To Break A Curse

Chapter 13

"Oh, he'll fit fine," I say, shoving my cloak into the near-empty bag. Then taking Auggie, I gently secure him inside the bag so his head sticks out, being careful with his wing. "See!"

"If he spoils the rations, it's on you," Fale says standing next to Bo, both with their arms crossed watching me attempt to pack Auggie in for the trip.

"We're only about a day away or so, we'll survive," I reply. Auggie gives a squawk of agreement and I laugh. "See, even Auggie thinks so. Let's go!"

"Aw, don't tell me you went and named it," Bo says disappointedly.

"Of course I did. Now if you don't mind, Auggie and I will be off now, you coming?" Struggling to lift the bag, I set it back down before mustering all my strength to hoist it up onto my back. "Ok, now let's go." Fale and Bo give each other a look and step apart so I can pass through. "Onward!" I say, enthusiastically shooting my arm up into the air as I walk past them to the entrance.

Stepping outside, the sun immediately hits my face, momentarily blinding me. I won't complain though. I'm grateful for any amount of sun considering the recent weather we've had. Finding it difficult to keep pace with my sore leg, I limp slightly but refuse to let it hinder me completely. I'd rather die than admit defeat in front of Fale.

Stopping midday to refresh and eat, I take Auggie out and pour some water into my cupped hand for him to drink. After, he wanders on the grass and stumbles a few times but mostly stays within a few feet of me. I'm surprised he doesn't even try to fly away, regardless of his injury. Suddenly, he screeches and stumbles closer to me. Looking up, Fale is walking in our direction, toward the bag.

"He really doesn't like you."

"Fine by me," Fale replies. Stooping down to pull out my cloak, he gives the bag a sniff and pauses for a moment. "Seems to be safe enough." He pulls out a ration and walks off.

I do the same and grab one for myself. Taking a few bites, I look over at Auggie, "You feeling left out, huh? What do hawks eat anyway?" With a tilt of his head, he studies me for a second then gives a sharp chirp before dropping his beak to the ground to peck at something. I scrunch my nose in disgust when he lifts multiple insects from the ground, dangling from his beak. "Yech, that's just horrid," I say, making a face.

"Bout ready over there?" Bo yells in my direction.

"Getting there, yes." What I wouldn't give for a proper sit-down meal where I'm not forced to rush off after the first bite. Sighing, I hold the ration in my mouth and pack Auggie back into the bag along with the cloak.

The trail consists mostly of rocks now, so I shouldn't have been surprised when my toe rams into a small boulder as I check to see if Auggie is safely secured on my back.

"Skies!" I inhale sharply through my nose, squinting my eyes shut in pain.

"Everythin' alright back there?" Bo shouts.

I wave a hand through the air dismissively and limp over to a small boulder, sitting down. I set Auggie and the bag on the ground next to me and check my toe as the pain begins to ebb away. Through the hole in my boot, I can see a thin layer of blood soaking through my stocking directly over my big toe and seeping into the fabric of my boot.

"I told you that you needed better boots," Fale says as he comes to stand in front of me.

I glare at him.

"Let's get that cleaned up," Bo says, unscrewing the top of his water pouch.

I nod my head in agreement and painfully remove my boot and stocking.