Girl who Speaks to Birds

Chapter 49

I glared at him, recognizing him immediately.

"Miss me?" Phred asked rhetorically. Yep, that backstabbing, idiotic jerk was the dog.

I looked at him, watching his every move. Then, I spoke. "In what world would I miss you? You're a backstabbing jerk! You ran tests on me like some sort of guinea pig! So no, I didn't miss you. Not at all."

"Too bad. You know, your powers do come in handy sometimes." Wow, way to say what you mean. Might as well give him one of those bad-guy canes.

I looked at him, confused.

"That ability of yours was easy to recreate. But, of course, if your subject is unwilling..." he trailed off, glancing at his blood-crusted nails. "By the way, Jeff, your dog is lying in someone's ditch."

Seconds later, I heard the deafening sound of gunfire. Sadly, it didn't hit him. A growl of irritation rose up in my throat. Oh, how I wanted to lunge at him and wipe him out of existence.

"He has a gun, Madelyn. It'd be unwise to attack; the shifters need you."

"Alright. But if he gets on my nerves, Butch won't be laying alone in that ditch."

I met Phred's gaze. I saw him lean forward. Then, he dashed towards me, pulling the gun out of it's sheath. I slid out of the way as quick as I could, bumping into Tyler.

"Sorry," I said.

"Little question; what's going on?"

"The dog was Phred, remember, from back at the lab? Now, he wants to kill me." I replied, giving him the brief answer.

A sadistic sounding chuckle ran through the room. I resisted the urge to jump, trying to hide my fear. A shadow moved across the floor, beginning where Phred had been. He had shifter powers now; that was great. Because everyone wants a villain with a bunch of powers that's difficult to defeat. Note my heavy sarcasm.

Phred appeared, leaning against the cement wall. "Got that power from a dog-shifter. He was a feisty one. But he had to go where bad dogs go; to the death room."

After a minute or two of trying to come up with a good comeback, I spoke. "And I wonder where bad scientists go. Oh right; they're all still alive." I glared at him, watching his every move. "Except, you're the first one that's going to die. On the bright side; Butch will get some company."

"Oh, but you don't understand." he sneered, moving in front of me with lightning speed. "Many have tried to kill me. None have succeeded."

"Look, we have something in common." I said "And we also have enemies. Isn't that reason to get along?"

Cheesy, I know, But a bird shifter can hope.

"Why would I get along with a lowly specimen of a primitive species? We humans are far more superior than you creatures could ever be." Alright, insult me normally. I'm fine with that. Swear at me, for goodness sakes! But when you insult me for what I am, or insult my intelligence, you're going to get what you deserve.

My bones felt like there was liquid fire inside of them, and my heart pounded. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, and I trembled. In fear or anticipation? I didn't know, though it was probably a mix of both. I glanced at Jeff. "Do you have a knife or something?"

"They're in the kitchen."

I growled in irritation. I doubted there'd be enough time. Well, I could always wind him.

So, that's exactly what I did. I was honestly glad that Tyler had taught me how to do that. I heard a weak moan of pain as Phred staggered backwards. I smirked. Maybe that'd teach him not to mess with me.

"Maybe you should leave him here."

"And why would I do that? He'll only come back to get me, and get all of us!"

"But isn't peace what Caspian wanted?"

She had to use that against me. "Fine. But only after he gets the door open."

"Alright. I know that was a hard decision, and I'm proud of you."

I approached Phred. He opened his mouth, a look of hatred in his eyes. No words came out, probably because I had winded him.

"I'm not going to hurt you." I said, resisting the urge to punch that face of his. "Just tell me how to get the stupid door open. Then, you can go back to that group of jerk-faced scientists."

"Madelyn, we're trying to achieve peace, remember?"

"You never said I couldn't insult him. Though I do think I bruised his pride. And a few minutes ago, his chest."

After a good few minutes of trying to get him to speak, Jeff managed to get the door open. Phred was driven back to the hunters' buildings, and the shifters and I were flying back to the forest. The moonlight shone, and I was certain that I had heard paw-steps. Ashlea assured me that everything was fine. And yes, I trusted her. Partially because she was usually right, and part because she had experienced more things than I had.

After some flying, I landed, looking around. The camp was busy, with training going on, even at close to midnight. I yawned, knowing that I needed to get some sleep. I sat on the branch and called the camp to order.

"The meeting went well," I began, looking out at the crowd of shifters "There was a run-in with a scientist, but it was handled well, and we all were safe." I didn't go too much into specifics, not wanting to worry the shifters. "We may not be finished with the treaty yet, but we'll get there; I promise."

After a slight pause, letting the crowd murmur and talk,I began to speak again. "We are doing good so far. And if we lose hope," I fought back tears "We need to remember Caspian. That is all."

I flew down, walking to a cabin. As I laid down, sleep seemed to lure me in. My body ached from the fight, and though I fell asleep quick, I did hear Ashlea whisper a word.

"Hope."