Twin Moon - Chapter 281 - Flying
Whiskey.
I watched on as Gunner’s mother continued to converse with the man. My mind was running a million miles a minute. If he tells them that it was me that killed his pack, everything will be fucked. It will mess up all my plans of waiting and watching. I need to observe this place, and these idiots, for a longer period. I need to know more before I attack. I've already seen a small part of their defences when Doyle entered onto their land. I have no doubt that there would be more than just a couple of warriors hidden around the place. I need the time to work out what they are. I can’t go in blind this time. Especially seeing as Gunner has powers of his own. They're too strong and I can’t risk failing. That's a weird concept to swallow. Failure. It's not something I am used to. I don’t fail, I never have, and I don’t ever plan to. Which is why I have to plan this attack out, prepare for it properly. If this stupid beast spills his guts before then, I may not have that opportunity. There's an interesting thought. Spill his guts. I could just kill him before he gets the chance to tell them everything. And if I can do it without being seen, then my plan may still be viable. How could I do it though?
I let my power go and silently jumped down off the tyre. I took a quick second to listen to what was going on around me before I made my next move. The hushed conversation inside the shed continued. There was more happening back around the other side of the house, probably Doyle still stirring trouble with Gunner. I should check on them before I kill this flee. I looked up at the small window I was just peering through and listened. Gunner’s mother was still trying to coax information out of the prisoner, though he wasn’t being overly forth coming. I think I still have a bit of time before he opens up completely. Just enough to check back in on the others.
I slinked backwards into the shadows and all the way to the tree line. I kept my ears open and my eyes wide. Gunner will have his dogs on full alert, and I can’t risk them noticing my return just yet. I slowly and carefully made my way back around the edge of the clearing. Gunner, Zelena and Doyle were no longer in the middle of the village. Everything seemed kind of calm. The people were just sitting in small groups, talking, or cutting firewood, or sitting on their little cabin porches. It doesn’t look like they have just been invaded by a half-blood killer. Speaking of, where is Doyle. Surely they wouldn’t have taken him inside the house, Gunner’s not that stupid. They’d be keeping him away from everyone else, somewhere a little safer. I scanned the village and spotted two possible options. One was a large, tall building, possibly a barn. The other was a smaller cabin, similar to the ones the villagers were living in.
I went with the smaller one. I figured the smaller the space they hold him in, the smaller the area they have to guard. The bad part was it’s on the other side of the village, across the clearing. I could hear the patrols in the forest behind me, not close, but still searching and on the move. I can’t go all the way around and risk getting trapped or caught. Going right through the middle is suicide. I could maybe stick to the very edge of the tree line and make my way around. But there are too many gaps, the trees are too sparce, and the light from the village is too bright. I have one other option, but it’s risky. I've only done it a few times before, and not always successfully. Sucking the air out of my enemy's lungs isn’t the only power I have. I can also manipulate the air in other ways. Sometimes to cast a large, fast wave, enough to knock someone off their feet, or just enough to push closed an open door. Mostly I use it to give myself an extra boost to jump higher, or to slow and soften a landing. On two or three occasions, I did manage to pull off something that could be misconstrued as flying.
The first time was a total fluke, and not in the slightest bit graceful. I tried to slow a landing after jumping down from a building, but instead I shot myself back up into the air. I smacked into the side of the building before landing on a fire escape. I’ll admit that one hurt, though it was more surprising than anything. Another time, after getting a good run up, I jumped across a wide ravine. I used the air push to help me jump the far distance, but I misjudged the distance and landed way too far away from the bank. That time I rolled through the dirt before crashing hard into a tree. This kind of use of my power hasn’t worked out well for me, so now I mostly just use little bursts of wind, to keep myself balanced or something similar. Things go wrong every now and then, but I think I’ve got enough of a handle on it. The past few months have really tested my abilities and my control. I'm better now than I ever was, so if I really want to, I could probably shoot myself over the top of the village. Maybe.
