Maximum Ride stood as heir to the queen of the Falcons.
And currently she stood on a battlefield, where two sides previously clashed furiously against each other. The Ravens and the Falcons. Enemies for centuries.
Max stood over a young and wounded Raven. The black-haired boy had been struck with a Falcon arrow. The Falcons were creatures of magic. And they had developed a weapon against the Ravens. The typical Falcon arrow was long and sleek, it's tip doused with poison that would mean immediate death to a Raven and nothing but drowsiness to a Falcon.
And the poor boy had been barely scathed just a few moments earlier but now he lay on the ground, staring up at the sky that he so loved to fly in.
Max kneeled down next to the dark-haired boy. This was an example of one of those moments where Max saw the effects of the silly war that her ancestors first started. Once she became Queen, she swore that she would do anything to put a stop to all this madness.
Max's gold and feathered hair framed her face as she got closer to the boy. She began to stroke his shaggy hair soothingly. The feathers which grew in the hair of every Avian met her hand, soft to the touch. The Raven closed his lime-green eyes, and took in a deep breath.
Max began to sing a song that used to calm her when she was a child. She sung to the dying boy, who wore the armor of the royal Raven family. Yet another soul was lost, to the consequences of war, as the boy took in his last breath before fading away. He had been no more than 15 years old.
Max stood up, her golden-white dress swaying with the wind. She started to shift form, closing her golden eyes. A second after the tingling sensation that had overwhelmed her, Max took off into the sky, as a peregrine falcon, towards the White City.
Max dived towards the ground, transforming into her demi-form as she landed. The Demi-form was custom for the Falcons. Anyone in any other form was seen as an outsider to the White City.
Every Avian's demi-form closely resembled the single form of the humans. But instead of a bare-back, huge wings fit to carry the human-like body cascaded down the back. Max's peregrine wings gave off a golden-violet shimmer, and the tips of her primary feathers swayed with ever step.
"Max, my dear, where have you been?" the Queen, also known as Max's mother, greeted as soon as Max had landed on a white balcony of the Falcon's Keep.
"Oh, you know, I was just out for a fly," Max lied casually, rubbing the golden-silver feathers that sprouted at the nape of her neck. She didn't want her mother to know that she had visited yet another active battlefield. The Queen desperately tried to keep Max's perspective on the Raven's as hateful as she had raised her to be. Just like any other Falcon-mother would.
The Queen held a suspicious glance at Max. But she decided to ignore the odd feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Alright then, Max. Keep in mind that your coronation is coming up, and you will be required to select an alistair," the Queen told Max, before walking away.
Every female Falcon born was betrothed to a Falcon male, an alistair, at age four. The two would then grow up together, the male serving as the females protector and guardian, before marrying.
But Max's alistair had been killed when he accidentally ended up on a battlefield, at age 10. That year had been one of the worst for Max. It was her first real taste of death and sorrow.
But instead of choosing another alistair, the Queen had decided to allow Max to select an alistair when the time came for her crowning. Every Queen was meant to rule with a mate.
Max was currently 19. She would be crowned at age 20. All Avian species stopped aging at age 20, and would live on for centuries and centuries. Even Max's mother, who was a little over 300 years old, looked no older than Max did.
Max, groaning at the thought of choosing an alistair, headed off towards Iggy's room.
Iggy was Max's best friend. A gyrfalcon, opposed to her peregrine falcon. Her friend since age 5. Iggy was now a part of the Royal Flight, which basically was the Falcon's official army. Iggy, even though only 19 years old, was one of the leaders and led with pride.
Max knocked impatiently on Iggy's bedroom door. She stood there, in that stupid white/gold gown which was itchy, and huffed.
"Max? You can't wait a little? I had to get dressed," Iggy complained, opening the door.
Iggy stood a little over 6 feet tall. His head of golden blonde hair turned a silver at the front, like most Falcons. His violet-blue eyes stared down at Max teasingly.
"Nope," Max said, popping the 'p' before shoving herself into the room.
"So what's wrong? You never come here," Iggy pointed out, closing the wooden door behind him.
"The Queen keeps reminding me of choosing an alistair. That's the very last thing on my mind right now," Max groaned, shoving her head into her hands.
"So... Who are you thinking of?" Iggy asked cautiously. Iggy had a great-liking towards Max, even though he never wanted to admit it. There were times when he so badly wanted to court her. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on.
"I don't even know..." Max complained, laying down on Iggy's bed and staring up at the ceiling. Iggy stared at her with fondness.
"Well..." Iggy started, wanting to hint towards something, but quickly decided against saying it.
"I bet you that my mother will turn down the first male I even suggest. She has really high standards, though she doesn't say them. But I can feel them in her mind," Max said out loud.
The Falcons were one of the only species to use magic strongly. The magic in all other species remained dormant and useless.
A Falcon's magic showed up in a form of blue. In some, like Iggy, it was the eyes. In Max, her blue showed up in the silver streaks in her hair. A Falcon's blue was a thing of great pride.
The magic that the Falcons possessed was great and powerful. Though simple at first, one Falcon could advance to doing complex things. Max hated to deal with magic, and her magic didn't go further than things like reading minds, feeling emotions, or simple healings. The Queen hated it. When Max was younger, she had tried to get Max privately tutored in the subject. But Max had fought against her tries so greatly, that the Queen had simply given up.
"Well... When's the due-date?" Iggy asked.
"My mother didn't tell me yet. I don't know," Max shrugged, turning onto her stomach and unfolding her giant wings. Iggy stepped back to avoid getting hit by one of them. "So, how is the war going?"
The Great War had become a fact of life now. Something so normal and expected. Something that went on for ages and ages.
"The Ravens stepped into Falcon territory, so I sent a few of my guards to hold them back," Iggy told Max.
"I was there. I saw a young royal member get killed," Max asked, trying to hide the anger in her voice. "He must have been 15 or so."
"Max! You know you shouldn't be there!" Iggy exclaimed, a little too loudly.
"I think I deserve the right to know and to see. I'm gonna be Queen soon, I want to know what my people are fighting about," Max said through gritted teeth. "And I swear one day the endless killing is going to end."
"The boy you saw... He must have been Fang Corvus' younger brother," Iggy sighed. Max cringed.
Max had grown up with the name. The name Fang Corvus was a name that her mother had drilled into her to hate. Every citizen and child of the White City knew and despised the name Fang Corvus.
Fang Corvus was the prince and heir to the thrown of the Ravens. He was just as old as Max was. In fact, he and Max were exactly the same age, right down to the day. The black-haired prince was the Max equivalent to the Ravens.
"He was caught by a Falcon arrow... You know the Ravens aren't going to just sit around and mourn? They're going to do something," Max told Iggy, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I know..." Iggy sighed.
Disclaimer: I do not own *blank* or Maximum Ride.
Can anyone guess where I'm taking the storyline from (though it will probably start to vary a lot)? Does anyone recognize it at all? Don't worry, the FAX will come eventually.
Btw: 'Corvus' means 'raven' in Latin.
I need a beta for this story! If anyone is willing and capable, send me a PM.
Reviews=Faster updates!
