The Adventures Of Mint & Coco

17: The Tribe of Flying Souls (Coco)

Snow drizzles down from the grey ominous sky. The chilling wind whips my hair in various directions, causing it to tangle and knot. With a furious huff, I pull my fur-lined hood over my flattened ears. I shiver, hugging my coat tightly against my cold flesh. I breathe shallowly through my nose, trying not to let the cold inside of me. I narrow my eyes, struggling to see someone through the blizzard. Luke, Raven, Niko and I are on the perilous journey to The Tribe of Flying Souls. We're in the mountains. I stumble on an unseen object, crying out as I fall face-first into the icy snow. All I see is white. I need... to get up. A sudden calm washes over me, coming from my core, and tingling through my veins, ending in my fingers and toes. It becomes harder to breathe. My body goes numb. I start to panic. Cold starts to seep into me, making my lungs clamp up. I try feebly to move, but it's as if my strength has drained out of me. Luke... Niko...
Somebody... Darkness begins to frame my vision. I feel warm hands grab me under my arms. I try to open my eyes, but it's like they are glued shut. "Luke?" I rasp. My vision fades out completely.

I blink open my eyes, my vision focuses on a face: brown hair and icy blue eyes. "Niko?" I murmur. "Hey. How are you feeling?" he asks softly. I sit up in a bed, looking around. "Where are we?" He smiles, dimples appearing on his cheeks. "We are in the Tribe." I feel myself smiling. "We made it..." I sigh. I swing my legs off the bed shakily. I touch my feet to the cold rock, shivering at the impact. I slide off the bed. My legs are surprisingly weak, and I lose my balance. I squeak as I fall forward. Niko rushes forward, catching me. I'm pressed against his body, and shocks go down my spine.
I look up, into the depths of his icy blue eyes. There are darker blue flecks around the pupils. His eyes aren't exactly like Shadow's, I realize. How can twin brothers be so different? Not just in their appearance, but in their personalities too. "You know, Luke wasn't the one who got you out of the snow." Niko's breath ruffles my hair.
"Oh?" I squeak. He leans closer. "It wasn't Raven either," he whispers. I think of Luke and suddenly feel like I'm betraying him somehow. I push Niko away, trying to ignore the look of hurt on his face.

