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Hawk spirit, I beg of you, give him another chance Please I need hiht it would choke her If falcons could cry, she’d have had teardrops rolling down her feathered cheeks I love him
Deep in her mind, she heard a shriek of fury No not fury Frustration The hawk’s As if a part of him wanted to relent
The falcon continued her plea to the stubborn bird They are meant for one another, these two shape-shifters They are ive hined for long ry e Faith from the hawk spirit fell away, to be replaced by a rush of love Hawke’s love It worked!
Faith? Hawke’s voice clear, deep, and beloved rang in her head
The falcon’s satisfaction fell through her ht behind you
You’re cured of the dark ic!
Yes The ritual worked for me this time
The hawk dipped and circled her and suddenly he was flying at her side How is this happening? I’ain!
In her mind, Faith s you another chance
She talked? Thank the goddess You have no idea how ain What do you think of it? Of flying?
She heard the joy in his tone, and the terrible pressure binding her chest eased I’ve been so focused on reaching you, I haven’t been paying lorious up here The others think their anie to shreds But if they could feel what it’s like up here, they’d rounded fate They have no idea what they’re
Little by little, the awful tension that had been riding her for so long slid away as she allowed herself tih her feathers, the sun warm on her back A smile bloolorious
She dipped, spiraling through the air, zoo down, then back up with a rush and a mental shriek of joy
You’re a natural, he told her It took me weeks of practice to be able to roll like that
The falcon’s doing all the work
She took over? His tone was suddenly sharp Unhappy
No It’s not like that I thought about flying free, and she executed it
Just like that
Yes
He didn’t reply
Isn’t that how it is with the hawk?
No The as thoughtful, but the silence that folloas too full, too complete Ahhh!
The sudden sound of Hawke’s pain filled her mind Fear ratcheted her bird’s pulse What’s theto rake out my brainwith his talons Goddess!
The falcon’s thoughts bloomed in Faith’s head The hawk tries to hold on to him as the connection between them splinters The hawk does not wish to lose this Feral - he is, as you said, a good man, by far the best of his line - but the Feral refuseshas always refusedto trust him, to become one with him The spirit trap hting that is destroying the bond
Their fighting?
Yes The hawk yanks away control, but the moment he returns it, the Feral wrenches it back Only by the Feral’s giving up control freely to the spirit, and joining with him completely, will they be able to heal this terrible rift and save your Feral’s life He one I fear another battle between theood
Faith’s heart stuttered Hawke?
I need to land, Smiley I need to shift I don’t trust this daain This way He dipped into a nosedive that was gorgeous to behold She followed, trusting the falcon, exhilarated by the drop that should be terrifying but was nothing but thrilling joy
Hawke landed first, on the top of a forested cliff not far froan to sparkle over hi as she did She turned to hiht He stared at her, his body tense, but his eyes overfloith relief, armth, with love
"You’re really cured," heherinto her hair, the other slipping around her waist, tangling in her oversized T-shirt as he tightened his hold on her
His lips left hers, trailing along her cheek, her cheekbone, her te in the world She kissed his chest where his shirt hung open Vaguely, she re it when he tried to dress her in the prison cell Pulling back, he fra down at her with eyes filled with tenderness
"I love you," she whispered
A sripped his waist "Hawke, your animal" They had to discuss the disconnect before it was too late
His finger pressed against her lips, silencing her "Shh I want to see" He lifted her arolden armband around her arm The head of the falcon was barely raised and wouldn’t cause her trouble beneath her shirts
His fingers slid over the surface "I never realized it would be so small, so fine It’s perfect for you" He looked up, a terrible tenderness in his eyes A sadness, as if he knew exactly how close he was to dying
"Hawke"
His knuckles brushed her cheek "Let me see you shift Then we’ll talk, I pro this time had made hiht he’d never do it again
Sing hard, she nodded and stepped back With a bare thought of what she wanted to do, she shifted in a rush of unbelievable pleasure and shot into the air with a silent cry of joy The trees flew past so quickly, she could barely see the branches, let alone the leaves, yet she sensed the around the tree trunks, filled with a breathless joy
She thought of standing in front of Hawke and, a second later, did just that, shifting as she landed
He stared at her, his mouth half-open
Her brows dren, suddenly worried "What’s the matter?"
"My father used to be able to do that" His voice sounded stunned "I thoughtI thought it had taken him centuries of practice"
"What did I do?"
He shook his head "You flew through the trees without hitting a thing Shifted as you landed, in the blink of an eye" Grasping her ar onder "How did you do that?"
She shrugged "I thought about flying through the trees and returning to you, and that’s what I did"