“Thank you.” I muttered
“You’re welcome. See? Wasn’t that much easier?”
I sighed, “Come on.”
Turning on my heel I prepared to walk back to the manor.
“I’ll see you later tonight.” Jack called after me.
I turned, “You’re not coming?”
“Things to do.” He shrugged, stepping backwards, towards the heart of the city.
I shrugged back and waved before walking away from Jack.
On my way home (it was strange that I now thought of the manor as my home) I marched across the grounds, heading for the stables, and what the night would hold upon my mind. When I was within a hundred meters a fiery haired girl came bolting through its doors and pelted towards me. I faltered mid-step. Why was Camryn running so fast towards me? Her hair whipped out behind her as she ran at full speed.
“Avalon!” She huffed as she came to a halt in front of me.
“What, you couldn’t wait two minutes for me to walk to the stables?” I raised an eyebrow as she doubled over, panting.
“You’ve got to come and see. Quick.” She said straightening up. Something about her expression made me worry.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Hawthorne.” She said in a strained voice.
My face dropped. Hawthorne. I needed no more motivation than that simple word. Before I had realised it, I was sprinting to the stables, barely aware of my legs protesting as I dashed to its doors. I hadn’t gotten a chance to see Hawthorne for three days; I had been too busy and tired. Was he ill? Missing? Hurt? Discovered? I was vaguely aware of Camryn struggling to keep up with me. I don’t think I had ever run so fast in my entire life.
I barrelled through the stable doors and skidded to a halt looking around feverishly.
“Hawthorne?” I said looking around. His stall was currently taken up by a large white Pegasus. My eyes scanned the scene. Where was he? He was gone.
Camryn caught up with me, panting and holding a stitch in her side.
“I went looking for you earlier, but Jack said you went into the city so I had to wait for you to get back.” She sighed, “Hawthorne’s been whining after you for a day. He was getting quite scary by the end.”
What was she talking about? Hawthorne clearly wasn’t here. I let myself scan the site more carefully now. My eyes fell back to the large white animal currently occupying Hawthorne’s stall. I could see it properly now that I wasn’t panicking. What I saw made my knees tremble and threaten to buckle.
“No!”
There he was, the size of a horse. He was bigger than I could ever have imagined. He would have been quite terrifying if it weren’t for the fact that he had a childish gleam of excitement in his shocking blue eyes.
I approached him slowly, carefully pacing my steps. Hawthorne whined impatiently. I stood in front of his stall now, his eyes level with mine. My hands shook as I reached out and gently stroked his soft, furry face.
“How have you grown so big, Hawthorne?” I whispered.
He simply answered by giving my face a big, sloppy lick from chin to hair-line. I wiped away the saliva with the sleeve of my uniform then smacked him playfully on the chest. I opened the stall door to get a better look at his body. His legs were long and muscular looking, and his paws had long sharp claws.
I sighed, “What are we going to do with you now? If anyone peeks in they’ll see you for sure!”
I put my face in my hands and groaned. Camryn came and stood next to me and gently patted my shoulder.
“Avalon, maybe we should think about letting him go.” She said softly.
I felt as though my heart would be wrenched from my chest at the very thought of losing Hawthorne, “No, no, no.” I moaned. I didn’t want him to leave.
Hawthorne worried that I was upset and put his chin on my shoulder. I buckled under the sudden weight.
Steadying myself and biting my lip I looked between the two, “There has to be an alternative.” I begged.
Camryn looked at me sadly then pointed at Hawthorne, “Look at his wings, Ava.”
I peered around Hawthorne’s large form to see his little wings. What I found was a bit of a shock, though I thought by now I should be used to surprises. His wings were large and feathery, neatly folded against his sides and blending beautifully against his coat. They looked quite strong.
“I’m sure he can learn to fly now.” Camryn whispered, “We can set him free and he can fly away from Frost Arch and go somewhere safer. It’s only a matter of time before someone see’s him here.”
I wrapped my arms around Hawthorne’s thick neck and hugged him. It was strange to hug a creature so large and fluffy. He felt a bit like a friendly bear. I buried my face in his fur and sulked.
As usual Hawthorne was always aware of what was going on, as though he could understand every word we said. What did he want? What was really best for him? I didn’t know. I wish I could ask him.