Page 91 of In Between Darkness
“I mean, can you hear what he is thinking as well?” I ask. What I would give to know if he thinks about me the way I think about him.
‘I have the power to get through to him when I please, but not in keeping with his thoughts,’she explains, and I unknowingly sigh. I just wish I knew what he was thinking.
The valleys look bare, there are a few familiar faces spaced out around the field, each performing bonding rituals with the elions they feel they have the strongest connection with. I automatically missed this part of training when Craize claimed me within the first thirty seconds of knowing me. Nala is a short distance away, her hand cradles a blue bucket filled to the brim with foxes’ feet. She holds out one for Kareem, who is standing a few metres away from her. His hair is thick and long, shifting from white to silver in the wind as he tenderly strides closer towards her. There is a relaxed motion in his gait and a sparkle in his eye. His steps are large but gentle as he saunters over to her and softly plucks the bone from her grasp, nuzzling his nose into her hand. Mr Knight says that bonding rituals are a very important part of connecting with your chosen elion, mainly by providing a chance for your elion to see that you are not a threat and that you can provide them with the things that they like. Kind of like having a pet and feeding it treats to show that you care.
Kareem gets closer and stretches out his wings, shuffling each one of his feathers into place. He nibbles another fox leg out of Nala’s hand and swallows it almost immediately as it enters his huge jaws. With his forehead, he pushes the bucket out of Nala’s clutch, causing each remaining fox leg to splay out over the tall grass. Kareem doesn’t wait a beat before he devours each limb from the grass’s green grip and replaces them with the spat-out bones. I hear Nala chuckle at his cheeky nature and watch as Kareem rolls happily in the grass like a dog panting in the summer heat. He stops and bows his head down to her level. I hear a few clicks escape his mouth, and Nala raises her eyebrows in surprise. His legs are stretched out as he ducks low into the grass, each blade tickling the soft underside of his belly. She works her way around his large frame and slowly shifts her weight onto him, just as Mr Knight taught us. Her hands griphis fur as she pulls herself up onto his back. He waits patiently for her to adjust herself into position before stretching out his wings and taking flight. Nala holds on tight as he fights gravity and soars high into the clouds. I smile widely, knowing Nala is smiling too. I can’t help but stare into the sky, hoping to blink through the grey of the clouds and watch them soar.
The patter of Craize’s footsteps brings me back down to earth.
“Would you like to ride with them, young one?”he asks as he digs his claws into the soil and stretches long.
“More than anything!” I reply with excitement, climbing up his lowered wing like a ramp. The dip in his back is still warm from the heat of my buttocks, and I cosy up in between his bones.
Pretty soon, we are in the air, high above the clouds, searching for Kareem and Nala. I know that things aren’t great between Nala and me, but I am hoping the adrenaline will numb her annoyance towards me. Craize must have some kind of tracking beacon with his pack because he doesn’t even question where to go. And just like that, materialising out of a silky cloud, Nala soars between Kareem’s shoulder blades with a smile so big it could be seen from space. Craize increases his pace towards them and, as we meet, the two snowy beasts circle each other and nuzzle their faces against one another as a sign of affection. Nala and I laugh as they hover side by side, her hair dancing to the beat of the wind that drums against her face.
“Can you believe it, Asha?” Her eyes twinkle as she looks at me.
“I know, it’s pretty amazing.” I nod at her, knowing exactly the thrill she feels in this moment.
“I’ve never felt more alive in my life!” she exclaims as Kareem glides her effortlessly around us. I laugh at her inability tocontain her excitement. I know she is probably still mad at me, but right now she is too liberated to care, and I am going to take pure advantage of it.
“You were made for Kareem,” I state, fuelling her ego a little more.
It’s true, she looks radiant, like she is a part of him. She guides Kareem’s fur so that he is hovering, and I am face-to-face with her.
“Wanna race?” She tempts me with a mischievous smile, but a pull in my stomach tells me that is not a good idea. I shrug my shoulders, and she whines in response.
“Oh, come on, Asha. This is the first time we can have real fun in months,” she pleads, and I ask Craize for his take on the idea in my mind.
“If Kareem is okay with it, then race we shall,”he says, which soothes any doubts I had.
“Are you sure Kareem is okay with doing this?” I ask just to make sure, but I know she wouldn’t suggest it if he weren’t. She nods her head, and a smile spreads across my face. “He has been shit-talking you since I suggested it.”
She laughs, which makes me raise an eyebrow, feigning hurt.
“Oh, it’s on!” I shout before leaning into Craize’s fur in an attempt at making myself more aerodynamic.
I begin the countdown. “Ready… Set-”
“Go!” She cuts me off and zooms past Craize and me, getting a head start.
“That’s cheating!” I call out, but she is already too far away to hear me. Craize huffs and soars at record speed to try to catch up with them, but she and Kareem have taken full advantage of the head start and are miles ahead of us.
We fly beyond the twisted pine trees, past Moon Castle and over to the far side of the valleys; somewhere Craize and I haveyet to venture. The wind bites harshly as the temperature drops and thick grey clouds loom in the distance. A storm is coming. The valleys are icier over here, and the mountain points look treacherous, filled with jagged rock. I swallow back a gulp at the thought of my surroundings.
“Why would Kareem fly Nala over here?” I ask as a shiver rocks my jaw.
“Kareem grew up here,”Craize explains.“He is showing her his home.”
“Really, where did you grow up?” I ponder as frost forms in my hair.
“Further than the furthest valley.”He swoops three hundred and sixty degrees, showing me the view of the neighbouring valleys.“One day I will show you.”
“I’d like that!” I smile and pet between his shoulder blades, causing a purr to rumble out of his chest. He swoops back around and flies up over a large mountain. I watch as a baby goat stumbles up the cliff to get to its mother, its knees knobbly and frail. It stares back at me as we ascend and cowers under its mother’s legs at the sight of Craize. At the mountain’s icy peak, Craize’s ear perks up a little and his body tenses. He changes direction suddenly, almost propelling me from his shoulders and into the cliff’s jagged edge.
“Hold on!”Craize instructs in a serious tone.“Your friend is in trouble.”
I grip on tighter, bunching his coarse fur in between my palms. My complexion whitens, and my stomach drops thinking about Nala in trouble.
