Chapter 26 Part two: The everlasting Battle

I knew it was the pride that I held for Nudge and the Gasman that led me to believe we were invincible. This war that Itex wanted, my flock was holding the trophy of life so far. As the duo came back, their faces red from the wind and the exploding attack; I sent them each a high-five for both of them. Nudge beams at me, sending thumbs up, her soft brown eyes were wild with adventure. I noticed that her fingers where slightly twitching that the adrenalines rush that was still pumping through her, and grinned. This was the life we lived for.

I glance at Mini, hoping for her to get the idea. If she wanted to live through the day, she would have to get down there and well, fight. To fight back and show them who's boss in this encounter. I knew that I had to fight up here with my flock, and although Mini was never given the ceremony to join the flock, Somehow, in the midst of this, I felt like if we could win this and still live, this would be her admission ticket that would get the approved check mark on it in green ink.

"I'll do an aerial attack and take out Omega," She says, her voice cool and neutral. She knew the words had to be said, and I sent her smile. Omega would be the hardest, but I knew she could hold her own for awhile. Just enough for her to put in damage before flight mode would be needed.

"I'll be down there to help you out if anything goes wrong," I reassured her with a nod of my head. She nods too, determination pouring through her eyes. And it was there that I realized how similar we truly were. The differences that were kept between us were there to distinguish our own personalities, morals, and beliefs.

When Fang came back, the slightest hint of a smile was barely traceable, despite how this situation wasn't a smiling one; we got ourselves the upper hand before Omega could start shouting orders.

"Max, from what I got from Nudge and Gazzy's assault, about a small percentage of their Eraser troops is dead." He reported. Ahh, do I love the sound of military slang. I nodded my head once, curtly, to signal the understanding of the condition we were now in.

Mini salutes us respectfully, with a smile on her face as she folds herself backwards, aiming downwards towards her goal spiraling in air in a graceful splendor before straightening out in a speedy descent. Speed directly towards the ground at a good angle that would determine the way her landing would turn out to be.

As we watched my twin head downwards Omega and his army stepped out of the forest, gathering around the tree line. By the time Mini was already half way down, Omega struck out his arm, and opened his mouth, and instantly his Eraser army took to the skies.

We watched the mass of dark brown Erasers take action as they jumped over one another as they extended their newly efficient wings as they took flight. I glanced at Fang, and his dark eyes narrowed.

"Eraser 2.9?" He asked his knuckles were turning white as he clenched them.

I nodded my head, as I watched the horde come closer as the altitude they were climbing was increasing dramatically. "Maybe 3.0," I offered. Fang turned his head to look at me.

"Max." He said in a soft voice that caught the wind. We were losing time.

"Yeah?" I raised my hand in the air, catching Nudge and Gazzy's attention. My extended hand clamped down into a fist. In the back, I could hear Gazzy holler, his voice rising into a war cry that he's practiced to many times to count.

"It'll be okay." Fang said, He positioned his body, flapping his wings as his body was parallel with ground below us.

"I know." I said, flapping my own wings to gain altitude. The Erasers were closer now; I could see their individual yellow teeth and fangs in their wolfish snouts. The scenery made me gag as I remembered the foul smell that their mouths held.

"We'll win today," Fang added, in the corner of my eyes, I could see his classic smirk.

With a quick nod of my head, I respond, "I know."

Behind his binoculars, Omega smiles, as if he already knows he already won, while he watches his thick army swarms the once blue skies. He could see the Flock, he watches them rise higher and higher into the sky, there is no escape. He knows that they won't back down now. It's too late.

Beside him, the human-Felix hybrid roars in satisfaction, signaling the beginning of the war. Through the binoculars he could see his first row of erasers already starting to attack Max and he group. With a smirk, he lowers his binoculars and signals the impatient Kaniera to battle.

He could see her golden hide race across the field before she jumps onto the back of a fellow soldier before he takes flight. It was beautiful. Music to his ears, he thought to himself proudly. The roars of the Erasers fill in the silent sound waves as they fought offensively.

From here, safe on the ground, he could see the pale bird kid throw an explosive that took out ten of his most decent soldiers. He watches his fallen soldiers decline to the earth, taking others with them, the unlucky ones who got in the way as they try to reach the high altitude to continue the battle.

Up here, in the sky, we had the advantage on this side of the fight. The first Eraser greets me with a snarl; snot is hanging out of his nostril as he nears me. He raises his beefy arm, as if to whap a fly, and swings in my direction.

Maybe it's been all the food I've been eating, but when I caught the Erasers arm and twisted agilely, I could feel the strength that I haven't felt before as I popped his arm out of his socket. With a satisfying pop, his eyes go wide as he screams out in pain he probably never felt before.

