Chapter 24: Gone
It is for the best.
Yoa repeated those words like a mantra to keep his heavy feet moving away from where Nova went. He’d seen the way Vulcan, Ixana’s son, had looked at Nova before he snatched her away from him at the waterfall. Vulcan could be just as ruthless, or worse than his mother.
The eagle had used the other eagle as bait to distract Yoa from Nova’s position. It was ruthless and calculating to get what he wanted. For some reason, they wanted Nova, and Yoa suspected Vulcan wanted her for different reasons than his mother.
It is for the best. Nova would be safe; she was with her people now. Yoa’s steps paused as he backtracked his thoughts.
Vulcan was ruthless and calculating.
Like a lightning flash, Yoa’s instincts shot through him, urging him to return to Nova. He should have stayed by his little mouse’s side until she was safely with her people. Initially, he thought his beastly desires had been urging him to return to her and snatch her away like Vulcan tried. Maybe it had been a bit of both, grab her and the need to protect her until she was safely off this island.\\
If such a thing were possible. Nova was confident she would leave the island. She certainly did not look or smell like a member of a tribe from Isla de Tayun; she was an outsider through and through. Perhaps it was possible. But if there was land close by, why was Ixana and her small tribe of eagles still here?
Besides him, they were the ultimate predator, and a few times they’d fought over prey. Heck, he’d taken one of their own as a snack once, proving the ultimate dominance over the island. Ixana’s wings weren’t quite so pretty that year; she’d shed a few feathers and over-groomed.
Yoa’s smirk dropped when he heard the flapping of wings overhead and the sounds of smaller feet padding through the sand and dirt, then the leaves. Nova’s breaths were quick, panicked, and her heart racing. Yoa’s speed picked up, and his bones cracked before he could stop the transformation.