Girl who Speaks to Birds

Chapter 45

I landed. Trinity looked over at me.

"Oh hi Madelyn. Where'd you go?"

I glanced at Tyler, then back at Trinity. "Tyler had a friend who was able to get the tracker out."

Trinity smiled, walking over to me. "That's... well that's amazing!"

"It is." I looked at the wide variety of weapons. "So, I see you've found weapons."

"We took them from the hunters, remember?"

I nodded. "So, how do you know how to use the weapons."

Trinity sighed. "We don't. We're just trying to figure it out. It's not as easy as it sounds in the books. The bows are hard. Speaking of, there's a dog shifter with an arrow in his leg."

I looked at Trinity. "Alright. I'll do that, then I need to talk to the shifters." Trinity nodded.

The removal of the arrow consisted of a lot of whines, whimpers, growls, and other dog noises. Yeah... not fun at all. But after a while, I had gotten the arrow out, and I called the camp of shifters to order.

"So, I see you're using the hunter's weapons. That's a great way to make use of the weapons. However, you might want to be a tad more careful." I glanced at the scratches of the dog shifter's claws as a kind reminder. "Just a thought."

I glanced out at the crowd. After a second or two, I began to speak again. "Like I have said before, this isn't going to be easy. This is war. And as many of you may know, war isn't won in a day. It'll be heartbreaking and deadly for some." I glanced at Tyler, fighting back tears. The thought that I might loose him was painful.

After a minute or two to regain my calmness, I continued. "I'm not going to lie. Some of you might lose your lives. I might lose my life. But we have to remember why we're doing this. Caspian was a great leader. He took mercy on me when he could've easily had me killed. He was... probably the best leader I had ever met." I wiped the tears from my eyes, trying not to bawl and sob. "I can only hope to be as good of a leader as Caspian was."

I glanced out at the crowd. Nearly silent murmurs rushed through, and after they settled, I sighed, remembering Caspian's death. "I didn't ask to have this big of a burden on my shoulders, but now I have it. And I'm going to make sure that his dream comes true."

I walked off, knowing that I was going to bawl. Once I was a distance away, I spread my wings, taking to the skies. I felt tears run down my face as I sobbed. Caspian was good, and I wanted to make him proud.

"And you will, Madelyn."

"'But what if I don't? What if we all die trying and the world is never safe for shifters? What if I'm forced to kill my own kind through brainwash, and I never have another individual thought. I want to do this, and I want to make peace between the shifters and the hunters. With every single fiber of my being."

"Remember what I said? Hope can do amazing things, and if you believe, you can do whatever you want. I know some might say that this is just motivational 'garbage', but it isn't. Trust in me, and above all, trust in yourself."

I wiped a tear from my face, looking down. The memory of Caspian's death came back to me.

Caspian looked at me, his eyes seeming to stare into my soul. "You can do it Madelyn. You're the one I've chosen to accomplish this. I chose you as leader, when I could've chosen anyone else. It's because I believe in you. Don't let me down!"

His breathing became shallow, and I placed my hand over a wound, trying to heal him. I put my hand over where his heart was.

Caspian was gone.

Sad sobs poured out of my mouth. They sounded inhuman, probably because of the pain being renewed. I tried to wipe away the waterfall of tears, but more replaced them. I sobbed even more.

"Madelyn, I think I heard something."

"Can't you see I'm trying to grieve here?"

"I can. But I hear something. Listen."

I tried to soften my sobs, listening. I could hear a faint shouting coming from the town. Were the hunters coming? I tried to get rid of the intense sad feeling in my stomach, and looked around. I saw nobody.

"Maybe it's coming from the town."

"Or maybe it's the hunters. Maybe they've found some other way to track me, and they're coming to kill me, like they did with Caspian." I sniffled. "I'm going to get a few other people; if it's the hunters, I don't want them causing another tragedy."

"That sounds like a good plan."

I turned around, heading for the camp. It was busy, with training going on. I got my dad, Tyler, and Trinity.

"I heard something when I saw flying. It sounded like shouting, and it was coming from the town. I think it could be the hunters. We need to check it out. You can get weapons if you want; I don't know how to use them and there's not enough time to learn."

Once everyone had gotten their weapon of choice, we began the trek - or the flight, for some of us - to the town. I looked around frantically, searching for the hunters. I mean, it had to be the hunters; who else would it be?

The shouting became clearer, and I could make out some words.

'Shifters'

'Freedom'

'Madness'

Yep, definitely the hunters. A sickening feeling filled my stomach as we came nearer.

"Whatever it is, we can handle it." Tyler assured me. I nodded, trying to calm my anxious self. When we caught a glimpse of the town, it wasn't what I expected; not at all.

It was a bunch of people protesting shifter rights.

A/N- Because I'm just that cool.

Also, big, big, BIG NEWS! Girl who Speaks to Birds IS 95 IN FANTASY!!!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!

I COULDN'T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!!

I'M SO HAPPY!!!!

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