The Thief With Wings (BOOK 1# OF THE TRILOGY SERIES) *Completed*

Chapter 22.

Everything around me torched and scared with bold warm colours as I paced across the golden snow, creating walls and barricades at every single building that stood in its way. Screams almost as loud as banshees howled loudly throughout the skies as bullets and guns were shot through the wicked sky, ending countless screams by piercing their iron bullets through the source of their cries. So this was what they did when they found villages that were flocked by races that weren't human, they would burn the whole place down, kill the leader and then take the rest away as prisoners who would end up as experimental subjects like Olivia and her kingdom did which would then be tested on kids such as I. Talk about a dark and evil way to end lives just for what? making sure that humans were the dominant species? Despicable. Throughout the flames, I could see a few men looking around the burning village around them. Appearing that they were trying to see if the flames would bring my attention to them, then capture me later when I wasn't looking. Quite the fools they were, thinking that I would be dumb enough to fall for the same trick again just because I was kid and that they automatically be the same like the others were around this age. Its just too idiotic even for me. Creeping ever so carefully, I quickly allowed my fur to blend in with the flames so I wouldn't be able to be seen that easily and slowly stalked closer towards them like a lion stalking a heard of zebra underneath a foot of grass. 

"Ok, now where is that little she-devil? The tracking chip said that she was right here in this village and now that this whole place has becoming a fiery vortex, she should be somewhere nearby trying to flee with the other hideous creatures in this area." One guard spoke as he glanced around the fire with protected eyes, holding his heavy machine gun ever so close towards his chest with caution. "Well what does it say now?" The other asked as one of them pulled out a tablet, powering it on with a simple click of a switch. "Nothing... it doesn't catch her anywhere on our radar's! how's that possible!" the first one spoke, not realizing that their target was right behind them. Quietly with silent paws, I made a leap of faith towards them. Bearing my fangs wide as they targeted towards the unprotected parts of skin, sinking them right towards the first guards neck while the lower ones pierced the base of his neck. Using my hind legs, I quickly swung my side over and bucked them towards the other guard. Knocking him off in submission.

"What the- What the heck just bit Me!"

"And what the hell just kicked me in the face!"

Moving ever so soundlessly, I unlocked my jaw from its ghastly grip and carefully slipped away into the blaze's bright silhouettes. "Ok, that poisoned saliva should start kicking in 3... 2... 1..." 

*THUMP THUMP*

"Bingo, lets go!" I heard Olivia as we ran away into the wildfire's vortex, leaving behind the anxious men screaming in agony as the poison my fangs bared was starting to reveal its deadly mark. As I continued to run, the sudden shrilling noises of hawks echoed faintly throughout the eclipsed night while the muffled noises of a gryphons mighty wings flapping through the air started to grow near. "GALE!!" Came a loud deafening cry of panic, the source of its loudened sound coming from within the remaining sparks of wildfire. As I glanced upwards towards the noise's direction, There... riding on the backs of two magnificent Gryphons came fourth my brother and Conner who looked ever so glad that they managed to find me in time. "Thank god that we managed to find you! We feared the worse once the tracking signal had suddenly vanished without any traits or clues of where you were, thankfully the wildfire gave us a clear understanding that you would be here." William spoke as he kept his gryphon at a standstill, petting it's neck calmly to keep it at bay. "Now where's Cree? Raymond probably worried sick about her." He asked before I quickly jumped back to avoid some of the flames touching the ends of my fur. 

"Look, last time I saw her. She was with one of the healers who had found us, but heaven knows that she would have probably gone after me. Second, she is my... our sister and I have the proof that-" I barked back before hearing a piercing scream echo throughout the air... along with gun shots colliding with metallic weapons. Shoot, did she try to follow me?! I know she's my sister and all but its me they want and I didn't want her to get tangled up in this mess again like the previous scenario that got us here in the first place! "That sounded like her! William and Conner, you both go find Cree and get these people out of here... Im going to find the man behind this attack... our father." I spoke before dashing off into the growing inferno, not giving them the chance to question my orders.

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-William's pov-

"Had she gone insane?! How does she think that she will put this battle to end and find the culprit behind it all? And how in the world did she get the idea that our father was behind the entire thing?"