In the corner of my eye, I could see Fang kick an eraser solidly in the face before he spun into the next one. He grabs the other by the arm and swings him into his friend. The two both collapse, falling to the ground like the one I've been fighting.

I turn around to meet my new opponent who has already decided to slash away at the air as I dodge his tactics. Behind him I could see the flood of erasers as they swarm around us. The once blue sky is now filled darkness.

I elbow the Eraser in the ribs quickly, slam my knee into his gut, grab his bent head and shove him directly into the next eraser that was struggling to stay upright in the air.

Around me, to my horror, I watch the Erasers rise above me going towards Iggy and Angel. I shout out their names, only to receive a thumbs' up at Iggy who placed a bomb on an Erasers' chest. He rises in the air to fly in front of Angel whose eyes are closed in silent concentration.

As the bomb that Iggy placed on the Eraser detonates, the Erasers that are surrounding them suddenly collapse in the air. Their wings are fold in, their beefy hairy arms are forcefully clamped by their sides as they fall around us.

It was raining Erasers, literally. I almost let a smile claim my face as I noticed that the space around Iggy and Angel had been cleared. In the distance I could see Gazzy fighting strategically with three other beasts. He used the butt of a gun for his weapon, swinging it rapidly towards them, whacking one of them in the noggin. The second Eraser grabbed Gazzy's weapon, yanked it towards him, and the Eraser slammed his beefy balled fist into my soldiers nose.

Just before I cried out Gazzy's name in frustration, rapid shots of one of the guns opens fire above us. The bullets pierce the surrounding Erasers. Their howls of pain fill the air as we watch them fall towards the rushing ground.

I look above to see my sweet bubbly Nudge handling the massive gun, her brown eyes narrows in determination as she takes aim on the enemy once more. And as much as I want to disapprove of her use of the gun, I still smile knowing that she protected her brother.
_

The air is thick with Erasers as I try to make my way down to the ground where I feel safe the most. As much as my instincts want to stay airborne, I decline with trouble as the wolfy beasts snarl in my ears, their claws extended as they slash at the wind, threatening my life. The sound of guns releasing their bullets urges me to go faster with my decline.

I had to get to Todd. I had to reason with him. He was, is my friend. He worked on his own schedule, his own rules. And what hurt me the most, inside, was that he was on their side. He swore that he would always fight against them and not with. It broke my heart that he was choosing this path.

My thoughts are crowded with old memories of laughter and friendship. My heart wants the future with my new found family. But somewhere in between, they collide with one another as I finally see his tense face smile dangerously up at me. My stomach does a million back flips as my gaze takes him in.

From the sky, I can still see him as perfectly as I could if I were standing in front of him. Todd's eyes were no longer green from the past, but now, those orbs that once captivated me were now an icy blue that scared me. Brown hair was tousled on his head. I lower myself steadily from the sky, avoiding the last of the Erasers and their claws that were aimed at my own vitals.

With only a few feet of space between me and the ground, I let myself land with a much practiced crouch. One hand in front of me, the other arm outspread for balance, knees bent tightly. Either side of me, my wings fill the browning ground. Standing up gracefully, I look up at Todd with narrowed eyes and a clenched jaw. His smirk still placed on his face, even as I approach him steadily. The new enemy does not lower his gaze as I fill his vision.

"Todd," I say in a stained voice. Here I am, starting a conversation with the leader of this army while my family is fighting above us to stay alive.

"Minimum," His voice has changed; it's deeper than I remember. But he says my name as if we never spent the last five… six years together. Yet, he still knows how to get under my skin. I glare harder at him.

I find myself staring at his shoulders, waiting for his wings to spread viciously in return to my glare, but the movement doesn't occur. "Why?" I ask, trying to not sound desperate or pleading. But it's hard to stay angry when I'm feeling these complex emotions. I want to cry out in anguish. And I want to punch him. But instead I take a deep breath to clear out my head.

Todd begins to walk backwards into the forest, his eyes never leaving my face. "'Why' you ask?" He questions me with his smirk, "its simple Minimum. I'm stronger. You're weak. The School gets you and the other freaks. I get my freedom." He laughs now, a hard belly laugh that makes the blood in my veins freeze solid. I follow his footsteps into the forest. The trees hide the activity in the sky. I don't look over my shoulder when I hear Nudges' high pitch scream slash through the air. Biting my lip, I continue into the forest, listening to Todd's voice that drowns out everything else.

"Now, why would I want to give up this opportunity?" He asks me, after he finishes his story of why he left Becky and I. How the School caught him. How they changed him. How he got the offer to capture us and in return get a clean start in the real word. My heart is racing inside my chest as I begin to recognize the danger I put myself in. I could no longer cry out for help. It was just me and Todd. And out of the two of us, he was most defiantly the stronger one.

