I stomp down the staircase, lacing myblade into my belt as I move. “Where are you going?” Condor haltsmy progress, standing in front of the entrance. He crosses his armsas he blocks my path outside.
“Do you know what kind ofmonster he is? Do you even care?” I scream, slapping Condor’s armsin my rage. “Where did Creeper take her? What is he going todo?”
“Oh, I think even you canfigure that out,” Falcon answers with a mocking laugh as she sidlesup to Condor. “If he were to choose any of our House for hisuses…then Warbler is the best pick, don’t you think?”
I enjoy the sound her jaw makes as myfist cracks into it. My fingers claw at the mask ties around herears, desperate to rip it from her head.
“You wouldn’t have theguts to kill me,” Falcon shrieks, jerking away from me. “It wouldput you on the same level as Creeper!”
“I am nothing like thatmonster!” I snarl, scratching Falcon’s arms as she feebly attemptsto defend herself. “But you’re wrong if you think that I wouldn’trelish watching you die, Falcon. You’ve known exactly what kind ofman he is all along, haven’t you?”
“Falcon, what is shetalking about?” Condor barks as he pulls me off his second incommand. “Tell me plainly!”
“Oh, come on, Condor!”Falcon admonishes with a wicked laugh. “Surely you knew thatCreeper is demented! He’s been picking off the weakest women of theHouse for years! Besides, you both had to realize something likethis would happen. After all, Mynah brought that Panther into ourhome—he needs a proper bed to sleep in. And the only way he’ll getit is if someone gives up their space. At least that’s what Imentioned to Creeper two days ago. Haven’t really seen himsince.”
Cursing at Falcon, I burst through thedoor and out into the forest, using my swiftness of foot to keepmyself out of Condor’s reach. “Mynah! Let me go with you! Slowdown!” I hear Condor shouting behind me. However, with time alreadyworking against me, I do not even waste a breath in answeringhim.
I comb through the forest once I losemy leader’s pursuit, but deep down I realize the effort is likefinding a blade of grass in a pile of fresh cuttings. Adrenalineeases the pain of my broken ribs, but I can tell by the oozingwetness on my back that I have popped some stitches again.“Warbler!” My voice is hollow with my fear. Panther calls on ourbond, rattling through my mind, but I do not relent. I will notstop until I find my friend.
It is almost dusk when my feet slip inthe mud, and I slide down a small ravine. A brook laughs beside me,its waters rippling with their ridicule. “Ugh! This is useless!” Icry, rolling out of the mud with the intent of travelingfurther.
A moan stops me in my tracks. Thefaint outline of a body catches my eye not twenty paces from thespot where I stand. Warbler is face down in the mud, her hairchopped painstakingly close to her skull. Her clothes are intatters on the ground, and her legs appear to be bleeding. I rip myown shirt off my body, cursing myself for leaving my good coatbehind in my haste. Carefully I pull Warbler out of the stream,draping my grungy shirt over her frail shoulders. She is freezingcold, a faint whisper of breath still miraculously forming insideher.
“Oh, my gods! What did hedo to you?” I cry, a shriek building on my lips. She seems awareenough to hear my words, her eyes flicker open at the sound of myoutrage.
“Mynah?” She cries softly,her whole form trembling hysterically. “You were right! You wereright! I’m so sorry.” Her voice sounds broken, as though she’d beenout screaming for many hours, desperately hoping to be found.“He…he….” She cannot bring herself to finish thesentence.
“Shhh. Rest now,Warbler.”
“No…look,” She slowlypulls at the edge of my shirt, and I recoil at the sight of herbroken fingers. Two long cuts mar her ribcage, and to my horror, Isee two blood clouded tubes sewn into each side of her chest. “Hepunctured…my lungs with them, Mynah. To hear…the sounds of mybreathing. Face down…the tubes drain out. Keeps me alive…he keepscoming back. Hurts me, Mynah! Now…they are filling…with blood. Iwill soon choke. I cannot…survive this.”
“There’s got to be someway to save you!” I protest, tears pouring down mycheeks.
“Lost too much...blood,Mynah. Travel to the House…would kill me anyway. Nothing to bedone.” Her voice grows fainter with every word, the gurgling fromthe tubes sputtering louder as they fill with her lifeblood.
Bitter, hot tears pour down my cheeks.“It’s my fault,” I wail. “Falcon let this happen because of me. IfI hadn’t brought Panther home, she’d never have let Creeper takeyou.”
“No…I brought this…onmyself.” Warbler chokes, a bloody hacking cough in her throat.“Don’t leave me.”
“Never,” I mumble as Icradle her body close to my heart, blood gushing out the tubes as Igently shift her body closer to me.
“I love…you,” Warblerwheezes as she convulses, her body going into shock.
“You were my best friend,”I whimper, holding her long past the moment when her rustlingbreath stops. When I finally do let go, I claw through the dirt bythe stream, using my blade like a shovel until I almost break it inhalf. I switch to my hands, ignoring the pain as my fingernailscatch on rocks and twigs. Nothing stops me as I use my fury to diga grave, my tears watering the soil as I place her carefully intoits unfeeling embrace.
When it is done, I pullmyself up to stand beside her grave. In the tradition of ourpeople, I should break her mask, but I find that I am unable. Itsbright sunshine hue does not deserve to be trampled.She did not deserve to be trampled,I correct myself with a yelp. I place the maskover the mound of dirt, weighting its twine with heavyrocks.
“I loved you too,Warbler.”
The words burst my resolve, and anunyielding howl pours from my lungs. I sob and beat against theground, as if my sorrows could somehow bring her
