Flight of the Golden Harpy (22 page)

“Easy, little doll,” he said, slowly raising the weapon to take aim. “Don’t make me stun you.”

Kari leaped into the brush and ran from the harpy hunter.

“She’s comin’ your way,” she heard him yell. She hasily looked around as two strong arms grabbed her from behind and lifted her off the ground.

“Got her, Nick,” the man called as she struggled to be free. “Man, she’s a lil’ beauty and full of fight.”

Nick appeared after running through the stream, and a younger third man emerged from the trees. The third man stared at Kari as she fought the hold of his hunting buddy. “I’ll be goddamned, Nick,” he said. “She’s a blonde.”

“Yeah, a scrappy, little golden,” Nick said, “and she’s typical of the aggressive breed. Look at her hissing and putting up a fight. Hold her still, Harry, so I can test her.”

“She’s harpy, Nick. Light as a feather,” Harry said, lifting her from the ground.

“Let’s be sure,” Nick said, pulling a small monitor out of his pocket. “She might be that lost Turner girl. Sure as hell don’t want that son-of-a-bitch on my ass for fucking his little girl.” He put a strand of the female’s blond hair in the monitor and grinned. “Harpy DNA. Knew Turner’s estate was full of ’em.” He put his monitor away and reached between Kari’s legs, driving two fingers into her. He pulled them out and examined them.

“Well?” asked the third man.

“Little bitch’s got a buck, Josh,” said Nick, the older and more experienced of the three. “She’s recently been fucked and is loaded with sperm.”

“Shit. Think it might be that golden buck with the broke wing?” Harry said as Kari frantically tossed in his arms.

Kari was so scared her harpy instincts took over. She couldn’t scream or explain that she was Turner’s daughter. The only thing she could do was fight the grip of the crude man and think about Shail, who would soon return.

“Good chance her buck is blond,” Nick said. “According to old records, goldens usually pair with other goldens. Be a hell of a hunting day if we bagged two.” He glanced around at the trees. “Let’s hang her and bait him over there.” He motioned to a tree limb. “I’ll give her a light stun so she can’t warn him. A buck doesn’t stray far when he’s getting laid.” He produced rope from his gear. Josh forced her wrists together, while Harry held her, and Nick tied her wrists tightly together. She squirmed to bite their hands.

“This wiggling bitch has made me horny,” Harry said. “Let’s throw her down and use her, Nick. It might be hours before the buck shows up.”

“I’m for that,” said Josh, massaging her breasts.

“Forget it. I ain’t losin’ a golden male so you young assholes can get off,” Nick said. “That male can smell human sperm a mile away off. He might not come, knowing his female’s done for.” At the tree, they tossed the end of the rope over a limb and hoisted Kari a few feet off the ground.

Using her silent telepathy, Kari called to her mate. “Stay away, Shail! It’s a trap! Do not come for me. Please hear me and don’t come.” Instead of thrashing wildly on the rope, she hung quietly and lowered her head.

“Shit, she’s already played out and going into shock,” Nick said, walking to Kari and petting her head. “Come on, little doll. Don’t give up so soon.”

Harry moved behind her. “She’s done. She’ll be dead in a few hours. That buck ain’t risking his life for a corpse.” He undid his pants. “I caught her. I’m sticking her while she’s warm.”

Nick jerked her head up by the hair and looked into her dazed eyes. “Can’t believe she went down so fast. All right, but I’m first. You boys, can wait. After we’re done, we’ll toss her body by the stream. The buck might come back to sniff her, and we’ll nail him.” He put his gun down and stripped off his gear. He jammed a finger into the limp female harpy, who shuddered and breathed hard. “You like that, doll? Wait till you feel what’s comin’.”

Josh and Harry also dropped their gear and weapons. They unfastened their pants in anticipation, fondling the female while waiting their turn.

As Nick prepared to invade and thrust against the hanging harpy, her knee rammed his testicles with deadly aim, dropping him to the ground. “Fucking bitch,” he cursed, holding himself. Harry and Josh chuckled as Kari came alive and kicked at any male in reach.

“After I beat the crap out of her, you guys are next,” he grumbled. He looked at Kari and the men, and his eyes widened with shock. “Fuck!”