I didn't need to fight him to know that. Seeing the muscles underneath his dark shirt concluded everything that I needed to know. Todd most defiantly changed. He suddenly throws his head of brown hair back to laugh loudly. Something I've never seen him do before.

Todd snaps his head forwards and glares at me with those new icy blue eyes of his. "But you know what, Minimum? I don't think the School will miss one little bird," He says, walking towards me now.

I take a step backward, ignoring the urge to break into a sprint that will save my life. My fists unclench and clench repeatedly as I avoid Todd's impeding glares. I try to laugh off the feeling of nearing death but it comes out as a thick cough.

He nears me, his fist being pulled back for the first swing that I find easy to dodge with a back flip that leaves my head swirling. In a whirl of fists and blocks, the two of us are fighting. I'm fighting to stay alive. But he's fighting to end mine.

Somehow, he was able to get the upper hand, even as I send a kick to his spleen; he catches my foot before it was able to land the blow that I was sure it would have him double over. But instead, in his hands, he twisted my ankle, easily snapping it.

My eyes grow wide as I suppress a screech. But, it comes out eventually.

"You are not worth my time," He snarls, throwing my crippled foot to the ground. I collapse as well, grasping for air as my foot twitched with sudden shock. I knew I had to focus. With my ankle being newly broken, I would have to do a lot of defense tactics.

"Todd, if you must know," I say, as I scramble from the ground, taking in a hiss as my broken ankle is given a small amount of pressure. "You aren't worth my time either, actually." He didn't say anything in return. But, actions speak louder than words.

His fist had strongly impacted my stomach, making me double over, coughing. Todd then swiftly elbowed the back of my neck, sending me to the ground, face first.

His rough hands took hold of my wrists, binding them together with twine. I could feel his presence, as he pressed his lips to my ear. "You are truly weak. You know that, right?" He hissed. "How are you supposed to 'save the world' with your sister if you can't save yourself?" The taunt made me struggle in response. I grunted as his boot was pressed ruthlessly onto my back. I could feel my wings shudder as they unfolded reluctantly.

"Weak. Just like your lover."He sneers from above me.

"That's not true," I argue, rubbing my head in to the ground, as I try to get to my knees. But the pressure on my back from his boot keeps me still. His taunting continues along with the insults that breaks my heart more than anything. Todd, the old Todd was never like this. And that person, that human-avian no longer existed. The person above me was Omega. An enemy, a foe.

His cold laughter fills my ears. My foot is growing numb from the shattered ankle. But somehow, in the midst of it all, I was able to find a small amount of strength. It was enough to rip the twine away from my wrists. It was enough for me to get up, to force his foot off my back as he tries to slam me back down to the ground.

In the distance I can Iggy's battle cry, and it gives me hope in this fight, although, my fight was more like me being pushed to the ground, than anything else. But, I know I have to try harder than this. People are depending on me. My family depends on this. I depend on this.

If I can have Omega retreat, his army would flee with him, and that would be our victory, the only victory that I needed to live through this event.

My eyes quickly search for something that I could use to aid me for defense and an offense. Only a few feet from where I was pushed down at, was a thick branch that had fallen some time ago. I swallow the cotton ball that grew in my throat as I reached out for a fallen stick, keeping a careful eye on Omega as he paced back and forth in front of me, talking about his past and how today would reflect his future. Because, apparently, once today ended, I wouldn't have a future if I'm dead.

Apparently.

My fingers latched around the drying bark of the branch, a sense of relief came to my senses, as I used my new weapon to help myself to stand back up. A grunt escaped my lips as I had pressed my injured foot to the ground, while trying to balance myself out.

Eventually, to my surprise, I had fully gained a vertical position, with Omega being completely oblivious of my actions. When he ended his one-sided conversation, he snapped his head in my direction and snarled. I watched tediously as his lips curling back over his teeth in anger, much like an Eraser would.

I smiled at him, a victory smile. On one balanced foot, I held up my branch at arms length, poking Omega in the chest.

"As you can see, Omega," I began, my voice level with the seriousness of the situation I had put myself in. "I'm going to live once this is all over. Because I have a family that loves me."

Omega batted my branch away with the palm of his hand, "I don't think so." He stepped forward, and I took a step back, my victorious smile fading. "Once I kill you and your 'family', I get released from the school. I get the freedom that I deserve!" I watched his hand as it pulled out a pocket knife. He swiftly snapped it open in one smooth motion.

"I won't let that happen. I won't let my nightmares become my reality." I murmur, determined. Behind me, I could feel the trunk of the tree on the heel of my foot. Leverage. I kept my face in a blank expression, hiding the plan that I began to draw in my mind. I bent my knees, getting ready for Omega to make his move.

