Did he not like that I was trying to be diplomatic about this?
"What I stole...?" Mistral breathed before he realized what I was talking about. "Oh. You mean this useless thing."
Meeko's face twisted with fury. "Don't talk about my sword like that!"
With a hard yank, he tried to pull Mistral's arm down so the sword was in range to snatch away from him. To my surprise, he was strong enough to do it. Mistral squawked as Meeko reached for the small sword gripped in his talons. But before Meeko could pry them apart, Mistral summoned a gust of air and blew him back. Mistral floated on the air like a zephyr before touching back down to the ground. The sword was still firmly in his grip.
"You must be that annoying little mouse," Mistral muttered. "Let me guess. You hitched a ride with Cloud?"
I winced. He must've known there was no other way for Meeko to reach him so quickly.
A shadow appeared over Meeko's expression. He despised being talked down to and being reminded of his helplessness.
I had to unravel this situation before it exploded out of control.
"Mistral, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to reason with him.
"Youknowthat's Meeko's sword. It doesn't matter why you stole it, but you have to give it back."
"This is none of your business, halfling," Mistral said with a sneer.
I raised an eyebrow. His insult didn't even make sense. "I'm not a halfling, I'm more like a quarterling… when it comes to spirit blood anyway. Oh, unless you mean that I'm half osprey and half koi."
"Oh, never mind! Just take the mouse and get out of here!"
Meeko looked ready to snap Mistral's wrist, so I stepped in.
"Seriously, we don't want any trouble," I hurried to say. "Just the sword. That's it. Then we’ll be out of your hair."
Mistral hesitated, and for a second it seemed like he wanted to give the sword back. But then his feathers ruffled with anxiety. "I can't. I need it." His previous fervour returned and his eyes lit up with determination. "Besides, the sword was forged by spirits. It belongs to us!" He turned his fierce glare onto Meeko, who met it with equal measure. "I don't know how it got into mortal hands, but you're not getting back, mouse."
Meeko lunged at him. It happened so fast I barely had time to blink before the two were engaged in a flurry of combat, Meeko snarling with fury and Mistral squawking with anger.
"Hey, wait!" I cried, rushing towards them.
A knot of dread formed in my stomach. This wasn't how I wanted this to go. Why was Mistral being so defensive? What did he have to lose if he returned the sword?
All the thoughts left my mind the second Mistral extended his talons and swiped at Meeko.
Meeko cried out and stumbled away, bumping into the table behind him and falling on the floor. Mistral stood over him with wide eyes, as if shocked by what he had done.
"Meeko!" I yelled.
Nothing else mattered as I ran to his side. I breathed hard, kneeling beside him. Thin red lines spanned from Meeko's jaw to his shoulder, where the fabric was torn. Blood was already welling up.
Meeko was hurt. And I wasn't fast enough to protect him.
"Meeko, are you okay?" I asked frantically.
I wanted to pick him up, to hold him and keep him safe. But when I reached for him with my taloned hands, Meeko flinched away from them.
My organs went cold.
I shot a horrified look at Mistral. "What the hell did you do that for?"
Mistral backed up, his eyes as big as saucers. His movements were nervier than before. "I didn't mean…" His feathers blew up, making him look much larger. But I knew from experience that this time it wasn't an intimidation tactic. He was afraid. "You mortals shouldn't have intervened! This is what happens when you get involved with spirits. Don't… Don't come near me again."
Meeko sucked in a sharp breath. "Cloud, stop him, he's going to—"
