The sound of ruffling feathers woke me from my slumber, despite the protests of my sore body. I tried to ignore the disruption, wanting to rest a little while longer. The warm pillow beneath me made that desire all the more enticing as I ran my fingertips across it, mindlessly drawing random lines until I drifted away again...but, then it moved underneath me.

Immediately, I froze, mentally working to remember the last thing that happened to me, but my memory was hazy. I recalled leaving Camp Exodus, and I knew we were chased through the forest by the forsaken ones. I definitely remembered falling into that raging river—it wasn't something I could easily forget, but after that, everything became a blur.

Flattening my hand until my palm pressed into what I was laying on, I slid it down a few inches before I was stopped by a firm grasp around my wrist. Jolting my eyes open, my stomach turned at the sight of those deep blue eyes and that chiseled face just centimeters away from mine.

"Good morning," Avery said, his voice rougher due to sleep, I assumed. "But, I think it best you stop exploring, don't you?"

Furrowing my brows in confusion, I followed the lead of his gaze, trailing it down his disturbingly bare chest until landing on my hand that hovered just below his navel. Remembering that the only thing that stopped me from going further was his hand that still locked mine firm in place, I felt like a flame had been pressed against my cheeks. But, when I processed a few more details, the embarrassment faded.

"What the hell!?" Shoving my free hand against his chest, I tried to push back, but his other arm was already fastened across the small of my back, as if it had already been there, keeping me in place. "Why are you naked?! And let go of me!"

Without a fight, he released me and I rolled over onto the freezing cold cave floor. Immediately, I felt chills run up my exposed body, stripping me of the heat I didn't even realize was comforting me.

"I said this yesterday," Avery sighed as he stood up in nothing but a pair of undershorts. "But I'll say it again. You were going to freeze to death if I didn't do something, so I did."

At his blunt statement, flashes of what happened the day before came flooded my mind, clearing up some of the haze that once was there. I could hear him explaining how he drew heat from his shadoe, and slowly the rest of the holes were filled in—the ones I was conscious for, that is.

"Right. I remember now," I admitted, beginning to look around the small compact cave. I was preparing to ask about my clothes when my eyes landed on her. "Oak?"

Leaning onto my knees, I smiled at the sight of her covered by her wings, mimicking a blanket as she slept. I didn't know why she was here, after what General Yates had said, but the last thing I'd do was complain about Oak's presence—not after the day I had.

Reaching out, I gently ran my knuckle from the top of her head to the nape of her neck, feeling a warmth in my heart despite the climate lowering my body temperature as the seconds passed. There were so many memories of us sleeping in caves throughout the years that a wave of nostalgia washed over me, even though we'd just done this a week ago.

Somehow, in that little space of time, I knew a shift had taken place and our lives would never again be like they once were.

"She showed up not long after you passed out," Avery commented, reminding me that it wasn't just Oak and I. "Nearly clawed my eyes out when she saw us."

Unexpectedly, a short laugh left my throat as I asked, "What stopped her?"

When my question was answered by a hesitant pause, I looked over my shoulder at Avery, watching just as he finished pulling his shirt over his head.

"Well?" I pressed, standing to my feet and crossing my arms. At the same time, I could sense Oak waking up, and a few seconds later, she was purring against my leg, causing a friction that melted away the chills in that area.

"Perhaps we should continue this delightful morning interrogation after you're dressed," Avery suggested, dodging my inquiry while pointing toward a corner of the cave.

Seeing my clothes laid out there on floor, I walked over to them, fighting the urge to groan every time soreness flared in my joints and muscles. Instead, I focused on layering up as quickly as possible and regaining some of the heat I lost when I woke up.

After getting my thick, long-sleeved shirt on, I bent over to put my snowpants on, pulling the ice-coated clothing over my left ankle before beginning to repeat the process to my right.

I only stopped when I felt Oak reaching out to establish a tether. Confused, I finished the connection, catching sight of what she saw. I could feel the amusement pulsing through her veins, but I was not so humored.

"Keep staring at my ass and I'll gouge your eyes out in your sleep," I threatened without even turning to face the culprit—I didn't need to. I could see through Oak's eyes.

Avery's head quickly turned away, facing the cave entrance while I hastened to finished adding the last layers of my clothing. No longer tethered, I shook my head when I looked at Oak, causing her to let out a high-pitched squawk, comparable to a guffaw.

Men.

My mental comment only made her laugh more.

"Are you decent?" Avery asked, clearing his throat.

"If I say 'no', are you going to turn around anyway?"

In response, he let out a tired sigh and faced me with a stoic expression.

