Flight of the Warrior Chapter 10 - Bound to her

He flew through the night.

In his mind he heard her over and over again. She sounded as if all her energy had been drained, and he felt there was also fear in her voice. He imagined she would have to be desperate to call him. His mere presence seemed to make her sick.

Still there was something in those eyes, looking at him, green and bright.

He shook his head. Whimsical thoughts, no time for those now. He had to think about what he might find when he got to her. He felt that she could be imprisoned, there was something in the message that suggested this. He would need to stay focused to ensure he stayed alive.

With her plea came a scent on the wind, just the faintest hint of jasmine. Without it the process of following her would have been laborious. His normal method of tracking was using the messages on the wind, but he had to tap into all of the them and work through them one at a time. Like reading a pile of letters until you find just the right phrase hidden deep in the middle of line after meaningless line, a time consuming task.

As the night passed the scent grew stronger and by the early hours of the morning he came upon a steep ravine cut into cold mountains. He traveled upstream flying close to the water, flicking up at him as if performing some strange sort of dance. The sun was beginning to rise, but in the shadow of the ravine the night was still present.

Passing through a bend in the river he suddenly lost the scent. It had been so strong and then it was just gone. With heart sinking he thought she must have been thrown or fallen into the river. He had been too late.

He turned sharply and returned to the place he had lost the scent. Feeling a sense of sadness he could not understand he looked up the ravine wall, leaping to a small step partially covered in creeper for a moments rest. Jasmine was very strong here. Pushing the creeper aside he realised there was a hidden space behind the rock face.

It took a moment to adjust to the light and he was confused by the heady smell. Then he saw her, wrapped in her traveling robes, on the far side of a small pool. He could see the soft rise and fall of her chest so he knew she was sleeping, and he hoped not hurt.

He inhaled, slowly and deliberately. He needed a moment to slow down his suddenly racing heartbeat, and to make sure they were alone in the place. Looking around the small enclosure he was assured there was no danger.

Moving soundlessly over to her he wondered how she had ended up here. This was at best a temporary hiding spot, and a dangerous one. Any rain and this area would flood and suck everything downward to the river. Tonight the sky had been clear, so no chance of that at least for a couple of hours. But you simply could not underestimate how quickly the weather could change in the mountains.

He sat and looked at her in the dim light. She was cocooned in her cloak, only part of her face exposed. She looked vulnerable, and he struggled to harness feelings that raced away unbridled and dangerous.

It occurred to him that when he had received her message he had wasted no time. He had come straight away. Why?

He wanted to believe that is was because if he stayed with her the kage would eventually appear and it was his best chance of capturing him, appeasing his employer and collecting the handsome salary. But there was an alternate reason.

Then she opened her eyes. Waking quickly she sat up. "Thank you for coming."