Chapter 20: Skywards
A large hand engulfed Nova's mouth, smothering it, halting her muffled yelp and screams. She tried kicking out and fighting back. It was utterly useless against their strength. Whoever had her was bulky and large in size.
Nova was being dragged away from the waterfall as she watched Yoa and the harpy eagle fall into the pool with a mountainous splash. It's screech chilled Nova's spine especially when the water slowly turned dark red.
"Yoa!" She cried out against the man's hand.
The man behind her grunted when she stamped on his foot in an effort to free herself. "Stop," he ordered, his bulky arms sliding over her waist from behind. A few feathers floated in front of her before she felt the man's body vibrate and those arms elongated, turning golden, hands sharpening into talons and she was suddenly thrust into the air.
Nova stared wide-eyed as the ground was drawing further away from her. Her body was limp, useless against the large talons caging her in. She slowly looked up to see another harpy eagle, carrying her skywards, getting higher from the waterfall. It would have been an amazing experience, like she was truly flying if it wasn't for the fact this huge-ass eagle had just kidnapped her.
Kidnapping or trying to eat her? Nova couldn't fathom what the eagles wanted with her. Should she stay to find out?
Absolutely not. Curiosity killed the cat, and she'd had enough to deal with the last two days than to wonder about something that would never have been an issue if she hadn't gone to this forsaken island in the first place.
Its wings spread wide, beating powerfully above her, pulling her gaze toward the bird. But then a roar like that of a jaguar tore through the trees. Birds fled from their nests, and the forest below fell silent. All creatures hid from the predator, now rushing through the foliage in a blur.
Nova glanced down and did a double take as her heart almost jumped out of her chest at a large black cat, a jaguar so lithe, so muscular, and at least five times the size of the others she'd seen was a mid-leap, claws extended to her.
Nova gasped, her stomach sinking. Was this it? Being torn to pieces between an eagle and a jaguar?
And how was that possible?! The big cat had leapt from the ground, and the eagle was already flying higher than the waterfall.
The predator's eyes were sharp, fixated on her. Water glistened on its inky fur and something like familiarity passed through her before its claws sank deep into the eagle's talons. Nova's hands shot up to her ears as the beast holding her screeched in agony. The black jaguar locked its jaw into the tough golden texture so deep it pooled blood.