Flying Without Wings

I filled the biggest stock pot I had with water and let the Angha all drink their fill. Marvillo stood by my side pawing at my foot. “What is it buddy?” I said looking down at him, “where is Bastian?” He flew at my face and hovered there, his collar looked tight around his furry black neck, maybe he really had grown a lot over the past few weeks. I grabbed the collar to loosen it, at my touch a scroll of paper fell to the ground, I un-scrolled it hastily and saw Bastian’s messy handwriting. “LEWIS!” I screamed my eyes scanning the note, I desperately drank in every word. Lewis ran up from the basement and I read the note again aloud.

B.

We are all ok, well I think so, by the time me and the other boys got to Hyacinth Street, word of your break-in had already hit the house. No one was getting in or out and Zenasia was furious, we could hear her screaming from outside. Johnny was on the front lawn all bloodied but laughing , he said that no one was getting out alive, I’m sending Marvillo back to the house and we are going to try to break in, don’t come here and don’t go back to the caves, stay put!

Love B.

AS

“Don’t be stupid Bea, I know you’re gonna say let’s go to the house but we gotta wait, at least wait till the rest of the crew come back, Gomez will know what to do.” Lewis said reading my mind. I glared at him but shut my mouth, he was of course right, but I needed to do something and started pacing around the kitchen. I could feel the Angha’s eyes following me as I mumbled a string of nonsensical plans. “Bea, Bea, Beatrice!” Lewis grabbed my hand.

I looked up startled, “What?” my fingers were still a little raw from the sandpaper slide and I flinched at Lewis’ touch. He looked hurt.

“You’re making me dizzy come downstairs and we will wait for the others, they can’t be long now.” He tried to encourage me with a big toothy grin, I didn’t want to go but I obliged and followed him downstairs, the calming demeanour and kindness I had seen when I first met him had returned, as had his carrots, his gap-toothed smile and crunching made me feel more at ease. The stampede of Angha followed us, I couldn’t help but laugh at the stream of dogs of all sizes coming down the steps. The smaller ones were agile and flew down, their black leathery wings carrying them gracefully, the bigger ones tumbled down and landed amongst the pillows, maybe that’s why Audrey had put so many on the floor. I sat down and Marvillo came and curled up in my lap, he was heavier and had an air of pride about him, he looked over the Angha we had rescued like a mother duck counting her ducklings. His white moustache began to quiver and twitch as his sniffed the air and let out a low growl. Within seconds the other Angha all startled to growl as well, the small basement rumbled and vibrated, I thought the roof might crash down on us. I shot Lewis a look.

“I’ll go check it out.” He said pulling a silver pistol from his jacket. “Lock the basement behind me.”

“Are you crazy if something happens we are not staying locked down here you idiot.”

He gave a toothy grin. “Fair.” He climbed up the staircase quietly; he was surprisingly agile for such a large man.

“Shh.” I pleaded with the Angha, I could only just hear his footsteps over the rumble.

“Bea give us hand, grab some towels.” Gomez’s shouted from above. Lewis and Gomez pulled someone inside, they were surrounded by even more Angha, I couldn’t see who it was. Bear came running in after them with Ruby and locked the door, he had a crazed look in his eye and grabbed the lifeless body from Lewis and Gomez. I saw a flash of emerald green and my heart sunk, I knew it was Clementine. Bear marched into the kitchen and laid her on the table. Her breathing was shallow and gurgled and the front of her tracksuit was a deep brown from blood.

“What happened, where are the others?” Lewis shouted at Gomez. Gomez ripped open Clementine’s jacket searching for the source of all that blood. A deep wound was painted across her chest, blood was seeping out slowly and thickly.

“The man with the whip came to a few minutes after you took off and boy was he mad, he attached blades to the end of his whip and let her have it. The others all scattered, I don’t know where they went or even if they made it out, I think a few of them got hit too. All I saw was Bear grabbing Clementine and running, the guards chased him which gave me enough time to open the rest of the cages and let the Angha go, there was so many more then last time I was there. Next thing I know more guards started coming in from every direction. They must have been tipped off. I grabbed the Angha, threw a few grenades and hopped back under the hatch. After some persuasion and a few explosions the Angha flew up the tunnel and pulled me out. The whole cave was crashing down around us. Once I was out I saw Bear running with Clementine, he ran the whole way here, I was watching from amongst the clouds.” Gomez patted Bear on the arm.

