Birth of a Valstrax
I felt something in the dark. I couldn't see a thing, but I could feel a suffocating presence around me and I started to panic badly. I started thrashing about using anything I could to escape. I couldn't move my arms properly, they felt almost paralyzed, so I started using my head to start bashing the wall. I felt it give way, and so I struck a second time, then again and again. Never stopping until I could be made safe again, until I could breathe again. I didn't stop until I realized there was nothing to destroy anymore. I still couldn't see a thing, but I knew I was safe now. I could feel again.
Not only could I feel the cold stone beneath me, but a breeze as well, chilling my entire body. I was cold and alone. What else could I do but cry in agony as the winds sapped my warmth. I opened my eyes to look around me, and saw the sun. I could see it well above the horizon, starting its decent into the ocean itself. Using its light I looked behind me, and only saw a stone wall, with sharp edges extending into the sky. I got up to get a look at myself and saw two sets of claws in front of me, shining with the sun's rays. Flexing them, I didn't know what to do. I started to bring them up to my face, until it collided with my beak. I immediately flinched and fell onto my tail, making me kick up my hind legs making me fall again onto my side, feeling something painful collide with the floor behind me. I looking up to the sensation I saw wings on my back, pointed backwards. With so many different things and sensations that I didn't understand, I was just getting upset. Why was I alone here? Where am I? What was I exactly? I sat up and moved my head in either direction looking for clues but only saw stone, eggshells, and my cold nest. Now moving my hind legs so that I could stand, I lifted up my right claw, leaning forwards trying to move to the nest, yet I hesitated, unsure what to do next. I ended up toppling onto my chest in seconds, with my arm crushed under my weight, and my head banging against the damn floor. I lay still, eyes clenched, tears ready to come out as I slowly brought my left claw to my head, my body curling up and tears spilling onto the harsh stone floor.
I cried again and again until I heard some roaring winds in the distance. They started getting louder, and I shift to my side to see what's causing it. I look up into the sky and see a red streak rapidly approaching in my direction. With every second that passed, the howling would get louder and louder until that red star flew above me. There it circled twice in a wide arc while slowing down, diving down towards the nest. Looking at that star wide eyed, I hastily closed my eyes and brought my wings in front me, bracing for impact. Soon enough, I felt a massive wind pressure pushing against me, almost toppling me on my back. I struggled as best I could against the fierce winds to stay in place, hind legs planted directly behind me, being slowly inched back. Next hearing a massive thump and I start once again cry at the thought that this massive creature must be here to eat me, and I could not do anything to defend myself. Eyes still clenched, wings still in front of me I wait for my end. Seconds pass, and a silence takes place. I stop my cries when I hear a gentle chirp, and it then approaches, surrounding me in it's embrace. I mustered all my willpower to open my eyes again, and a saw a shiny black beak, making all sorts of soothing chirps to me. I look up to her eyes, to her back and wings, and realize with newfound clarity that I'm looking at a valstrax, and my mom.
I must've fallen asleep in her embrace as I reopened my eyes. Moving my beak away from her chest to peek outside, I saw how everything was starting to get brighter. Now slowly moving myself away from my mom, I started to walk somewhat to get a closer look at my surroundings. Being born way up high above everything else I could see, I had time to take it in. I was born on a peak, part of a mountain range that stretched far into either side of my nest, with too many mountains to count, and all of them covered in green. Directly in front of the nest was an ocean that stretched far into the horizon, no other landmasses in sight, shining brightly as it reflected all of the suns rays. As I was taking in the sights, my mother got up, walked up to the edge of the cliff, and went flying away during midday, and I wasn't sure why.
It was made clear to me around the evening when I saw a her rapidly coming closer, and in her claws something rather big. She soared around the nest and when she got close brought her wings pointing down, pushing down a lot of air until she landed with a thump, and then dropped the thing. As I got closer, I realized she brought back a massive shark like thing. I went to prod at it with one of my claws and saw something slimy stick to it. Taking a whiff of it I couldn't help but immediately turn away and cover my beak with my claw. That's when my mother bumped me with her beak, looked at me, then at the shark, back at me, and took a massive chomp of the shark. Blood everywhere, and she turned back around to me, still munching, and just stared.
I clenched my eyes shut at the sight. Unfortunately, I felt a roaring hunger in my stomach, painful enough for me to give it a second thought. Turning back to the fish and away from the bloody beak of my mother, I approached the shark, closer to the massive, bloody hole in its' side. I... must've been looking at it for too long as I felt a bump from her again, and a chirp this time. Okay, I take one long breath, then another facing away from the shark this time, and I just dive for its chest, my beak wide open ready to take a bite of that.