"Camp Genesis is about a six day journey away, and we're one behind. I'll give you time to say goodbye to your shadoe, but don't take too long. Like I said, we're already a day behind." After that, he added, "I'll be waiting outside with Beau."

Shifting his gaze from me, to Oak, he left, pushing through the many evergreen branches that shielded the cave from discovery. When I couldn't hear his footsteps anymore, I let my shoulders slump in dismay, lowering my eyes to the uneven, stony ground.

I hate goodbyes.

The only person I'd gotten use to saying goodbye to was my mother, Vivian. But, everyday I would come back to her. It was never a permanent thing...until the day she died. Soon after the plague took her, I fell ill. When I came back to life, I kept to myself, not wanting to let anyone in—that way, no one could leave.

With Oak, it was different.

At least, up until now it was.

Fluttering over and landing right in front of me, she tilted her head to the side, peering at me with those big coal eyes of hers. She understood this part of me, which was why she never complained about our isolated lifestyle. But, now I saw how handicapped I had rendered us. Without the other, we were truly alone.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, crouching down in front of her. Cupping her face, I sighed, "But, we'll still have the tether. Just reach out to me whenever you're feeling lonely. Okay?"

Leaning into my touch, she nodded her head in agreement. I could feel her wanting me to do the same, if I ever missed her.

"That would be all the time, Oak," I said sincerely, resting my forehead against her. I knew this time was different than the one before. This time, wouldn't be reunited for a long while, and she knew it, too. "Every second of every day."

Letting out a sharp whimper, she flew out of my grip, rushing through the trees and out of sight before either of us could shed a tear.

Goodbye.

Standing to my feet, I let out a shaky breath, rubbing my gloved hands against my pants before stepping out of the cave, hiding my emotions behind an empty expression.

Following the only human footprints in the snow, it didn't take long before I spotted Avery. His back was to me, and it looked like he was talking to Beau. I couldn't help the envy that sparked in my soul, seeing him with his shadoe while mine was moving farther and farther away from me. If I hadn't listened to Oak when we first got to Camp Exodus, we'd still be together and I wouldn't be stuck with this infuriating blonde.

"I'm here," I announced blandly.

Turning to face me, Avery crossed his arms over his chest, his thick brows furrowing as he looked at me.

One second.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds passed, and still he stared.

"What? Never seen a woman before?" I muttered, rolling my eyes when my comment had no affect on him.

Scoffing, I walked past him, noticing the way his bear knelt to the ground, as if he was inviting me to hop on. Eyeing him doubtfully, I wondered if this was a trick. Last I remembered, he strongly disliked me.

"He'll be kind," Avery spoke from behind me. "With your forced separation from Oak, I've demanded he act with compassion, seeing that this must be dificult for you."

Abruptly turning my head in Avery's direction, I said coldly, "Oak's gone, not dead, and while that may deeply upset me, I'm not some fragile lynk that needs your pity, nor that of your shadoe, for that matter. What I need is for you and your general to fix the mess you've gotten me into so I can go back to my old life—one that didn't entail being hunted by forsaken ones."

Not a single muscle on his face flinched while I spoke. I would have thought he tuned me out, if it hadn't been for his response.

"Returning to your old life and hiding from the war will not save you from it, Sparrow," he shrugged. "It just leaves your fate in the hands of others. You may think it doesn't, but it does." Letting his gaze drift to something in the distance, he spoke somberly, "Believe me, I would know."

Not sure what to make of the faraway look in Avery's eyes, I glanced over at Beau, wondering if he could give me an answer. I doubted he would, even if it were possible, but I still looked.

"Alright, let's go."

As if the last few seconds hadn't happened, Avery brushed past me, effortlessly mounting his shadoe. Looking down at me, expectantly, he nodded his head, gesturing for me to get on as well. I was certain it wouldn't be as easy as he made it appear, but still, I tried to replicate exactly what he did.

Gripping the polar bear by its fur from the highest point I could manage, I lifted myself only a few inches above the ground before dropping back down pathetically. Biting my lip in frustration, I tried again, but my arms were too sore and my gloves made it extremely difficult to hold on.

"Okay, we'll work on that later," Avery said, cutting off my third attempt by pulling me up the rest of the way and plopping me down behind him. "At your pace, it'd be nightfall and we'd still be here."

Shaking my head in irritation, I situated myself until I was comfortable on Beau, pressing my legs into both sides of him until I felt secure and balanced. Then, without warning, the bear took off, charging through the forest at a speed I'd never gone before. I had experienced it only when tethered to Oak, but never had I been in my own body and felt the wind blowing through my hair like this.

