"Good job guys," I praised the flock happily. "This is an awesome pit-stop." After ruffling the Gasman's blond hair a bit, I helped myself to another cookie from the cookie jar. Life was good.

Gazzy and Nudge slapped each other high fives before both cheering loudly, "We did good!" With matching grins, the two bolted from the kitchen. Fang and Iggy had to quickly move out of the way in the process. Angel and Total were on the other side of the counter helping themselves to some cookies as well. Life was really good.

It had been well over a month now since we, and Fang's army, completely destroyed Itex. For weeks we heard news flashes of the incident, kids' statements and actions, police enforcement on the matter, political debates on the safety of their country, and even a bit about us. Ideal words aside, we were basically famous and people all over television were begging for our appearance. They wanted to talk to the exclusive and very rare bird-kids.

Hope they don't hold their breaths. We were quite content living on our own with no one sticking their noses in our business. Maybe we'd show up later. Now that's a big stressor on the maybe.

"I don't want to be around other people either Max," Angel, my baby, piped up having obviously read my mind. "I like where we are now. Can we stay here?"

"For a while, but not forever." I knew she liked it here. So did I even. The cabin was comfy and spacious, two stories with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was obvious that a family lived here. There were toys everywhere and a game counsel. A PS2. Whatever that was. Along with the nice home, there was a lot of land. Fang and I had gone scouting earlier and found not one other house within three miles of the home. Only trees, meadows, lakes, and an occasional corn field.

It's like heaven here, believe you me.

Iggy moved around the kitchen easily, already having it memorized, and nimbly picked up random ingredients. He went to the stove and started it up. It would be dinner time soon. "How come we can't stay here?" he asked setting the frying pan down.

Leaning back against the counter, I sighed softly. A headache had been forming all morning and now it was threatening to sprout into full bloom. Not the skull shattering kind of headache that left me feeling like putty, but a normal dinky kind. It was probably from lack of sleep. Remembering Iggy's question, I turned around then stared down at the counter and said, "Because we have to keep moving. We can't afford to stop." I could feel Fang's dark and hardened gaze on my back. It was so heavy.

"But why?" He looked in my direction with sightless opaque blue-gray eyes. "We destroyed Itex."

"With the help of my army," Fang edged in, a shadow of a smirk on his features.

I shot him a look before replying, "Because Ig, we're going home." Something heavy dropped in the pit of my stomach, making me feel a little queasy. This had been a stressful decision. For the entire month I have been sitting on it, deciding, waiting, rethinking, and just coming up with the courage to tell the others. Now was that time, I guess.

It was silent for a moment. I was wondering if they even heard me, so I turned around and looked at them. Iggy wasn't facing me, but I recognized his stiff-shouldered posture as he stood over the stove. Fang was staring straight at me, his face set and dark eyes unreadable. Angel was looking at me too. Her eyes were wide, more vibrant than usual, with a cookie halfway to her mouth.

That's when Total looked between us and asked, "So…Where's home?" His voice was all that was needed to break the daze that had befallen my flock.

Fang snapped out of the daze first, his expression set to all seriousness. "We can't go back, Max. Have you completely lost it?"

"Um, hello? I asked a question." We ignored him.

Shaking my head slowly, I looked at him tiredly. "I'm just fine Fang, but not for long. We need to go home." I felt it so. Something deep inside was calling me, pulling me, pleading for me to go back. I didn't want to at first, I didn't want to listen to the feelings. Home was nothing but a nasty memory after the Erasers kidnapped Angel. We swore to never return, but we had to now. We had to.

"There's nothing there anymore," he argued.

"We can rebuild it," I countered.

Total huffed, "Hey, don't ignore me." Again, we ignored him.

"No we can't rebuild it. It was burnt to the ground. Ash and rubble. Poof! Gone!"

I knew he'd be a little against the idea, but I never expected him to react like this. He was really serious about undermining me, trying to change my mind. I remembered the last time he tried to change my mind and look how well that turned out. It was also this same guy who was hustling for us to find a home. What better place than home itself?

Anyhow, I was the leader of this particular flock. Not him. So cry me a river. I called the shots here and I said we go. And I'd make him go too, kicking and screaming all the way if I had to.

"Fang, we're going," I said intently with a heavy tone. A tone that made it clear I wanted no more arguments. "That's that." Turning sharply, I marched out the back door of the kitchen into the backyard and kept on walking across the dew covered lawn. The night's breeze ruffled my hair slightly and caressed my skin making my flushing cheeks cool.

Quick footsteps tailed me and I whirled around fast enough to see Fang reach for my arm. "Max, we're not going back!" His tone was loud and aggravated. I could smell the anger rising off him.