All I'll say is this; slimy, bloody, crunchy meat is not immediately vomit inducing. I managed to eat enough to get my fill, almost choking on that last bit of meat, then backed away to rest and think of anything else other than whatever I just ate.
While my mom scarfed down the rest of the meal, I started to wonder. I don't remember much of anything before I broke out of my egg. Only a feeling that I should be remembering something, but I'm not so sure what. Eventually, I give up trying to recall anything, and head to sleep in a corner, day dreaming of flying like mother did.
Every morning after would have my mom to go fishing after a quick fly around the nest, leaving me alone for a while. There was really nowhere for me to go, as the peak dropped straight into the sharp rocks below, with waves of water crashing upon them. Looking at my own silver wings, I would constantly shift them around, facing up, down, forwards, and backwards. Maybe spread them, swing them around a bit, then thrust them forwards like a spear. As for actually flying for myself, I couldn't do it yet. Only small wisps of smoke would come out when I focused on them a bit, with maybe a tint of red. Nevertheless, I waited for my mother to come back as I practiced in anticipation of being able to fly.
Thinking back, I realized that before flying off, my mom would always stand near the edge of the nest, staying still for a single moment, before taking off. The morning after, I immediately got up as soon as she did to have a look at what she was doing this whole time. As I followed her to the edge of the nest, I looked at her as she looked towards the ocean, head held up high. Winds blowing on the mountain started shifting, all moving towards her. She became a whirlwind, and it all was concentrated on her chest, glowing a bright red. As soon as it started, it ended, winds blowing in whatever direction they where before. My mother leaned down towards me and chirped, nuzzling me before gently pushing me to the side, flying off once more.
Immediately after she departed, I struck the same pose as she did, and focused on my chest. I could feel something there, and tried to suck in the winds just as I saw my mother did. A second passes, and I only feel the cool breeze of the ocean. Clenching my eyes next, I tried to focus even more on my chest now, and felt something shift. Cold winds instantly blast into my chest for a whole second before I quickly manage to close it. I lay down onto my side, clenching my chest with both of my claws, rubbing the cold pain away as much as I can.
Getting back up, I look up to my wings and they feel a bit energized. I focus on my wings and see myself forced forwards a bit. I turn myself to face the nest and jump while trying again and see myself fly straight into the center of the nest. After that I pointed my wings downwards in an attempt to hover, but I couldn't no matter how hard I pushed my wings to do so. It felt like they were still too small to properly push so much energy to hold me in the air, as no matter how much air I sucked in, I couldn't power them enough. Regardless, I practiced nonstop from that point until the evening when my mother came back for a meal.
I grew accustomed to the routine. Frequently after practicing wing movements and propulsions, I would just jump around the nest, trying some ways to cure myself of the boredom. Once I jumped in front of my mother, and she started to jump after me. I would jump five times in a row, from one end of the nest to the other, and she would do it in one leap. After she landed, I clamored onto her back with a bit of effort with all my front and hind claws, then she jumped again, with me falling back into the nest with a hearty thump a mere second after. Laying belly up on the nest, my mother came to check on me and chirped almost mirthfully. I chirped back at her and nuzzled her.
Not sure how long it took me to be able to properly hold myself in the air. My wings have grown larger, and I could travel from one end of the nest to the other in just two jumps now. With this hover I could move to either side of the nest without touching the ground now. Of course, I may have tilted my wings a bit much and crashed against the backwall of the nest. Regardless of the pain, I picked myself up and angled my wings again to try again immediately. I only paused once I saw a red streak in the sky again. Seeing my mother fly back, I walked up to her as she landed and saw that my head reached up to her neck, when before I was only little shorter than chest height. She nuzzled me and we feasted on a fat fish this time.
It's becoming easier to fly around the nest every new day that comes around. Every afternoon mother watched over me as I practiced small maneuvers around the nest. One morning, she nudged me awake and had me follow her to the edge of the nest, where she then looped around me and started nudging me from behind, towards the sharp rocks below. The more I resisted the harder she nudged, eventually evolving into one hard shove off the edge for me. As soon as I felt nothing underneath me, I reacted quickly, blasting red energy from my wings pointing downwards. It was slowing me down, but not enough. I pushed more energy into my wings and finally I came to a stop, still far from the rocks below, but striking it too close for me. Looking up I see my mom take off in a red streak towards the ocean and loop back around to hover in front of me. She chirps at me, then dives towards the rocks, putting on a surge of energy as she launches herself back into the sky.
Looking at her fly, I realized that no matter the situation, that's exactly what I want to do right here and now. To soar into the sky. So I breathe in, let it out, and angle my wings behind me, now pushing me into the rocks below. The winds are howling, the waves are crashing, and I am a valstrax, soaring past all danger and into the bright blue sky.