IGGY POV
Have you ever lost something dear to you? Something that you loved so very much? I have and let me tell you I lost something far worse than a toy, or favorite pet.
I lost my eyesight.
It was about seven years ago, when I was seven. My name's Iggy. I am one of six avian human/bird people. We are 98% human and 2% bird, with wings.
Together we have grown up in the dreaded place called The School, where we lived in cages and were experimented on.
The others were like my family to me. We looked out for each other all the time. There's Max, who's my age with strong brown wings and white tips. Then there's Fang, he's seven too and the dark silent one though we've managed to get him to talk. Next is Nudge, she's four and nothing like Fang, a chatty little kid. Finally there's Gazzy and he's only one-years-old, looking at him, the poor kid, always made me feel sick inside. He was so young.
Anyhow everyone was asleep quietly in the dark until-BAM! Whitecoats opened the doors and came walking towards us. Instantly Max, Fang, and I were wide awake and tense. Nudge and Gazzy were too young and tired to understand this.
What did they want now? The white coats stopped in front of us, and then one turned to me. An Eraser grinned and opened my door. I crawled back hitting the bars at the back of my cage in terror. Come on Iggy! Do something exciting! Erasers, nasty creatures' half wolf and half human, terrifying.
"C'mere birdie." He sneered reaching in for little me. Without thinking I stuck out both my feet smacking them right into his face. Then I whirled down to bite on his arm hanging on.
The Eraser howled, and shoved my cage back, knocking it onto the floor. Ouch! I fell back hitting my head. That hurt.
But hey! The door was wide open for me! I leaped up onto my cage, then spread out my wings in one motion. I jumped up soaring overhead of the yelling Erasers and whitecoats. It felt so amazing to be higher than them, take that!
I circled far above when Max yelled, "Iggy!" Oh, I couldn't leave them behind. To die here in this prison. No way! Where are the keys? I zipped past a whitecoat grabbing his keys, leaving him startled and amazed.
Haha. This was so amazing!
"Fang!" I yelled seeing he was the closest to me. Fang's head came out to his bars immediately. I tossed the keys down to him when something grabbed my leg.
Ow! Ow! Ow! Pain burst in my leg as the Erasers claws dug deeper, but I refused to cry. The Eraser being ten times my size slammed me into the ground, as I was crumpled there.
He pulled his fist down onto my gut, and then began yanking his claws into me.
Oh god, now I was in trouble.
FANG POV
I starred ahead with anger as the whitecoats entered the room. What was their problem, those psychos?
They stopped right in front of Iggy's cage before an Eraser opened the door. Even in the dark I could see Iggy terrified and huddled in his corner. I gripped the bars of my cage fluster when it all changed.
The next instant the huge, hairy Eraser howled in pain and Iggy's cage toppled over.
"Wha-" Nudge stirred up to an upright position rubbing her small eyes. I turned back to see Iggy up in the air, his long wings gliding above everyone. Yes! I punched the air in my small cage. Iggy swooped past whitecoats rising above me.
"Fang!" He yelled. I looked up from my bars to see keys coming my way. Yes, yes, YES!
But another Eraser had other plans; he toppled my cage back and grabbed the keys while I held onto my bars so my head wouldn't slam into the back.
"Stupid birdie!" I heard and Eraser growl, then Iggy cried out in pain.
"Leave him alone!" Max cried almost in tears. Nudge was crying and Gazzy was wailing, oh the poor little kid. What were they doing to him? Iggy cried out again. Oh god.
"Enough!" Another whitecoat boomed. I heard the Eraser growl but back up and Iggy was whimpering terrified. Hang in there Iggy. "Come on subject 03 you're wanted in medical." The whitecoat said. My cage was lifted back up and slammed next to Max, and when I saw Iggy, I almost hurled.
Iggy was cowering in a corner huddle up and covered completely in blood. He just looked awful there. The Erasers dragged Iggy away along the ground away from us.
And maybe forever.
IGGY POV
The Erasers dragged me effortlessly down the halls. If only I was bigger, then they would all pay. I winced every time as the dragged me harder. Now what was going to happen to me?
