The Children of Destiny

Chapter 28 - Almost There

It was a long journey back to the border. We had no clue we would have to go back there, so we'd ventured pretty far. We'd planned to talk to the leader of Starling Tribe, but destiny had other plans. We were all tired, not physically, but mentally exhausted. Max looked like she'd aged ten years, Roxie was dragging her paws on the sand, and Scout was basically leaning on me for support.

I was also affected by everything that had happened to us. I felt my feet dragging as I walked, and I felt numb emotionally. I wasn't eager to show it, but I was sure everyone could tell.

"How much further do we have to go?" Max whined. "My legs are aching from walking so much!"

"We all feel like that, Max," I pointed out. "None of us have had to walk this far in one day."

I felt Scout's grip on my tighten and I looked over at him curiously. He pointed up at the sky, and I looked to see that there were clouds beginning to gather near the sun. They looked heavy and dark with water.

"Okay, time to walk faster," I said, speeding up a bit. "We have to make it in time."

"The border isn't too far now," Scout replied. "I can almost see some savanna trees in the distance."

"Great," I smiled. "Let's keep going."

We traveled for a little while longer, and by the time we'd reached the border, it had started to drizzle. Now all we had to do was wait, and we did just that.

"Do you guys wanna find somewhere to hide so no one attacks us on sight?" I asked. "If these guys are angry, they might kill us if they think we're from the enemy."

"Yeah, there's a dodger den over there," Max said. "It looks abandoned."

"It is," I remembered suddenly. "I slept in there once. It's pretty cozy, and we'll be able to watch for any signs of people arriving in there."

"Well, let's head in then," Scout said. "I need to rest my legs for a bit."

I nodded, and with that we all headed towards the den. As I'd remembered, it was very spacious. All of us could easily fit at the heart of the den.

"So, how long do you think it'll take to get here?" Max asked.

"For the elves, it won't take long," Scout explained. "They have many animals that they can ride on to get here. I'm not so sure about the humans, though."

"I'm sure they have animals they can use, too," I pointed out. "I'm not so sure they won't use them in battle, though. I mean, I've heard from my mother that humans have used dodgers for hunting and fighting, so who's to say that they don't use other animals as well?"

"I suppose that's true." Scout muttered.

I opened my mouth to say something when Roxie let out a low snarl. I was going to ask her what was wrong when I heard a loud, angry shout that made me jump. I scrambled up to the entrance tunnel of the den and stared out to see a muscley lady with short black hair and dark eyes. She had round ears with small black earrings and was wearing metal armor.

Scout popped out next to me and shuddered at the sight of this human. I shot him a confused look and he turned to me.

"That's Kestrel Tribe's army commander, Commander Auryon," he whispered. "That woman is horrifying. She personally trains all the humans born with magic for battle, and I've heard she's really strict with them. They're the reason why so many magical humans are in the army, and the reason why they're so good at fighting."

"She sounds scary," I muttered. "and that's coming from me."

I followed the Commander's emotionless gaze to see a tall elf with long white hair, yellow eyes, and red markings under his eyes. He held a javelin in one hand, and he also wore armor.

"Who's the elf?" I asked quietly.

"That's Starling Tribe's eldest, Ash," Scout explained. "He's the oldest in the whole tribe, so he's sort of the leader."

"He doesn't look that old," I pointed out. "Maybe like mid to late thirties."

"Elves don't age like humans do," he explained. "We don't physically, at least, which means we live longer than humans. Anyways, he's just like any other elf in the village, except he's treated with a lot more respect than any other elder. He's also the schoolteacher for combat classes."

"We got your message," Ash said in a super thick accent. "If it is a fight you want, then a fight you will get."

"Hey listen, Ash," Auryon replied calmly. "I didn't actually want to come here and fight you. I have higher ups, you know, and they're not that fond of elves. I have no problem with you guys, personally, but war is war, you know?"

"You speak like a careless child," Ash hissed. "You take nothing seriously, do you?"

"I'm just a believer of peace, is all," Auryon replied. "You could retreat, and I'll tell our leader that you decided you didn't wanna fight. No blood has to be shed today."

"You have already called us here, so let us get this over with," Ash insisted, shouting a phrase in Elvish.

At his call, a bunch of elves came forward, some flying in on owls and vultures, others riding in on pegsai or other creatures. Auryon sighed, seeming genuinely disappointed, but only for a moment. They made a quick gesture with their hand and almost instantly I heard snarling and barking from behind them as a large group of humans stepped forward, holding back dodgers and, to my surprise, lions. The lions looked beaten, and their wings were strapped to their sides. Now I was upset, and I mean seriously upset.

"Why aren't they doing anything...?" I muttered.

I almost set one of them off on purpose by tossing a shard of ice at it so it'd get angry, but Scout put a hand on my shoulder.

"Remember what we're here for," Scout said softly. "We can't just kill people without reason."

"I think I have a pretty good reason, but whatever," I snarled.

"I really didn't wanna have to do this," Auryon shrugged, a smile tugging at her mouth. "But, if I have to, I hope you're as good of a fighter as they say."

I decided now was the time to act and jumped out of the den, the others following behind me.

"Wait!" I shouted, making everyone in the area turn to look at me.

Don't get stage fright now...