The boys next door
"Let me know when you need a break dude. I know flying can kill your armpits after awhile," shouted Alfred down to Matthew. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking. I'll let you know if they do," said Matthew. Matthew stared at the ground rolling beneath them.
Maybe his missing wings were the reason he never feared flying. The only thing he feared when he was flying with Alfred was his landings and any new tricks Alfred thought of. He's gotten some nasty scars from flying with Alfred. Maybe Matthew even had flown once. He wondered if his wings were like Alfred's or if they looked different. Were they as big as Alfred's? Could he once actually move them?
Matthew spotted something on the ground that pulled him out of his musings. "A-Alfred...I think someone's following us. W-What if it's a hunter?" said Matthew. Alfred peered over his back. "I don't see anything except a couple of avians. They're pretty far behind us dude. Nothing to worry about," he said.
Matthew shook his head. "On the ground Alfred. I know hunters can't fly," he said. Alfred frowned but didn't seem to think it serious. "It might be another villager that snuck out. Or a search party bro," he said. "I'm serious Alfred. I t-think he has a gun," said Matthew, spying the tall man dressed in a coat below them.
Hearing the stutter that only appeared when Mattie was afraid or nervous, Alfred glanced down at his twin. "Where do you see him?" asked Alfred. "There," said Matthew, gesturing with his foot to make it less obvious. Alfred's face grew serious, spotting the large black stick in the man's hand that couldn't be anything but a gun.
"We can't turn back to Tino's flock for help...he'd try to go after them. T-Try to find a tree we can hide in or something," said Matthew, scanning the ground for a tree tall enough with strong enough branches that the two could wait out the hunter in. Alfred shook his head, his face getting that determined look Mattie dreaded.
"Matthew, meet me at the village. Don't let the hunter know we're related. If he finds out, he might hurt you. Convince him to escort you to the village and tell the elder what he is. I'll meet you there after I warn Mathias and them about the hunter being so close to their territory," said Alfred.
"Alfred, don't do anything stupid. J-Just stay in the tree. There's a good chance he won't be able to climb up and get us. Or maybe the two of us can fight him off together," begged Matthew.
"I'm sorry dude. I love you bro," said Alfred, starting to angle his wings. Matthew's eyes widen. "Alfred Franklin Jones, don't do anything stupid. Don't you dare do what I think you're doing!" he said angrily. Alfred gave him a small smile before dropping him into a tree.
"Alfred!" shouted Matthew, flailing as he crashed through the branches. He could see a glimps of his brother as he attempted to fly higher as he fell. Just before he disappeared from view, there was the sound of a gun going off.
Cliffhanger enablers
After a few minutes, Arthur and Francis were finally able to catch sight of an avian with large eagle wings carrying what appeared to be a human. "That must be them," shouted Arthur. He glanced at Francis, who's face looked so sorrowful. "T-The one he's carrying must be Matthew. Mon infantil," he said sadly.
The two flapped their wings harder, doing their best to catch up to the boys. At one point, they notice Alfred look over his shoulder. Arthur waved his arms, trying to convince the boy to stop. Francis frowned. "Perhaps he didn't see us," he said when Alfred turned back around. Arthur nodded, wishing the git would just given him a good look.
A few minutes later, Alfred suddenly dropped Matthew gently into a nearby tree. "Que fait-il?" shouted Francis. Arthur's mouth gapped, unable to answer. They watched as Alfred suddenly started gaining altitude. Arthur scrunched his eyebrows together. "Something's not right."
Just as he said that, a gunshot rang out. Both avians froze and watched helplessly as Alfred desperately tried to use his one good wing to stay airborne before disappearing into the forest below. Francis covered his mouth, eyes welling up. "Hunters. There's hunters. Non. Not again. S'il vous plaît pas à nouveau."
Arthur swallowed back a scream. "You go after Matthew. See if he's alright. I'm going to go after Alfred. Get Matthew back to the nest as soon as you can," said Arthur before pumping his wings harder than before. Francis swallowed and nodded, pulling in his wings for a dive towards the tree.
Who's got two thumbs and a injured wing? This guy
Alfred cried out when he felt his wing get pierced by a bullet. His wing suddeny felt like it was on fire. Desperately, he throw out his other wing in hopes of counteracting the injured one, but the pain of the wound combined with the air resistance he was facing kept him from being able to control his falling all that well.
As he got closer to the ground, he attempted to pull his wings in but was flipped over by a branch, causing him to fall onto the injured wing. Alfred let out a gasp of pain as the wing broke upon reaching the ground. He felt something in his wing crack in several places. Red spots filled his vision as he was stunned into paralysis for a second. Then he heard it.
Footsteps. They were coming into the clearing. Alfred tried to get up but yelped when he found that the wing, now pinned under his body, was far to injured to move. He somehow managed to land on the wing at an awkward angle. There was no doubt that it was broken now. The only doubt was in how well the village healer could fix it. If he got to live to see the village again.