I clear my throat, than walk to the door. I put my hand on the metal knob and turn it. I push it open. For a moment I am blinded by the sun. I blink rapidly and gasp.
All I see is wings. All I hear is the beating of flight. It's a village, with stones cottages surrounding a large stone sun. Tall mountains rise on each side, topped with snow. It's surprisingly warm; the sun is shining through a hole in the grey clouds. Bird mutants are everywhere; on roofs, in trees, and on the ground.
A little girl with wings white as snow and a golden halo of curls around her head approaches me. Wearily, her large blue eyes darting nervously from my ears, to my tail. She stops in front of me, raising her eyebrows. "Hi," I begin, smiling, "Your wings are very pretty." She starts to grin. "Your tail is very fluffy," she says. That smile fades, though, when I notice that many of them are avoiding me. I spot Luke, talking to a girl. I look back at the little girl. "I gotta go. See you later?" I ask. She nods. "Bye!" she calls after me. I reach Luke and the girl talking with him. They stop talking and look at me. I am immediately envious of the girl. Soft red curls frame her small face, and light green eyes are framed by thick black lashes. Her wings are a reddish color, with black specks and white primary feathers. I flatten my ears, trying to control myself. "Hey Coco," Luke begins. "Hi," I manage. The girl's eyes dart over me. The look on her face tells me she doesn't like what she sees. She is wearing a long silk green dress and she's barefoot. I'm wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a sweatshirt, with my old sneakers. "Hello. I am Luna, leader of the Tribe of Flying Souls. Please come with me." Her voice is soft, light, like gentle rain in a forest. Luke gives me a look of encouragement. I follow her into the biggest cottage. She turns to me and grins. "Oh my gosh, I hate talking like that. Sorry, I'm Luna, as you know. And you're Coco, right?" I almost laugh. "Yeah, I'm Coco." "Again, I'm sorry for seeming like a complete snob. I have to talk like that when I'm in public, you know, to keep a good 'leader-like' image." She rolls her eyes. I start to like her. "Anyway, your room is this way." I follow her down a long hallway. We stop at the last door. She grins and opens it. I walk inside. My mouth falls open. A huge four-poster bed with a canopy is on the west side of the room, while a huge wardrobe is on the east side. On the north wall, there is a balcony overlooking the village. Next to the wardrobe, there is a walk in shower made of stone. "Oh my gosh." I breathe. "Yeah. This was my sister's room... she was about your size, so her clothes should fit you." I nod, "Thank you so much." She nods. "Oh yes. I told the Tribe your message." I flick my ear. "Really? What did they say?" "We agreed to begin training to prepare for the battle. You're my commander in chief, Coco." She smiles. I'm speechless. "M-me?" I choke out. She nods and walks out, shutting the door behind her. I walk to the wardrobe, thinking. Why would she pick me for her commander in chief? We literally just met. I shake my head and open the wardrobe. It is filled with silk dresses. I groan. I look through them and find a dark red dress. I pull it out. It has ruffled sleeves and a ruffled hem. I put it down onto the bed, and pull out some black sandals. I shut the doors and put the shoes on the floor next to the bed. I shuck my grimy clothes off and walk into the shower. There is a whole shelf of shampoos and soaps. I turn on the hot water and sigh. I wash the dirt out of my hair and off of my body. I rinse off and turn the water off. I step out and find the towels, gettjng one and drying the water off of me. I slip the dress on. It fits perfectly. I grin when my tail slips through a hole in the back. I put the sandals on and walk out onto the balcony. A cool breeze blows, mixing with warn sunlight. I put my hands on the marble rails, and look at the village below. A large table has been set. I guess everyone eats together here.
After my hair dries, I walk back inside. I look into the full length mirror and almost gasp. My hair has automatically curled. I touch one. It's soft. Wow I should take some of that shampoo when I go home... if I ever get home.
I think about Mint and shake my head. I walk to the door and open it. It's surprisingly easy to walk in this dress.

Luna meets me at the front door and grins. "Much better. I see you used the special shampoo?" I nod. She walks and opens the door. I follow her to the large table, which was now filled with people. There is a large chair at the end of the table, for Luna, I assume. We walk to the end of the table, the talking stops, and I feel self-conscious. I fumble with the silk flower on my waist. Luna sits down, and I sit next to her, beside Luke, and across from Niko. He stares at me, his eyes darting across my face. Luke grabs my hand under the table, and my nervousness melts away. Luna clears her throat and all eyes turn to us. She stands up and starts to speak. "As you know, we have guests in our presence." She gestures to Niko and I. Niko shifts in his seat, his eyes still on me. "And you also know that we will be training for the upcoming battle. The cat mutants are planning on attacking, when we don't know. It could be anytime, so we must be prepared at all times." She pauses, looking at me, "Coco will be my commander in chief." Everyone erupts in whispers and sounds of protest. I feel like shrinking. Luke squeezes my hand. I look at him and smile gratefully. A blond haired girl about my age stands up. She has pure black wings. She glares at me. "May I speak?" she asks. Everyone quiets. "Yes you may, Daspyn." Luna nods. "I've known you all our lives. I'm more experienced than Coco," she spits out my name like poison. Others stand up and start to join her, shouting and glaring at me. I flatten my ears. Daspyn goes on. "I think you should pick me. We can't trust her! She's one of them!" She shouts, putting her fist in the air. Niko's ears are flattened, and he's growling. He stands up, his fists clenching and unclenching. "Enough." I barely hear Luna's voice over all of the shouting. "ENOUGH!" She screams, snapping her wings out. Everyone quiets and sits down. Luna looks menacing. She folds her wings against her back. "I am the leader of this Tribe and I decide what we shall do. And I choose Coco to be the commander in chief. Now are there any other objections?" She looks around. Daspyn looks down, her face flushed. I don't like her either. "Now, let us eat." Luna announces. She sits down. I had been too nervous to notice all the food. Everyone starts loading their plates with food. I tear a leg off of the chicken in front of me, and put it on my plate. I grab a spoon and load my plate with mashed potatoes. I begin to eat. I chew slowly in thought. What's happening in the real world right now?