Bow and Sparrow

CH 37

The sound of rustling wings and anguished cries still echoed in my mind when I pried my eyes open the next morning. I awoke to a blanket tucked around my shoulders, and for a moment, I was disoriented, surrounded only by trees, until I heard the sound of voices chatting nearby.

I stood up, bracing myself against the oak tree as I stretched my legs and saw the figures left in the dirt from Rylan's drawings. They were still perfectly intact, and though their real-life counterparts were long gone, replaced by the sun and blue skies, I thought if I looked really hard, I could almost imagine them still up there.

"Hey there, sleepy head."

Rylan's eyes found me first, warm and well-rested, when I walked into the clearing. Knox was busy packing his bedroll, though he looked up and gave me a friendly smile, and Anders was camped on a fallen tree, chewing a piece of stale bread. And the twins.

"Where are the twins?" I asked, looking around the clearing. They were nowhere to be seen, though their packs still lay on the ground, waiting for their return. Rylan turned around, eyebrows knitting together.

"They were just here-"

At that moment, the twins emerged from the trees and soaking wet. Water dripped from their hair -now a dark shade of gray- onto the only article of dry clothing they wore, staining their trousers with little dark specks.

"You guys have got to check this out." Haigen said, shaking the wetness from his hair like a stray pup and showering his brother with a spray of water.

We gathered our bags against the protest of the twins, who claimed that this was more important than our meager belongings and followed them through the trees. The twins moved as if they were a part of the forest, their steps never faltering as they seamlessly stepped over roots and ducked under branches. A stark contrast to Anders, who crashed through brambles, cursing as thorns caught his clothing with every step.

It wasn't long before an unusual humming filled my ears, sounding like the air itself thrummed with energy. The grassy path turned to mud and rocks, and something shimmered between the trees. We rounded the corner and the source of the sound revealed itself.

The waterfall was the purest blue, tumbling over an outcropping of rock above our heads and plunging into the depths of a rippling dark pool at the bottom, sending a spray of mist in every direction. When the sun hit it just right, I saw an explosion of colors in the air.

The twins kicked off their shoes -they hadn't even bothered with socks- and climbed the rocky cliff to the top of the waterfall. I watched them with bated breath as they grabbed mossy stone and slick rock but they never slipped, not stopping until they reached the top.

Anders followed after them, shedding his shirt and discarding on the sun-baked rock. How he managed to find the right handholds, I don't know, but he was almost as nimble as the twins had been. Even Knox folded his wire glasses and stashed them carefully in his pack before wading into the pool at the bottom of the waterfall. Which left Rylan and I standing side by side on the shore.

"Go ahead." I gestured for Rylan to join the others in their swimming as I plopped onto the ground, stretching my legs out in front of me. "I'm perfectly fine where I'm at." Not to mention I was a disaster magnet when it came to anything water-related.

It didn't take much convincing for Rylan to leave me sunbathing on the rocks. He pulled his shirt over his head in one swift motion and dove into the pool. It must've been pretty deep because he didn't resurface until a few seconds later, rivulets of water streaming down his broad shoulders.

I untied my sling, rolling the aching tension from my shoulder. It had grown stiff in such an awkward position and it felt heavenly to stretch my fingers. I tilted my head back, the sun's rays soaking into my skin from where it brushed the treetops high above, and I listened to the sound of splashing coming from the pool as the others treaded water. My eyes slipped closed as I laid back on the sun-baked rock.