Max
Max chuckled as he grabbed her and pulled her to him. She treasured these moments, for as a birdkind, you don't know when your life will end. The next breath could be your last. She started to reminisce, to the time when their family was whole...as Max suggested they go hunting, she smiled slightly as she saw his cheeks go bright red.
"Are you sure you remember how?" she matched his smirk with one of her own. "Like I'd forget. Do YOU remember?" she taunted with a slight laugh in her tone. She slipped out of his embrace and took off running deep into the woods. She laughed as she ran, Malik chasing her and doing random little things. Pretending to be a monster, trying to push her into a stream. Classic friendship.
When Max thought there were deep enough into the woods, she slowed to a silent walk. She nodded to Malik. They walked together in friendly silence, eyeing the woods for game. She spotted several deer. She tapped Malik's hand twice, and he nodded. They spread out, Max took off silently, her wings creating only the slightest noise as they lifted her in the air. Malik quickly, but silently, stalked around the deer. The plan was for Max to sort of herd them towards Malik, so he could kill as many as he could, or as many as he thought they would eat. Flying up high to see Malik, he gave her the signal.
Max smiled. Descending into the woods, she hovered about 10 yards for the deer. As if they were one head, the entire herd started moving at once, but not in the direction she wanted them to. She flew along side them, making as much noise as possible, guiding them to where she wanted them to go. All but a few headed straight for Malik. The rest was up to him. Malik would probably only kill 2 or 3, what they could eat and carry with them was all he would take.
Max smiled widely. As she waited for Malik to finish, she allowed her mind to go back....back to the night she lost them.
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Max was 15, as was Malik. Angel was 7, Nudge 11, Gazman 9, and Iggy 14. They were all camping out in the woods, on the run from Erasers. This was the night of the attack....the attack that killed the majority of her family. Malik, Nudge, Gazzy, and Iggy were all sleeping around the fire. Angel was curled up next to Max, fast asleep as Max stood guard. Her baby, figuratively speaking. Although Angel was a brat at times, she was still a little girl. Absently running her hands through Angel's hair, Max let her mind wander. She was thinking about when the flock had first escaped that Institution. The lab where they had been 'born'. Angel was only 23 months, Max was 10. They had been helped by what was then the father figure of Max's life, Jeb. They were all staying in his big mansion, where he taught them how to survive. He taught them how to fight, how to clean animals when you kill them, how to salt meat so that you can take it with you on the run. Everything they know was taught to them by this one man. And then that man disappeared, only to be found working for the same institution. It was later found that Jeb was in fact Max's biological father, and her mother was a vet working in Virginia.
Max sighed, content with her life. She had a family. That was all that mattered, that they stay safe, and alive. It was then that they had attacked. She had never noticed them coming, it was because she was deep in thought. By the time she realized they were there, it was too late. She started screaming as they erupted from the bushes. The others woke instantly, and started fighting for their lives. There were too many. So many Erasers, so little of us. Nudge was the first to be killed. Max remembered the moment clearly, when an erasers claw erupted through her chest. The look on Nudges face would stick with Max for the rest of her life. Screaming with rage and grief, Max became very deadly. She must have taken down 10 erasers on her own before Gasman. Angels agonizing scream at the death of her blood brother was heard clearly over the clamor of the fight. Tears flowing freely, Max caught Malik's eye, and he nodded. He knew what she wanted him to do. He automatically started fighting his way to Angel, to keep her from getting killed. Iggy was next, it was a wonder he lasted this long, being blind. Blood squirted from the wound to his neck, as he stared lifelessly at the sky. There was no way they could have done an up and away, even when the fight began. Angel was wounded badly. Max and Malik managed to fight off the rest of the Erasers. As the last of them retreated, Max turned her full attention to healing Angel. It was too late. Angel, her baby, breathed her last in Max's arms. Max's scream was full of grief, anger, and pain. Agonizing pain. She had just lost her family. The family she had grown up with, so many memories, so many laughs. Gone. Gone in an instant. The worst part? It was all her fault. If only she had paid more attention like she was supposed to. She was supposed to keep them safe, and she failed.
Max was broken. For about an hour, she sat there cradling Angel's body in her arms, rocking back and forth. Murmuring that it was a dream that it wasn't real. She was in shock. Malik, who had taken off, needing to be alone, finally came back. He pulled Angel out of her arms, and hugged her firmly. A tear slipping down his already wet cheek. Laying Angel's body down gently, he gathered Max to him. They stood like that for what seemed like hours, Max sobbing into his chest, with Malik crying silently. After they pulled apart, they agreed it was best to bury them. They dug in silence, only having time for shallow graves. Max broke down once more, as they lowered each of the bodies into the graves. She was drowning in pain and sorrow. Max and Malik left the gravesite and flew. Flew until they couldn't anymore. Max, knowing he was suffering the same as she was, brought them down in a cave off a cliff. She embraced him. They comforted each other the best they could, but they both knew it wasn't enough.
They spent a week, mourning together. It was then that Max decided to split. She couldn't look at him, it reminded her of the life before the attack, when her heart was whole, her family was alive. She embraced him, knowing this would hurt him even more, but it had to be done. Malik certainly didn't agree, but didn't fight it either. That last embrace, that last touch would be all they had of each other for what would be 5 long years. Max never stopped loving him, no matter how hard she tried.....
_______
Max was jerked out of her flashback at the sound of branches snapping, fast. She jumped and climbed a tree to avoid the stampeding herd of deer heading her way. Tears were flowing freely down her face. The familiar pain, the grief was there. She didn't force it down as she normally did, but she welcomed it. This was the first time they had hunted since the attack. She sobbed until her chest hurt, careful not to let Malik hear, for he would certainly worry. She loved him so much that it hurt, and she still had a hole in her heart, one that would never be filled. Her family was dead. It was her fault. She could totally understand if Malik blamed her, for she blamed herself. She stayed like that, up in a tree for about an hour, letting Malik do all the work. She couldn't move, the grief was so strong.
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WarriorHeart
