Panic set into Sky's heart when the ominous shadow of losing his newest and only friend loomed over him.

His heart rate sped dangerously up as he rushed through the bustling city and back to the woods. His palms started to sweat. Time slipped from his hands, as if his feet were too slow. The elevators were too slow. His skateboard wasn't fast enough. The sweet dreams of a torturer became true on the canvas of his body and mind.

As Sky approached the clearing where he had left Haywire, his heart raced. But right when the clearing was almost in sight, he spotted a group of Elite soldiers. They were heavily armed and dressed in black tactical gear.

They're scanning the area right now. His eyes were glued to their guns, pointed forward. He hid behind some dense bushes. They haven't found him yet. Phew! But... They've got some sort of gadget in their hands. What is it? A portable scanning device to track Haywire down maybe?

Sky narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better look at the unknown gadget. He crawled and hid behind a nearby tree as he watched the soldiers moving through the woods.

Out of the blue, a bolt of lightning struck near the group of soldiers, rendering them blind and vulnerable for a moment. Their shrieks faded into the ear-splitting thunder that soon followed.

What was that?! Sky covered his eyes with one of his forearms. It sounds like a...

"Lightspark!" a soldier exclaimed. "Watch out!"

A Lightspark was indeed flying above the group. It swooped down and pierced a soldier with its long, sword-like beak, killing him on the spot.

A Steelvane followed. It spat large balls of lava and threw them at the surviving soldiers, who managed to dodge them. However, the woods caught on fire.

More phoenixes arrived.

Now, that's odd. Sky gulped. Phoenixes usually attack the Hovering Hive or the harvest or the warehouses which belong to Anti-Ageing Inc. and hardly ever anything else. They never go to any other city or town. What are they doing here, attacking a small group of Elite soldiers deep in the woods?

Sky crouched down behind some bushes, peering through the leaves as he watched the brutal fight unfold between the Elite soldiers and the group of phoenixes. The sound of gunfire and the piercing screeches of the birds echoed through the woods, sending chills down his spine.

The soldiers had underestimated the phoenixes' strength and agility, and they were paying for it dearly. The birds swooped down from above, their sharp claws and beaks tearing into flesh and metal.

The sound of steel clashing against steel resonated through the air, intermixed with agonizing screams of both phoenix and human alike, as the Elite soldiers engaged in a brutal battle with the nefarious phoenixes. Beaks snapped and talons tore through flesh, leaving behind gaping wounds that spewed forth crimson rivers. The smell of burning feathers and flesh filled the air.

Chaos reigned supreme as the soldiers struggled to fight against the powerful phoenixes, their hearts beating in unison with the war drums. But even in the face of death, they fought on, driven by their unyielding sense of duty and honour.

Sky winced when one soldier got grabbed by the ankle and lifted into the air by an Airshark, before being dropped to the ground with a sickening thud. A Bloodrunner, a hummingbird-looking phoenix, preyed on him next, stinging him and drinking all his blood.

The battle raged on, a testament to the resilience and bravery of the Elite soldiers.

Sky kept scanning the chaos for any sign of Haywire, but he was nowhere to be seen. Strange. The clearing isn't far from here. What if the Elite soldiers have already captured him and hidden him somewhere? Nah. That can't be. He's huge. I would've seen it already if they had! If so, why would they be scanning the area?

Suddenly, one of the phoenixes let out a deafening screech and took off into the sky. The others followed suit, their wings beating furiously as they disappeared into the distance. The soldiers were left behind, panting and battered, but alive. Well, most of them. Seven out of twelve still lived.

"Control Tower," a sturdy, middle-aged woman said over her phone then. "This is Lana Yang. We've been ambushed. I repeat. We've been ambushed. Five casualties, seven wounded. We need help."

Those wounded and exhausted men and women managed to stand up, check their wounds, and grab their weapons and gear. Three of them were putting out the fire.

"No, we don't need reinforcements. They've fled. That was weird," Lana Yang went on while panting. "Send a transport medical unit and extra fire-containment material. That'll be all."

So, they're leaving as soon as the medical unit brings stuff and fetches them. Good. Sky smiled.

"Okay, soldiers," Lana Yang told the others around her. "The search is over. The woods are too dangerous. I'll report this unusual behaviour to our superiors and postpone the search until further notice. Let the remaining hot coals burn. The rescue group will deal with them."

