Author's Note: This is my first fan fiction, and this is about an idea that I was sort of playing around with. So, please give me some feedback. I'll go ahead and post the second chapter when I'm finished writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. James Patterson is the only one capable of that kind of genius.

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My eyes were exhausted as they flew open restlessly for about the 50th time tonight. I had first watch, and was trying my best not to fall asleep. Groaning internally, I tried to rearrange myself into a more comfortable position. Not a very easy thing to do, when you're sleeping in a tree. Fortunately, I'd had more than enough experience with being at tall heights. This seventy foot tree was nothing compared to some of heights I'd been at.

I left one leg dangling off the edge of my branch, and made a make-shift pillow out of my arms. My wings were folded gracefully against my back, and they, plus my classic bulky windbreaker, made me much more comfortable.

After taking a 360 around our area, I simply raised my eyes and stared at the sky. Why couldn't I shake off my paranoia? My body was torn – My eyes were telling me to go to sleep, but my instincts were telling me that something was out of place. Frowning, I sat up and looked around.

My flock was sleeping in branches near me, looking much more relaxed than I felt.

Iggy, tall and lanky, was leaned against the tree trunk, with his legs lying on an unusually wide branch. His strawberry blonde hair looked almost white in the clear moonlight, and he was lightly snoring. I smiled when I saw Total on Iggy's lap, muttering in his sleep. His small black legs were moving a little, as though he was running in his dream. Wonder what he's dreaming about? I thought. But then my silent questions were answered when he muttered a little loudly, "Not the dog food…Please…Not generic…"

I rolled my eyes and looked at Angel, who was on a branch right below them. She looked…well…angelic. Her curly blonde hair was all around her face, and she was smiling a little in her sleep. She didn't have a jacket on, so he pure white wings stood out against the night.

Cuddled beside Angel was Nudge, who's mouth was, for once, quiet. It was a nice change. But, Lord knows as soon as the sun comes up, it'll be the Nudge Channel once again: All Nudge, all the time. Her mouth was slightly open, even in her sleep, but she looked peaceful.

I looked at Gazzy, who was curled up in a large whole made by long ago lightning. You could see the caked on dirt on his face. I really needed to get those kids into a shower, soon. He looked a lot younger when he slept, more innocent, I thought. I then remembered his secret stash of explosives and thought otherwise.

Then Fang. His olive skin and dark hair blended almost invisibly into the night, and his raven black wings were slightly open, keeping him balanced on his branch. He was sleeping, and his breathing was even, but he looked a little tense, which I could understand. It was hard for any of us to put our guard down, even while sleeping. My little genetically enhanced heart did jumps every time I gave him some time in my thoughts. I tried to shut them down. I was a little too confused in that particular department to think about me and Fang right now.

I sighed, and settled back into my branch. I still couldn't shake off that paranoid feeling. Something was wrong, something was here that was out of place. But what?

The back of my neck prickled, and I was instantly aware that I was being watched. I did another 360, taking in the Arizona State Park that we were sleeping in more in detail. But – nothing was there.

Oh-kay. This is strange. I thought. My instincts were normally something that I could trust.

Then, I heard a branch snap somewhere in the distance. My eyes narrowed, and my head snapped around in the direction of the noise. I strained my ears to hear anything else, but everything was silent.

Now, what could be out there? I judged the possibilities:

- Stray hikers (of course. This is a state park. But unlikely at 11:30 at night)

- Forest ranger

- An animal (s)

- Or...something else.

Or, of course, I could be blowing this way out of proportion, and if I were to go investigate, I'd be simply giving a deer or an elk an unnecessary heart attack.

But I didn't think I was wrong.

I started when my strained ears heard a deep, aware voice say, "You okay?"

Oh. I hadn't realized that I was about ready to fall out of the tree. I'd been too busy trying to decide if my years of paranoia were catching up to me.

My heart was having butterflies again. I looked up at Fang and said softly, "Yeah. Just thought I heard something."

Fang's dark eyes searched in the direction that I had been studying, and, after a while, said, "It was probably just a deer or something."

I made one of my famous split-second decisions.

"I'm going to go down and check it out. I just have a feeling that someone's been watching us."

"I'll come with you." Fang volunteered, already out of his sleepiness.

Normally, I would have loved some back-up. But I didn't want to make a big deal out of this, and then it all be over nothing. I probably just heard a deer, like Fang said.

"No," I whispered back, "Stay with the flock. It'll just take a sec."

Fang looked a little tense as I quietly flipped out my pretty, tan, 14-foot wings, and quickly flew down to the bottom of the forest.

Sneaking through the thick trees, I listened for anything unusual. I stopped dead when I heard footsteps getting closer to where I stood. Then a – whaddaya know – deer, ran across my path.

My eyes followed where the animal had ran, and then I rolled my eyes and relaxed. Yes, the paranoia was getting to me. Shaking my head, I turned around –

Only to have a pair of strong hands form manacles around my arms, and clap a hand over my mouth.

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