I pulled my arm away from his advancing grasp and scowled. "Yes we are! We have to!" My voice rose as well and carried along in the breeze. The rustling leaves and swaying branches against the velvety purple background of the midnight sky created an ominous scene for the two of us. I got goosebumps.

There was no moon in the sky tonight for light, but I was able to see his face as clear as day. I saw the corner of his mouth twitch as he scowled right back at me. "We can't! They know where home is. We'll find somewhere else to go." He tried to dominate the situation by sizing me up.

Something nasty churned suddenly in my gut as heat flushed my cheeks, making my heart beat faster. My earlier exhaustion wore off completely as mild annoyance shifted to rising anger. "We don't need some half-home Fang, like how we've been living for probably a year now. We can't continue these pathetic searches for some hidden crevice on a cliff side, in some lonely forest, or an empty cabin in the woods. I'm tired of us having nothing to eat all the time and no place to bathe or go to sleep at night!"

With every sentence my anger rose as did my voice. "We can't just go out and buy a house and forgot about renting, none of us can get a job! If you haven't noticed, we're kind of a flock of superhuman avian-hybrids with no social security number or any source of evidence we exist!"

"Max--"

"Shut up! I won't hear it! I'm sick and tired Fang! I am! I'm tired of always having to move, of always having to ransack some stupid cabin or even a dumpster if nothing's around! Three-day-old burgers are kind of getting a bit stale for my taste thanks. I want a home again! Not a tree in some park, not a stone ledge in some stupid subway station! A home! I'm tired of raising my family like this!" At that last part I clenched my fists and screamed at the top of my lungs. I wasn't surprised to find my ears ringing from the pitch, or the little flashing dots blotting out my vision.

Fang will hear me. He will listen. I want to go home. The family needed to go home.

I was trembling with rage, my legs wobbly and uncertain under me. Something wet trickled down my clenched fingers and I picked up the slightest scent of blood. I had dug my nails into my palms. Unclenching my quivering fingers, I tried to keep from balling them into fists again. I was breathing ragged, deep, trying with all my might to calm down. Right now, I was seeing the world in dark colors.

This was such a stupid argument!

Fang looked dazed for a second. I was amazed at how clearly I could see him. Our vision, except Iggy's, was unusually well in the night, but I was seeing things on a whole other level. So when his mouth twitched again and his expression darkened, I was ready. "We. Can't. Go." Our eyes locked.

Without thinking, I tightened my hands again into fists. My nails dug even deeper in my palms, the blood flowing slowly and dropping into little plops on the grass below. I took deep and heavy breaths, trying to slow my thudding heart, and calm myself down. When I felt I could talk again without frothing at the mouth, I asked slowly and clearly through clenched teeth, "Why not?"

His eyes remained impassive, his expression still dark and serious. I noticed the quick nervous twitch in his cheek. He was struggling. I could see it now. He couldn't come up with an excuse, which just made me angrier!

A shooting star caught my attention for a split-second and in that second I wanted nothing more than to get away from him. I wanted to get away from Fang! He was being so stubborn, so selfish, so strange! I was in no mood for it!

"Right," I scoffed. "You don't have an answer. Silent and dark like always. And just as bullheaded!" Backing away from the man I thought I knew, I unfolded my wings just slightly, readying myself. The wind picked up again from behind me and weaved itself soothingly through my feathers and ruffling my hair a bit. I was calculating, preparing for an up and away.

Fang stepped toward me, his hand reaching out. "Max…"

Kicking of the ground like a tightly wound coil, I whipped my wings out and pumped them hard. Pushing down, pulling up, down again, and up. From repeated practices, I had perfected the art of kick-off take-off. Without a second glance at the guy, I willed my power to take me outta here!

Seconds later in a flurry of magnificent blurs, I was a streak high in the sky traveling at crazy speeds over a large body of water. It was the lake that was about two miles from the cabin. I allowed myself to slow down, feeling the power ebb away, and I just soared sluggishly on the rising warm vortexes from the lake. It was all I really had left in me to do.

My head and heart hurt horribly, the headache back in full bloom. I was confused, crushed, and torn apart all at once. "I just want to go home," I whispered to the dark waters far below. My cheeks flushed again as hot tears blurred my vision. I refused to let them fall. It was pointless. Just like the argument Fang and I just had. But it hurt so bad. So much more than anyone would ever know.

"Let me go home."

Who here votes Max should sock Fang right in the face?

Fang: Wait, what? What'd I do?

Max: (Off flying) Let me go home!

Me: Oh my... (sighs)

Please review. Thankies!