With the plan that I had in mind, the only thing that I knew thing that I knew I had to have, was speed. And a lot of it.

Omega, smiled his new smile that gave off the evil vibe. He snapped his wrist, letting the knife slice through the air as it was aimed at me.

I jumped into the air, performing a classic standing front tuck. With my knees pulled to my chest and my hands wrapped around my knees to prevent from falling apart in the air. I soon landed behind Omega, one foot solidly on the ground, and the other making contact to the side of my old friend.

I winced in pain, as my shattered ankle took in the impact of the kick that sent Omega stumbling over his own feet until he crashed into the ground, his hand clenching the spot where I had successfully kicked him.

Above the tree tops, a shadow falls on top of us. I look up, covering my eyes with my hand to avoid the suns' glare. Iggy's voice breaks the silence, "Let's go, Mini!" He shouts, with one hand outstretched towards me. I smile, Spread my wings and spring into the air.

And for once, I escape, the bad guy without him jumping at me and pulling me down with him. I reach Iggy, his hand laces with mine, as our wings work effortlessly against the wind as we make our way to the regrouping flock.

In all accounts, I was sure that we didn't do too badly. Nudge's nose was broken; Angel had a migraine as she was carried in Fangs' arms. Gazzy had a bullet wound in his arm and matching claw scratches that went across his chest that wasn't terribly severe.

"I really think we should land, and get you bandaged up, Gazzy," Max insisted, reaching for Nudges' backpack where she kept the first aid kit.

"No, Max! I'm fine, look, it's already healing," Gazzy persisted, as he fluttered away from Max's reach. I felt a smile stretch across my face, as I realize that my nightmares were just that… nightmares.

"So, Max? Where are we heading?" Nudge asks, carefully, as we follow Max's lead. Our leader, sister, takes to the front, her white and brown wings beating against the wind.

The girl with the browning hair looks over her shoulder, and shrugs. "I was thinking about taking a pit stop in northern Nebraska and Make our way east." She says, her voice stronger than the whipping wind.

The rest of the day went by as a blur as we mostly flew. When we did land in Nebraska, Iggy placed a splint on my ankle while Nudge bandaged my arm and then went over to Max and Gazzy where our leader was struggling with a ten year old child who was defiant about getting his wounds healed.

After we picked up our stuff and left the small dusty town, and before we took flight, Iggy had snuck in a kiss that was tediously placed on my cheek where it had been scraped by the knife the Omega had thrown at me. He takes hold of one of my hands, and squeezes before releasing me.

"Do you realize how worried I was today?" He asks me, just as the others take to the skies. Loose feathers rain down on us, and even though it's probably the most natural disgusting thing ever, all I could do, was wrap my arms around Iggy's pale neck.

"Enough to care?" I ask him, my lips brushing his earlobe that sends shivers down his spine. I beam at his reaction.

"Just barely." Iggy whispers back before he places one last kiss on my lips, before he spreads his sandy wings and takes flight.

Max POV

At the campsite, in a circle we sit around the fire quietly, watching the fire burn the wood. I finger my sore arm, wishing it would heal faster than it already is. The impatience was going to kill more than anything else. I clear out my throat, loud enough t grab the Flock's attention, which is just too easy. I smile warmly when I meet everybody's curious gaze. "I just wanted to let you guys know that I think we need to work on gaining some allies. And I think that our best bet is to start searching New York."

"Oh! Becky is in New York!" She claims with a hopeful smile. I can't hope but notice her fingers entwined with Iggy's. I send her a grin in response. In turn, her face lights up in hope of seeing her old friend.

Next to Iggy, Gazzy pumps his fist into the air excitedly. "I can't wait to meet Becky… or Night!" He cheers. His excitement soon ends as Fang places his calloused hand over his mouth, much like what we would do with Nudge.

I find myself frowning at Gazzy's outburst, but quickly shrug it off, as I realize that even though Night may be dangerous, she was also a priority to find, too, seeing as how she is Fang's cousin and all. And she does have a pair of wings, after all.

Yes, Max. Having allies is the best thing that you could possibly gain while you save the world. The Voice is back, along with a headache, but I push the frown into a smile anyways and enjoy the moment of bliss as Fang wraps his arms around me, as we listen to Gazzy's part of the fight.

I look around my flock, and smile. Tonight, we live like champions. Because tomorrow we will be warriors once again.

END.

Oh my goodness! I'm done! The story is finished.

And I'm pretty sure I bs'd half of it. XD

I'm terribly sorry for the long update, I can't remember when I last did. How bad. Well, this is the last chapter. I might consider doing an epilougue. Maybe.

Anyways. I just wanted to thank you guys for reading and reviewing. It means a lot.

So thank you.

Love, Serenity. Jones.