This story is undergoing a serious edit. (Previously known as Blood Soaked Wings) Sorry for those who were following Blood Soaked Wings before, but this is necessary. It may not be apparent in the first few chapters, but I'm changing a LOT.

Disclaimer: I disclaim all characters that are obviously not mine.

Iggy laid on the forest floor amidst a puddle of blood oozing out from his side, his wings laying lifeless around him and his feathers violently ripped out. His breath came in short gasps as he attempted to hang on to what little life he had left. His hand was soaked with blood from his failed attempt at keeping the gaping wound closed, and his thoughts were becoming more and more hazy.

His pale feathers were strewn across the forest floor, some laying on top of him and others floating in his blood. He was shaking and sweating, and he felt broken bones in various places of his body. He couldn't even move his wings, not even a twitch.

He was stupid. He was ignorant. He should have known that going for a midnight flight by himself was a terrible idea, but he wasn't exactly thinking at the time. He had gotten into a fight Max, and he was so irritated, so pissed off, that he flew off without warning.

What were they fighting about, you might ask?

See, the flock was staying at Dr. Martinez's house for the time being, and the Voice started speaking to Max again after being silent for the past few weeks. It spouted something about a great evil lurking around the corner, so she should head to some Institute in North Carolina to prevent this "great evil" from leaking into the world.

Max told Iggy to stay and watch the kids, the same responsibility he was always given.

To be clear, Iggy has nothing against the kids. In fact, he might even go so far to say that he enjoyed it since it gave Iggy and Gasman time to plot the next best explosive device without fear of Max's impending wrath.

Despite that, it always annoyed him that he was supposed to sit back and let Max and Fang handle everything by themselves. He never admitted it aloud before, but he knew she was just using the kids as an excuse.

Max considers Iggy a handicap because he was blind, that much was made very clear. She believed that he would merely get in the way if he tried to assist her in this whole "saving the world" nonsense she kept spewing. He was constantly treated like one of the kids because of his blindness, something he had no control over.

He couldn't freaking see, so what use could he possibly be to the invincible Maximum Ride? None: he was useless. That was what she wanted him to believe, in any case.

And it pissed him off every single time.

"That fact is, you're blind, and while you're a great flier around here where you know everything, I can't be worrying about you in the middle of a firefight with the Erasers."

Way back when Angel was kidnapped, that was what Max said to him after she asserted he was supposed to stay home and "hold the fort." She hadn't changed in the slightest since then.

Had she forgotten the fact that his hearing is far more sensitive than any of the others'? That his sense of touch is highly sensitive as well? How many times had he cooked for the flock when there was almost nothing to eat? How many times had he checked to make sure everyone was safe when her back was turned? How many times had he stayed up until dawn and taken over her watch so that she could get some rest for once?

Too many to count.

And who saved her sorry ass when she was captured by the School? Iggy and the Gasman, that was who.

Remember what happened when Max told Iggy and Gasman to stay home when Angel was kidnapped? Bloodthirsty Erasers came after them, and whose bomb saved them?

That's right, theirs. They would have been wolf food if it wasn't for Big Boy. She didn't even seem to care that they were going to die if they hadn't set off that bomb. They had just escaped a near death experience, and the only thing she could think about was Those idiots set off a bomb.

Of course she took all those things for granted. Of course she was oblivious to what Iggy's done for the flock because he was not Fang. And since he was not Fang, whatever he does gets overlooked unless it was something Max considered to be trouble.

She didn't even stop to think about what Iggy may be feeling, but she always stopped to think about what Fang is feeling.

Fang is the one she trusted, the only one she counted on if something went wrong, the one she cared about the most. It had always been Fang. If she was in trouble, she shouted out to Fang to help, not the blind guy.

Iggy envied him, he really did, and Fang wasn't even aware of it. She saw him as an equal, and Iggy would give anything to be treated as an equivalent, not just the blind kid. He wanted to feel like he was needed and just as much a part of the flock as the rest. Just once he would have liked to hear, "Iggy, we need your help," instead of, "Iggy, you blockhead!"

Iggy was finding it increasingly more difficult to breathe, and as he tried to push himself off the ground, he found no strength left in his body. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying for a miracle that his wound would stop bleeding, if just for a moment. He felt blood caked in his hair, and his bangs stuck to his face with sweat.

He coughed slightly, tasting the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He knew he was dying, and he knew there was nothing he could do about it, but the only emotion he felt was anger. He was angry at himself for getting so worked up in the first place, he was angry at Fang for making him so envious, but most of all, he was angry at Max for being so oblivious.

This was all her fault, after all. If she had stopped to think about his feelings just once, then maybe all of this wouldn't have happened. Maybe he would be back at the Martinez's house, watching the kids and creating another bomb with Gasman without incident.

Those days were over now. He lost too much blood, there was no way he would live to see another day. Iggy would never see their faces again, and he would never have the joy of setting off another bomb. He loved the way explosions sounded.

A lone tear ran down Iggy's cheek as he continued to lay in his own pool of blood. That Eraser was the most sadistic one he had met thus far, enjoying every slash he made with his claws as though it were earning him cash. The glee, the pure enjoyment in his eyes was sickening.

Of course Iggy fought back, but that was hard when there was huge gaping wound in your side. He was caught off guard, too immersed in his own thoughts to pick up the sound of an enclosing enemy.

Before the Eraser left, he made sure to pull out as many feathers as he possibly could before tossing them over Iggy as though they were confetti. Iggy's cries of pain only brought a bigger grin to the sadist's face.

It's all your damn fault, Max...

He was too weak to even think anymore. His mind went blank then, and his breathing was too shallow to even recognize. Was his heart even still beating?

Then, in the midst of his own pool of blood, Iggy let a small, bitter smile slip on his face as he drew his final breath. It would only be a matter of time until another Eraser picked up the scent of his blood and disposed of his body.

Next chapter will be posted soon. Stay tuned.