Page 48 of Riding A Cock-Horse
That is, until the bastard tosses me onto my ass into the sand below.
The ugly fuckers in front of me growl menacingly at me before shifting into their human forms. They bow down to Nestor, who's holding Theo by his tail. The Loch Ness Dickhead drops my sweet mate onto the bank, where poor Theo flops before shifting and gasping in pain. I turn back to Nestor, ready to unleash my motherfucking fury, but he just raises a hand and gives me a feral smile.
“Go get your boss,” he tells the shifters behind me. “Tell him I've brought a gift.”
I stare at the traitor in shock; Theo’s face mirrors my own. We didn't need to be quiet when we arrived to the island because this was Nestor’s plan all along! I scowl darkly at the assclown as the other shifters subdue Theo and me. Struggle is futile—these jerks are ridiculously strong! Son of bitch, I should have castrated Nestor when I had the chance—but the fucker better watch his back.
I’m out for his dick now.
I'm the fastest flier out of the three of us—Jude can go pretty far for an insect, but he tires out quickly and Elise’s weight prevents her from keeping up with me—but my speed is no match for Nestor when he’s in the water. We don't fly along the shore as the Tersh does, though, instead cutting straight across land.
After a few breaks, we reach the point where we need to cross the Irish Sea to the island. I don't particularly like crossing large bodies of water; I prefer to keep land in sight at all times. When I know we're nearing the island, I zip back to the others. Nestor really didn't explain to us what we should do when we get there, and I wish he had given us a more solid plan.
But because he’s a Tertiary, we all just jumped into action.
I want to smack myself. We literally could just be flying into danger, and from the way that Jude's chittering, I know he's thinking the same thing. It would be wisest to fly back where Jack and Harry are taking the others and formulate a plan, but I really don't want to leave Belle alone that long. I lost track of her and Theo a long time ago and hope they're safe. Even though Belle's with Theo, I don't particularly trust Nestor—not after the high-handed way he made Belle his mate.
I swoop back to Elise and chirp at her. Although we're not the same species, I know she'll be able to understand the anxiety in my tweet—just as she is English and I am Welsh, occasionally our dialects differ, but ultimately, we get on fine. It’s the same with our birds. I'm worried because, at this point, we have to land on the island. None of us have the stamina to make it back to the mainland to formulate a plan of attack. Elise sends me a soothing chirp in response, telling me it's ok. I twitter back quickly and do a loop around her before zipping ahead. She squawks at me to wait up, but I think it's best if I go and see if there's any danger.
I’d rather only I get hurt than her or Jude.
Flying as high as I can while still keeping to the side of the island, I scope the terrain below. The Isle of Man is many kilometers wide, and even though my bird site is keen, the higher I go, the less I can see. If I want to find Belle or Theo, I'm going to have to fly lower. Gradually, I descend cautiously and do a parameter check.
When I finish my circuit, I meet up with Elise and Jude. My six-legged shifter friend is tiring and will have to land soon. I chirp at the two of them, hoping that Jude understands that I think it's safe—well, as safe as it's going to be. I scent the air one more time just before Jude starts buzzing in agitation. It’s then that I smell it—a predator.I swivel around quickly, but it's too late. A piercing screech fills the night air, and my small bird body quivers in fear.
Barreling down on us with lightning speed is a bird of prey.
I dart forward in the nick of time, knocking Sian out of the way, as the raptor comes bearing down on us. He clips my wing, and I start free falling from the sky. Before I know it, I smack into the water—hard. The pain is excruciating and takes my breath away. I unconsciously, instantly shift back into my human form. I can feel myself sinking into the deep, dark waters of the Irish Sea. It takes me a few seconds to shake off my stupor, and I realize I'm drowning. With panicked haste, I start swimming towards the surface. It's then I realize that the raptor broke my wing—which equals a broken arm.
Which equals being nearly helpless.
Trying to swim as best as I can with my left arm, my right one just dangles next to me, a useless dud. I kick powerfully with my legs, and by some miracle, I finally make my way to the surface and explode out of the water. Greedily, I gasp in more air, choking, coughing, and sputtering out droplets of water, trying to project them from my lungs. A splash sounds next to me, and a familiar head pops out.
It's Jude.
He swims over to me and wraps a hand around my waist before taking us to the shore.
“Thank you,” I breathe, barely keeping my tears at bay. “Where’s Sian?”
Jude doesn't answer, but just keeps doggedly swimming forward. When we finally drag ourselves wet, naked, and exhausted to the sandy banks, three wolverines meet us. They’re the UK's most endangered animal—well, next to Nestor. The wolverines are nearly extinct and only live on the Isle of Man. They are vicious Tertiaries. A single one has more strength than a gorilla.— this translates into their human form as well, making them doubly dangerous. The three before us growl menacingly, I wonder if we would be safer in the water. But with my arm, it's certain that I’d drown. Not to mention this place is made for Tertiaries. I don't even want to think about what was probably lurking in those waters…
“Sian!” I cry. “Where is Sian?!”
My answer is just more growls. I wonder if Nestor, Theo, or Belle even made it. Jude looks positively apoplectic, and I know what he's thinking—we went into this blindly, foolishly. We listened to somebody because of our hierarchy, and it’s probably led us to our own death. The three Tershes bare their teeth and swipe at us, showing nonverbally where they want Jude and me to go. It looks like we're being taken prisoner.
My only hope is that Sian managed to escape.
I’m a fool a thousand times over.
I deserve to die for my stupidity, but not the others—not the ones I love. I really don't know what I was thinking when I just agreed to charge the Isle of Man withno plan. Nestor might have the manpower as the Loch Ness Monster, but I'm just a measly cockchafer. Even if the wolverines weren't shifters, it was foolish to just come upon their turf without a strategy. They’re vicious creatures who can easily tear a person apart with one swipe as was the raptor who attacked Elise and me.
Of course, a Tertiary base where they're breeding humans and making an army to use against the world would be well guarded…
I don't know why I thought otherwise. The amount of air, land, and water Tershes surrounding us makes my skin crawl—because I never sensed them.Still, the wolverines haven’t attacked us; whoever’s in charge doesn't want us eaten just yet.
For now.
Hopefully, Nestor sensed the danger and got Belle and Theo out of here in time. As for Sian, I'm deeply worried. She flew back to the mainland with the raptor chasing her, but whether she can outmaneuver the bird of prey is the question—she certainly can't outfly it.
