Chapter Five: Lost in a New World.

It was nearly morning….When I decided to finally stop flying. I had no idea where I had ended up, and I was too tired to return back to the far off eastern island. My wings shone one last time, and vanished. Along with my new body, skin, tattoos and all my new features. Leaving just the plain 'Joe' that I was in this world. My hair was long, and dripped with sweat, my body throbbed with fatigue and my back still ached from where the wings had birth.
"So…Tired…." My vision faltered, and I collapsed onto my knees. I tried to say conscious, but the darkness was eating away at the edge of my vision. "I'll sleep, for a few moments." The palm trees wavered, then were gone. I feel face first into the hot, dry sand. My eyes rolled back into my head, and were closed with a slow, graceful descending motion of my drooping eyelids.
When I awoke, it was well past nightfall. I could still hear the crickets chirping off in the distance. I was lying in a bed, with clean white sheets. There just a few yards away, was an old woman bent over a stove. A delicate aroma rose from the hot stove, and my stomach rumbled. It had been sometime since I had last had a meal. From the size of the little hut, she probably lived alone. I saw pictures of people, most likely her family. There was also one of a strange winged animal. It had wings of an angel, but the body of a man.
The old woman glanced at my direction. Her voice was grated, and she spoke in a weazing tone. "Your finally awake, I was getting worried for a bit. I found you on the beach, nearly dead!" She hobbled over, carrying a tray, laden with a bowl of soup and some bread. Next to the bowl, was a plate of fresh leafy greens, topped with a sweet smelling orange colored sauce.
I smiled and gently took the tray from her. I broke the bread, and tore into the meal with gusto. I saw out of the corner of my eye, that she was smiling. "Good grief! You eat like you haven't had a bite in years!"
The bread was hot and fresh, the soup had a strong meaty taste to it. I had not time to answer the question, when the shabby door of the hut was thrown open. Walking though, was a young man, his arms carrying a heavy load of firewood. He tried rotating the load over, but it was too heavy. It fell from his arms and crashed to the ground in a broken pile.
He frowned, and started to pick up the pieces. He smiled, and then spoke to the old woman, "Well, at least I got it this far!" The old woman frowned, "If you had trouble carrying that, then you should have brought it in smaller piles!" The young man shook his head, and laughed. "If I did that, I would be hauling wood for the couple of hours!"
They kept back and forth like this for sometime. The young man kept calling the old woman 'Grandmother.' Was this a mother who had more honor than the birth mother, or did this one have a superior title? This too, was new to me.
The young man, he looked like he was in his early mortal years, what did the humans call it…Ages? He must be in his 20 ages. His hair was short, with brown eyes, and a dirty tunic to match. After studying them, I came to the conclusion that they were farmers, or something close to a farmer.
After I had finished my meal, I felt strong enough to stand up. My legs were wobbly at first, but I was soon able to stand on my own strength. The young man had tried to help, but I pushed him away. I was not going to be helped by a mortal. Especially, a manure shoveling farmer.
The young man introduced himself as, Kiro. The old woman was his grandmother, Elissia. I made the final introductions. My voice was weak, sine I was still exhausted from the trip. "I am known as Fon Lu."
Elissia smiled, her toothy grin shone in the dim light. "Fon Lu? That was the name of the first emperor who united our country. Legends speaks of him having supernatural abilities." Her son spoke up, "Those are nothing more than mere wife's tales. Fon Lu has been dead for more than 10,000 years!" He glanced towards me, "No offense…"
"None taken…It was the name my mother gave me." I nodded my head, and started to walk out of the hut. The young man stopped me before I could leave. "Are you sure that you're strong enough? We found you on that beach, and it was touch and go for most of the night!"
I nodded my head again, "I'll be ok….Thank you for tending my wounds." I reached into my short pocket, and found a piece of pressed gold. I put the nugget in the man's hand. He shook his head, "I can't accept this! You owe us nothing!"
I shook my head, "No…I owe you everything." I smiled again, and walked out of the hut. The two of then looked at each other, then at my fading form. Soon the forest secluded me, only the light of the stars shining down was my guide, and my promise for the future.