Wings of War by Vera Gibson (books recommended by bts .TXT) 📕

she must have been going through far worse then she appeared.

“Now don’t be doing that!” He ordered with a grin. “Your just giving more to tease you with!” he declared again. Zevra lifted her head and gave him a warning glance. “Ha you want to fight me I could take you in seconds!” he loved to challenge her strength and authority.

“Of course you could take me, I’m Injured! No glory in a win if I’m injured!” she shoot back.

“You look fine to me.” He declared pushing her to the ground. “Ha! your injury looked worse than it was” he laughed as she unwrapped the moss from herself. She was shocked her wound had healed and left nothing but a scar that would leave no sooner then it came.

“Ok, so maybe I am well.” She said rolling her eyes.

“Still think I could take you” he shot reigniting the heat of battle. Zevra walked over “Could not” she said. Then she quickly wrapped her tail around his back leg and tripped him, and flew up into the air turning it into her battle. He saw her trick and fallowed her up into the new found air arena.

“So is this going to be… official or do you wanna play ruff?!”  Zane asked with a smirk. “I could take you even if you fought ruff! But since I cannot as a royal battle my escort in an unofficial match let’s play the rules in.” She said simply.

“Ha! If I didn't know you better princess I would think you were scared!” He laughed “But very well.  The objective is to pin down the other griffin, this will be an in the air battle so if you touch the ground in any way you are out. No aiming for the eyes, ears, or mouth. Those are the rules I expect you to fallow them.” He stated the rules loud and clear, but he smirked at the end trying to make it seem as if Zevra was going to break them. “All other rules must be verified by a griffin outside the battle and therefore those rules won’t be applied in this match.”  Zane finished. Zevra made the first move she dashed towards Zane sunk her paws into his fur and flipped him over her then she flew over him and attempted to restrain his wings. He wiggled out of her trap easily enough and returned the favor by grabbing her sides then using his wings to flip himself up and over and ultimately turning her upside down. Zane swiped a paw at her stomach and pushed her back she gave a playful smile and was ready to pounce, It was then her brother flashed to her mind, and she fell she fell fast and hard and hit the ground with a thumb, she could hardly keep her eyes open. She heard Zane yell “see I told you I could take you.” It was silent a few moments then panic rose in Zane’s voice “Zevra get up! You can’t you look like you’re about to die! You can’t die!!!” then blackness drifted to her mind and there was nothing. Chapter Three

 Her mind jolted into consciousness rain pounded into her furs and feathers making it increasingly difficult to fly. It was storming and lightning flashed through the air it was far too dangerous to be fling but she found she was over ground Venn lunged at her throat and she quickly dodged “What’s happening I was just dueling Zane” she said aloud.

“Who’s Zane?” her brother asked, and she realized the scenery changed again she looked around she was in the well lit room of her brother. She was looking right out the balcony and saw her room’s balcony across the water fall. She turned to see her brother no longer twisted or cruel his black fur no longer stood like a cloak of darkness, but something that captured light to make it shine shades of black and blue and even red. He looked at her concerned, the dark red feathers around his eyes only highlighting the expression. Zevra began to weep she collapsed on the marble floor and began to shake of old wounds newly opened; she remembered this day this was a living memory. This was the day before he turned from her and from the family.  He walked up to her and put a paw on her shoulder “everything will be alright I’m always here for you” he whispered in the sweetest of brotherly voice. The words stung Zevra far more then the greatest pain. He repeated his words over and over again while rubbing her white pelt. She only wept harder. She didn’t even pay attention as her brother faded she still heard his words in her mind and her heart could no longer stand the pain.  A new scene opened up to her view. She was standing by her father who had his face locked up in an unbreakable barrier and his lion like head looked sad as he spoke the necessary words to banish his son she looked ahead her brother stood in front of her a wicked smile crossed over his mouth as he spoke “If I am to leave, I bring her with me.” he spoke with disgust in his words, this would be the second time she heard him request that, the first time she heard it was when he actually asked. Hearing him say these words twice she caught something else his disgust was pointed behind her not at her what was he looking at he wasn’t looking at her. She turned around in her memory, a dark figure stood behind her much taller than her and its eyes glowed red with a hatred that was far greater than any look she had ever seen. It winked, Zevra disregarded it as towards her brother because this was a memory it couldn’t have winked at her cause when it really happened she had not discovered the hidden beast. It smiled revealing large white teeth highlighted by an inner fire, and shook its head and pointed a large claw out to her. “I see you.” Its voice sounded like that of poison that sliced at Zevra threatening to steal her breath and choke her to death. It closed its glowing red eyes and the figure disappeared. She turned back to her brother now only inches from her, the day had not changed but her brother did his coat caught the light again giving him that cape of light that bathed his black fur and red/ navy blue feathers. “help me…it is not me who tries to slaughter you, something else steels me and I can’t escape long enough to tell you person” his voice was normal again to, and his yellow hawk eyes dropped to the ground making him look ever so sad “I’m so sorry, I will always be there for you even if the only way I can do that Is leaving you.” His voice was nothing but a whisper. Then the cape of light left and his yellow eye darkened but glowed with hate. The wicked smile returned and he plunged his talons through her stomach blood running down his talons and her stomach, and then he turned and fled from the castle. He escaped with ease for everyone was trying to help Zevra. She coughed blood and looked at her wound as people began to scramble to stop its bleeding. She could see the picture fading and was replaced by the real world. She sat up and looked around blinking the real world into existence. She tasted her mouth “blood!” she screeched and she realized she was still coughing heaves of the red liquid. but after her vision returned the coughing ceased and she realized Zane who was now out of his right mind with worry and her blood speckled his fur every were.  She looked at him and gave a smile then looked down at her stomach, five puncture wounds lay there as they had for so many years but they weren’t open it seemed only her coughing fit fallowed her back into reality. “What just happened?” she asked Zane who had calmed a bit. He cleared his throat “You collapsed unconscious from the sky you hit the ground hard! I flew to your side you struggled and kicked me at first but your eyes were still closed. Then you cried out and began to weep I figured it was a cry of pain and worried less, until you got an unmistakable face of fear. You looked so scared that you frightened my warrior’s spirit from me, you were silent a minute, still scared but less and then you began to cough and spit blood.” Zevra looked down her mind flowed to the creature she saw in the memory. Whatever it was it had Venn and she wasn’t going to let it have him forever. She looked at Zane gave a sigh and sat him down hoping he would believe the story she was about to tell him.

Chapter Four

 Zane stared at the ground hard, he had a look of disgust pain and hatred in his eyes, “I didn’t know you were in this too” He mumbled hardily loud enough for Zevra to hear, she knew it wasn’t meant for her but she strained to catch every word “The king asked me to bring her to a different griffin clan and introduce her and hide her, I failed I got her involved with that creature. I didn’t even ask why she needed protecting what she needed protecting from and if the king was sure he wanted me to do the job. I was carless” He mumbled even more quite. “That thing took my life from me!”Zane now made no attempt to keep quite his eyes filled with rage and pain. He bolted to his feet rose his wings high above his head and caused such an uproar of dirt when he beat the ground with them that you couldn’t see any longer. “I will gut that creature!” He continued to yell. Zevra was still weak and the dirt was now getting in her lungs her coughing fit returned scattering blood across the ground.

“Zane! I had not finished” she coughed her voice hoarse from its rawness “this creature, it has been tormenting me far longer than you think.” She exclaimed.  His wings almost instantly stopped beating the ground at the sound