Kozav by Celia Kyle, Erin Tate Page A

opposition skimming the ground. He flew so low, his colors blending so well, that I nearly missed his passing. The leaves,” he closed his eyes, the scene unraveling. “The leaves had turned brown, the season growing cooler. The male’s coloring matched the shrubs. If he hadn’t passed over a section of trees that still clung to summer’s heat instead of succumbing to the dropping temperature—their green leaves bright against the male’s brown—I would have never seen him.”
    But Kozav had. He’d spied the male and given chase. Furious, unending, bloody chase.
    “I followed him at a distance. I wished to see his destination, his purpose, for crossing the border.” He snorted, his thoughts pulling forward more and more. “I imagined myself to be a peme —spy. I would gather intelligence, bring the male into custody, and report. I would earn medals and awards. I would make my sire proud.” He shuddered, nearly sobbing over the next events. He was a strong male, but even strong males shed tears.
    “I’m here for you.” A single sentence, a few words, and his emotions steadied.
    “I thought it a game. A game… until we reached the outer edges of Croria . It’s one of our largest cities and where the sen Aghins called home.” He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to push away what came next.
    “You mean call home,” she murmured and he shook his head.
    “Called. I am all that is left and after that day… I never returned.” He would get through the rest. “I saw where he headed and dove to catch him. I was going to bury him in the dirt. But the male saw me. And he was fast. Faster than my fifteen turnings. Fast enough to outfly me and fly straight up past me. If I did not hate him for his actions, I would have been in awe. For a Preor to fly straight up, not at an angle, but purely vertical… it is a sight.”
    Kozav paused, hating the rest of the story but knowing it needed to be told. Grace deserved the truth.
    “What happened when he outflew you?”
    “In Earth history…” He sorted through what he knew of Earth’s past. He hunted for the term he needed and pushed onward in his story. “There were warriors. Kamikaze warriors. They went into battle intending to die but would destroy as many others as they could.” Grace nodded and he continued. “This male was a Kamikaze warrior. One of many that day. One of many that succeeded.” He tried to pull his emotions away so he could finish his tale. “Jarek’s sire , Taulass, was a science master for the opposition. He developed a virus that he injected into fanatical males. Once inside one of those males, the virus infected their fire and when they blew their flames, the sickness spread and infected everything it touched.”
    He breathed deeply and shoved down the pain that threatened to engulf him. “It infected every female it touched. Males were not affected. But the quickest way to eliminate a species is to kill the females.” Grace’s grip tightened and he held her closer as well.
    His eyes burned and he did not care that he cried like a female. He shed blood during battle. There was no shame to shed tears as well. “I destroyed that male, but it didn’t save them, shaa kouva .”
    The chase through the city seemed endless, his opponent winding in and out of walkways that connected the aeries. Females didn’t have wings and had to navigate the city somehow. The stranger delved left and right, sliding through the tiniest spaces.
    Blowing fire with every beat of his wings. Infecting the females with every flex of muscle.
    “I caught him in the central square before the justice masters. I was not as strong or quick, but I had endurance. By the time I sent him spiraling to the ground, I was able to subdue him. He died beneath my claws.” His soul still reveled in the feel of the male’s blood flowing over his claws. “It was not until the first female fell ill that we realized the truth. I rushed to my dam and sister. My sire was gone,