“You don’t count.” Jack laughed.
I glared at them furiously, “You will pay for this!”
Jack simply laughed harder and waved to me. Camryn looked as nervous as I felt.
I felt Hawthorne’s powerful body crouch low, ready to spring, and I gripped his fur in my fists, ready to hang on for dear life.
My mind seemed to go completely blank in those last seconds. Hawthorne’s wings moved up and down forcefully, the effort rippling through his entire body. I saw the world in slow motion at that moment. One second I was glaring at Jack furiously, the next I was staring ahead, my eyes focused and determined, willing Hawthorne to succeed. Who cares if I was thrown off? It didn’t matter.
Hawthorne crouched lower, preparing himself, and a split second later he had leaped into the air with all his might. I gasped as the wind whipped past my face and I wanted to close my eyes but it felt as though they were glued open. His wings beat impressively again and again as we rose higher and higher effortlessly. I clung on for dear life, my mouth propped open in a silent scream for I seemed to have left my voice back on the ground with my brain. From somewhere below I heard Jack give a whoop of joy, but he fell silent quickly in case anyone heard, and I suspected that Camryn may have hit him. Higher and higher we rose, shooting straight up into the night. I felt myself slip slightly down Hawthorne’s spine, and I gripped his fur tighter in my fists and clung to his body with my knees. The air was ice cold but I wasn’t paying attention to that at the moment. Finally with a great sweeping movement Hawthorne spread his wings and let us glide over the treetops. Everything was quiet now, and I could loosen my grip and stare at our surroundings.
We were at least fifty meters in the air, soaring over the forest peacefully, his wings barely moving now as we glided through the night.
I couldn’t help but have a grin plastered to my face. I was freezing but that didn’t even matter right now. I was flying with Hawthorne. I felt as though we were one. One pounding heart, one reeling mind overcome with excitement. I let out a yelp of laughter and let go of my grip on Hawthorne all together, raising my arms as though I were using them to glide also.
I saw Hawthorne glance back at me nervously as he felt my hands release their vice like grasp I had held on him in my fear. Fear. It was a foolish thing to feel at this moment. There was nothing else in the world apart from us, and this wonderful feeling.
My laughter was ecstatic and Hawthorne let out a yelp of excitement as he realised that I was no longer scared. We swooped around the forest in record time and headed back to the dots in the distance which was Jack and Camryn.
After I was hanging on tightly again Hawthorne descended towards them, and with a great lurch, and beating of wings we landed rather smoothly. I couldn’t seem to move for all my joints had become stuck.
Jack and Camryn hurried over, their faces excited.
“That was brilliant!” Jack said animatedly, helping me down from Hawthorne. I staggered slightly when my feet touched the ground.
“Yeah.” I breathed, “That was something else.”
Camryn chuckled and flattened my knotted, fly-away hair but I only had eyes for Hawthorne.
“That was amazing.” I said stepping up to his face and stroking him affectionately.
Hawthorne licked me from chin to hair line and I laughed, wiping my face with my sleeve.
“I’m sorry that you can’t seem to fly without me though,” I said softly, “I wish you could.”
Hawthorne gave me a disapproving look that quite clearly stated that he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter twelve
A Traumatic Consequence
By the time dawn came I was still wide awake and felt well enough to go about the manor and continue my daily jobs. Jack had got minimal sleep during the night because he had stayed in my room looking after me, and then continued on to the flying lesson. I felt bad that I had disrupted his sleeping pattern, but he waved it aside and assure me he was fine. We trundled back to the manor through the freezing snow just as the sun was beginning to peek over the mountains in the distance. We had sat up in the stables all night, talking and recollecting the night’s events, lavishing Hawthorne with much praise, which he seemed to love. Camryn had talked a lot, as usual, while Jack and I simply listened; often throwing amused glances towards each other whenever she stopped for breath.
Jack and I parted ways once we were inside the manor. I went to my room to change into my newly mended uniform and then headed to the first rooms with fireplaces.