Seven

  No Rest For The Tired

  A noise of pure, unbridled euphoria, something between a scream and laugh, burst from my lungs.

  I pumped my wings again and they beat the air with a powerful … *wooOOOSH-SWOooosh…wooOOOSH-SWOooosh…wooOOOSH-SWOooosh!*. The sensation of was just … effortless. The wind was like an extension of me while also pushing me up, cradling my body in a silken, invisible cushion. I stared at the glistening gold edges of my wings, feathers slicked back by the wind, all six limbs extended out straight and full. My hearts skipped as I leaned to one side and glided that way, doing the same in the opposite direction. Giggles of delight welled up in my chest as I swooped and dove and rolled and twisted for the fun of it, testing my newfound strength.

  This is freedom! The air, the sky … it’s like they’re singing! I tossed my head back and laughed as I let myself fall for a moment.

  I unfurled my wings again and shot forwards out of my dive, using the momentum to soar higher again. I was up so high I could see the curvature of the horizon, land stretching out before me for miles, seeming to be broken by something in the distance. The air felt thin and ice cold, but oddly enough it didn’t bother me at all. The sun was bright and warm against my back. Gauzy clouds streaked the sapphire expanse of the sky still higher above me. Puffier ones seemed to float motionless and weightless off to my sides and in front. I let my wings carry me towards them until they loomed beside me, giant masses of white, tumbling vapor that tossed curls of mist up at me as I flew over them. In playful curiosity I dipped through a chunk of one, immediately finding myself surrounded by impenetrable haze and gusts of wet air. I spluttered as I pulled up out of it and found my feathers beaded with thousands of tiny droplets. Shaking them off, I banked away from the clouds, feeling a nearby river of wind and turning so it settled under my wings.

  With the endless blue sky above and the velvety green patchwork below, I could truly see how beautiful this world was. It was beautiful … but it wasn’t home. I could feel it in my bones. This was an entirely different place than Ey’os. Where was I? Where were my parents?

  I need answers. But how do I get them? Where do I begin? I chewed my lip as I tried to wrack my brain.

  I’d left my bio-pod behind, and the cable I’d wrapped around my wrist was long gone, as was the mental display I’d seen while connected to the machine’s system. Maybe it had only been a short-term side effect of being hooked up to it for so long. Logic dictated that there must be more information buried somewhere inside my pod, but I had no idea where those other wingless people had taken it. I shuddered at the idea of running into them again, but sooner or later, I’d have to if I wanted to get back what they’d stolen.

  First thing first, their language is definitely something I need to learn. I reasoned. I wonder if there’s some kind of information center or some place with technology I could get to.

  Dipping closer to the ground, I scanned the still forested landscape for any sign of civilization. Soon I saw long, grey paths snaking through the trees and decided to follow them. Every once in a while, I spotted some four wheeled machines rolling along the solid stretches, noting the various shapes and colors of their metal shells. Then I noticed more of them as other paved lines intersected the one I was following. Small buildings cropped up beside them, gradually growing in number and proximity to each other until all of a sudden, the forest thinned, and I found myself soaring over a town.

  I stared in wonderous curiosity at all the people, clinging to the hope that maybe I’d see someone else like me, but to my disappointment, they were all wingless. I watched them meander down paths beside the ones seemingly only for machines. Some were in groups, talking and laughing so loudly I could hear them all the way up where I was. Others were in pairs chatting more casually or just sitting with one another. There were a few loners going about what I could only assume was their daily routines. I couldn’t help but notice some of the buildings they were going in and out of appeared to be filled with others sitting and eating. I was startled when my stomach vibrated with a jealous growl. My mouth watered at the sight of food more varied than a prepackaged bar of ambiguous brown. Now that I’d left the care of my friends, I’d have to figure out how to fend for myself. Easier said than done, but there had to be a way to get food on a strange world with …

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  … strange people …

  … who spoke a strange language …

  … and seemed dead set on shooting me with strange tranquilizer darts.

  It was all strange.

  Taking a deep breath, I singled out a cluster of larger buildings surrounded by secluded suburbs and gently drew my wings in tight to my shoulders. I dropped a little faster than I’d intended, hearts pounding again at the sudden rush.

  Whoa! … Ok, easy, easy now … you can do this. I coached myself.