It was liberating, in ways I hated to admit.

Judging by the height of the sun in the sky, we'd been traveling for almost four hours—walking when Beau needed to rest, and letting him carry us when he regained his energy.

"We should be nearing a village soon," Avery spoke loudly, making sure his voice could be heard over the loud wind. "We'll stop there to eat and gather supplies. Then, it's back on the road."

Not bothering to reply, since it wasn't necessary, I shifted my hold on Beau's fur, thinking he could use a break from me constantly tugging on the same spot. If I was going to be stuck with his lynk, I figured it best I not give him a valid reason to attack me.

Twenty minutes later, Avery announced that the dark blobs in the distance were actually cottages, and that we were almost there. It wasn't until we got much closer that I noticed an eerily familiar, lanky figure waiting by the village gate.

His porcelain skin was still as ghostly as ever, and his hair was the same fiery red that it was when I first met him. Seeing him here was not something I expected, and was among the last things I'd ever want to become a reality.

"Avery," he said, nodding his head in what looked to be a sign of respect. Avery returned the gesture, which lead the man to look at me, and once he did, that unsettling smirk formed on his pasty pink lips. "Sparrow."

"Cullen," I replied, squinting my eyes in distrust at the spindly man.

"You know each other?" Avery asked.

"Not well, unfortunately," he answered, and despite the heat of Avery's burning stare, I kept my gaze glued on Cullen. "But, maybe now is our chance to change that. What do you think, dame?"

"It's not likely," I said sourly.

"I assume you're here under General Yates' orders," Avery spoke up, his tone serious and assignment-focused.

Still wearing his smirk, Cullen answered, "As usual, you are correct, Avery. When Heath returned with what was left of his men, he reported the direction he last saw you heading. Yates' had a feeling you'd stay low until the forsaken had passed, so he sent Montgomery and I here to meet you."

I wasn't sure who Montgomery was, but the other name he mentioned, I knew, and wave of relief passed through me at the news that Heath was alive. I did not easily warm up to people, but he had saved my life twice in one week. For that, I would forever be grateful.

"Certainly, you weren't sent just for a friendly chat," Avery commented, causing Cullen to laugh.

"I'm afraid not," he said, his countenance suddenly sobering. "Come. We'll discuss this more at the inn."

Listening without hesitation, Avery dismounted Beau and began following Cullen. Sliding off the bear myself, I did the same, but kept a greater distance between me and the suspicious ginger. Something about him unnerved me. I could tell he was cunning, and the way he moved gave me the impression that he was sly, sneaky, and untrustworthy, yet Avery seemed to trust him. However, that did not mean I had to.

"Where's Beau?" I asked Avery in a hush voice when I realized his shadoe was not behind us.

"I sent him to check the perimeter," he explained, gazing down at me as I cautiously scanned my surroundings, thinking of all the reasons I should make a run for it.

I almost drowned, was chased by forsaken ones, had a shadoe that was no longer by my side, and now had to follow a man I did not trust into a village I hadn't known existed until today. It was a miracle I hadn't broken down yet, but I was sure that if I had one moment of complete solitude, I would.

"Relax, Sparrow," Avery whispered so just I could hear. "We may not get along, but your safety is my only priority. Understood?"

What I did next came as a complete surprise to me. I hadn't planned it, and certainly did not mean to, but my subconscious overruled my logic. Without thinking, I actually did it.

I believed him.

And, making things worse was, I let him know I did by saying one simple word.

"Understood."

♠     ♠     ♠     ♠     ♠     ♠     ♠     ♠     ♠
Author's Note:

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Eeeeeeeeeek!

I don't know why, but I loved this chapter so much! Ahhh😭 it just made me kick me feet and squeal even though nothing crazy actually happened. To be honest, it was probably the most chill chapter since the prologue, and yet I'm fangirling over it.

"Understood?"

"Understood."

😣 When I was proof-reading this update, I couldn't help but think of The Fault In Our Stars and then it hit me right in the feels! (Sidenote: That book was bae and when I read it I cried soooo much that years later, when the movie came out, I refused to watch it, and still do, because I know that if I actually see Agustus die, I'll die.)

Okay, so, enough of all that craziness above. This update, I wanted to ask a question about you guys. Soooo...

What's your favorite movie and why?

Mine is "Burlesque" because Xtina has a bomb voice, and Cam Gigandet was such a sweatheart in it. Plus, Dr. McSteamy is in it, so I catch some Grey's Anatomy nostalgia all in one go. And last but not least, Stanley Tucci has been a fave since I saw Maid in Manhattan when I was but a little bean.

-Mac