Page 59 of Clouded by Envy

The tree branch rustled loudly as Brenik pushed down. “What is in this pear?” he asked, his voice tight.

“Goodness!” Bray squealed, pushing with all her might. Finally, with a loudthunk, the pear dropped to the ground. The branch flapped powerfully back and forth after being bent so far downward.

She zoomed down toward the fruit, Brenik following right behind her. As she neared the pear, something snatched her mid-air.

“Bat,” the voice roared. Bray felt her body being crushed as she looked up into the eyes of a male Jovkin. The creature’s gold eyes were the same color as Junah’s, but only hostility penetrated from his. The horns attached to the side of his head were large and pointed, and of the two on the front of his forehead, one was broken and half missing.

Bray heard Brenik’s voice screeching for help. “Go home, Brenik!” she screamed, hoping he would leave.

He didn’t listen and flew up, sinking his teeth into the Jovkin’s gray hand.

The creature’s voice thundered from Brenik’s sharp bite, and Bray was slung against the tree. An intensity of pain pulsed through Bray’s back and wings from the collision before she fell to the ground.

Flying in the air, Brenik circled the Jovkin while the creature swiped his hands frantically to snatch him. Bray tried to stand from the ground but crashed back down.

The Jovkin watched Brenik closely and seemed to catch on to the routine. Like lightning speeding down from the sky, the creature moved his hand in the other direction to seize Brenik.

Right as the Jovkin’s hand was about to clasp him, Bray crawled closer and bit the thin, delicate skin of the creature’s foot, until blood rippled upward.

Bray glanced wearily up to see Brenik wasn’t captured. And just as the Jovkin’s foot lifted and was about to slam down on top of Bray, another creature dashed from the forest and smashed into their attacker, knocking him backward.

It was Junah. Bray sighed in relief as Brenik swooped down beside her, grasping her arms and dragging her backward. “Come on, Bray, help me.” His voice was strained.

Bray propped her bare feet flat on the ground, the grass threading between her toes as she shuffled them backward.

Junah was rammed back, but she didn’t falter. She lunged forward with incredible speed, her horns aimed at the Jovkin’s chest and pierced him through his heart.

With all the strength she could muster, Bray stood up and watched the male Jovkin fall to the ground, clasping his chest with ragged breaths escaping his lips.

Junah ran toward them, her eyes filled with dread, and scooped Bray and Brenik up.

“The Pear.” Bray reached for the green fruit on the ground.

“Forget it,” Brenik said hurriedly.

“No,” she demanded. Junah swiped it up before Bray could utter another word and took off running.

“If I had not found you two in time, death would have been unavoidable,” Junah snapped.

Brenik did not speak up to say it was Bray’s idea to come out to that side of the forest, and she gave him a silent thank you.

“I will let you have the whole pear,” she whispered, overcome with guilt for dragging him into trouble.

Brenik shook his head. “No, Bray, I am fine. You are the one who is hurt—you can have it.”

Bray looked up at Junah who had saved them. “We will give it to Junah, then.”

Junah shook her head as she hurried the rest of the way through the forest, golden eyes still blazing with fear. “I do not like pears. You two split it.”

When Junah finally set them in a lush emerald field, along with the pear, Bray promised herself she would not let Brenik get into trouble again. Bray insisted on Brenik eating more than half the pear, and he did.

21

Brenik

Brenik sat up on the couch, rubbing at his eyes. When he came back from seeing Bray he had stayed on the couch for the remainder of the day and night.

After he finally got up, he went inside the bedroom and found the blood on the floor that he had vomited up. In anger, he slammed the door as hard as he could.

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