"Someone's screaming." Iggy replied breathlessly. He shook his head, wincing. "A lot." Gazzy and I step towards the cliff edge alongside him, looking out, but seeing no one. He or she must be hidden behind the ruins, it was more likely than being out of my sight range. But then I noticed wisps of smoke on the horizon and the profiles of tents. That was new. The only mutants around here were us and dad's old gang, and none of them lived in shabby tents.

    "Who is it?" Nudge asked, shakily. I glance over to see her nervously playing with her bracelet. She always found time to look stylish, while I wore dirty jeans and a plain shirt. I am my mother's daughter. Before Iggy can reply mama had shot out of the cave and leapt into the air. Her massive wings rising and falling as she made her way closer to the threadlike clouds.

    "C'mon! No time to lose!" She hollered back as Fang and Angel joined her, both wearing the same gritty expression. My raven wings unfurled and I feel my blood pound in my ears. I'm going to help, Angel, you hear me? Instantly, Gazzy took off. Iggy stepped away from the edge to get a running start.

    "Iggy!? Who is it!?" Nudge yelled, but he was already gone. "It better not be Holden." With an anxious look on her face, Nudge flew after him.

    Phoenix, stay here. Angel's voice echoes in my brain.

    "Like hell I am," I scoff, diving into a freefall off the cliff, I flap my onyx wings that seem to gleam a dark blue in the sunlight, and propel myself upwards joining the rest of my flock. Angel's crystal eyes scrutinize me, dad frowns slightly.

   "Phoe, go back. You don't want to see this." He spoke slowly. Mama let out a short breath, obviously not agreeing with Angel and dad wanting to hold me back from reality. Dad's eyes glanced over to mama's for a split second. "She doesn't want to see this. She doesn't need to fight—"

    "It's cute that you're the protective father and all, but our daughter is not some wuss." Mama retorts. I smirk at her. "Besides, even though the world is safe now, excluding the casual cryena attack—hell is destined to break loose sometime." I push away the ghastly image of the cryena, three sizes bigger than the non-mutated dogs of the past, with glittering fangs and rabid eyes. I smile weakly. Angel sighed, falling behind to fly alongside Gazzy. "Be alert, they most likely are still around." Mama ordered, leaving me wondering who 'they' were.

   As we get closer to the horizon I start to hear the yells. Poor Iggy had to cover his ears in pain as we dove down towards the tents. In the middle of the muddled camp a fire was smoldering, two bird kids with gray wings sat around it. One mutant who appeared to have no wings, was rushing from tent to tent. They were all bruised and bleeding, their tents slashed by what seemed to knives.

    I land lightly, folding my wings and protectively crossing my arms. The mutant who was running from tent to tent stopped, dropping a bundle of gauze and pain meds. He had clear white eyes, the only thing mutant about him. He seemed shocked by our arrival. "You didn't need to bring everyone—" His pallid eyes seemed to glow as mama shrugged off a backpack and unzipped it, revealing a first aid kit and a crap load of supplies. It almost seemed like too much. "Holy crap! Thank you!" He exclaimed, eagerly taking the backpack and disappearing into the tent.

    "Where did those muggers go?" Mama asked the young avian girl. I couldn't tell what her eye color was, her brown hair was covering her right eye, and her left was swollen shut.

    "They ran off after you showed up." The girl smiled. "They were pretty freaked out when you pulled a gun on them."

    "All eight of them?" Mama questioned suspiciously.

    There was a pause as the boy inside the tent let out another hair-raising cry of pain. "They must've known who you were, and that you had backup." The boy avian shrugged, his hair the same dirty brown as the girl who seemed to be his sibling. Mama nodded, but still looked unconvinced.

    They're lying. Angel growls. The whole flock including me tensed up. Mama narrowed her eyes.

    "Mind if we take a look around?" Gazzy asks, eyeing one of the tents, I feel the slight vibration of footsteps from inside. I nonchalantly find my pocketknife in my back jean pocket and act as if I am just taking a casual stance.

    "We really have nothing too interesting." The girl chirps. "Thank you for helping us, but we can take care of our friend now on our own."

    The tent.

    "No, no we'll help." Dad insists, breaking away from our group and gliding over to the tent.

   "What're you doing?" The boy asks, getting to his feet, and striding towards him. Dad glances at him with a smug grin. Dad was taller and more menacing looking that the teenage mutant. The boy nervously fumbled his words. "St-stop it."

    "Looking for supplies you might've overlooked." He shrugs.

    "DON'T." The boy orders, failing to grab dad's shoulder on account of how much shorter he is. The girl kicked off the ground about to slam her elbow into his spine, before I could rush to his side, Dad had already blocked her. Shoving her to the ground. The tent unzips revealing eight pairs of eyes, they lunge out with knives drawn. I draw my own knife and get ready. As my ears ring I rush towards dad, who had just narrowly dodged a stab to the ribs. I kick off my back foot and slammed my foot into the girl's back, she landed face first on the packed earth.

    The boy then looped his surprisingly strong arms around me and lifted me off the ground causing me to drop my knife. I gasped as he squeezed and I felt the air leaving my lungs at an alarming rate, I yelled, and bit his arm until I tasted sticky, hot blood. He yowled, letting me go. "Scatter!" Mama ordered. I roll on the ground away from the boy and get to my feet, spitting blood I start run, trying to gain speed for a take-off.

    However, the tall, pale eyed mutant had other plans. He slams his elbow into my temple and I crumple to the ground, instantly dizzy. I growl as he kicks me in the stomach, but smile as Nudge rushes in and punches him out cold with a loud crunch and a spurt of blood.

   I get to my feet only to be kicked in the side by the avian girl, she tries to kick me again, this time in the head, but I block her. She quickly recalculates, but her slowness in chambering for a punch takes away the surprise. Before she can even reach my face I sudo-block, pushing her arm to the side. Now her stomach is exposed, I take the opportunity to strike her down and slam my elbow into her stomach. She howls, and I hear her ribs crack. "Fe-Felix!" She whimpers. I gasp, taking a step back. I guess I don't know my own strength.

    "OPAL!" The gray-winged boy screams in reply, I turn. The last thing before I hit the ground is his malicious face. After that everything is blurry. Laying on the hard ground I cringe, seeing the outline of Angel running towards me, almost in slow motion. The chaotic noise of battle is distant, but I hear the crackling of the fire. I blink slowly, relaxing as I realize that Angel is coming to my rescue, but then she screams almost silently. Another moving blur had stabbed her in the side, I see the shimmer of the blade clear as day.

   Instantly tears take over my already blurred vision, and I let out panicked breaths, shaking I force myself onto my knees ignoring the pounding in my skull. I see Angel's silhouette falling away and I turn away towards the fire. Without thinking I thrust my hand into the embers and feel warmth spread within me, drying my tears and making my blood boil. When I pull away the fire dances on my fingers, and I whirl around, casting the flames towards Angel's attacker.