"Blade make sure Ferry stays at the bottom. I'll release you after a few hours." she whispered.
Winter had long fallen asleep, Sheila too. One by one with the sound of her humming led the others to sleep.
Neither her or Blade got much sleep. By the time her eyes closed, it was two hours before dawn, but even that was robbed from her when the tree started to tremble violently. Winter and Sheila were still piled on top of her, but the others had shifted to their own private positions in the thick web of leaves and wood. Hawk sat up abruptly along with Brook and Hydra.
There was a roar so loud it made her chest heave. The entire group scrambled. Fury barked as she tied her bag strap around her left before pulling herself up and moving. They climbed quickly, only stopping when they couldn't go further. The next roar hammered their senses, deep and angry.
Doom! Doom! Doom!
The trees trembled between intervals, which were shortening drastically. There was little they could see, only the green of an infinite number of trees swaying without wind.
Hawk barked twice and pointed east, back down the path they'd walked. The trees parted enough to show a green and black sail, before it was lost in the foliage but to be seen from that height… Fury tightened her bags.
"Come now, it can't be more than two days before we're free of this land." Fury growled before turning away and taking a running jump.
She caught a high perch, breaking it but managed to swing up and catch air enough to cross to a branch two trees away. She pulled herself up and rushed toward the stem before picking a branch to run across and taking another run up. Her movements were fluid, precise, her whole body involved. Her feet kept her stable, her legs, allowing her to move across with little trouble and even less noise. She stopped twenty trees later, Hawk and Brook slid to a stop behind her where there they waited.
"Brook take the lead, Hawk keep an eye out, we'll take a break within the hour. Stop when you can't push on anymore. Hawk make sure you can see Brook and others and please. Make sure you're seen by them too, Go, go!" She slapped Brook on her back, she took off followed by Hawk.
Sheila came next followed by Ashley and Winter.
Hydra, Sabre and Sheila come next, followed by Blade and Ferry. Their movements were the same, light, graceful and powerful. The men, far less so. They sounded like an avalanche, crashing through everything. They didn't land so much as collide. There was little that could be easily traced from the girls, whereas the men left clear marks, even drawing their trails on the floor. Their people called it the green trail[4].
Fury watched them pass with suspicious eyes. Blade looked preoccupied, every movement seemed forced, and as he passed, his eyes trained on her chest as opposed to her face, it was different, especially for Blade, who'd never let himself be caught staring.
Ferry still looked unscathed.
He didn't slow as he passed. She watched in silence before taking a deep breath. The cuts on her back were still tender, aching for attention. They would have to wait; she'd need to use her vial sparingly. She'd need it soon.
The group made better time than she'd hoped, the trees started to part a little wider with every hour. Branches thinned, shrinking. The path moved down instead of up. By midday, the only way both Ferry and Blade could travel by tree was through the bottom branches. They stopped at the base of a tree which stood on its own.
The tree looked purposefully parted from the others, yet she could see no markings or sign of intelligent design. Fury sat back and watched them regain their breath. Her own arms ached in a way that embarrassed her. A lifetime of tree climbing and somehow, they'd all gotten slow, weak, flabby, almost human.
"Fury" Blade said reaching out, "I need a hand."
"So, you're burrowing mine?"