Girl who Speaks to Birds

Chapter 43

I smiled at him, and he smiled back.

"I love you, Madelyn."

I didn't hesitate. "I love you too."

"Madelyn, you do understand that this war will have losses, right?"

"I do. You've told me before. And I'm not going to let Tyler die. Caspian already did."

I looked at the sunrise. The sun was like my current situation, in a way. The sun was above us sometimes, and out of our view at other times. If I were to represent the current situation by the position of the sun, it'd be high in the sky.

"But, there will also be low points, Madelyn." Ashlea paused for a moment. "Madelyn, I've experienced war, and it's not pretty. Sometimes, people portray war as the thing that only the brave can do. But many people have been forced into war. War changes a person, and not always for the best."

"So, you're saying that I need to see the light at the end of the tunnel?"

"No, you need to see more than that. You need to understand that you, or your loved ones, might not make it out alive. And you need to fight, not just for your life, but for other's lives. Promise me that you'll do that. Even if it means risking your life."

I looked at Tyler, who was looking at the sunrise. We had kissed - twice, actually. Would I be willing to go as far as risk my life for him? As I saw the smile on his face as he looked at me, the answer was simple.

"Yes. Tyler loves me, and I love him."

I heard Tyler begin to speak. "You're right; I do love you. And I'm glad you love me. This is actually more than I could have ever hoped for. Back before I had gotten the wings and other features in my human form - it happened about a year ago..."

I interrupted. "How'd that happen?"

"It's a long story, involving a heartbroken witch and accidentally going into her territory."

"Sounds like a long story. But continue on the first thing."

"I had tried to live among people, so that if hunters came into the area, it wouldn't be as obvious. Sure, the girls liked me, but not for who I really was. And I didn't like that. So I closed off, not speaking to anyone. And of course, they thought I was playing hard to get, and that wasn't a pleasant experience. So one day, I made a decision, one I'm... not very proud of. When a girl got near me, I spoke in their mind, and they'd freak out. It was hilarious, actually. But then, about a week after I had started doing it, I got called into the principal's office. He spoke to me for a few minutes, then revealed that he was a hunter, and I got chased into the forest. And that's the story of that."

He sure seemed to have a lot of adventures. He had taken risks all his life, and the only risks I had taken were reading sad books. Not that they weren't worthy of causing emotional pain. But still, Tyler had lived his life with risk and suspense, and I had just started a month or two ago. I felt Tyler place his hand on my shoulder.