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Chapter 10
I timidly followed Shishou, Hachi in my arms. I let him guide the way, feeling defenseless without my wings. A dark figure was kneeling by a river. My eyes picked her up before Shishou’s could.
“Hi!” I said, running towards her. Being wingless, made me trip a lot. She rose, surprised by my speed. She was very beautiful, much prettier than I could ever hope for. She had dark skin with short black hair. Beautiful green eyes blinked in surprise. I tripped ten feet away. She got up and ran to me.
“Hello, foreigner, what do you need?” I smiled brightly; she had a soft pretty voice. Everything about her was perfect. I was almost jealous. She noticed my blood stained dress. The long cuts reopened with my fall. “Your back! What happened?”
“We were attached by hyenas.”
“We?” then she noticed Shishou.
“Shishi, Hachi and me.”
“Shishi? Hachi?” Hachi yipped. She was still mad at me for falling on her. At least I was light. “This is Hachi-ko, and Shishi is being a slowpoke. I’m Kisa!”
“I am known as Kurai. You travel with a desert fox, are you from there?”
“Yeah. Hi, Kurai, I am Shishou, Kisa’s brother.” I blinked at him. He stared at me meaningfully. Nobody knows about the wings got it. But REALLY, brother? Come on, Kurai wasn’t blind! We look nothing alike! She would have to be a complete and total moron to believe-
“Kisa is your younger sister? How cute! I wish I had a little sister, you two look so much alike!” total moron. Although I must say, Shishou WAS like a brother to me… “Your sister is hurt; I can give you medical help and shelter!”
“Thank you that would be helpful.”
“But we will need to leave early, right, Shishi?”
“Stop calling me that. But, yes, we will need to leave early.”
Kurai lead us to her home on the outskirts of the village. The more secluded, the better. “Kisa, your back will take weeks to heal…”
“I’m sorry; we can’t stay more than a night.” Shishou said softly. Kurai looked like she would faint.
“Oh, but please visit!” she wailed. We just got here. I sighed deeply.
Kurai set out mats for us to sleep on, and sheets to keep us safe from the heat of the hot African spring. “Thank you.” Shishou smiled and Kurai looked like she was about to faint from over-swooning. I felt uncomfortable around her. Kurai brought out a long wrap as well as medicines for the scratches. Shishou set out to find a place for me to meet him tomorrow as Kurai helped me out of my cloak. The cuts reopened and Kurai gasped. I sighed; the cuts were addicted to reopening.
“That’s…interesting… your back is covered with blood except for two small bare patches.” That, Kurai, is where my wings go. Kurai rubbed the ointment on the swollen slices and enveloped me in the wrap, until I felt like a mummy. Kurai gave me a brown tunic. It covered most of where my cloak had, but it stopped at my thighs, where as my cloak stopped at my ankles. Oh well, I guess it could pose as a dress, though it wasn’t my style. “Keep it, it fits you, I out-grew it last year.” Kurai smiled and I really could not feel uncomfortable around her… unless Shishou was with us, then she turned into a horrible flirt.
I don’t know when I fell asleep, but I woke up groggily. “There’s a big tree outside of the town, wait there for me.” I tried standing and threw myself out the door. I breathed and looked up at the morning sun. Morning sun. I started to run as fast as I could before others woke up and saw me. Tan wings leapt out of my back and I rose into the sky, feeling my freedom beckon me. Hachi looked up at me groggily. I must have fallen asleep with her in my arms. Oh yeah, Shishou…