"Wait... go where?" Heather asked. "What about Mel?" She couldn't leave without Melanie when their dream had been to escape together.

"We'll come back for her," he answered "you can't carry more than one."

"Finn, what do you mean 'carry?'" 

"Well, I can't fly!" Finn exclaimed. "And this 'Mel' can't fly either as far as I'm concerned." 

"No she can't fly," Heather snapped, "but she can teleport!"

"I'm sorry, Heather, but we can't take her with us," he looked out the window. "Once we have found your parents we'll come back to get her, okay?"

"Okay," she gave in, a sad tone in her voice. "But I'm going to tell her where I'm going!" 

"I don't know if th-" Finn started.

"I either tell her," Heather interrupted, "or she comes!"

"Tell her then..."

"Alright," she began. "Mel's room is this way!" 

She tried to fly again but again failed, flopping onto her stomach painfully. She picked herself up and kept running down the halls.

When she got to Melanie's room she stopped and slowly open the door slowly. "Mel?" she whispered. "Mel wake up!"

Melanie stirred. "Heather!" she moaned. "It's not teaching time yet!" 

"Mel I need to tell you something."

"Okay," Mel rolled over to face her. "Wait... HOW ARE YOU OFF THE CHAIN??!!"

Heather told her how Finn had rescued her and how she couldn't come and how they would come back for her.

"Oh my lord," Melanie digested the information, her eyes wide. "If you die I swear I will kill you!"

"Mel that doesn't make-" Heather started.

"I don't care!" she jumped out of bed and gave Heather a ferocious hug. "If you don't come back for me I'll come for you-" she looked at Finn "-both." 

"Sorry to ruin your dreams, but you won't be going anywhere," a slimy voice said behind them. They all spun around and there were Heather's aunt and uncle, grinning slyly.

* * *

Finn immediately turned into a wolf, growling. Heather's wings flared up and she got ready to do magic. Melanie gave them a frown that could send fish floating up to the surface of the water.

Finn leapt at them, Heather started trying to cast spells on them and Melanie stood in front of both Finn and Heather, her hands clenched into fists. 

Heather glanced at Mel's window, looking for an escape, but metal slammed shut over the glass. She turned; the doors were the same.

"Hehe," Heather's aunt cackled. "No way to escape now, is there?"

Melanie started doing hand gestures, her arms going ballistic. She pointed with one finger to the chimney.

Of course! Heather suddenly understood what Mel meant. Thanks, Mel!  Finn, the chimney! 

Good thinking Heather! His wolf-self understood what she meant right away.

It wasn't my idea! It was Mel's, she corrected, knowing it didn't really matter. Her aunt and uncle were cackling away, ignoring them. They were unaware that the chimney wasn't blocked.

Alright, try and make your way to the chimney, I'll be right behind you. Finn turned his head back to watch the laughing maniacs, his eyes narrowed.

Heather slowly backed away, toward the chimney. She started casting a barrier spell to keep Mel safe - hopefully forever. It took a lot of effort and concentration. Finally, she felt a buzz of magic; it had worked. She made a barrier for her and Finn, still inching closer and closer to the chimney; their freedom. 

Come on!  Let's get going, she told Finn, who had lunged forward, snapping his jaws menacingly at her aunt and uncle.

Alright, I'm coming. He bit off chunk of fabric from Heather's aunt's dress, just missing her leg. Heather heard the tearing sound and winced. Her aunt screamed and fell into her uncle's arms. He pulled her out of the room; 'to go see the medic.'

Okay, drama king! Stop trying to impress me!  Heather snorted. She was getting impatient. Come on!

I wasn't- Finn stopped, his wolf snout turned slightly pink. Heather chuckled silently, though she felt her face become a little pink too.

Heather ducked into the fireplace. She started climbing and looked down. Finn was following her. She could hear her uncle's shouts and hoped Mel would distract him. I hope she'll be alright, Heather thought.

Back pressed to the bricks, feet one in front of the other, vertically climbing up the wall, they scrambled up - with difficulty. Eventually, she got to the top, soot covering her head to toe (she looked a bit like jolly old Saint Nick!). 

She looked back down into the chimney and saw a black figure crawling up. "Who the heck a-" Heather began, before realising it was Finn in his human form. 

"Hey," he spluttered, coughing up ash. "We should get going." 

"Yeah," Heather answered. "Can you fly?"

Finn raised an eyebrow. "Silly question."

Heather sighed. "Sorry... that just means you'll have to ride on my back."

Finn started blushing and grinning and nervously laughed.

"Uhh... what?"

"Well umm... It'll look wrong..."

Heather cursed. "Bad image! Bad image!!" she screamed, shaking her head. "My eyes are scarred," she gave Finn a dirty look.

Finn shrugged and shifted into his wolf form. Heather bent over, and he hopped onto her back. He wasn't very heavy, which was good, considering she'd only flown twice in her life.

Oh my gosh this is so uncomfortable!  He poked her in the ribs with his paw. We gotta' get some food into you so you aren't as bony!

She scowled. Yeah, yeah.

There was a moment of silence as she waited for him to settle down in a comfortable position.

It looks like- Finn began mischievously.

"Stop right there!" she roared aloud. "Stop right there!"

Finn was silent. The warmth that came from him somewhat relaxed her, and she thought of his grin when she'd mentioned them doing this, she thought of them together-

Heather shook her head. Don't think of that!! You just told him not to, so don't do it yourself! she scolded herself. Spreading her green, feathered wings, she jumped off the roof and rose a little wobbly. Slowly but surely, her wingbeats evened out, and they were off, soaring into the pink sunrise of a new day...