My Wild Beast

It happened so quickly, Nova barely registered the last words Ixana heard before her eyes grew vacant, her lips slackened, and her body crumbled to the ground.

Aiyana rose to her feet, standing over Ixaana's body, her claws were stained crimson, and glinting faintly in the weak shafts of light breaking through the canopy above.

Nova lay a few paces behind her, sprawled in the dirt, her hair tangled and her skin slick with sweat. Unlike Aiyana, she was breathing heavily, one trembling hand pressed against the shallow cuts raked across her chest and shoulders.

Neither of them spoke. Their gazes stayed fixed on the fallen harpy eagle. Ixana's wings—once terrible and vast—were now crumpled and lifeless, feathers askew, her throat carved open in a grotesque finality.

Nova's breaths came faster. She hadn't realised how close she had been to death until she was no longer in Ixana's grip. Her skin still burned where those talons had pinched and threatened. She pressed her lips together to stop them from trembling.

Aiyana finally lowered her claws, curling them back into her hands. Her golden eyes slid from the corpse to Nova, and for a heartbeat, she softened.

"You're alive," she said, her voice hoarse but steady.

Nova nodded once, slow and shaky. Her throat felt too tight to speak.

Although it was plainly obvious, Nova still couldn't quite believe how quickly Aiyana finished this fight. "Is she…?" Nova whispered, trailing off in question.

"She is dead," Aiyana confirmed. "For good this time."

"Thank you," Nova whispered, looking up at the victor who didn't spare the ex Sky Matron another glance.

"No thanks is needed." Aiyana offered Nova her hand and helped her to her feet, already inspecting the cuts all over her body from Ixana's talons. "You did most of the work."

"You did," Aiyana insisted as Nova shook her head, a protest already passing her lips. "You wore her down for me."

"Aiyana…" Nova trailed off, unable to say anymore as her eyes landed on the stab wounds, gasping. "Aiyana! You're-"

"Stop fussing." Aiyana slapped her hands away. "I am fine."

Nova frowned, then blinked as Aiyana flicked her between the eyebrows. This woman was so damn aggressive! With a wince, she huffed, "Hey, I'm just concerned, okay?"

"There is no need to be. I will heal. But you…" Aiyana placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "Yoa is going to kill me for this."

She didn't think she looked that bad.

Happy that Nova was at least able to move and hadn't lost any limbs or, most importantly, her life, Aiyana's attention went elsewhere as she casually pressed her hand over one of the more severe wounds.

Nova followed her gaze as it rested on Atia.

He looked near ruin, his bare chest streaked with claw marks, his breathing ragged. A smear of blood ran down his arm, but he still gripped his blade in a white-knuckled fist. Dirt and blood crusted over wounds already healing.

Nova hadn't really seen any of his fight, but she was in awe. He'd been outnumbered by fierce Silver Feather warriors.

Atia staggered towards them, grinning like a madman with a busted lip, like nothing untoward had happened to him.

He wiped away droplets of blood from his face with the back of his forearm, his walk turning into a slight limp. Behind him, more than five harpy eagles lay broken, wings twisted, their bodies unmoving.

The jungle seemed to shift and still as Atia stopped in front of Aiyana, his eyes already locked on Aiyana's wounds with a scowl. Instinctively, he placed his hand over hers, and she gasped softly, eyes rising to meet his. When he pulled his hand back, the wound healed, leaving a scab, but the cut on his forearm began to bleed again.

"You didn't need to do that," Aiyana scolded him and pressed her hand to his forearm, adding pressure to the wound.

"How the hell did you do that?" Nova looked between them, completely forgetting about the corpses scattered around them for a moment.

The pair shrugged as if it were normal. "Seriously, if you two can do that, then maybe me and Yoa can?" Nova continued. Would a bond like theirs actually heal each other? She had no idea.

Her words made the pair shift a little on their feet, glancing at each other, then looking away. The flush that coloured their cheeks was absolutely adorable, and Nova was here for it.

A sudden rustle behind them then made the trio whirl around, ready for another attack. But a seagull hopped out of the bushes, and they all released a sigh of relief.

Atia let out a bitter laugh. "We should be dead. All of us."

Aiyana gave a grim nod. "But we're not." She turned back to Ixana's body, her jaw tightening.

Nova's stomach knotted at the sight of her body and the cave beyond her. Did she still have enough within her to seal the patterns on this island? And what of Ixana?

"What do we do with her?" Nova finally asked, her voice quieter than she intended.

Aiyana exhaled slowly, staring down at her bloodstained claws. "We return her."

Both Nova and Atia looked at her in disbelief.

"Return her?" Nova echoed, her tone edged with incredulity. "To the Silver Feather flock? To Vulcan?"

"But they believed she was already dead. We all did." Atia added, remembering the last time they were at Silver Feather lands. "What purpose would this serve?"

"We will return her," Aiyana replied firmly. She crouched beside Ixana's body. "She was their matron once. They deserve to see her body. And Vulcan," her gaze flicked to Nova, then back to Atia. "Can finally rise to his position without further setbacks. For us… It will be an offering. For peace."

Atia's lip curled. "Peace offering? Those birdbrains have hounded us for years. Their warriors still hunt us, even now. Vulcan included. Ever since…" His gaze flicked to Nova.

Even though they were in the right, the warriors were still outraged. They lost many the day they took Nova back. Truly, they should be vengeful of Vulcan for his foolish idea in taking another's Serakai.

"Vulcan must see it. We cannot keep bleeding on both sides forever," Aiyana replied, already sounding like the next Chief of the Oncari.

Nova stared at her friends. The pair might look roughed up right now, covered in dirt and blood, but they already looked like true leaders.

Nova listened, silent, her heart hammering as the pair debated back and forth. She remembered Vulcan's eyes on her from before, how sharp and unsettling they could be. She hadn't seen or heard from him since the day Yoa rescued her. But the weight of his presence, like a predator that studied and measured, could never be forgotten. The thought of standing before him again, especially like this, bruised and bloodied, made her pulse quicken.

Was it really a good idea to return to Silver Feather? Nova stepped back, hesitant, just as Atia relented. He muttered something under his breath but didn't argue further. Wiping the blade against his thigh, he slid it back into its sheath. "Then let us be done with it. I want out of this cursed patch of jungle before the vampiras smell the blood."

It was highly likely they already did.

"What about Yoa?" Nova rushed out. If he saw her returning to their lands, she wasn't sure how he would react.

"He is already on his way," Aiyana shrugged, entirely at ease. "It will be easier to track you down, and he will find us sooner."

That still didn't stop the trepidation rising within her, though. "Maybe I should wait here…" Nova voiced weakly, cringing at the sound of her voice.

"We cannot leave you here," Atia said sternly, instantly shooting down the idea. "I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving you here, and Yoa would kill us."

Nova nodded. "Alright. I'll stop being a wuss…"

"You will be safe with us," Aiyana added comfortingly. "I promise you… This will work."