Suddenly, lying here, fetal and fuming, feels pathetic. I push out of bed and stomp into the bathroom where I angrily bathe and clean up. I march over to my new pants and bras and get dressed, irritated even more that the thoughtful gift Treno gave me doesn’t sweeten the sourness I feel saturating my every cell right now. I throw a linen shirt on over my makeshift bra and pick up the book that I set on the table last night and throw it across the room.
The pages make a fluttering sound as they sail through the air, and then a thunk fills the room as my mother’s journal slams against the tree trunk growing in the corner. It falls to the ground and spreads open to reveal a blank page.
“Fuck you,” I snap at the book, and then I pull the doors open and walk out of the room, unsure of what to do.
Dri and Sice aren’t standing sentry outside of the doors like I expect, and I pause, even more confused by the fact that it seems I was left alone. Irritation and aggression feel like static in my limbs, and I can practically feel Pigeon ruffle her feathers inside of me. Both of us are itching to rage, to hunt, to tear something apart. She flashes an image of a Cynas and Mogus, and I snort and shake my head as I wander through the crystalline building I’ve been calling home since I got here.
“I don’t think we’ll get lucky enough to find another Mogus infestation this soon, but maybe we can find lessons like Sutton had in the Eyrie,” I tell her.
Pigeon rolls her eyes and gives an irritated squawk that makes me cringe.
“I didn’t mean that you didn’t know how to hunt or fight on your own, Pidge. Don’t take it personally. I’m just saying that I don’t know how to hunt or fight on my own,” I explain.
She flashes me Mr. Miyagi. I stop mid step and stare at the famous character from Karate Kid for a minute.
“You want me to wax something?” I tease, not able to keep myself from ruffling her feathers. What can I say, I’m a petty bitch who won’t forget all the fucked up situations she didn’t help with when we first got here.
Pigeon snaps her beak at me in our mind, and I laugh at the impotent threat.
“You do know that ripping my head off is the same as ripping your own head off, right? I don’t even think it’s physically possible, so now you just look like a dodo bird.”
Pigeon starts to angrily recede inside of me, and I roll my eyes.
“You’re very sensitive for a turkey that likes to leave me hanging on the regular, Pidge. You still expected me to talk to you after the whole Zeph and Ryn ‘cleansing’ thing, and the ‘let’s not clue Falon in on anything’ bullshit you also like to pull. So don’t play the pout card with me,” I scold, and I feel her huff.
She doesn’t go anywhere, so I take that as a good sign.
“Okay, you want to Miyagi me—does that mean you would like to teach me to hunt and fight?” I ask in a voice normally reserved for little kids.
Pigeon shoots me a look that clearly expresses she’s not impressed by my placating tone. This time I let out a huff.
“Fine. We’ll do it your way, but, Pigeon, I need to learn how to fight in my form too, and no offense, how are you going to help with that?” I ask.
Pigeon gives me an indignant snort and sends me an image of a wing patting me on the head. I recycle the unimpressed look she previously gave me and sling it back at her. I watch in my mind as a feather is pressed against my lips like it’s a finger meant to shush me, and then Pigeon signals for me to follow her. I can’t help but chuckle at the cheekiness of it all, while simultaneously being annoyed.
Patrick Swayze’s voice fills my mind, saying, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” Only I mentally edit it to say, “Nobody shushes Falon with a feather.”
Pigeon and I both chuckle, and she flashes me the sky and a clearing. I look around at the mostly empty halls and wonder if I’m allowed to just leave. I shake my head at that thought, because I’m a grown ass woman and should just go wherever the fuck I want to go. I turn the corner and notice a guard standing solitary in the corner.
“Hello,” I greet him and move in his direction. “I’m just going to go find some space to...uh...exercise. Just wanted to let you know, in case anyone needs me for anything,” I tell him, waving awkwardly and stepping away from him when he looks at me like he could give two fucks what I’m going to do.
I continue to back away, shooting a thumbs up in the direction of the guard who is now ignoring me, and aim a glare at Pigeon when she cracks up inside of me. I’m pretty sure she’s mocking my I’m a grown ass woman thoughts from before and...well, frankly...it’s rude.
“I probably just saved us from getting shot out of the sky by one of those net thingies. Remember how lovely that felt,” I point out smugly, making my way to the closest balcony.
Pigeon shoots me an image of Dr. Evil from Austin Powers saying, “Riiiight.”
“You know, I never thought I would say this, but I liked you better when you were quiet,” I tell her, opening the door that leads outside and calling on my wings.
She snickers, but I ignore it as I leap off the balcony in search of a good place for us to figure our shit out and tap into our inner badass.
This should be interesting.
“You want me to what?” I ask, the panic and doubt ringing clear in my voice.
Pigeon replays the action movie she just mistook for real life in my mind. I watch as she dives out of the sky until we’re only a couple feet off of the ground. She slows us slightly and then we shift into me. I start running, not missing a beat in order to keep our pace. Then bend over to snatch a twig from the ground, and when I straighten up, we shift back into Pigeon and climb high into the sky.
Internally I stare at her, my look communicating just what I think of this birdbrained plan.
“There are easier ways to kill me, you know,” I declare, folding my hands over my chest.
She flashes me the image of us successfully completing the last challenge that I declared was impossible.
“I am aware that I have said that before, but it doesn’t make it any less true,” I point out.
Pigeon proceeds to bombard me with a slideshow of all the things we’ve accomplished in the three days we’ve been coming out here. We spent the first day on the baby steps. We worked on partial shifting in my form and in Pigeon’s. I can now shift and call on talons, Pigeon’s eyes, a soft downy coat of fur from the waist down—which I’m still not sure how I feel about—and I can work up a growl that would make any mama lion proud.
Pigeon also gave me a thorough flight lesson. Which, surprisingly, has helped to make everything that’s happened since go much more smoothly.
A ripple of smugness breaches my thoughts.
“Okay, fine, maybe it wasn’t that surprising since you specifically flashed me how important it would be, but you are a dramatic little bird, so forgive me for not falling hook, line and sinker for everything you say,” I tell her. “Are you sure this next task isn’t like the one you created about keeping my wings clean?” I ask incredulously.
Pigeon snickers.
“Pigeon!” I warn, not interested in falling for another prank.
On day two, we spent most of the day jumping off an outcropping of rock on the side of the waterfall. I would jump off as me and then mid fall, we would shift into Pidge. We acquired an audience around noon, or at least that’s when Dri and Sice started cheering and rating my form, as my naked ass leapt flying squirrel style out over the edge of the water.