Author's Note: This is a response to the Challenge in the Men of Tortall forum for January 2010: Fallen.
Hey this is my first ficm but I've been around a long time reading. So I hope you enjoy and remember to review :) please.
I am not Tamora Pierce and I do not own anything you may recognize.
Long ago, when he was still but a child, he had been able to soar. His wings could touch the tips of clouds, and he was free of everything, he could still remember those days perfectly.
When he was young, his dark black feathers fluttered gently in the wind when he soared over the lush green islands. The air rushed passed him as he looked down on the serene blue oceans. The ocean spray would lick up and tiny water drops would cling to his black as night wings. Then he would sweep in on unsuspecting people, his cousins, the raka. He would cause mischief among them, stealing laundry and tugging at clothes.
Most the raka would send him away after a little chuckle and few flaps of their hands or an amused scolding. Other raka, the ones that were more upset would call him names and curse at him. If he stayed around the angry ones would try to hit him or throw tings at him. He thought it was worth it though. He would always have fun causing the mischief no matter what the reaction of his poor victims.
It wasn't until later, when he spent more time away from his winged family around his cousins that he understood why some of them were so angry. Many were held, against their will, unable to cause mischief of their own. So many were being held by the luarin, and they were kept in open fields with heavy metal rings around their necks.
At that time, he didn't understand why they didn't just fly free, it was then that his winged family told him that they had simply fallen from the sky ad had yet to rise.
That did not suffice. He wanted to know why they did not rise. What were they waiting for? No one had them tied to the ground, the only thing he could see holding them was the heavy rings around their necks.
His winged family had called him a fool. His entire family believed he was an insane fool just because he spent most of his time flying around the villages, watching their cousins. He wanted to know more about them, they were interesting. His curiosity continued to grow, and so did his family's irritation.
Then, when his family was almost at their wit's end with him, the god brought her to the isles.
She fought for their cousins, beside the raka warriors. She had been a student of the crows, and a fast learner. She had even impressed the old matriarch of his family but she was still human. She still remained on two feet, without wings.
He wanted to walk with her, so he became one of them. His family did not approve, to say the least. They accepted it during their cousin's rising. After all, with his knowledge of the humans he could help them win their bet with the god.
The trouble came after the raka rose. He chose to stay human. He gave up his wings for his legs, his life in the sky for a life by her couldn't explain very easily to his family, he tried but they did not understand why he wanted a clumsy rather than his winged one. He tried to tell them everything he had with the humans, how he could help his cousins where he would be. They still thought he was fool.
His own mother threatened to disown him; she could not believe such a fool had from her nest. They all tried to tell him it was unnatural for him to stay like that, but he said he liked it, that he wanted it. The crows continued to try and persuade him, telling him he was insane, that the humans would probably mob him as soon as they could. After all there was many humans and only one of him.
He shook them all off and stayed true to his human form. They could call him insane, fool hardy, or even a bad egg, he was happy with his decision.
Slowly, they learned to accept his choice. They agreed this was best for him, after all, he had always been odd, and this way he could be odd without everyone trying to avoid his conversations completely. His mother forgave him of his decisions, and even gave her blessing for the strange human girl that had convinced him that life as a human was so much more wonderful than that of a crow.
His winged family was still not convinced, though, even if they enjoyed his two legged family far more than they would tell anyone, they still thought he had come down with some insanity.
He disagreed; he claimed he had simply fallen in love.