Reina: Return of the Princess (*COMPLETE*)

Chapter Sixteen

Gavin was too focused on getting to Brimsdelle as quickly as possible. Gavin flew higher and higher, constantly pumping his wings through the crisp, thin air. His wound was almost feeling back to normal. The sun was at its peak. He could feel the heat on his back, as he extended his wings and glided through the air, letting the currents carry him. It allowed him a short rest to relieve his burning muscles.

Out of the corner of his eye, a large eagle soared past him. That's odd. Gavin knew that birds of that size rarely fly at this high of an altitude. Almost in an instant, the giant bird made an abrupt turn and tucked itself into a dive, aiming directly at him. Gavin spun and attempted to twist out of the direction of his attacker, but could not react quickly enough. The giant bird's talons shot out from under his belly, and grasped Gavin's wing, piercing its sharp claws deep into Gavin's fatigued muscle. Gavin let out a loud screech, as the pain from the eagle's grasp left him temporarily paralyzed. The eagle tightened his grip, and once again tucked its body into a dive, and plummeted towards the ground with Gavin in his grasp. Gavin attempted to pull himself loose, but it was no use. He saw the ground come into view, and was alarmed at the rapid pace the landscape took form.

Desperately, Gavin attempted to shift into another animal better suited for the inevitable impact, but the force of the Eagle's mighty grip was too powerful and restricting, to allow him to shift. Inches before they hit the ground, the eagle released Gavin, turned instantly toward the sky and flew out of sight. The momentum and angle of the eagle's release allowed Gavin to tuck into a ball and prepare for the impact. Gavin slammed into the unforgivable surface of the forest, and tumbled to a stop in a large bush. Gavin pulled himself out of the bush, and shook his head in an attempt to clear the black cloud seeping down his forehead. The blood and wounds on his wing from the Eagle's talons was soon forgotten, as a searing pain exploded throughout the right side of his small feathery body. His shoulder had taken the majority of the impact, and retaliated with excruciating pain when he tried to move it. Gavin's mind raced, as he attempted to simultaneously survey the extent of his injuries, and figure out what had just happened.

Without much examination, Gavin was in pretty bad shape, and had to find a place to hide until his body had recovered from the attack. As he scanned the forest floor for shelter, he noticed a small dark spot in the sky that was falling directly towards him. The tiny spot rapidly grew larger and larger, until it took a familiar shape. The giant eagle approached at an alarming rate. Gavin's ear rang, as he tried to block out the pain and attempt to defend himself. Time stood still, as Gavin looked up at the massive eagle. For the first time, he was able to see the eyes of his attacker. Though nothing but hate and anger filled the eagle's eyes, Gavin felt an odd sensation of familiarity, almost as if he were looking at an old portrait, and having the strange feeling that he knew the person staring back at him.

Just as Gavin was bracing for impact, the eagle disappeared in a swirling tornado of dust. What emerged was an enormous tiger with its huge paws and knife like claws outstretched and reaching for his small broken body. Gavin hesitated and lunged to the side, barely dodging the crushing force of the gigantic tiger's landing. Adrenaline rushing and without thinking, Gavin shifted into a lion, and the two circled each other snarling. He recognized those eyes. His excitement immediately faded. Something was wrong, very wrong, and the tiger lunged at him.

Gavin screamed, "Stop it. What are you doing, Mason? Have you gone mad? It is me, Gavin, your brother."

Mason's eyes were glazed over as he responded, "You are no brother of mine. You left, remember? You left your family for eight years, and for what? For her? This entire time you were protecting that girl, and instead you should have been protecting your own family. You have been serving the wrong people Gavin. Our parents died while you were gone. The Siri didn't even let you know because they wanted you to watch over their precious child. They don't care about you. It is the Elves that should be ruling this land. You are a traitor in their eyes, as well as my own."