The hunter, a tall man of light complexion, approached him with a smile. "Time to die da? Birdies with broken wings get put down," he said, gun at his side, circling him. Alfred scowled at him and once again tried to get up but ended up collapsing.
The man tutted. "It looks like you've pinned your wing underneath you, silly. Here, let me help." With that, the hunter put a foot on his back and pushed Alfred forward, putting even more pressure on the wound and nearly dislocating his wing. Alfred screamed, black spots starting to fill his vision. He pointlessly tried to hit the man but missed.
The pressure left suddenly and Alfred collasped, finding it hard to breathe. Vaguely, he could hear shouting and the sounds of someone getting beat up. There was a familiar voice, sounding angry. He flinched when he heard the gun go off again, the familiar voice suddenly stopping. Alfred, completely dazed and starting to feel himself go into shock, reached his hand forward, trying to find something that could help him up. He managed to grab a branch before passing out.
Arthur almost had lost Alfred in the trees until he heard screaming. Eyes wide and his heart nearly stopping, he turned and saw the hunter try to dislocate Alfred's wing. Arthur's eyes narrowed and he pulled his wings in, sending him into an extremely fast dive.
Just after he cleared the lower branches of the trees, Arthur snapped his wings out partially to turn him so he could deliver a hammer kick to the hunter's chest. The hunter's breath left him in a whosh, and the hunter stumbled backward. "Get away from him you twat!" shouted Arthur.
The tall man gave him a twisted smirk. "Ah, so he does have a flock. I was wondering why he was traveling alone," he lifted the gun and shot at Arthur. Arthur, having fought off hunters before, knew to duck and used the momentum to tackle the man around the waist. The hunter fell and Arthur quickly punched him in the throat, causing him to choke long enough for Arthur to twist the gun out of his hands.
Arthur gave the man the most hateful look he could muster. "I won't allow your kind to hurt my boys ever again," he spat, pulling the trigger. The man fell silent forever. Throwing the gun aside, Arthur got up and turned to Alfred, freezing a bit when he saw him.
The poor boy was cumpled, his wing trapped under his body and bent multiple places in the wrong direction. There was blood still coming out of his gunwound. Arthur ran over and squatted down next to him, afraid to touch him. "Alfred. Alfie, wake up. The hunter is gone. You're safe now," said Arthur gently.
Before he could touch the boy, Alfred's eyes flew open and he winced, holding his wrist close to his chest. "M-Mattie?" asked Alfred, eyes clenched. "Francis is looking for him, pet. The hunter is dead," said Arthur in coaxing voice. Alfred jumped when he heard the man's voice and immediately threw his good wing out, trying to get the stranger away.
Arthur jumped back, nearly saving himself from being knocked over by one of the massive wings. Alfred scrambled around with his good arm, searching for the branch. Slowly, Arthur streched out his wings and lowered himself so Alfred could see him underneath his wing. "Alfred, don't worry. I'm an avian too. I'm not going to hurt you," said Arthur, gradually reaching out until his hand brushed Alfred's wing.
Alfred jerked back as if something had burnt him, causing him to tear up at the pain of doing so. Arthur nearly teared up himself. The Alfred he remembered loved having his wings pet and would always be brushing his wings against Arthur, despite how much it annoyed Arthur at the time.
Arthur dropped his hand from the wing, instead reaching out to Alfred. "Where are you hurt, poppet? I can help. My friend is looking for your brother. We saw what happened," he said gently, not wanting to overwhelm Alfred who looked on the brink of passing out once more.
"M-My wing, my head, and my arm hurt the most," whimpered Alfred, slowly relaxing. Arthur nodded. His head had a nasty bump on it and what was wrong with his wing was obvious. There were various cuts on the boy as well. Perhaps he broke his arm as well? Arthur gently reached forward. "Let me see," he said, gently feeling for a break but finding nothing.
Arthur scrunched his eyebrows together. "It's not broken…" he trailed off, concentrating on Alfred with his 'magic.' Alfred had a bond to someone. He was feeling their pain. It must have been Matthew. "Don't worry, you didn't break your arm. Listen dearest, I'm going to take you someplace safe. I don't want to risk another hunter finding us," said Arthur.
Alfred gave him a nod, his eyes starting to flutter close. Arthur quickly picked up Alfred, holding him close, and started flying back to his and Francis's nest, hoping that Francis and Matthew were safe. He looked down at the sleeping face of Alfred. He wasn't going to lose him again. He needed to get home quickly.
The bird and the guy with a broken arm
Francis scoured the tree, looking to see if Matthew was hanging from a branch. Just as he started to wonder if he was looking in the wrong tree, he heard a thump followed by a yelp below. Francis looked down to see Matthew laying at the base of the tree, disoriented and holding his arm close to his chest with a wince.
