The dove's engine came to life, roaring like the wind in a violent hurricane as the gigantic ramp of the hanger sunk to the ground. It was dark on the inside of the plane, a single row of soft lights in the ceiling illuminating the path upward to where the seats lined the walls.

I swallowed, glancing to the guardians as they strapped their weapons to their body. Cybele tucked more arrows into the quiver on her back, adjusting the huge bow that was slung on her shoulder. 

Raphael was putting a knife into his shoe, his black belt around his waist holding several small daggers and his blade. Finn was situating his own swords, forming an X across his back as he slipped on his gloves while flexing his fingers.

"Do I... get a weapon too?" I asked, Finn's eyes glancing down to me. He unzipped a compartment in his jacket that I didn't know existed, handing me one of his daggers.

"It's my favorite one, so keep it safe for me." He smiled as Raphael stood to his feet.

"You really want to give her that? She'll probably cut off one of your fingers."

"Or your ball sack." I snapped in reply, making Raphael roll his eyes as he stepped onto the ramp before disappearing into the shadow. His boots clunked against the floor of the dove before I couldn't hear him any longer over the screaming of the engines.

"We need to leave now if we're going to land in time." Cybele said to Finn, following Raphael onto the plane with ease.

Finn took a step onto the ramp, glancing back at me as I stared into the darkness of the hanger. "Coming, Kate?"

"I've never flown before," I glanced up into his blue eyes, holding the knife close to my chest. "And from the looks of you all, it seems pretty dangerous."

He walked closer to me, standing a good foot taller than me on the ramp as he extended his hand. "These aren't for the plane ride, and I promise it will be smoother than you think." I looked at his hand before back into his eyes. "I'll sit next to you in the hanger."

His offer made me smile as he dropped his hand to wave for me to come. I took a step onto the ramp, feeling it tremble underneath my feet as I followed him inside. I watched the swords on his back shift side to side as he walked, following the line of glowing dots while my vision adjusted. I slipped the knife he'd given me into the pouch on my waist.

Raphael and Cybele sat on one side of the dove, a heavy vest over their bodies that was strapped to the wall. Finn took a seat on the opposite side, putting his arms into the giant straps before buckling it across his chest.

I took a seat cautiously beside him, slipping my arms into the holes just as he did before buckling it just the same.

"Let me tighten it for you." He said, taking a hold of one of the straps for me and pushing against my shoulder with his other hand. He pulled the fabric while applying pressure on me, his fingers dancing close to the curve of my neck. It made me shiver. The vest pinched against my body, tighter around me as Finn looked into my eyes. "Too tight?"

"No, this is good. Thank you." I said, giving him a small smile. "Flying is fun. Flying is fun."

He chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "Of course. Everything will be alright. Riding in these tends to make me fall asleep."

"Seriously? You can fall asleep in this metal cage?" I shook my head in disbelief.

"When you fly in these as much as I do, they tend to rock you to sleep." He winked, "and we have a long flight ahead of us, so I'll place a bet that you'll nod off too."

"Never." I replied, gripping the fabric of my vest as the entire dove shuddered, the ramp lifting and creaking before it closed entirely. The lights on the floor and ceiling began to dim and I blinked my eyes. "What's happening?"

"Getting ready for takeoff. They turn down the power in the back to supply more for the engines to get us off the ground." Finn replied, his voice calm as he shrugged his shoulders. There was a set of clicking noises before the sound of the dove started to grow, getting louder and louder to the point where I clamped my hands over my ears.

I closed my eyes, holding my hands tight to my ears as I felt us lurch forward. The dove was moving, rolling along the cement towards the long runway leading straight for a very high cliff of rocks.

Something tapped my arm as I opened my eyes. It was Finn, holding up a pair of black earmuffs as he touched my hands. I removed them from my ears, the shrieking of the plane making me shudder as he placed the headset on my ears carefully. His hands were cold as his fingers grazed my cheeks, reminding me of when we had met a long time ago. Licking his lips, he flipped a switch on the side, and the noise immediately lessened.

My eyes widened as I touched the earmuffs, amazed at how now the engine was only a soft purr in the background. I looked to Finn giving him a wide smile that made him raise a mischievous eyebrow.

I mouthed to him, "thank you." He nodded his head before resting it against the wall, closing his eyes as he took in a deep breath. Maybe he was going to try and take a nap as well.

The dove started to pick up speed as it rattled, force pressing down on my shoulders as everything began to shake. I looked to Raphael and Cybele, both sitting and talking as though nothing was occurring around them.

It started to move faster and faster, the purr getting louder to match our speed as everything shuddered violently. I glanced to Finn, his eyes still closed and face soft, and I reached out and gripped his hand in mine.

