Book 2: Get Schooled; Part 1

Digi had gotten better at flying, and didn’t need to be glued to Fang’s side. Although, they did still stay close, just in case. He’d finally cut two long slits into the back of his gray jacket so he could keep it on while flying.

Max was up front, holding Total, because he was honestly too heavy for Angel to hold for a long period of time. She looked tired.

“Can you handle yourself?” Fang asked and once he nodded in agreement, he flew closer to her. “Max, you alright?”

“In what way?” She asked, turning towards him. “Can you be a little more specific?”

“Killing Ari. You’ve been really off and I wanna know if you're alright.”

She stared for a moment, before frowning. “I dunno. Everything has been a lot. And then, what Jeb said about me killing my brother… I know he was out to get us, but I can’t help but remember him as that little kid. How it was sorta my fault that he got eraserfyed.”

“It wasn’t your fault. We were kids, we didn’t know any better. It’s Jeb’s fault for abandoning his son. It’s the white coats fault for doing that to him. He hated us because he was a kid too, and he didn’t understand.” Fang said with a sureness.

“Thanks, I think I needed to hear that…It’s been eating at me. So is everything else…”

“Hey, we always figure something out.”

Max smiled at him, a brighter smile than the weak half hearted ones she’d been giving. “Can you take Total for a bit?”

“Sure thing.” Max carefully handed the little scottie over. Total wiggled in his hold but eventually settled, looking equally as pleased and comfortable. He then licked a long stripe up Fang’s cheek and although the change in his expression was minuscule, Max grinned at seeing his jaw tense.

Digi was simply enjoying the breeze, the wind in his wings, the sight of small little people and houses below.

He looked behind them and noticed a weird dark cloud. He could barely see that far, after all he didn’t have raptor vision like the rest. “Hey Fang! There’s something behind us! Can you see what it is?”

Fang frowned, turning around. “Hmm… Too fast for a storm cloud, too small and quiet for a chopper. Too lumpy to be birds. I got no clue. I give up.”

Max was on high alert in an instant. “It’s trouble. Angel! Get outta the way! Everyone else, we got company!”

“Flying monkeys?” Gazzy suggested.

Then Max’s eyes went wide, and she grimaced. “Worse, flying Erasers!”

“Erasers… version six point five.”

“Everyone split up! Nudge, Gazzy, nine o’clock. Angel, Digi, up top, move it! Iggy, Fang, flank me from below. And Fang, ditch the dog!”

“Noooo not Total!”

It was near pitch black, so Max had strategically maneuvered her flock so that the most at risk, Angel and Digi, were far from harm's way. While those more capable could hold their own.

Max lunged for the biggest one, she smashed into his chest, sending him back a few feet, but he came back at her with his claws slashing the air. She turned and a heavy paw hit her right in the face, making her drop a solid ten feet. This didn’t stop her as she quickly got back up, ready to fight.

Fang had Total in his backpack, and had clapped his hands over the Eraser’s furry ears. The wolf creature screamed and started going down. He maneuvered himself out of harm's way, and Max took his place, surprise attacking the next Eraser who came swinging.

Above her, Nudge was nimbly dodging an Eraser, learning that because they were so bulky and heavy, they could not fly nearly as fast or as carefully as they could. Eraser’s were meant to be bulky ground creatures, while the flock was literally built to fly. They had the home field advantage.

Digi and Angel were just fine on their own. Angel was commanding the wolf men with her mind to suddenly stop flying, while Digi was slashing away with his claws.

“You’re…nothing but a…stupid flying fridge… we’re …ballet dancers.” Fang said, clearly exhausted but refusing to back down.

Max felt a hard blow to her back and as she retaliated, she realized who she was attacking. “Ari?!” Shock, horror and guilt hit her at once. She knew what she heard. She knew what she saw. Ari laying there, limp, eyes empty, the sickening crack his neck had made.

Her shock allowed for the head Eraser to lunge for Fang, taking a swipe at him, shredding his poor jacket.

But he was the last one left, and he seemed to realize this. Two Erasers hit the water below, one thoroughly scratched up and the other completely motionless and confused.

“We’ll be back!” He shouted, before retreating.

“Man, you just can’t kill people like you used too.” Fang said, but there was something off.

Max began cataloguing everyone’s injuries. Mostly bruises, awkward flying.

Digi luckily had avoided major injury, just a few hits here and there. Fang was starting to slow down, and he was getting nervous. “Fang?” He asked, slowing to match his pace.

“I’m okay…” He said, sounding more and more breathless, his wings had begun to jerk and tilt.

It was then that Digi had noticed the dark substance that was coming from his side. Blood. “You’re bleeding! Did he swipe you? Max! Max, Fang’s bleeding, it's bad!” He called, and then Fang started to fall further. He strained, attempting to keep them both up.

Max quickly handed Total to Gazzy to hold, before diving down to help. “Is it his arm?”

“It’s not… my arm.” His eyes closed, and both of them yelped as he went completely limp.

“We’re going down! Digi, we’re gonna land and go from there.”

He nodded quickly, and they flew hard towards a narrow shore, landing awkwardly. Fang was still unconscious. “The blood is coming from his side. From when Ari swiped him.”

Iggy and the rest of the flock crowded around him. “Let me feel.”

Max unbuttoned Fangs shirt, and Nudge gasped. It was really bad. “Nudge, you, Gazzy, and Angel rip a shirt up or something to make strips for bandages!”

Nudge was staring in thinly veiled horror, unable to move.

“Nudge!”

“Yeah yeah, come on I got an extra shirt, and I got a knife…”

“This feels bad. Real bad.” Iggy said, feeling the cut with his sensitive hands. “Just how much blood has he lost?”

“Alot.”

Digi was desperately putting pressure on his wound, his hands getting soaked by blood. “Why didn’t you say something?”

Fang opened his eyes briefly. “Jus’ a lil scratch.”

“How?” Max cried out in frustration before going quiet. “Iggy, lift Fang’s feet. You guys got those strips ready?” Gazzy handed her a large bunch of strips, and she folded them into a pad. She and Digi desperately pressed it into his wound.

The sand was beginning to stain dark red from his blood, and Digi got a flash back from his dream. He was right, this was just like his last dream and now he was scared.

“Someone’s coming.” Angel said quickly.

Max looked up to see a man doing an early morning jog along the shore. He slowed down, and frowned. “Kids, are you okay?” He paused. “What are you doing out here so…” He trailed off, eyes wide, and then whipped out his cell phone and called the emergency line.