“Bea what have you got to stop this bleeding? Get more towels?” Lewis shouted at me as I stood there stunned, I went to the linen closet and grabbed everything I could, that was the second time Lewis had yelled at me for just standing around, where was my head at?

“Towels aren’t going to do it she needs a hospital.” I said dropping them on the table.

“No she needs an Angha, does she have one.” Everyone turned and stared at Bear as shocked as I was, I had figured he could only say Ruby. “Does she have an Angha?!” He said again forcefully, his voice was still thick and a little strained, like he really was remembering how to speak after a long sad silence.

“I don’t know, I mean she had one, a little white fluffy mongrel, but Zenasia took it years ago I doubt it is even still alive.” Lewis stuttered spinning around looking at the mass of Angha’s piled into the kitchen.

“Everybody look it will save her, what is its name?” Bear shouted spinning around too.

“Um, it was something starting w C, Clint? Clarke? No. Clive! It’s Clive.” Lewis said dropping to his knees amongst the animals.

We spread out and looked through the mass of Angha that were in the kitchen, hallway and basement, there was definitely more than 40 and there were no little white fluffy ones that came to the shouts of Clive. I felt like I was in a zoo. They were all different sizes and shapes, but I couldn’t see a white one. I crawled back into the kitchen and saw a strange mass.

“Hang on what’s that.” I said pointing to a brown matted ball under the table where Clementine was lying.

“I don’t know is that even an Angha?” Bear grunted reaching under the table and pulled the creature out, the poor thing was trembling. You could barely see its eyes through the mats and it stunk. “It’s brown though…Clive?” Bear held it up to the light, the creature whimpered and flapped its little wings trying to get to Clementine. I walked over and spread its fur apart to expose a little pale belly.

“It is white.” Bear put the filthy dog straight onto Clementine’s bleeding chest.

“What the heck are you doing mate? You’re gonna get it all infected.” Lewis said incredibly, he went to grab Clive.

“Leave him.” Bear said forcefully he put his arm out and whacked Lewis in the chest, stopping him in his tracks, Lewis was big but Bear was bigger and had arms like pythons. Clive had already set to work and was licking Clementine’s wound. “Angha have the power to heal their humans, only their own humans. Didn’t you know that?” Bear said staring at the wound. Nobody spoke we were too mesmerised by Clive and Clementine. The bleeding on her chest was stopping and her breath became clear, it was like magic. Clive whimpered and started to lick her face and neck. “He has done all he can, saved her no doubt. Someone give him a bath while we wait for the others.” Bear ordered. I bundled up the resistant dog in my arms and carried him upstairs to the bathroom. His cries got louder the further away we go from Clementine but I did my best to soothe him. I wondered if what Monty had said was right, about Angha having only one human. Me and Bastian thought Marvillo was ours, he came to us at the same time and had always been loyal to us both. But one day, maybe one day soon, if we were both hurt who would he heal? Who could he heal? I plopped Clive into the running water, it turned brown straight away, I swirled it and pondered over our conundrum. I had to wash Clive several times before his coat came white again. I trimmed his mats, being careful of his little shabby wings and blow dried him. He sure was a little fuzz ball, my guess was a Maltese. He licked my face as I held him close, he was happy to be clean. I bundled him up and we headed back downstairs, I hadn’t heard anyone come in, but I still hoped to see the others, or anyone else there but I saw the same faces in the kitchen. Clementine was sitting up and talking to Bear. She saw Clive and screamed, he flew out of my arms and into hers, she cried into his clean fur. “Where did you find him?” She managed to blurt out between sobs.

“He must have been in the caves there was so much going on I can’t remember.” I said, I was disappointed Bastian wasn’t back but reuniting Clementine with Clive felt pretty great and even left Bear grinning from ear to ear.