But more importantly, it spoke volumes about his choice to trust me. He must've thought he was walking into a killer's trap.
Poor Meeko. I wished there was more I could do...
Our conversation lulled into comfortable silence. At least, I thought it was comfortable. I didn't know what going on in Meeko's mind.
I subtly glanced down at him in my palm. He was curled up with his tail wrapped around him, his brown fur fluffing up against the cool wind. He looked out at the sky with a somber expression.
It was clear how much that sword meant to him, and for some reason, his feelings towards it made me feel strongly, too. I was determined to get it back, no matter Mistral's reason for stealing it.
* * *
As my wings beat on,the blue sky melted into orange, then pink, then washed with purple. The sun was starting to disappear behind the mountains and we still hadn't seen Mistral.
"We should rest for the night."
Meeko's voice surprised me. He hadn't said a peep for hours and now he wanted to land? I expected him to want to fly all night long, to do whatever it took to catch up to Mistral.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Your wing beats are slowing down. You're getting tired."
I hadn't even noticed, but now that he drew attention to it, I felt the ache in my muscles. Wehadbeen flying for hours now.
"But the sword," I said.
Meeko glanced up at me, his black eyes shining in the twilight. "It's no use exhausting yourself."
He sounded a bit annoyed. Was he upset that I couldn't keep up with Mistral?
I sighed. "All right. We can stop for now. I should be fine to fly at dawn."
Meeko nodded, saying nothing.
Angling my wings, we floated down towards the earth. Here the trees were sparse, allowing me to land without crashing into any branches, but that meant it was colder in the evening with less trunks to block the wind.
When I touched down, I lowered my hand to let Meeko off. He bounced out of my palm with a grunt.
Now that I wasn't using them anymore, I realized how sore my wings felt. I groaned in relief as I shifted them away and sank back against a tree.
"Ugh. Man, I'm beat," I mumbled, rubbing my shoulder.
Meeko glared at the ground. I frowned. Had I said something to upset him?
"Are you okay?" I asked before realizing what a dumb question that was. Of course he wasn't okay. His prized possession had been stolen and he thought all shifters ate each other and now he was alone with an alpha he barely knew and—
"I hate being a burden like this," Meeko muttered.
Okay. That wasn't the answer I was expecting. Where did that even come from?
"But you're not, though," I said.
Meeko turned his beady glare on me, but it was obvious his anger was turned inward. "I can't fly and I can't run fast. I'm pushing you just for my sake. For someone you barely know."
His frustration overwhelmed him and he shifted into human form, turning around and balling his fists at his sides. I couldn't help the way my eyes roamed over his exposed back. We wild shifters were no strangers to nudity, so I was surprised by my reaction to seeing Meeko's bare skin, despite the fact that I'd already seen it once before. I shook my head, trying to clear that flustered feeling.
"Just because you can't do the same things I can doesn't mean you're a burden," I said. "I wouldn't be doing this at all if it weren't for you."
Meeko scoffed. Apparently that didn't make him feel better.
