrow. “I thought we were too small to eat for them.”

  He shakes his head. “I said we’re too small to eat for the Great Horn. This one is the rank-and-file…judging by its wingspan, stubby back legs, and the shape of its beak, I’d say it’s probably a Mountain Kite.”

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  I feel my throat tighten up, swallowing hard. “Those back legs didn’t look so stubby to me…” I admit, feeling my face drain of color a bit.

  Old Guard nervously chuckles. “For us, stubby doesn’t really matter with a monster that huge…” He quiets down as we both turn to listen to more crashing around in the distance.

  Old Guard grunts. “Thankfully, it’s not too bright… but unfortunately for us, Kites are stubborn hunters. Once it’s got prey in its sights, it’s going to keep pursuing until it tires itself out or gets its meal.” He groans. “I can’t believe it tried to swoop you out of such a narrow opening in the trees. Must be pretty desperate.” The old man scratches his stubble. “It crashed pretty hard though…”

  We listen to more thrashing and some screeches that, unfortunately, sound like they are getting closer.

  What the hell is it doing? Why hasn’t it just taken off yet? It knocked over enough trees that it should be able to ascend out, even with how dense the forest is.

  My eyes narrow as a thought crosses my mind. Glancing over to Thorpe. “It doesn’t sound like it’s trying to take off…maybe it broke something?”

  The old man gives a low hum in thought. “I was thinking the same thing.” He concurs but just frowns even harder. “But that arguably makes things worse for us. At least if it were in the air, we’d be mostly protected by tree cover. But now we’re trapped in a big cage with it, and it’s just as dangerous on the ground.”

  I can’t help but frown along with him, folding my arms over my chest. “What do we do then? Fight it?” Raising my brow at him.

  Thorpe raises his brow right back. “With just the two of us? Fuck no!” He says plainly, emphasizing by making an X with his arms.

  My entire body relaxes as I sigh in relief. “Then what do we do then?”

  The old man has his eyes shut and his nose wrinkles as he’s lost in thought. “I am thinking…”

  I take a deep breath, giving him some time to conjure up a plan that hopefully lets us avoid being eaten. I’ll just keep an eye out while he does that.

  At least it seems the Kite has stopped thrashing around out there. It’s gotten pretty quiet now.

  …..

  That’s probably not a good sign, actually.

  Fearing my own instincts, I slowly get up to my feet and creep around the trunk of the tree we’re behind. Gradually getting a view of the direction we ran from. Scanning through the gaps in the pines. And then freezing up when I spot IT.

  Poised only a few dozen meters away between a group of trees. A massive Feather Drake. Larger than a small cabin.

  It really is shaped kind of like the drawings I’ve seen of drakes. Except more…bird? The body is long and low to the ground. Two strong wings up front with 3 clawed fingers halfway up either wing. Thick bent back legs with yellow-scaled feet, each with 3 large black talons up front and one small taloned toe at the back. A long, thick neck that can twist, turn, stretch, and retract. The head at the end is like a falcon’s. Black eyes and a short, hooked beak. The whole thing was covered in dark brown feathers with white and gold accents.

  It would be beautiful…if it wasn’t trying to eat me.

  The Kite is bobbing and tilting its head in several directions, much like a regular bird would. It at least doesn’t seem to know where we are exactly, but it’s obviously following our scent or something.

  Carefully, I inch back behind the tree to see that Thorpe is on alert as well. His expression is curious as he gives a twirl of his finger in the air. Indicating ‘Is it nearby?’.

  He’s taught me a few hand signals over the last couple of years that he uses during hunting. The same ones he used to use with his Merc party, and now with the rest of the village guard.

  I nod slowly and put a finger to my lips, indicating that it’s very close by.

  He nods and points at me, then aims his thumb over his back.

  Oh…I guess he wants me to get onto his back. At least it’s better than being carried like a sack of potatoes.

  He definitely didn’t seem to be impeded when we were running before. Even if it’s a little embarrassing, it’s better than getting split up…or worse…becoming bird food.

  I nod and creep around him to latch onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck and legs around his waist. He picks his spear back up from the ground and is about start moving when my arms tighten around his neck as a wave of prickly sensations rolls over my back.

  A twig snaps on the opposite side of the tree we are behind. Thorpe and I freeze like statues as the massive head of the Kite peers around the tree. Its head is tilting and bobbing as it tries to get as much visual information as possible.

  We hold still. A cold sweat builds on my forehead.

  A low, warbling, and purring sound emanates from the creature. The tree creaks as we watch its wing claws put weight on the trunk while it raises itself up a bit.

  The prickly feeling in my shoulders that has persisted since this monster got near to us suddenly gets intense. My instincts scream ‘Danger!’ through my mind.

  “DODGE!”