Beast Tamer

XVII

Fauna sat on the roof of Areana's nest where she tried to kill her. Nico was sitting near her but there was a person shaped gap between them. Austin.

She smiled and placed her hand on the gap between Nico and herself. She shouldn't be sad, she only met Austin what? Just over 24 hours ago.

And yet.

Yet, she still felt a crack in her heart after losing him. He sold a part of his soul to Aranea which was why It could shift and still have his eyes. He was trapped in that age because It kept him in this world where It could feed on his misery after taking a part of his soul.

Fauna stared at the rising sun. He had disappeared moments before and Aranea was banished back to it's own world.

She held the piece of paper tightly in her hand. Austin had kept it in his pocket all this time hoping that he could see her again. Hoping she would let him go.

He told them of his misfortunes and in turn she had told him hers.

∞

"Roarhaven," he said suddenly and Fauna perked up at the familiar name from Nico's map, the name her eyes were always drawn back to.

She had circled it on the map but it all the way on the other side of the country and they had agreed to hit al the locations she listed in her letters from closest to farthest.

"What?" Nico asked but Fauna already knew what he was talking about.

Austin shrugged. "You said that was were going, said something about how one of your contacts told you about a woman asking around with a picture of you."

She looked past Austin to Nico but he was too busy staring at the setting moon, thinking.

∞
Nico stood up as Fauna stared at him.

"I think we should go to Roarhaven," she said it so quietly, almost a whisper carried away by the soft wind.

"Yeah," Nico turned towards her. "Let's go find Sage and Orion."

She actually forgot about them. She felt heat spread across her cheeks. How could she forget about Orion and Sage?

He quickly swung over the edge of the room and she gasped before scrambling to the edge only to see Nico standing up from his crouch on the ground. The building wasn't as tall as she had originally thought.

"Jump," he yelled and she hesitated. Really?

"I-I don't think I can."

"Aww, is little Fauna afraid of heights?" He tainted and her eyes steeled over.

"You little-!"

"Prove me wrong!" He shouted with a smirk. "I bet you won't jump anyway!"

She clenched her jaw before closing her eyes and jumping. She felt herself falling and the wind whistling past her.

Her fall stopped abruptly and she peeled her eyes open to see Nico with the biggest grin on his face as she sat, bridal style, in his arms.

She evened out her breathing as her heart galloped away on her chest. Her eyes fluttered open and she found Nico staring at her.