As I watched my sister run off into the burning inferno, the constant uneasy mumbled shrieks of our gryphons reverberated throughout the screams. I knew that Rainquill hated forest fires as much as the next gryphon but this time it felt quite different, it didn't feel like a instinct to flee but as a instinct of worry or sense of danger. "Hey bro? are we going to go find Cree or just stand here in this burning fire pit?" Conner asked suddenly, snapping me out of my train of thought. "Im sure Gale can handle herself, If she managed to make it this far without getting caught by guards then she should be able to take care of the mastermind behind all of this." He added while I quickly gripped onto my gryphon's reins tightly with iron fists, feeling my blood boil slightly before a wave of comfort extinguished its embers. Conner was right, Cree was my half sibling and did not want to lose another one to the facility guards again... not like how I lost Gale 12 years ago. "Yeah, lets go... Cree probably is going to need all the backup she can get her hands on." responding in a slightly hushed tone, trying to sound at the least bit hopeful that she would be able to hold them off till we arrived. 

Taking flight around the village, all we could hear were devastating screams of fleeing people along with the sounds of weapons of war clashing like 2 swordsman fighting a endless battle. Through blazing woodlands stood innocents cornered by the inferno angry flames while a small group of guards were directing their machines over towards the panicked, ready to strike when the time was niegh. Just as I was about to watch humanity spear through the blood of innocents, a figure cloaked in shadows suddenly flashed before my eyes and knocked the guards sideways towards the cold powdered ground. "You leave them alone, you child slaughtering psychos!" It barked before dashing off towards them, transforming itself into a razor whirlwind when it was about to come into contact with the guards. Turning their helpless pile nearly into japanese-styled sushi.

"Holy Jesus! Yep thats your other sister alright! Who would have though she could be this... well... whats the word? Hyperactive? Protective? Or High-strung? Actually it makes me wonder how she makes breakfast in the morning..." I heard Conner blabbing out loud in surprise, both of us looking quite bewildered at Cree's assassin like skills while making the strikes look ever so clean without spilling the blood everywhere. It was really incredible that she could hone such skills, was that her power maybe? To be able to make herself look almost invisible to the naked eye by moving at such raging speeds like rose pedals dancing in a whirlwind? It would explain the attacks, how she's able to blend in with the flames, and also to be able to sneak up and spy on others without even being discovered. Once the Guards were pretty much a mess of cuts and blood, she slipped her daggers back into their slots and faced back at the panicked crowd who stared at her in amazement. "Go! flee! Your safe now! Go!" She commanded with a patient tone, her eyes shining brightly against the flames as if they were reflected off of a thin mirror. The people only nodded before they dashed off to whereabouts unknown.

"HEY CREE! UP HERE!" 

"Its about time some backup showed up! Im guessing you found us after we didn't come back a few nights ago... not to mention finding us using the tracking device that was lodged in her ankle." She spoke calmly as Conner motioned Thorncrest towards her, reaching his out for her to grab onto. I stared at her dumbfounded, how in the world did she know about the tracking chip? it was not like it was in plain sight for them... unless Gale had managed to figure it out ahead of time and destroyed it when she saw it. "Wait... how did you know?" Conner asked, confused as I was. She only moved her hair slightly as she adjusted herself behind conner on the saddle. "We found out after Gale had a suspicion that was the kind of object she got shot with after making a swan dive towards the frozen falls a little ways away to escape, after that we checked and low and behold stood the chip right there attached to the shot wound." She responded calmly, turning her hawk like gaze towards me like she was some sort of mind reader or psychic. "I also see that you found out my secret as well by the look on your face too." She spoke with a slight tint of annoyance in her voice. "That big caretaker can not even keep his own mouth shut for less than a mere hour."  she sighed before closing her eyes for a mere minute. Wait... how does she know that we know about her and our family's twisted up relationship? If she was half psychic then that would answer a few questions. But then again I cannot jump to conclusions which will make me end up playing the role of the fool." 

"YOU MURDERER!" 

Almost suddenly... a high pitch screech of anger rose from the distance...