"Um...Cyril...?" Wren shook, her hands covering her eyes.
"What? I thought you wanted to get some fresh air, little bird." Cyril teased.
"I did but um...this...well this..." Wren parted her fingers, peering through the spaces between. Surrounding them was nothing but open air and clouds for miles. The wind breezed past her hair as her legs tightened around the back of Cyril's waist. "This isn't exactly what I had in mind!" Wren practically screamed. The air was thin and cold up here, that one scream making her lose her breath entirely. 'One wrong move and I'll slip right off of him.' Wren thought.
As if Cyril had read her mind, "Well stop covering your eyes and hold on!"
"I'll try." Wren let out a whimper. She hesitantly moved her trembling hands down to the harpy's shoulders. As soon as she did though, Cyril suddenly dove down past the clouds. Wren opened her mouth to scream again but no sound came out. She clung to Cyril's back, shoving her face down into the back of his shoulder.
"Wren..." Much closer to the ground now, Cyril he just glided. "You can look now."
"I don't think I can." Wren whimpered.
"It's okay. I promise."
Wren slowly opened her eyes. It was dark but the sand below was lit up by the light of the moon. They were in the desert. She gradually started to gain confidence, loosening her grip and sitting up again. To most the Californian desert was just a bland wasteland but here and night, it was stunning. Wren much preferred this to the city lights any day. "Oh Cyril, is this the type of stuff you see every day?" She asked, admiring the landscape as they passed by.
"No." Cyril replied. He flapped his wings a few times to maintain their height. "I don't get a lot of free time. And lately well...I've just been busy watching you." Cyril turned his head to look up at Wren briefly before looking forward again.
'Right, he is my guardian angel and all that.' Wren thought. There were still a lot of questions lingering about the man who sent Cyril to guard her. At least she felt like she could trust Cyril. "Well, if you're stuck with me anyway...maybe we should do this more often."
'Oh no.' Cyril didn't answer Wren at first. Instead, he looked to a small plateau in the distance and soared over there. He landed onto the rocky surface, his bird feet quickly adjusting to the grooves of the rocks.
"Cyril?" Wren slid down his back until she was on her own feet. For her it wasn't as easy to adjust. She wobbled for a bit before grabbing onto the hook on the end of Cyril's wing for support. "Do you want to do this more?" Wren suggested again. "We can be each other's escape."
"I can't."
"Well why not?" Wren protested. She wobbled on the rocks again.
"I'm not even supposed to interact with you unless it's an emergency." Cyril admitted.
"No one has to know." Wren insisted. She looked to Cyril with pleading eyes. "This has been the most fun I've had in like...well ever."
"Fun? You were clinging to me for dear life."
Wren looked away, blushing and pouting. "Please...?" She murmured.
'Where was this attituded when everyone was pressuring her earlier?' Cyril thought. "Wren..." He sighed. "You're just a job to me." Cyril said, trying to push her away. "I make sure you don't die and when my boss decides to give me a different job, I'll never see you again." She was just like any other assignment. So then, why did it hurt him so much to think about not seeing her again?
"Fine then you stupid...raven!" Wren moved away. She tried to summon her inner Camilla and act tough, but her eyes couldn't fool anyone. Tears were starting to pool in the corners of them. Wren hadn't even cried back when Anthony had cheated on her. But here she was, distraught over this dumb bird man. She attempted to get some distance between her and Cyril but instead slipped on one of the rocks.
"Wren!" Cyril turned when he heard the gravel slide out from under Wren's feet. He reached out to her with his wings but they both ended up sliding down the plateau and into the sand. "Fuck." Cyril growled under his breath. "Are you okay?" He lifted his head to meet Wren's gaze. Somehow, he had landed right on top of her.
Wren was still crying. She met Cyril's eyes and nodded her head. "Uh huh..." She looked so pitiful laying there in the sand. Wren's dress had torn during the slide down the rocks. They were a matching pair. On Cyril's end, his usually pristine suit was now scuffed, and his tie was loose around his neck.
"I'm sorry." Cyril apologized, lowering his head solemnly. "I didn't really mean it when I said you were just a job." He admitted.
"I'm sorry too." Wren replied.
"What? Why?" Cyril looked up to meet her eyes once again.
"For calling you a stupid Raven."
The harpy just started to laugh. "Dummy." Wren looked like she was going to start pouting at first but instead she laughed along with Cyril. They laughed together, getting it all out of their systems. When the chuckling died off and they were both quiet. The new silence was deafening. Eventually as if they were thinking the same thing, they both leaned forward. Cyril's lips nearly touched Wren's. Just as they were about to kiss though, he pulled away. "I can't."
"Is this about your boss again?" Wren asked, looking disappointed.
'Well kind of...but...' "No, that's not it." Cyril shook his head. "It's just well...my kind mates for life. I know humans are different, but I wouldn't want to tie you up in all of-" Wren suddenly and without warning grabbed Cyril by his tie and kissed him. "Wren! What the hell was that?!"
"I just really wanted to do something for me for once." Wren said with a proud smile. "And now that we're mates, you don't see any issues with us spending time together...right?"
Cyril pulled back, obviously frustrated by Wren's actions. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?" He scolded.
"Not really. I just wanted to take a chance on my own terms for once." Wren admitted.
'Idiot.' Cyril looked deep into Wren's eyes. His feathers were all ruffled from the surprise When had given him with that kiss. "No matter where you go, I will never stop chasing you now." This was more than just a simple kiss to Cyril. It was almost like a contract between them. By kissing the harpy, Wren had imprinted onto him...and vice versa. Cyril already had some deep confusing feelings for Wren after having watched over her for the last week but now he was bonded to her. Even if she got tired of him, he was not going to let her get away so easily.
"Sounds fun. Should I start running now then?" Wren asked.
"I'll give you until the count of three."
"Only three?!"
"Two..."
"Ah!" Wren rolled out from under Cyril and got to her feet. At first her shoes sunk into the sand, but she kicked them off and took off running. She didn't get very far though. Cyril just flew over Wren, landing right in front of her.
"Three." Cyril whispered. He embraced Wren with his wings, pulling her close to him. Wren felt consumed by his feathers but did not try to run anymore. She accepted her fate. Cyril kissed her, this time because he wanted to. This would be the true start of their very complicated love story.