Upon Wings Of Change

Chapter 32

His voice had a slightly broken quality to it. My disappearance had hit him much harder than I would have thought possible. I nuzzled his chin to lend comfort as I hummed an apology. My two days of freedom had not affected the fact that I was completely at ease with him.

After a few moments, he loosened his grip and held his arm just in front of his chest. I stood on it while leaning against his chest for balance as he stood up. He stroked my neck and shoulders as he started walking down the path. Well, with the others in hiding, at least no one will see me being packed off.

Just as we were approaching the edge of the park, I noticed Alec talking with someone else further ahead along the path. He glanced over and did a double take when he saw me on Taureen's arm. Both of them stared at us before Alec started to swiftly walk over. Alec looked stunned as he gazed at me in surprise.

He said, "She's alive. But how? I picked that tracker because it had never failed, and it showed her in the bottom of that pond."

I blinked in surprise. They thought I was dead? The tracker must have flowed into the deep pond that Taureen had been facing and sunk into the bottom. They must have thought that I had drowned.

I was startled when a low angry snarl echoed from Taureen's chest. He was actually starting to shake in anger as he growled, "Look at her flank. Whoever broke through the garden door also cut her tracker bead out. When I get my hands on him, he is going to pay."

I was stunned; he was past the point of simply being mad. He was livid and furious. The only time I had seen a Kymari like this, it had been that female when she had seen those coyotes about to attack her child. Taureen was just about as pissed off as she had been.

Now that I think about it, that gate had been closed when we left in the morning, and Taureen hadn't gone into the garden when we returned. Someone must have purposely done that. I had a feeling that if Taureen found him, the crime of breaking the gate and the imagined crime of cutting my skin would mean that person's death.

Alec and the other Kymari narrowed their eyes in anger. Alec glanced at my small cut, and it seemed to make him angrier. "Who would do such a thing? And why go through all that trouble when she could so easily return to you?"

Taureen was trying to calm himself down, without much success. He said, "I am not sure. I am not aware of any who may have a grudge against me. I don't think she was simply let go either, or I would have found her yesterday or with the wild ones this morning. I have a sneaking suspicion that whoever took her underestimated her curiosity and wasn't aware of her ability to undo latches and open doors. I am pretty sure she escaped."

Alec shook his head as if disliking the thought of someone locking me up. "How did you find her?"

Taureen looked down at me with wonder. "I wasn't even aware that she was around. She landed on my shoulder."

Alec took a second look at me. "Let me call a shuttle. I am not sure she will sit still for that long of a walk with no harness. You don't have your shoulder pads either, and she is used to sitting on those."

With a nod of thanks, Taureen replied, "Thanks."

"Do you want to try using a loop of cord around her neck to secure her while waiting?"

Taureen shook his head. "No, I am not sure what she went through, and I don't want to spook her until I know how she will react."

Alec nodded and radioed for a small shuttle. I looked up as a small flying vehicle dropped slowly between the trees. Taureen put his hand on my shoulders, both as a reassurance and to keep me from making a break for it in case the odd vehicle spooked me.