Bird of a Wing (Bow 1)

Chapter 18

For the rest of the night, despite the storm raging outside, Eyeri slept peacefully in the arms of his mentor and his sort of foster brother. One of the safest places in the world he could be. In the arms of a protective k'nairi who would rip apart anyone who tried to harm those he had sworn to protect.

The peace did not last long.

Aw'endo stirred, the seal on his wrist burning hot. He sat up slowly and shook Ryraso. Eyeri groaning from the movement. "Ry!" he whispered, not exactly wanting to wake Eyeri just yet if he did not have to.

"What Aw'en?" Ryraso groaned back, looking up at his foster son with sleepy eyes before blinking and becoming more serious. He looked at his own wrist, suddenly aware of the burning too. "Tai'ray," he hissed, but before he could do anything the sirens started to cry out.

"Red alert, this is not a drill, all personnel to battle stations," rang out Taidra's voice on a pre-recorded message.

Ryraso cursed viciously before rolling out of bed and getting his boots on, grabbing the few weapons he kept in his room. Knives in his boots and a gun which went around his neck.

"Eyeri! Wake up," he yelled out above the noise, the boy sitting up and looking dazed and confused. "We got to go, now!" he yelled as he grabbed the boys and pulled them off the bed, slipping into emergency mode. Ryraso pulled his jacket on, watching as Aw'endo put his own shoes on, Eyeri having to dig in Ryraso's closet for his spare pair.

"Hurry up," Ryraso scolded, opening the door and checking the corridor for any signs of enemies. As it was that floor was mostly people rushing to their stations half dressed but aware.

There was a list of rules and regulations Ryraso was supposed to follow as the head surgeon and caretaker to the youngest on the ship. Notably, while the ship was grounded, he needed to get them both off the ship in case the D'mar tried to board. As a healer, Ryraso was a high stake prisoner. Eyeri was mostly unknown to the D'mar but it wouldn't take the D'mar long to put two and two together. More importantly, with Tai'ray's decree, if the enemy got a hold of Ryraso, he wouldn't be fighting again for a long time.

"Here, carry this," Ryraso passed the emergency first aid kit to Eyeri, who took it willingly before following Ryraso out the door. Aw'endo close behind, the k'nairi keeping his wings low.

They moved at a fast pace towards the nearest exit point. A loud boom went off and the ship rocked slightly, Taidra's prerecorded message stopping but the siren continued to wail.

"What's going on?" Eyeri called as he jogged to keep up. They passed a few soldiers who were all armed and ready to fight, walking towards the lifts. Most of them nodded at Ryraso as they passed, one reaching out to ruffle Eyeri's hair but none answered his question.

"Tai'ray's attacking the ship," Aw'endo murmured, to Eyeri as they paused, Ryraso fiddling with his watch to turn on the emergency comm unit inside. "I think they must have fired some missiles at the ship?" he furrowed his brow, unable to join the link because of the seal and slightly scared by the situation. He needed to keep Eyeri safe, he had promised.

"Gods," Eyeri whispered in horror, knowing they had no way to repair the ship if the damage was too great.

Ryraso ignored both boys, making a sound of victory as he managed to activate the unit. "Taidra! Talk to me, what's going on?" he yelled into his comm, holding the side of his head as he heard gunfire coming from the corridor in front of them.

Unfamiliar D'mar grunts came around the corner and started firing at them. Ryraso dived to the side of the corridor wall for some cover, the two boys following him, all three ducking for cover as bullets started to fly towards them. Ryraso aimed with his own gun and started firing as Namya soldiers headed towards them to help. He was not going to lose Eyeri and Aw'endo just yet. The two boys trembling in fear and keeping down out of the way, Aw'endo clutching on to Eyeri and shielding him with his wings.