Inside medical I was strapped down to a cold, metal bed. My wings felt uncomfortable and agonized underneath me. The Eraser left laughing and whitecoats entered.
Outside in the hallway I saw Jeb, and man did he look upset. A pinch in my arm returned my focus to the whitecoats around me.
"Here we go." One muttered and pulled out a scalpel to my face, I felt numb as though I could not move anything, except my mouth to scream.
FANG POV
Max and I exchanged a look once Iggy had left.
"What are they going to do to him?" Max sounded panicky, as I felt.
"Yeah. Are they gonna hurt him? Or will they fix his boo-boos? I mean they were real mean to him." Nudge chattered, Fang grimaced patting the small Nudge's back shutting her up.
Then they heard a scream. Fang froze. Who was-
Another scream came. And another and another.
Then Jeb walked in.
"Jeb!" Max sighed happily, everyone relaxed except when more screams came, Jeb winced.
"What's that?" I spoke up finally and regretted it instantly by the look on Jeb's face.
"Iggy." He sighed looking depressed. Oh god, no, no, no!
Iggy was gone for day after day after day. What had they done to him? Was he dead? Oh no.
Finally after five days Jeb returned holding Iggy, at first everyone was relieved. Iggy was here and back now.
Until we all saw Iggy was still unconscious, and had bandages covering both his eyes.
IGGY POV
The last thing I remembered before falling unconscious was lots and lots of pain.
Where was I? I moaned stirring and blinked to wake up. I blinked again and again. Then I shot up blinking beginning to panic now, and rubbed my eyes where I felt bandages around my face. Oh that's the reason why.
But pain burst in my eyes then followed through my whole body. I clenched my teeth as hard as I could until I felt new blood rush in from my cheek.
"Iggy?" I turned slowly to hear Max's voice to my right. "Iggy?" She repeated.
I didn't answer. I continued to push back the new burning in my eyes managing to only let out a low moan in pain.
"Iggy? You okay man?" I heard Fang ask, although he sounded odd, almost scared maybe. No way. Fang was like a wall, expressionless especially to fear all the time.
"Yeah just my eyes." I moaned again.
Tap-Tap-Tap. I listened to this new noise. What was it? It almost sounded like footsteps. But from where?
"Do you hear that?" I turned my head in the direction of the noise.
"Hear what?" Max sounded confused.
"Yeah there's nothing-" Fang started.
"Shh. Someone's coming." I tried to concentrate on the noise when I heard voices follow. What was going on?
"Is it permanent?" I heard Jeb ask.
"Most likely. A complete failure. The little freak." Another deeper voice growled.
"It's Jeb and someone else." I frowned.
"Iggy-"
BAM! The doors banged open again, I heard Max gasp along with Nudge. I had been right! A cage door opened, I turned to realize it was my door and hands ripped off my bandages, and then slammed me back into my bars where I felt myself fall unconscious.
"Iggy? Iggy?" Jeb's voice came around later. I moved staggering upright, keeping my burning eyes shut. "Iggy are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah." I lied.
"Could you open you're eyes?"
"Sure." I said and tried to open my eyes. I blinked once, twice, three times. What was wrong? My eyes were open right?
"Why can't I open my eyes?" I asked frustrated and scared.
"Iggy. You're eyes are open." Jeb croaked sounding depressed. "You're… blind." Then of course I couldn't help but burst into tears.
Oh god. I was blind? Me? I would never see anyone's face again. I would never see the stars again? And I would never see freedom if it came.
I cried myself to sleep last night hearing my friends. All were worried for me trying to comfort me, but I huddled in my cage crying all night.
Over the next few days I could hear everything. Footsteps all around, private conversations. Everything.
"Maybe being blind isn't so bad." Nudge exclaimed when I told them I could hear everything.
"Nudge, stop." Fang snapped, as I felt cold again.
Maybe, and maybe there was life on Jupiter.
That's what I lost, you see. Horrible huh? I have to go now, my flock and I are off to save the world free. But that's a whole other story to tell.