The minutes passed and even if Arun was looking for Astera, he found no more trace of the raptor than earlier in the day. Where could she be ? Could it be that she actually helped Naal while he was unconscious and they both left the vet behind them ?
No, it was totally impossible. Well, not that Arun thought himself irreplaceable or anything, just that he really hoped it was not the case... Even though he loved animals, he did not see himself living in the middle of a colony of meerkats for the rest of his life...
"It's good, everyone went looking for the bird !" Shuu stepped out of one of the open holes in the ground as he approached Arun. He had been super efficient ! In less than half an hour, he had gathered everyone under one goal.
"Thank you very much, Shuu. I have unfortunately not advanced on my side... But I don't desparate ! We'll find her." Replied Arun, trying to motivate himself too. The sun was starting to drop in the sky, they did not have much time...
The more he walked, the more holes the veterinarian counted under his feet. There really was an impressive number of them, and the tunnels dug under the ground were to be of a gigantic size. With all that, his chances of finding Astera had greatly increased.
"Tell me Arun... If we don't find the bird you're looking for, what are you going to do ?" Asked the meerkat who had decided to stay at his side on the surface to search. After all, he had a much better view than the human, and would be useful even here.
"I don't know... The question doesn't arise, I hope to find her before the night to help my client. I can't let her down, it's my fault if she's in such a difficult situation..." Replied the young man without hesitation, resolved.
"You really have a great sense of responsibility..." Shuu smiled as he heard his friend's response, which he had imagined exactly the same. In spite of the obstacles and the difficulties, the human did not shrink from anything, even if it seemed impossible... The meerkats truly admired such courage, and aspire to be one day as resolute as him. He would protect his friends and his colony and take his responsibilities too. Because now he knew he could do it.
"I can't leave a person in distress, be it an animal or a human... That's why I became a vet, to help everyone overcome their problems." He added with a modest air, a little embarrassed by the situation. He did not really like compliments, because he never knew how to react to them...
However a small voice cut them off in their conversation, and a new meerkat pulled his head off the ground.
"Shuu, we've found her ! A great black and feathery mass, huge like a mountain !"
"Is that true ?" Arun suddenly smiled at the good news and description that looked exactly like the bird he was looking for.
"She's about 500 meters further north, lying between trees that were hiding her body. If we had not took a close look, we probably would have missed her..."
"We're following you !" Shuu said, asking his friend to guide him and Arun to Astera. The veterinarian hoped that she was fine and that nothing bad happened to her... He did not have the necessary equipment to help an animal, everything remained at the clinic.
After running for a few minutes, they arrived on the spot where the bird was, which became a little lush. The grass seemed to grow better and better, of a yellow color that tended towards the green, and some trees grew but not without difficulty, by seeing their dry wood without water.
And in the midst of this scene was the raptor, stretched out, almost motionless. Just enough so that Arun could see the movement of her body as she breathed, which was reassuring.
The vet rushed to her, putting a hand on her feathers. However, he immediately removed it when a multitude of images and sounds ran through his head at the moment of physical contact. She was not in her normal state.
"Astera, I'm here !" Arun approached her and stood in the middle of her field of vision to be seen. As if waking from sleep, the black vulture straightened up suddenly, unfolding her huge wings.
"Human, what are you doing here ? I thought you had been killed by the hand of this Alden..." Was it a dream ? She had seen this man lying on the ground in a bloody bed. Everything was the fault of this stranger, the master of Vikion, the black vulture she trusted... Because she was carrying their children.
"It's a long story... But you need more to kill me !" Answered Arun with a comforting smile. From the beginning, Astera called him human... But was he really human? She was beginning to doubt it.
"I've come to get you. We'll catch Alden and get Naal back." He added firmly, determined to pick up his client. Even if he had to go to the other side of the world to save her, he would do it without hesitation. Because she was his client, and she trusted him to the end !
"Arun..." Astera laid down again on the floor keeping only one unfolded wing. "I do not think I can catch him..."
In the middle of her jet-black feathers, the bone spear of the one who had attacked them was planted in the wing of the raptor.
"I could not follow him any longer, I had to land here... Otherwise Naal would have been safe a long time ago."
Astera was hurt, and it was far from a superficial injury. Even though the spear was rather small compared to her size, her blood had run out and she had lost a lot of energy. But Arun could not give up now. Not after all he had done to finally find her !
"Astera, I'll heal you !" He declared in a tone full of determination.