From behind, Kari heard a heavy thud, and Josh fell unconscious at her feet. “Get back!” she heard Harry scream and a second thud. He, too, lay nearby with blood flowing down his face. She saw the terror on Nick’s face as he scrambled backward toward his gear. She then saw Shail. He held a stout wood branch, one end dripping with blood while he walked, almost casually, toward the remaining large hunter, who was three times his girth. With every step, Shail seethed and shook with rage.

Nick crawled across the ground, stalked by Kari’s golden mate. The hunter lunged, wildly grasping for his weapon, and Shail attacked, unmercifully beating the man with the limb until Nick’s face was a bloody pulp. Her slender mate stood over the huge, immobile body and hissed, a spray of the man’s blood on his chest. He glanced up at her, slightly out of breath, and it took a second to snap out of his assault mode. He dropped the tree limb and rushed to her.

“Are you hurt?” Shail asked, releasing the rope and untying her wrists. He looked up and down for marks on her body. She didn’t answer, but stood and shuddered with fright. He wrapped his arms around her. “I am here now. I am here. You are safe.” She broke down and cried. Shail swept her up in his arms. He glanced at the three fallen hunters, who still breathed. He shook his head, and walked to the stream, carrying his female. Leaning over, he grabbed the cloth bag and her clothing and walked up the valley, cradling Kari.

*   *   *

Hours slipped by and neither spoke as Shail carried her. Kari shut her eyes and clung to his neck, trying to forget the experience. She had learned what it was like to be a wild harpy. Recalling the man’s groping fingers, she shivered, and Shail nuzzled her cheek. He left the valley and started the climb up the next ridge. She knew he had to be weary. “Put me down, Shail. I can walk,” she said, but he ignored her, as though punishing himself.

The terrain became very steep, and Kari wiggled in his arms, asking him to release her. “Put me down,” she ordered. Only when she slapped his face did he come out of his trance and listen to her. He set her down on a slope and she now saw his large, teary eyes. The hunter encounter had affected him worse than it had her. He dropped to his knees, hugging and resting his head against her legs.

“Forgive me,” he relayed. “Forgive me. I failed to protect you.” His once soft voice was shaky.

“You didn’t fail me. You protected me,” she said, kneeling to be eye level with him.

A single tear ran down his cheek. “I curse this harpy life,” he relayed and sniffled. “It holds no peace and nearly destroyed what I love.”

“Oh, Shail,” she said, hugging him. “I wouldn’t trade this life with you for anything. I’m all right. I’m a tough golden like you.” She held and comforted him as he tried to get it together. After some time, she rose. “Come now, Shail. Let’s find this mountain and your flock.” He nodded and stood. They continued the journey.

They walked for hours uphill. Shail remained quiet as he forged ahead. Halfway up the mountain, he stopped. “What happened to you, Kari, I promise it shall never happen again. Soon I shall rid our land of these men.”

“Let’s put it behind us and not think of it again.”

*   *   *

They traveled over the next ridge in the darkness, and the following morning Shail and Kari ascended into another valley. He stopped at one of the numerous streams that ran through the tropical jungle. “We rest here.”

Kari sat down and drank while she soaked her feet in the flowing cool water. Shail stood nearby, on guard and still paranoid.

“Come, sit by me,” she said, but he stared off in one direction. “What is it?”

“A harpy,” he answered. Soon a brown-winged harpy sailed low through the trees and landed in front of them. The male dropped to one knee and bowed his head.

With Shail’s slight nod, the male humbly rose. “What say you?” Shail asked.

“Aron worries for you,” the harpy relayed. “Learning Turner followed your trail, he sent his flock out to search for you. A distraction ended Turner’s hunt, but the number of hunters grows in the trees. They know of your broken yellow wing.”

Shail glanced at Kari. “We came upon such hunters. Are all females and young on the islands and safe?”

The harpy nodded.

“Tell Aron to end the search. I am found. In two lights, I reach the mountain, and I wish a gathering of all western males. My mate was attacked, and the war begins.”

The harpy backed away, head bowed and took flight.

Kari stood. “War! What war?”

“This is not the concern of a female harpy, so do not ask.”

“Anything that concerns you, concerns me, especially if you’re going to war against men over me.”

“The attack on you destroyed my last tolerance. It is time to take revenge for all our raped females, slaughtered fledglings, and my males, who are hung from trees. I shall talk of this no more. The war involves only the males.”

She pulled on his arm. “You’re acting like a chauvinistic, obstinate man.”

