Hey guys! Sorry for the short chapter, future ones will be longer. Also, the flock will come in next chapter. This one was just for meeting Shay and learning a little about her. Pics of her, her wing shape, and their color are in my profile. Ok, R&R! Thanks, and enjoy!
Chapter One: Escape
Shay POV
...
Taking in shallow lungfuls of air to try and counter the sounds of my hard breathing, I pressed my back as hard as possible into the tree behind me. Eyes squeezed shut, I strained to hear what was going on bellow. My frantic heart beat was pounding in my hears, making it hard to hear much else. But I could make out the wolf like snarls that ripped through the forest and human yells, echoing around me and making the hair on the back of my neck rise while my heart drummed faster still.
Every nerve was jittering, setting me on edge and making me want to scream as I attempted to blend into the shadows while keeping my balance in a tall pine, a good 50 feet above the ground.
A large grey building, whose roof and wall I could see over the treetops, was alive with flashing red lights and sirens, spot lights everywhere. I was to close to it still, but I couldn't move. Couldn't risk being seen.
The air was full of panic and danger, everything, including me, on high alert.
So should I explain how I got here? Well, its not a short story, but since I dont really have time Ill sum it up. My names Shay. Apparently it means 'hawk-like' in some language. Anyways, that grey building happens to be the one I just got free from. Its called the school. I was created there, in a lab, with 97% human DNA, and 3% bird. Originally, I wasn't supposed to even be part avian. But thats a longer story, so well get to it later. Currently, Im busy hiding from the schools guards who are looking for me. Yup, I escaped. Another long story, but after 16 years, I was out. And I didn't plan on going back.
"That way, I think I saw something." I heard a voice yell, almost directly below me.
Oh God, they found me... I thought, trying not to hyperventilate from the fear.
I shook my head, fists balling up.
Stop it! Your strong! You've survived this long, you can do this! Stop being so damn scared! I told myself, making my breathing slow, heart calm.
Holding my breath, I risked a peek down and watched as erasers sniff around my tree. Erasers are human lupin hybrids who morph from human to a wolf like creature in seconds.
After agonizing minuets, one straightened and grabbed his phone morphed before placing it to his ear. I listened, able to catch little pieces of the conversation.
"No, not yet ..." "...but... a failed expierement..." "She... little importance..."
Long pause.
"...expierements?" "...How... happen! ...better... before... hears...!" "Fine... hour."
"Alright men, back to base, were leaving for Colorado in ten!" The eraser yelled at them. I watched with relief as they scattered back to the Schools building. A little while later, vans loaded with men speed bast, a little ways away. To far to see, but close enough to hear.
After what felt like hours, things were finally quiet. The School was still lit up wit red caution lights, but nothing was in the forest. My heart hadnt stopped pounding, and after so long, my entire body was stiff. Being captured, though, would have been much, much worse than a little stiffness. Torture, most likely death, was definitely much worse.
Slowly, I pushed away from the tree trunk, stretching out my arms and legs. Turning on my heal and hugging the tree, I made my way back down from my tree perch, having to drop the last 15 feet to the ground. The impact jared legs painfully, but I stood quickly and backed against the tree. My eyes scanned the forest while I remained still, but nothing was running after me, trying to attack. I took of sprinting hard and fast and away from that prison. Adrenalin coursed through my body and fueled my haste.
Eventually the forest opened to a large clearing. Panting, I slowed and stopped, arching my back and rolling my shoulders before spreading my wings. The joints popped as they spread out, having been pinned against that tree for so long.
heard right. Wings.
Remember that 3% bird DNA thing I mentioned earlier? Well that came with a few perks. Like hollow bones, advanced senses, air sacks, and internal direction. But the wings were the best part. Mine were a solid 17½ feet across. They had aqua blue feathers that were striped with black and tipped with black, fading to solid navy blue along the farther flight features. The undersides were black-grey. Honestly, I thought they were beautiful. During a test one day, a scientist had mentioned two birds while looking over my bio. The first was something called a blue jay, the bird I apparently got 1% of my DNA from. And the other 2% was from Lammergeier eagle, largest bird in the world he had said. Because of that 1%, my wings were massive, and had the build of the eagle instead of the jay, which apparently was a small bird, despite the coloring.
I walked forward with wings slightly opened for balance. I had never really had a chance to fly, the school had always kept me in a cage, or small rooms. No time to practice. But as I moved them, I could feel the powerful chorded muscle along the huge appendage, pulling at my back, muscles, ready to work together. They had power and purpose.
Taking a deep breath and following instinct, I crouched down, then leapt into the air, snapping out my wings. Pain laced my shoulders as they were caught by the wind, but soon faded.
Screw pain, Im doing it! Flying! Well, kinda...
After being lifted up, my wings were caught and pulled up and around by the changing wind, giving me little control as I was dragged along, now high in the air. I scrambled to straighten myself, but suddenly felt the wind draft fade. I began to fall, holding in a scream. Wind whistled past my ears, and the ground was getting way to close. Bitting my lip, I again snapped my wings open to their full length. Thanks to their size, they managed to catch me just enough to hover.
Once stable, I experimented flapping my wings. One flapped a little harder than the other, and I tilted hard to the right, but quickly rightened myself. Like earlier my heart was pounding. I needed a lot of practice...
It was dark outside, with lots of cloud cover. I needed somewhere where I couldn't be seen. Glancing up I flapped again, better this time, and rose towards the clouds. Within a few minuets of hard flapping, I hit the layer of moisture, feeling it bead up on my wings. It was an odd feeling, but my flying was ok, and suddenly, I was free. Soaring above the safety of the clouds, under the moonlight and stars. Laughter bubbled out of my throat at the rush of energy and adrenalin this gave me. Flying, even bad flying... was like magic.
This is what freedom feels like. I thought to myself with a grin.
Reality hit in the next second, reminding me of what I had done. Enough fooling around, I needed to keep moving. Something told me to go West - which was to my left apparently- and I gulped. How do I turn these things again? I slowly dipped one wing down, raising the other, and to my surprise began to bank left.
Yes! Yes yes yes!
I continued flying till I was ready to fall out of the sky hours later. Nearly doing just that, I managed to skid and trip into a messy landing smack in the middle of some huge forest, where I quickly climbed a tree and passed out, just as the first red-gold rays of sun fell across my exhausted body.
Way to go me. Your free. Lets see if you can keep it that way.
Those were my last thoughts before falling into deep sleep.