As Arnoh was nearly 8 years elder to them, he had developed full powers but was yet to discover his limits. He held Eyvah tighter and went into warp speeds for the next 15 minutes and finally halted when the sky turned crimson. The sun would be up in no time and he had to make it back home racing against the sun this time.
He came close to the forest edge of a small town and made a soft landing. She had fallen asleep in his arms. He was amused at how she could do that while he was trying to save their lives. Still wrapped in the blanket, he laid her down gently on a mound of hay. It was a small clearing and what looked like a farm. A strip of forest separated this land from the town ahead.
He recorded a message for her on one of his feathers and gently pinned it into her hair. He stood there for a good 5 more minutes wondering if fate would bring them together again. He had waited patiently for her to become an adult so that he could ask her to be his lady. So close, just one more birthday left. But he knew tonight had not been just another night. He knew he may never see her again.
He soaked in the sight of her sleeping peacefully, thinking she is still wrapped in the safety of his strong embrace. He sighed and felt his heart get heavy as he slowly walked away from her. He took off gently and did a short recce of the town before turning around and heading back home. He now needed to make sure his family had survived.
The town seemed harmless and quite small to have any big trouble going on. He hoped that someone would come to her rescue and a tear escaped his eyes down his chiselled face at the thought of anything otherwise. He wondered if this is what love is, that Mum and Dad always spoke of.
As he flew past her, she looked like she was wrapped in a silken cocoon, still peacefully asleep, oblivious to what lay ahead of her. She grew tinier as he flew away and finally could no longer see her as the forest crowns took over the scenery.
It was the suffocating heat that woke her up eventually. The blanket was too thick for the 12 pm Sun. She felt like her hands were bound to her body. He had wrapped her tightly inside the blanket. She squinted as she opened her eyes with the sun staring back at her. She tried to look around and spot Arnoh. But he was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he had gone to fetch water or food. Or he was tired and resting close by too. She decided to wait it out. He couldn’t have gone too far.
A couple of hours passed and she could no longer take the stuffiness inside the blanket. She eventually rolled side to side till she rolled off the haystack and fell to the ground, unravelling the blanket in the process. As she stood up and made a futile attempt to dust off the hay sticking to her sweaty body, she heard a whistle.
Her senses were now on full alert and quickly wriggled back behind the haystack to hide. The long sharp whistling continued in a certain pattern. The sound grew closer and soon the leaves near the edge of the farm rustled. What happened next took her breath away!
She had never seen anything like this in her life. Her heart was racing. She had to bite her knuckles to calm herself down. Could these be? She dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. No, it is impossible. They are only a myth. It cannot be real. As her eyes widened with fear and excitement, she felt a soft tap on her shoulder and she froze in complete fear!