  I wobbled and dipped bit by bit until I reached a pass behind the first row of buildings that were closest to the trees. As I flexed my wings in and out to control my speed, my shoulders screamed at the sudden new forces being exerted on them. I hissed through my teeth as I haphazardly fluttered and flailed and finally stumbled onto solid ground, dropping to my hands and knees with my heartbeats drumming in my ears. I closed my eyes and relaxed my wings, steadily breathing till the pain went away. When I no longer felt like my muscles were burning in acid, I got up on adrenalin-shaky legs, creeping to the corner of the nearest building.

  Peeking around, I saw a few wingless strolling by on the other side of the machine path, too far away to notice me. Life went on as I’d viewed it from the sky, completely oblivious to my arrival. I was calculating my next move when a door creaked open into the pass and a man stepped out.

  I pulled back, watching curiously. I still don’t know who I can and can’t trust here. I’ll just wait and see what happens.

  The man turned away from where I was hiding and opened the lid of one of the many large black and green bins that were pushed up against the sides of the buildings. He tossed a few bags inside before returning to the same door he’d exited from and letting it clunk shut behind him. For a second, I froze where I was, hardly daring to breathe, waiting to see if the man was going to come back. He didn’t, so I crept out, intrigued, and snuck over to the bin and lifted the lid. I plunged my hand in and grabbed the bags before the smell could fully hit me. As it was, I gagged and staggered back, clapping both hands over my nose. Loud voices came my way, making me dodge behind the building where I took a few gulps of clean air. Then, I plopped down on the ground with my prize.

  I was now a little hesitant to untie the plastic pouch, given the contents of the container I’d just rescued it from, but the gnawing in my stomach eventually drove me to look. Inside were four paper sacks. I unwrapped one to find bundles of a brown sort of paste and yellowish gooey stuff enveloped in a soft white shell. They were warm and smelled bread-like and savory. I took an experimental bite. Salty, earthy, creamy flavors hit my tongue and everything after was a blur. I scarfed down the remaining contents of the bag, completely starved after the adrenalin rush of my first flight.

  Then, I just sat there on the ground, taking in the new scenery from a closer perspective. There were some different trees here, their mottled green contrasting with the turquoise of the sky. I’d seen different variations of trees before, through the windows of the lab when I’d been conscious enough to open my eyes. I remembered them being brighter, almost like they’d glowed. The air had always smelled sweet and briny, giving me the impression that there’d been some kind of water nearby. There’d been a big, glowing band through the sky, too. And a pair of moons, one slightly smaller than the other.

  I sighed, staring up into the blue abyss. Dr. Agoka’ta … momma Ma’hy … where are you?

  After letting my sated stomach settle for a bit, I got up and took stock of nearby resting opportunities. It was getting dark and cold, and even though my feet were still snug in the soft, brown coverings, the light dress didn’t help much. Turning around, I looked up at the top of the building behind me. I didn’t see how anybody could climb up, so it seemed like a good option.

  Contrary to my first attempt at liftoff, I synchronized my wings again and left the ground in a powerful rush, alighting on the roof with only minor flailing. From that vantage point, I could see almost the whole town. There was no way anyone could sneak up on me and ample opportunity to escape in the off chance someone did come up. Fine gravel crunched under my bare feet as I made my way over to the center of the space where a huddled group of large squarish machines sat emitting a droning hum. As the sky transitioned from lazuli to indigo, I got down and crawled into the gap between them. I pressed my back against one, folding my wings like the halves of a clamshell around my body. Yawning, I tucked my arms under my head and lay there quietly, listening to the steady, monotonous thrum of the machinery.

  My two hearts pounded rhythmically, adrenalin still lingering in my system from the days excitement. Little spasms ran through my wing muscles as the limbs worked to repair themselves from all the sudden strain, but they no longer ached so deeply. Still, I was just a fledgling whose egg had been stolen and had no idea where her nest was. Blinking tears away, I fluffed my feathers and snuggled into the soft downy bits, curling my body completely beneath my wings.

  I’ll figure something out. I reassured myself. Dr. Agoka’ta made me to be strong. When I wake up tomorrow, I’ll find out where I am, where he and momma Ma’hy are, and figure out how to get home to them.

  That thought settled in my mind, I slowly began to relax. Exhaustion caught up and pulled me down into the dark, peaceful depths of natural sleep. My eyelids flickered up every once and a while when a sound would work its way into my subconscious. Each time it turned out to be nothing more than the apparent ambient noises of the area and soon I drifted off again.

  I was just getting the first good natural sleep of my life when a deafening roar worked its way into my fogged mind.