Perfect. Rescue teams act fast. In no time, they'll be done and they all leave. Then, as soon as I find Haywire, I'll search for any tracking chip in his brain and disable it. I can't allow them to find him.

A few minutes later, the medical unit vehicle arrived and the soldiers undid their path through the woods. Soon, some emergency personnel came to claim the corpses of the fallen in battle.

While hiding behind the bushes, Sky waited until the soldiers and their rescuers had moved on before emerging from his hiding spot.

He walked slowly through what was left of the carnage, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

The ground is tainted in red. Burnt trees and bushes. And flesh, ripped apart or scorched. Damn. What a gruesome sight... and smell! Sky walked on by with care.

He approached the clearing. Its ominous silence welcomed him once more.

This place is too calm. He frowned. Why has Haywire disappeared? Has he managed to escape? Or has something much worse happened to him? Why did those phoenixes appear here, of all places?

Staring ahead, he focuses his gaze on the mesmerising waterfall at the far end of the lake. He put his thumbs in his jeans' pockets while the rest of his hands hung from them. He was so caught up that he didn't notice anything wrong around him—until he felt a wetness in the palm of his right hand.

"WHAT THE FU–?!" he exclaimed, quickly raising his hand in the air and turning around. "HAYWIRE?"

He looked from the phoenix's playful face to the wet palm of his hand, and then back to the beast's face.

"Gross," Sky whispered.

Haywire stuck his tongue out and breathed through his mouth as he stared at Sky.

"This isn't saliva or any bodily fluid. So weird," he said as he smelt his wet hand. "It smells like a lubricant."

He looked back at Haywire and realised that some lubricant was seeping through the beast's nasal orifices.

"I didn't know you could do that. Seep lubricant through your nose holes, which can... move too? You can flare your nostrils? You're so weird, dude." Sky wiped the lubricant with his jeans with some disgust. "And a pretty stealthy beast, too. I didn't hear you approaching."

They stared at each other, and then, Sky smiled broadly at him.

"Anyway, big fella," Sky said as he got closer to Haywire and gently patted its head. "I've been looking for you all over the place. Where have you been?"

Haywire made a series of chirps and whistles in response, almost as if he was trying to explain where he had been. Sky couldn't understand what he was saying, but he could tell from the way Haywire was acting that he was happy to see him.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Sky said, running his hand over Haywire's cold metal feathers. "I was worried about you. I thought those soldiers might have hurt you or something."

Haywire made another series of chirps and whistles in response.

"Alright, big fella," Sky said, patting Haywire on the back of its neck. "Let me check your brain again. It's not safe for you to have a tracking chip. They're onto you... because of me."

A pang of guilt washed over him as he took some tools from his jacket pocket.

"I'm awfully sorry, Haywire," he whispered with sadness in his eyes while he opened up a small lid in the beast's head, exposing its brain. "Not only did I harm you, but now I'm also getting you in trouble. These woods might not be safe anymore for you. At least for some days."

Haywire let out a consoling, long, low-pitched whistle while Sky looked for the tracking chip and worked on deactivating it.

"I didn't know you had a tracking chip—much less that phoenixes can be tracked from the Control Tower." He chuckled and then, he shook his head. "How can I be so stupid! Why didn't I see this coming? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid!"

He ground his teeth in annoyance and firmly closed his eyes. Then, he checked his phone to see whether anything popped up on the screen regarding Haywire's tracking signal. A code appeared: 'PHOENIX10'. Is this a tracking code? I guess so.

"Anyway, if you see humans, just stay away, okay? Hide. Fly to the top of a mountain. Anything," he added with worry as he kept on working. "Just don't mess with them. Can you promise me that?"

The gentle beast made a joyful, short, shrill noise.

"I hope you're saying what I think you're saying." He sighed. Then, he remembered his tail was hurt. "Let me check your tail too. It's not cured yet, but I think you can fly," he said as he examined it closely. "A bit. At least, I hope so."

He patted Haywire's head and smiled at him. He went on working on his brain.

"Alright," he eventually said, closing a small, curvy lid on Haywire's head. "It's done. Disabled."

Sky couldn't help but feel grateful that Haywire was safe and unharmed. He knew that he would do anything to protect his friend, no matter what dangers lay ahead.

Then, he frowned and stared deeply into his eyes and said, "Why were those phoenixes from before here anyway? You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?"

Hello, my sugar cubes!

Do you think those evil phoenixes were there by chance? Or did they have a purpose in mind? Any thoughts?

Stay tuned!

XOXO

Mar

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