He raised his head and arched his wings. “I know not those words, but I think I am glad!” he barked back. “I am the male and rule this bond. It is the harpy way.”

“Screw your harpy way! No one tells me what to do or say.”

No longer a minor disagreement, it was an angry fight with his little female. He deflated and lowered his wings. “Please, Kari, understand. My flock is dying, and many hunters now know of our females. The time for meekness and fleeing is over. We must face the enemy.”

“You said you’d rid the land of men, but I didn’t take you seriously. Shail, the men have weapons. They’ll slaughter the harpies.”

“They slaughter us now, one by one.” He touched her cheek. “You worry I may be lost, but long life is unknown to a golden male. I do not wish my son to share this fate. We talk of this no more.” He turned and walked toward the jungle.

Kari chased after him, begging him to tell her about the war, but he refused. He wouldn’t divulge the when, where, or how of the coming conflict against man.

They traveled up a high ridge as the last rays of light disappeared into the horizon. The temperature slowly dropped on their northern trek. Shail came to some jagged rocks. “We sleep here,” he said, motioning to a slight ledge.

Kari looked at the skimpy plant life and sweeping open rocks. “You want to stay here and sleep at night?”

“Yes, you are tired, and it shall be cold. The harpies watch over us,” he relayed. “There is less worry now. The next fall of darkness we enter the sacred mountain.”

Kari pulled some fruit out of the sack that they had brought from the valley. They sat on a ledge, eating dinner and watching the orange and red sunset. Afterward, they crawled under the ledge to escape the nippy wind. She rested on his soft extended bottom wing, clutched in his arms as he lay on his side. The partially cast top wing was used for cover.

At dawn they rose and were greeted by a large pile of assorted fruit. “Your harpies brought the food?” Kari asked, taking a piece as Shail stared across the landscape.

“I knew Aron would send a provider and protector,” he answered.

“Who is Aron?”

“You know him,” Shail relayed. “He came to you when the grogins came on the road.”

“I also met him at the lake near Dad’s house. He told me you needed me. I didn’t understand until I found you with hunters.”

Shail whirled around and faced her. “He sent you?” he growled. “He endangered my future mate and sent her to face four hunters?”

“Shail, don’t get your feathers all ruffled,” she said. “He didn’t send me. He just warned me, and it was luck I found you. And I was in no danger. No one knew I was a harpy, including me. You were so hurt that only a doctor could have saved your life. Maybe Aron knew.”

Shail plopped down on the ledge. “Maybe he did, but the island hunters saw your devotion to a male harpy. An experienced hunter might have guessed your nature.”

“Well they didn’t guess.” She sat down on the ledge beside him. “Besides, those Westend boys are scared to death of my father. They wouldn’t dare harm a hair on my head. So, tell me about Aron. He’s a leader like you?”

“He is a leader of a western flock, but not like I,” Shail said. “He rules many. I rule all.”

“You two are close? He seemed upset at the lake.”

“We are of different blood, but he is like an older brother. I seek his words and wisdom often. When my father was killed, Aron’s father took me to the islands and raised me.” Shail stood up. “Let us now go.”

“I suppose you’re in a hurry to see him, so you can talk about your war.”

Shail shook his head and started the descent down the ridge.

*   *   *

By midmorning they entered the trees again, but they were hardwoods, holding little food. Even in this last valley, the weather was cold. Kari had wished many times she had brought her bloodstained jacket, but they had fled in a hurry. On the forest floor, they stopped at a crystal-clear pond. Shail knelt and sucked up the icy water between his lips, but Kari still drank like a human, cupping the water with her hands and bringing it to her mouth. Shail lifted his head and sniffed. Shaking the droplets from his locks, he stood and stared toward the jungle.

Kari tried to mimic him and sensed the presence of another harpy. A brown harpy soon landed near Shail and handed him a sash bag full of food. Shail and the harpy stared at one another, but Kari did not hear their silent talk. She realized they had purposely excluded her and must be discussing the war. After the brown left, Shail and Kari continued their journey through the valley. They approached the base of the enormous sacred mountain.

Shail stared up at the steep black crest. “The light goes soon. We can travel in the dark and end this journey or sleep here and now.”

Kari gazed up at the looming and ominous mountain, her arms wrapped around herself. She preferred to crawl between Shail’s warm wings but wanted to end the quest. “Let’s keep going.”