207 Heart Pounding (1)

"Kestrel..." The fight was already underway, and Kestrel could hear Nicole's worried shout echoing with the breeze.

"This time, I can't give up," Kestrel told herself. "Otherwise, Nicole would be really upset for a long time."

Before, she might have felt happy that someone cared enough to cry for her. But now things were different; now the idea of dying thoughtlessly scared her a little. She was afraid of making Nicole sad, afraid of how she would face her friends Rakan and Raymond, and Locky, Kaworu back at home.

Now, she realized the gravity of having someone genuinely concerned about her.

Ren had already begun fighting the mutant. Kestrel, mounting the orca, joined the fray.

The creature was massive, its face vaguely human yet devoid of any visible emotions. Its unfeeling eyes looked down from a great height, its giant green belly and wings covering much of the sky.