Page 64 of The Silent Mountain
He is grieving,I say.
Yes, I understand that, but following the birds of all things? We know nothing about the dangers they hold, yet he did something like that.
I can’t say for sure,I answer.But maybe he was angry and wanted to lash out at something or someone, and the cursed birds just came at the right moment.
Favian goes quiet again, leaving me to my own thoughts. Elio’s life has been turned upside down more than once. For him, adjusting to safety and a real home must be more difficult than any of us can imagine, and now his own safety blanket, his old nanny, and mother figure, has been taken from him.
Ludwig just linked me,Favian says.There is no sign of him on the shore. You don’t think he would…
I think he would,I mutter.
Favian’s dragon makes a sound I can’t quite pinpoint, but it sounds both upset and annoyed. I can feel him picking up speed, and I duck slightly to not feel the wind so much. Everyone grieves differently. When I lost Ita, I was in a coma at first, only to throw myself into work the moment I woke up again. I needed the feeling of being useful, of being able to help. The thought of avenging her came second.
As for Elio, he is so young, and there is no one to avenge anymore. It must be so hard for him to constantly lose those around him. Maggie gave him stability. Now, he only has Theodor and Favian left. He looks up to Favian and loves him, but he is also scared of losing him, as he already did once.
He is just a lost soul trying to find his footing.
A loud screech pulls me out of my thoughts. That’s not Favian, so it can only be Elio. Favian obviously thinks the same, picking up his pace and dashing forward like a flash. There, right in front of us, on a small island, is Elio. A flock of birds is above him, and something else is lunging at him out of the water. What is that? I squint my eyes to see better, only spotting tentacles.
“Fly close enough to the island that I can jump down,” I tell Favian.
Are you insane? he asks bluntly.
No, but I am a good warrior. I will fend off that beast while you chase away the birds.
Favian doesn’t reply, and I almost think he will dismiss my idea, but then he suddenly moves downwards, close enough for me to jump down. Ros is ready, and before we make contact with the ground, she has already shifted.
The beast has its tentacles around one of the legs of Elio’s dragon, tugging at it. He has his claws in the icy surface beneath him to fight against it, but I can see his strength leaving. I have no idea what I am going to fight against, but I am certainly not waiting for it to tug Elio into the water to find out. Ros charges forward, baring her fangs and snapping at one of the tentacles. They are slimy and hard to catch, but eventually, she succeeds, biting down on them hard.
The tangy scent of blood fills my nostrils, and with a loud gasp, the sea monster pulls its tentacles away. I rush back to Elio, noticing how he has shifted back to his human form due to exhaustion. Above us, Favian is circling us, flying claws first into the flock of birds. Feathers fly around, and a couple of birds drop.
“It’s coming again,” Elio blurts out, pointing at the sea.
Ros and I are ready, positioning ourself in front of Elio, and when the creature reaches out its tentacles again, Ros jumps forward, biting down on it. This time, she doesn’t let go until a scream of pain can be heard, and the tentacle drops next to us.
The creature pulls back into the ocean, the water gurgling and splashing around it. It’s upset! I don’t need to be an expert in sea creature behavior to know it is preparing for a new attack. I run back to Elio to protect him from the retaliation that is sure to happen. Before the creature can lunge out of the water fully though, Favian comes flying downwards, attacking the creature before it can reach out for us. His golden dragon is shining in the setting sun while he pulls the creature further and further up into the sky. Only a small dot remains on the horizon. In the far distance, Favian drops the creature before I can see him flying back to us.
“Elio!” I shift back to my human form. “Are you alright? Did you get hurt?”
Elio turns to look at me, stumbling backward once he sees me and covering his eyes. “By Aengus, I am sorry, I didn’t mean to look!”
“Look?” I blink, gazing down at my body before it dawns on me. “Oh, right. I apologize. For us werewolves, it’s normal to be naked after shifting.”
Favian’s dragon comes closer, and before he has even reached the ground he has shifted back to his human form, landing on his two feet. Without uttering a word, he takes off his long shirt and hands it to me. He smiles when our gaze meets, but the smile leaves him when he looks at Elio. Not that I can blame him.
“That was really stupid,” Favian says bluntly. His voice sounds controlled, but I can hear the underlying anger in it.
Elio must have heard it too, because he takes a step backward, getting closer to the edge of the tiny island.
Please don’t think I want to intervene,I link Favian.But is this the right place? We are on a tiny island in the wild ocean.
You are right,he sighs.It’s almost comical if I weren’t so annoyed.
“I have linked Theodor and Ludwig. They are going to be here in a minute,” Favian says shortly. “Everything else will have to wait for later.”
Ros chooses this moment to make her urges known to me.He is hot when he looks angry.
Not the right timing, Ros!
