08 Family

CHAPTER 8 FAMILY The flrehawks walked to Blaze, whispering to one another. Tag couldn't believe his eyes. There were so many of them! Some tall, some small, some old, and some young. Tag looked at Skyla, and they grinned at each other. Blaze had the biggest smile they had ever seen! Seeing her this way made his heart happy.

Blaze stepped forward. "My name is Blaze," she told the firehawks. "I was born in Valor Wood, in Perodia. I am looking for my family." TOOT-TOOOOOOT! A loud horn echoed around them, and the firehawks moved aside. A tall firehawk with long, elegant feathers appeared and walked through the crowd. She wore a sparkly, jeweled headdress.

Tag whispered to Skyla, "Do you think she's their leader?" "She must be," Skyla whispered back. The tall firehawk stopped in front of Blaze. Her eyes narrowed as she looked Blaze up and down. "Is it really you?" the firehawk asked. Blaze gave a small peep, and the flrehawk smiled. She hugged Blaze tightly. "I am Talia. Leader of the firehawks, and your mother. I've missed you so much." Blaze and Talia wrapped their wings around each other. Talia wiped away tears. Skyla sniffed, trying not to cry, too.

"I knew that you would find your way back to me," Talia said. "Did you find the clues I left behind?" Blaze nodded. "We found the paintings on Fire Island and your three golden feathers. My friends Tag and Skyla helped me, too." Talia smiled at Tag and Skyla. "I am so glad to meet you both," she said. "Welcome to the Land of the Firehawks. Thank you for helping Blaze on this journey." "Why did you all leave Perodia?" Skyla asked.

"When Thorn became a danger to Valor Wood, Grey, the leader of the Owls of Valor, asked us for help. He told us to hide out on Fire Island, but Thorn and his Shadow became too strong, and he was close to finding us. You see, Thorn wanted our powers for himself. So we had to leave the Land of Perodia and come home. This is a hidden world that only firehawks can find. Without Blaze, you would have been unable to enter the portal."

"You left me behind," Blaze said to her mother. Blaze's feathers drooped. Talia hugged her daughter. "I had a vision long before you hatched. It showed me that you would save Perodia," she told Blaze. "I had to leave you behind so that you would win the fight against Thorn." She looked at Tag and Skyla. "I left her egg in the Howling Caves of Valor Wood, hoping that Grey could keep her safe." Tag glanced at Skyla. It was lucky we found Blaze's egg, he thought. Even Grey hadn't known the egg was there. Talia faced them. "It is because of you two that Blaze was able to defeat Thorn and The Shadow," she said.