Flight School: Prey

Inviting Danger

I could hear the sound of fear—the beat of its wings.

The vulture was near—

Darkness was here.

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Io pulled his friend by her arm, helping her to her feet—but she was not in any condition to run.

Pipa's head shook. In fear or in denial, no one knew.

Not even her.

Dark wings engulfed their field of vision, blinding with fear.

And if birds could smile;

The vulture did.

There was darkness that snuffed out their light; as easily did the wind at night.

The boy willed his frozen feet to move, to run to hide to do anything that would suffice—but he realized that there would be less of a purpose had he left his friend behind.

And so the boy stayed.

Fear rose from the pit of his stomach;

Or was it his heart?

At his mouth, ready to part?

"What...what do you want?"

The Predator seemed to relish in the abundant fear that leaked from Io's words. The fear that it fed on.

But to Pipa, his friend, there was nothing but a certain courage that—despite the fear that the Avian heard—rose above the rest.

The vulture landed on the branch of a tree beside the girl's fall. She had tripped over the roots that creeped across the grass; hidden. There was something in her eyes, but she passed her hand over them—and they disappeared. Her chin was scraped and would have earned a look of disapproval from the peacock from earlier.

But still, she stood to face their pursuer.

Of course, the vulture did not speak.

It merely folded its wings, talons digging into the branch as if to claw out every ounce of life.

There was a small bag—relative to the size of the vulture—that was slung across its bearded neck.

The thing eyed Pipa and Io, cocking its head to get a better view.

It fixed its uncanny gaze to a stare.

It stayed still; almost unmoving.

Eyes on them.

The world seemed to be void of sound; not a breeze, and not a breath.