Flight School: Prey

Cold Flame

All to die under the hand of a sparrow.

A mere sparrow. How could he? What was he doing here? There were three of them; three predators in an alliance all against this miserable thing and yet what sort of foolish mind did he have to forsake safety and barge into what Cameron considered their business? He must be naïve beyond belief.

What Cameron did not understand was that Io was here. Here to help his friend—despite knowing all the consequences that he could possibly imagine; with each and every one of them spelling disaster after disaster: what if Jing turned on him? What if, instead, there were other people who took advantage of this and took his Mark?

Surely, returning the phoenix would mean that Io would lose his guide? What then—when Jing had his Mark and her Avian, would they not reach the finish without time to lose?

What was he doing, aiding his opponent in their victory? Should it matter? Whether his opponent was his friend or not; but what if they did not consider him as their friend?

And did that matter?

Io figured that it did. Of course it did, really—everything mattered. Inherently, Iolani Tori cared about so many things that he could not help but care about and no; even if he told himself that he would not care, would it really make a difference?

Jing stared at the sparrow as though he was the strangest creature she had ever set her eyes upon before turning, slowly, towards the three predators that stood between her and the world that was suddenly within reach.

The blazing wings that only Io could see were generous in its heat, burning in the air as though the forest itself was on fire.

Things were getting out of control and Slayne pulled on the back of Io's shirt, indicating that the time to leave was nearing. The latter however, insisted that they ensure the safety of his friend before doing anything else, for that had been their entire purpose of coming here in the first place. The Nocturne wanted so much to put him in place but forced Jiro's smile upon this impulse, reining in the frustration.

Of the three predators, Cameron appeared the most frightened. When, in actual fact, the rest had similar sentiments. After all, it was not unusual to be afraid of something one could not see—a vague unsettling of the heart that wavered in the face of the unknown; the manifestation of fear.

Fight? Dmitri posed to Lucienne who swallowed the question, unsure. For how was one supposed to fight against something they could not see?

Cameron wanted to leave. Flight was the preferred option for him because unlike the two, he was no Heart.

The heat was beginning to cloud their minds as vision failed in the presence of waves that rose from the forest floor, distorting their worlds. Io could tell that no one else seemed to be able to see Sol as the three predators were standing rooted in their places, still and unmoving save darting gazes and eyes that attempted to squint past the rising waves of heat.

Jing's Avian was hovering right above them, his wingspan encompassing all three with ease and so close—so close and hot that it almost resembled the falling of the sun upon their very faces.

No mercy could save them from the searing of their hearts, singed edges turning black with fear; crumbling reason in which instinct prevailed.