All For Family

Chill breeze whispered through the leaves. A quiet rustle that was comforting to Sar. Still as she could be, she watched. Her son had recorded her grandbaby’s graduation ceremony. Sar hadn’t been able to attend, she was able to watch it now though and that was good enough.

It did kind of make her laugh that they now had graduation ceremonies for children entering high school from primary school but at least it gave her another memory to hold on to. Memories were precious.

Son Jason and daughter in law Amanda were curled up on the couch, with glasses of wine in hand, whilst Cayla was busy upstairs texting her friends.

“Can you believe it?” said Jason. ‘Our constant over achiever.’

“Of course I can,” replied Amanda, “she takes after me.”

Sar didn’t interject, she couldn’t, and besides her daughter-in-law wasn’t wrong, Sar’s son had picked well when it came to his mate.

The moon’s cool silver glow was obscured by a cloud. As it grew a little darker so did something else. Sar sensed something. Night was her comfort zone, she could read it, sense the nuances in the air around her.

Something was very definitely wrong.

Shifting her position Sar looked around, her incredible night vision scanning the entire surroundings.

There at the corner of the house. Time had taught Sar patience, so instead of moving closer she simply watched. Studied.

The shadow was slender, clothed in dark fabrics, including a hooded top covering most of his face. Yes, definitely a him, she decided, his gait told her that much.

Her heart skipped a beat, she continued to sit, waiting for it to steady. Someone sneaking around her preteen grand-daughter’s room at this time of night was not a good thing.

He stood outside the girl’s window and watched.

Not as Sar watched. Sar was a guardian. She did what she could from a place of love and peace, tempered by sadness that she couldn’t actively participate in her family’s life. Couldn’t hold Cayla and tell her just how proud of her she was.

The predator in her was now certain of what she was seeing. Like could recognise like.

The breeze picked up a fraction, rifling Sar’s feathers, and causing the end of a tree branch to scrap on the window. Movement in Cayla’s room showed the girl looking to the window, then seeing nothing, stood and left the room. The shadow man looked around briefly and reached for the window.

Sar raised her voice. He looked in her direction. She wasn’t worried, he wasn’t likely to see her she was too concealed by the leaves and branches.

He picked up a rock and threw it vaguely in her direction. “Bugger off stupid barn owl,” she heard him mutter.

Supernatural hearing had its advantages. She knew what her family sounded like just by sitting outside their house and listening. Something she would do for hours at a time.

The curse may separate them, but whilst it was still in her power Sar would never leave them without protection.

The shadow man raised the window and clambered in Cayla’s room with more grace and less noise than Sar would have liked. She watched his every move, the lack of light no issue. She saw him move into a position behind the door, and not easily visible because Sar knew Cayla seldom used her light, the ever-present phone providing all she needed.

On a happy note, the window had been left open and that made Sar’s decision easy. Moving closer she launched herself of the branch and glided through the window. Bouncing off the bed she flew straight at her target’s face, banking so she was leading with her talons.

She felt momentary satisfaction as one foot dug into flesh.

His arm wildly lashed out, clipping her. Sar’s balance was out of kilter and she crashed loudly into the bookcase.

Noises from outside the room let her know family was closing in and she wasn’t about to let the intruder get away.

She knew she was injured, but she wasn’t done. Ignoring the pain, she hopped forward and pushed herself back into the air. All she needed to do was keep him in the room.

Grabbing onto his back, she climbed up high enough to sink her beak into his neck, the hood having fallen off during the first attack.

Shrieking, he spun around just as Jason slammed into the room. The intruder lurched backwards, tripping, knocking Sar off.

She felt something snap as she hit the ground, and a wave of pain threatened to black her out. She stayed conscious only long enough to see her son land a wonderful blow to the intruder’s face, and Amanda charge at him with an old-fashioned rolling pin. It was all worth it Sar thought, as the blackness finally wrapped itself though her mind.

When she regained consciousness, Sar was wrapped in something, her wings trapped to her sides, but not uncomfortably so. Blinking, she looked around.

“Hey Grandma,” said Cayla.

As she focused on the girl she continued. “It is you, isn’t it?”

Sar tried moving her head as she would if she could nod.

“I knew your diaries weren’t just stories you made up.”

Sar simply held Cayla’s gaze, desperately wishing she could speak.

“You never write of the way to break the curse, I don’t know if you think there isn’t one, but I won’t give up, I promise.”

Sar blinked, she didn’t want to give the girl hope, she hadn’t written down the way to break it because she hadn’t been able to find it.

“This isn’t the first time you’ve saved me,” Cayla said. “You were there when that guy followed me home from school. I remember. You flew alongside the van and scratched at the window. I owe you and want to meet you.”

“You’re wrong,” said Jason. “She’s saved you three times. “The first time was when you were a baby.” Sitting next to his daughter, he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “The fae tried to take you. To swap you.”

Reaching out his finger ran lightly over the owl’s feathers. “I did put it together Mother. The protection wards you scratched into the window frame after I heard a strange disturbance one night. I didn’t want to believe, but Cayla is right, if there is a way, we will find it. If we don’t, I need to thank you for being the best protection my daughter could ever have.”

His big hand now rested gently on Sar’s head, compressing her feathers, yet somehow it didn’t bother her. In fact, everything finally felt right.