Feathermore

by Lucy Swing

It was time to go on our little vacation, but we didn’t need to bring danger to another community, so we decided to go looking for an empty spot over on the mountains—someplace that wouldn’t be frequented by humans. I decided to go. I needed the time alone to think and reflect on everything that had been going on.

  I wasn’t completely sure where Avan and I stood now, but I didn’t care. He was never going to accept me. He was a lost cause, and there was nothing I could do about it. This trip was only to keep him safe. Lilith may still want to use him against me, and I could never live with myself if anything happened to him.

  I flew for hours and was growing tired when I found a large clearing at the foot of a mountain, which meant it could be easily accessible by humans. It seemed pretty deserted at the moment. I hadn’t seen a single person for several miles. I circled the spot and, satisfied no one was around, manifested a large cabin. Not just any cabin, though—this was a two story chalet built of beautifully shaped logs and stones. There was a veranda on the first floor, with a few white rocking chairs for some late-night hot cocoa. The second floor had a wraparound balcony of small logs. Smoke rose from the chimney. It was time to go get the gang and explore the house.

  A flock of birds flanked me and flew with me. From the bits and pieces I remembered from biology class, one of the advantages of flocks, especially in closed habitats such as a forest, was that the multiple eyes provided valuable early detection of predators. It was nice that even when I hadn’t called them, they rallied to protect me.

  The smaller birds had started dropping off as they grew tired, but the ravens and two eagles stayed with me the whole way. As I made my descent, so did they.