Fight or Flight

Chapter 8: Time to Move

SELA'S POV:
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"Our numbers are growing, but so are those of the sicora and malenue, it's becoming harder and harder to keep the little ones safe. We cannot keep this up, only last week we lost a clutch to them. We have to move into the Kymaris' cities, it's the safest place until we find somewhere else to live."

The mind link exploded, emotions flooding Sela to the point where she gave a loud screech to gather everyone's attention. "Warren and I have talked about this for a long time, I assure you. I am well aware of it, though I do not like it any more than any of you. It is our best option."

"Sela, what if the Kymari are just as bad as the white aliens? We can't risk it!"

Sela kept her head held high, her tail brushing against Warren's as it flicked back and forth. "I have flown over one of their cities. They have many parks covered in forest that are filled to the brim with fruit trees, with enough scouting you could find one where it is easy to hide from the Kymari."

Heather's brow furrowed her scarlet face for once serious. "You're not coming with us?"

Sela could only shake her head, no words coming to her.

"No, she's going to stay here and recover from the battle with the sicoras, then she'll scout for a safer place for us to go. Until then... we won't be seeing her."

She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to keep the hot tears at bay; the statement was so final, so cold... she wanted it all to just be the bad dream she had thought it to be when she first awoke. But it wasn't. It wasn't and it hurt her more than anything else in the world ever did.

She looked down at the small blue dragonet snuggling into her side and covered him with her wing, humming gently to comfort him. "Don't worry, I'll still tell you stories every night... it will be like I'm right there with you."

His body trembled and she knew he was crying, "I don't want you to leave!"

"Oh, Macy," her voice choked a little, losing the battle with her emotions. She nuzzled him, the scratches on her face stinging, "sometimes we have to say goodbye, just so we can say hello again. It's a part of life." Gramps had told her that when her one of friends had moved away when she was six, now she was the one—she wanted him back.

"Warren, when are you planning on us going? You can't expect us to leave Sela like this alone, or us to leave without you two, it just can't be done. We need our leaders." The gold dragonet's head was resting on her forelegs, her grand-fledgling clinging to her tail.

"You will be leaving as soon as possible, I will catch up with you later when she's at least able to use the mind link again. Trace is perfectly capable of leading you to the city walls, by the time you get there I'll already be caught up."

Trace's head shot up, his body straightening. "Me?! I can hardly keep track of my fledgling let alone the whole flock!"

"Maybe, but you are the only one who's ever gone with Sela, and you know how to keep low outside of our turf. As dangerous as it is here, it's much worse out there where our scent isn't everywhere to confuse predators."

Sela raised her head slowly, her ears perked and body frozen before spitting a fireball at a giant spider, causing it to whither into itself with sickly popping noises. "Someone clean that mess up, we don't need the fledglings getting riled up. They can't handle the scent of crawler yet."

The sudden silence stretched until Bran returned from ditching the carcass somewhere farther away and out of the ability to smell. He sat down beside his mate with a heavy sigh, "so, this is really happening then? We're going to the Kymaris' den?"

Sela rose to her feet, pouring a copious amount of effort into the simple action, all the while knowing what she was about to say would seal the flock's fate in stone. "Stay together and alert, there is always safety in numbers. May the wind blow ever in your wings to give them speed."

A feeling of sadness prevailed in the air behind her as she left to retire to her den; all she wanted then was sleep.

AN/ and that's what I'm going to get right now. It's been crazy for me the last few days, I had fun with all the exercise and stuff, but there were a lot of people and I'm worn out from all of it.