From The Ashes.

Chapter 11

The bird squeaked and looked at my feet, it's dazzling orange feathers blazing as it moved. I wasn't sure if it was the afternoon sun that was making it glow or if the bird itself was on fire but as it strutted in front of me, I couldn't help but marvel at it's incredibly long tail feathers, orange with a dark blue eye in the centre. It squarked again before pecking at my leg as though impatient.

"Eryx, enough." Zak barked and I blinked.

"The bird has a name?" I cried, completely forgetting that most people usually named their pets. Zak sighed and smiled slightly.

"Tera, meet Eryx, the longest living resident of Fortitudine." Something about the way he said that made me frown and study the blazing bird even closer. Despite the fact he only had one eye there was an intelligent glint in it, like he knew exactly what was he had just done. It was slightly unnerving.

"Sorry, he doesn't usually do that to strangers." Caerun tried to hide a smile as he helped me off the ground. I grinned at him and he returned the gesture, Zak shook his head, a small smile gracing his face as he carefully hitched the boy further up his back. However, this small movement must have roused him because he finally raised his head and frowned at his precarious position. I rested my hand on Zaks should and he turned to look at me.

"Monkeys awake." I told him. He frowned and looked down at the massive wall slowly growing closer.

"I think we're close enough for him to walk by himself." Zak mumbled, turning his back to me. For a moment, I was surprised, before I realised he was asking me to lift the boy safely off his back. I smirked and carefully placed the boy on the gorund, laughing when the first thing he did was run up to Eryx and pet his beak, which was only barely smaller then the boys hand.

"I swear, that kid if the only one who can do that without getting bitten." Zaks back cracked as he as he stretched it out, an hour of being hunched over had apparently taken it's toll. The snow on the ground was getting heavier the closer we got to Fortitudine and I quickly caught myself when my foot slipped on a hidden rock. Zak paused when he heard me scream but I was already dusting myself off.

"You're quickly proving yourself to be trouble on legs." Caerun joked, making to jump over the rock I'd slipped on. Instead, he misjudged it and ended up face first in the snow. It took me a very long time to stop laughing.

"And you all me trouble?" I asked as Zak walked up to help his friend out of the snow. Caerun spit out a mouthful of water before smirking at me.

"Well, if I hadn't tried to avoid the rock you slipped on, then I wouldn't have faceplanted the ground." I scoffed, crossing my arms in front of my chest as Zak rolled his at us. "So, yes, you are Trouble." Zak shook his head as I launched a snow ball at Caeruns face, smiling as it splattered everywhere. The brown haired man scowled and leaned over to gather enough to snow to return fire when Zaks eyes suddenly flashed and we both stopped.

"This is not the time to play around, you two. It's going to be dark soon and you are not settled in yet, Tera." He turned his piercing gaze on us and the snowball fell out of Caeruns hand. Zak sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Besides, have you forgotten that you are injured, Caerun?" We looked down at Caeruns leg, which had been bandaged back at my place. I flinched, remembering the gaping wound he'd been nursing, I had completely forgotten about it. He hadn't complained once the entire trek here, despite how much pain he must have been in. That was impressive.

"Right. Sorry, Zak. Let's get going." A subdued energy fell over us as Zak and Caerun pushed on ahead of me. As the towering wall grew closer, so did the twisting dread and anxiety in my stomach. Was it too late to turn back now? Yes, it was. I had made my choice. Now, I just had to last a month. Just one month and I'd be able to go home, find my friend and everything return to normal.