His eyes shot open in surprise as he jumped a little in his seat, looking down at our fingers as I squeezed his hand tightly. I closed my eyes before I could see his expression, leaning my head back as I bit my lip. The front end of the dove was off the ground as the back wheels made everything shake.

Then, we were weightless as I felt the dove rise into the air. It began infinitely smoother as we leveled out as though we were gliding on perfect ice. I opened my eyes as everything had stopped its violent shuddering, glancing around as Raphael and Cybele started to under strap their vests.

Finn gave my hand a squeeze, and I pulled out of his grasp, feeling a heat rise on my cheeks at my actions. He didn't seemed fazed and actually gave me a grin before undoing his vest. I undid mine as well, taking out my arms as I kept my earmuffs on. Finn stretched out his arms, curling his wings around his chest like a blanket as he yawned.

I guess now I understood how you could doze off on one of these things. It was so incredibly smooth that it didn't feel like you were moving at all. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and crossed my arms over my chest. I'd never fall asleep on one of these though. I was simply resting my heavy eyes.

Something shook me and I swatted at it, trying to relax back into my blissful unconsciousness. I was nudged again as something tight was wrapped around my body and I shifted in discomfort, resting my head on something softer than what I'd been laying on before.

The poking continued, making me wrinkle my nose as I opened my eyes lazily. It was dark and I blinked furiously, rubbing my eyes as I tried to remember where I was. Cybele and Raphael sat across from me, strapped into their vests again with their eyes closed though from the way they fidgeted it was obvious they weren't asleep.

Something touched my arm again and I looked to the side, seeing a wall of white. I narrowed my eyes. What was so white that...?

I shot up straight, removing my head off of Finn's shoulder as I looked down to my lap. My vest was back on, and I glanced back to Finn, his face wearing a smug expression as though he were oozing an 'I told you so' aura.

Adjusting my earmuffs, I looked away, lacing my fingers together. His wing had been really soft as I realized that it was the white feathers I'd been resting on instead of his shoulder.

The dove began to shake again, making me tense as I gripped the edge of my seat. Everything rattled before we hit something, the wheels rattling underneath as I was thrown to the side. I hit Finn in the side, gripping his arm to steady myself as he glanced down to me. A blush rose on my cheeks as I wiggled away from his. He really did have some muscle.

I shook that thought away as the engine's rumbling began to fade. Across from me, I saw Raphael roll his eyes, probably enjoying seeing more evidence of my klutziness while Cybele tried to suppress the grin on her face.

The dove came to a halt as the lights slowly began to die, the shuddering underneath my feet starting to roar again. A crack of daylight lit up the hanger as the ramp began to lower to the ground. Cybele, Raphael, and Finn were already out of their vests and on their feet. Raphael pushed a button on the wall before raising his thumb to us all as I clicked open my vest and stood up.

I slid off my ear muffs and Finn took them from my hand, opening a compartment to his left.He put them in before handing me a black bag. "Food, clothes, and other essentials."

Taking it from his hands, I put it on my back as the other two guardians were already hurrying down the ramp and into the blinding sunlight, sliding their own packs over their shoulders.

Finn walked out ahead of me as I followed, lengthening my stride to keep up as the sun made me squint. It was windy, the breeze whipping my hair across my face as the sound of squaking birds and crashing waves echoed in the background. The air smelt salty and I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the light.

Down a steep bank of sand laid the ocean and a weaving trail down the rocks and trees led towards the crashing waves. I looked to Finn when he walked towards the trail, the tops of Raphael and Cybele's heads glinting in the light as they made their way down the slope.

Rushing after him, I followed as we stepped down rocks and sand, occasionally ducking under tree branches. We made sharp turns to stay on the pathway as the ocean gurgled below us. It was a steep fall.

"Careful here." He said, not looking back as he stepped over a fallen tree whose roots were still buried in the dirt beside us. It could crumble into the water with enough weight.

I lifted my leg, stepping high over it as well. Finn watched me carefully before we continued down the trail. Then he surprised me by brushing back some branches and leaving the trail behind completely.

"Where... Are we not following the path?"

"Not if it doesn't lead to the place you're headed." He pushed back a large tree limb, letting me slip by first before he let it slap backwards. The bushes and tall grass under our feet started to pull away as another dusty path appeared ahead of us among the thicket of trees and brambles.

A clearing appeared in front of us, the large mouth of an open cave sitting at the edge with Cybele and Raphael waiting patiently ahead. I gazed around us, trees on one side with the cliff and the ocean below on the other.

Cybele nodded to Finn before looking to Raphael as they stepped towards the cave. I gasped as they disappeared, a blue tint gleaming from where their bodies had just been.

"See? You'll be safe in there." Finn nodded as we approached the cave mouth. "Let's go."

I sucked in a breath as I stepped inside, a tingle of energy sparking through my body as I clamped my eyes shut.