Chapter 4: Through the Pipes of Hope

Chapter 4: Through the Pipes of Hope

The wind howled above the fortress walls as I soared over the black hills beyond its borders, her fragile body clutched in my talons. I could barely keep steady — the transformation had pushed my limits, and her weight, though light, felt like a mountain after everything we’d endured.

But I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t.

Her father’s last scream still echoed in my head. He hadn’t just bought us time — he’d bought us freedom with his life.

I didn’t cry.

There was no time.

I flew until my wings gave out, and then I shifted back mid-air, landing hard on the slope of a hidden forest hill. I rolled, shielding her, gasping for air as the stars above spun and blurred. The world was quiet here, far from the fortress, but the silence scared me. Because silence meant I had to face her condition.

She hadn’t woken up.

I laid her gently against the bark of an old tree, brushing dust from her face. Her skin was colder than I liked. Too cold. I didn’t know what those machines had done to her mind, but I could feel her pulse weakening — like a song fading on the last note.

“Stay with me,” I whispered, pressing her hand.

I built a small fire using my knowledge of survival tricks — no abilities now, just hands and desperation. I warmed her body. Fed her drops of water from melted frost. I held her through the night as her body trembled in its sleep, as if fighting something I couldn’t see.

And then…

She opened her eyes.

Not fully, just barely. But I saw it. A flicker. A spark. Like a candle refusing to go out.

“You found me,” she croaked.

I smiled. My throat burned. “Always.”

She tried to sit up, but I stopped her. “No, not yet. Just rest. We made it out.”

Her lips trembled. “My… dad?”

I didn’t answer.

I didn’t need to. Her eyes filled with tears, and she turned away. I let her cry, silent and broken. The forest held our grief like a secret. That night, neither of us slept. We just existed — two children, torn from innocence, clinging to a fire that flickered between death and hope.

By morning, she spoke again. “Where will we go?”

I looked into the trees, imagining the map I had memorized. “North. There’s a safe zone. Underground cities. People like us — the ones who escaped.”

She nodded.

I helped her walk. Slowly, step by step. Her body was weak, but her will had never been stronger. We traveled through narrow valleys and misty paths, never staying in one place too long. I hunted in animal form. I carried her when her legs gave out. Every day, she got a little stronger.

But I could feel them hunting us.

I could feel the fortress's eyes — the organization’s grip tightening again. We weren’t free.

Not yet.

But for now, we had the trees. We had the wind. And we had each other.

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