(I'm not very proud of last chapter, I actually feel very embarassed at the idea that 78 people have read it, so it'll be rewritten soon, but for right now, I hope you enjoy this chapter!)                       
                      Ashlie's POV
      We walked away from the town, finding a small clearing, where we stopped, and Dawn addressed our wounds. He wrapped my arm with bandages, instead of cloth, and did the same for the others' wounds. Dawn had gotten onto Tommy about snapping at the town while he rewrapped Tommys chest, but Tommy didn't seem to care. "They deserved it..." He had grumbled stubbornly, making Dawn sigh. None of us liked the 'New Tommy'. He was snappier, and ruder, and very short-tempered. After Nick had died, he'd changed so drastically from the carefree, happy Tommy that I had first met, to the angry, sad Tommy that was with us now.

        When Dawn was finished, he stood up, looking over us all. "I'll let you guys rest for a little bit...Then we can keep going.. " Dawn explained. "Sound good?" He questioned, and everyone nodded in agreement. Uni laid down in the ground, sighing in relief as he was able to catch a break from the non-stop movement that consumed us daily. I did the same, laying down, and without realizing it, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

                     Tommy's POV                        
         I sat a few meters away from the others, staring into the forest. I glanced back at the others, seeing that Uni and Ashlie had seemingly fallen asleep, while Dawn, Jon, and Cory talked quietly together. I huffed, my ears going back as I stared back into the woods. An unfamilar anger burned in my chest, along with a swarming sadness. I sighed, reaching up and carefully removing my mask. I stared down at it, my eyes narrowed.

      I noticed that the bright yellow mask that I had been wearing for many years was dirty and stained. I rubbed it lightly with my fingers, attempting to remove some of the dirt and grime. The mask used to always cheer me up when I was upset, but now, it seemed to only serve as a painful reminder of my lack of happiness. It's bright smile was almost insulting to me. I let out a grim grumble, slowly putting my mask back on. I felt eyes burning into to back of my head, so I looked back. I saw Dawn, Jon, and Cory watching me with looks of sympathy.

      I bared my teeth at them, my tail twitching. I then turned my head back, staring longingly back into the woods. What was I longing for, you might ask, but honestly, I don't know. Nick... The name entered my head like an impailed sword. Aching and quick. I let out a shaky breath, but my thoughts were cut short as a sudden sound hit my ears. It sounded like a distant squawk, loud and powerful, like a birds call. I tensed, pricking my ears, hoping I had heard wrong.

     For a few moments, nothing could be heard. Then, I heard the call again, except louder this time. A low, fearful growl erupted from my throat as I immediantly recognized the call. It was unmistakably the call of a Mega-Raptor. Now, you might be wondering, what is a Megla-Raptor? Well, let me tell you, they definitely aren't something you want to deal with. They are giant birds, nearly the size of a small house. Their wingspan is as long as a oak tree, and they're as tall as average trees. They're beaks are deadly, having many sharp teeth jutting out of them. They're talons are as long as a person, and as sharp as a blade.

      The large creatures also have very thick, hard feathers, which act as protective armour. And last, but definetly not least, they have very keen eyesight, hearing, and smell, making them deadly foes. They pretty much top Planchazos, barely. It's a miracle that we haven't yet encountered one on our journey. My ear twitched as I heard the sound again. I turned to Dawn and Jon, anxiety sparking through me, my tail bushing out a bit. "Dawn...I think we have company..." I said.

     Dawn looked at me in confusion, "What?" He questioned. Then the squaking could be heard again, and this time, they heard it. Corys lense widened, "Is that....?" He trailed off, "A-A Megla-Raptor...?" Jon finished. Dawn nodded, "I belive so.." He said quietly. Cory immediantly jumped to his feet, grabbing his bow and arrows. I too stood up, pulling out my machete as Dawn woke up Ashlie and Uni. Uni sat up immediately, gasling, as if waking from a nightmare, while Ashlie woke up more slowly. Though, as soon as they were warned of the approaching danger, they were up and ready to go. Uni pulled out his daggar, and Ashlie pulled out her sword. The creatures cry once again rang through the air, sending shivers down my spine.