After quickly looking around again, I’ve come to the conclusion that I really don’t have another option. It's either this or be caught. I moved a little to my left, until I found a spot where I could shoot through without too many branches or other obstacles. I can’t believe I'm about to do this. I planted my feet and twiddled my fingers. I bounced a little on the balls of my feet, trying to hype myself up a bit. I called the power forward and felt it twirl around my fingers and legs. My feet lifted off the ground, only slightly, and probably in the most graceful way I have ever done before. I could feel the air wrapped around my legs like tight jeans. I pushed forward and willed the air to lift me higher into the trees. I kept going up, the slowest and most controlled I ever have before. The darkness took over the ground below me, and the moonlight shone across the sky. I was floating in the air, above the tops of the trees. Not so high that I could be seen if someone looked up, but high enough that I couldn’t see the ground unless I use my wolf eyes. I looked across the clearing and spotted the roof of the barn building thing, the small cabin was not too far to the right off that. While trying my best to keep total concentration over the power, I quickly scoped what was going on below in the clearing. Much of the same, no one really paying too much attention to anything else outside of what they were doing themselves.
This is my chance. While it’s clear and no one is watching. If I go as quickly as possible then I doubt anyone will see me. The only problem there is now, is if I can control the distance, or the landing, or anything after this point. I must be losing my damn mind. I angled my arms behind me and felt the air slither further up my legs to my abdomen and chest. It was holding me, supporting me, but it also felt like it was a part of me. Being embraced by the coolness of the power was like hugging my arms tightly around myself. I always believed that the power was something forced onto me by my torturers. Perhaps that’s why I always struggled to control it. It thought it was something to be controlled, as I once was. But it’s not. This power is part of who I am. It’s something that I was given, blessed with, not something that was thrown into my hands. I understand now. The power is me, as I am the power. It's not something I control, it’s something I harness.
I took a deep breath and allowed the power to sweep over me completely. I told myself to push forward, and I did. The air tightened around my body, and I was suddenly shooting through the sky over the top of the clearing. I was like a bullet in the wind, too quick for anyone to track. Before even I knew it, I was on the other side of the clearing. I flew my arms out in front of me to stop myself. I came to a sudden halt, and I felt the organs inside my body jolt forward, as if I was in a car that just hit the brakes too hard. A soft grunt left my lips, and I grabbed my stomach. As soon as I lowered my arm, I started falling. I crashed through the tops of the trees, catching branch after branch as I went. I was falling faster and faster and desperately trying to regain control over my movements. I could see the ground getting closer as I hit another branch. The sound of the wood snapping echoed through the forest. Just before my face hit the ground, I put my hands out in front of me. My body stilled just inches off the ground. The air whipped around my body, scattering the leaves and blowing my hair across my face. Just in time.
I kept myself there for a moment, just floating above the cool forest floor. Sounds of stampeding paws filtered through the air, followed closely by rough panting and low growls. Gunner’s mutts must have heard my ungraceful descent through the trees. I pushed myself back up and then went a little higher, until a reached one of the branches that I just smashed into moments ago. Once my feet were touching the bark, I let the power go and let the branch take all of my weight. I don’t know what it is about this part of the forest, but the trees here are ginormous. I laid my body flat on the branch and peered over the edge. Another moment later, I saw four wolves run past. One of them paused, putting its nose in the air. Its dark grey fur lifted and it ears went flat as it sniffed around. It may be able to smell my scent, but I didn’t touch the ground so it’s also unlikely. I pressed my body into the branch and lifted my arm. I pulled forth a subtle breeze, one that could be considered a natural occurrence. Hopefully that will sweep away any trace of my scent on the ground. The wolf lowered its head and growled, then took off through the trees after the other wolves. Stupid mutt. I wonder if it is truly me they are searching for, or do they know that more of Doyle’s men are out here too.
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