    "Maybe it doesn't know we're here...?" Jon proposed hopefully. Cory shook his head, "It may not know if we're here now, but it definitely will..." Cory sighed. I laughed dryly, "We're gonna die..." I said hopelessly. "Don't think that way, Tommy!" Ashlie exclaimed, then, a large shadow seemed to cover us all. We all slowly looked up, and my heart skipped a beat as I saw the silhouette of a giant bird flying slowly above us. It let out a loud shriek, before beggining to duve diwn towards us. "Yep! It sees us!" Cory exclaimed. "No duh, Carl!" I retorted back.

    When creature was only about five meters from the hard ground, it forced it's body upwards, outstretching it's large wings, catching itself in the air. A burst of air washed over us like a tsunami, knocking us backwards. I tumbled back a few feet, before landing on my feet, snarling. The creature now towered over us, both taloned feet planted firmly on the ground. The creature stretched it's wings out, letting out an ear-splitting shriek. I grabbed my ears, letting out a yelp of pain. I looked forward, seeing Cory charging at the creature, aiming his bow. He drew the arrow back, releasing it a moment later. The arrow zoomed through the air before making rough contact with the birds thick features. Though, instead of penetrating them, the arrow only bounched off of it's feathers, flying back a Cory. He gasped, dodging the arrow. The arrow hit the ground roughly, breaking in two.

       Cory skidded to a stop, "Well...That didn't work..." He said, right before the creature lifted it's long talon. Cory barely dodged the attack, but he took it as an opportunity to slash at the creature. He made a small incision with one of his sharpened arrows on the creatures foot. It let out a screech, and Cory backed up. I took in a deep breath, gripping the handle of my machete tighly. Then, I barrelled forward, my weapon held out in a battle-ready way. Ashlie simultaneously charged the creature at the same time. The more the better... I thought I we charged the creature, side-by-side.

      I gripped the handle of my machete with both hands, plunging it deeply into the creature. Though, I had chosen a spot that the creatures feathers were much too deep, causing my attack to be in vain. The creature still let out a screech, though, turning to Ashlie. I felt triumph in knowing that she had caused damage to the creature. I aslo noticed, now that I was closer to the creature, that it was a little on the smaller side. Maybe we stand a chance. I thought. Then, I heard Ashlie scream.

        The large Raptor had Ashlie by the foot, and was holding her upside down in it's long beak. She screamed in fear, "Ashlie!" Jon screamed, but the creature didn't seem to notice. It swung her around a few times, and I heard Ashlie cry out in pain. I narrowed my eyes, taking a step back. "Hey, Worm!!!" I yelled the the creature, but it didn't react. I scanned the creature, my eyes landing on it's feet. You'll get crushed! One side of me thought, but the other side of me knew that I had to save my friend, scared or not. I charged forward, ducking under one of it's large wings. I stabbed the creatures foot with my machete. "I said, HEY WORM!" I snarled, removing my machete, and stabbing it a few more times. The creature let out a blood-curtling screech, dropping Ashlie. Luckily, though, Cory rushed forward and caught her before she could hit the hard ground.

      The creature turned to me. I growled at it, but the creature simply waved it's wing strongly. The wing made rough contact with my body, sending me flying backwards, several feet off the ground. My body crashed against a tree, my head hitting it roughly, then I fell forward, falling a few feet before thumping onto the ground. I laid motionlessly on my stomach, my eyes closed as my body racked with pain, and my head felt light and fuzzy. I heard echoey screaming, and I cracked my eyes open. My vision fazed from blurry to nit blurry, making it hard to make things out. I saw the large bird approaching me slowly, despite the others attempts to keep it back. Finishing the job... I thought as my eyes closed again, my body too weak to move. I let out a whimper, accepting defeat. Then, I heard some gasps of suprise as the creature towered over me, and I opened my eyes a bit wider, but this time, I was suprised. A figure stood infront of me, acting as a barrier between the bird and I. They had a skinny, injured-seeming frame, and black hair. Though, the most noticable detail seemed to be their large, bat-like wings that spread out largely behind them. Though, one was bent in a strange way, as if it were broken. Then, the figure looked back at me, smiling lightly. My heart skipped a beat as I saw his painfully familiar face. Nick... I thought, it can't be...

A/N It's been awhile, huh? Well, I've been kinda busy lately, adding on to what I said before. But anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And as alwats, I HOPE YOU HAVE AN AMAZING DAY, AND GOODBYE PEEPS!!!