Forgetting that Matthew may not know who he is, Francis dived down and practically tackled Matthew with a hug. "Ma chère tu vas bien!" he said over and over again, smothering the baffled boy with kisses. "U-Um...H-Hi…" said Matthew, looking startled by the affectionate greeting.
Francis blinked, remembering the situation, and pulled back. "Are you hurt mon infantil? You didn't get hurt when you fell out of that tree did you Mathieu?" he asked. Mattie started to answer before blinking. "H-How do you know my name?" he asked. Francis gave him a sad smile. "Because I raised you. Now, are you hurt?" he asked.
"J-Just my arm. But Alfred is in trouble. T-There's a hunter and I think he's hurt his wing. There's something wrong with it. We need to help him!" said Matthew, scrambling to his feet. Francis put a hand on his shoulder. "Mon chere, Arthur, the other man who helped me raise you, is handling the hunter and your brother. Why do you think there's something wrong with his wing?" he asked.
"H-He got shot...and I think he may have broken it or had it nearly dislocated," said Matthew. Francis gave him a curious look. "Did you see him fall? You were just dropped in the tree when Arthur and I came by," he said. Matthew shook his head. "I-I saw him get shot, but I know he's hurt. ...I-I felt it," he said, voice trembling.
Francis blinked. He had forgotten that the boys have bonded. Poor Matthew must have felt his brother get hurt. "Mathieu, I'm sure Arthur can handle it. He used to hang out with pirates. Let me see your arm," coaxed Francis. Matthew jerked his arm back painfully. "No. I need to help my brother. T-This is all my fault," he said.
Francis thought about this. If they walked, that would give Arthur enough time to take care of the hunter before they got there, which would keep Matthew out of further danger. But if they walked there and Arthur hadn't gotten to Alfred, he'd need their help. "No it's not. We'll go look for your brother, but not until I set your arm," said Francis.
Matthew sighed and let Francis expertly prod the arm with his fingers. "This will only hurt a bit. I'm sorry," he said before quickly setting the break. Mathew gasped in pain, tearing up a little. When it was done, Francis quickly used a couple of branches and his hair tie to create a makeshift splint. "There. Better?" he asked. Matthew silently nodded.
"Now lets go see your brother, oui?" he asked. Matthew nodded. "Can you carry me?" he asked. "It would be safer to walk until we know the hunter is taken cared of. Don't want you to be dropped in a tree twice now," half-lied Francis. Matthew nodded and started to run in the direction he thought Al had landed in.
Francis ran after him, surprised with how quick the boy was. "I suppose he had to get around somehow without wings," he thought to himself. Matthew suddenly stopped at the edge of a clearing, causing Francis to crash into him. Francis quickly caught Matthew before he could fall onto his arm.
Matthew looked around the clearing. There was nothing there besides a handful of brown feathers he recognized as his brother's and a dead hunter. It looked like someone had shot him. Matthew swallowed. "W-Where's Alfred?" he asked.
"Pas de panique. I'm sure Arthur took him back to our nest. See that light grey feather there? That's one of Arthur's. Since there's no signs of another hunter, I think it should be safe to fly back to the nest. But first, I can quickly heal your arm a little bit if you'd like," said Francis, wanting to create a bond with the boy before he lost him again.
"I want to see my brother first. I-I'm sure he's hurt badly. Please take me with you to your nest. I-I promise that I'm not a hunter," stuttered Matthew, shaking a little. Francis gave him a small smile. "Of course mon petite. I would never have thought you were a hunter," With that, he picked up Matthew and flapped his wings.
Matthew nuzzled against Francis without thinking, causing Francis to smile softly. "I'm sure he's fine. Arthur is a mage. He would know how to help him. He'll be safe with Arthur. We won't let the hunters come after you two again, d'accord?" he said. Matthew nodded. Francis smiled and looked up, hurrying toward the nest. He missed being able to hold the child he raised.
Brokewing Mountain (No this isn't a ship. I just couldn't refrain myself from this pun.)
Alfred moaned in Arthur's arms when a current hit his injured wing. Arthur's heart nearly tore in two. "We're almost there pet. You're alright." He landed on the ledge, ignoring the ache in his wings from carrying Alfred. Without slowing down, he rushed to the sleeping area and laid down Alfred on his back.
Arthur's finger froze over the pit the bullet had made in his wing. He looked at Alfred, who was groggily coming back into consciousness. "Alfred, I need to pull the bullet out of your wing. May I do so?" Alfred weakly bobbed his head. "Thank you," said Arthur, before quickly using a pair of pliars to pull the bullet out.
Alfred shouted, the pain from having Arthur remove the bullet causing him to jolt his wing painfully. Arthur swallowed. "M-May I touch your wing? It would make things easier," he said. "I-I want Mattie. Where's Mattie?" whimpered Alfred, his eyes starting to tear up. Arthur's heart melted.
He shuffled over and placed Alfred's head in his lap, stroaking his hair. "Shh. Mattie's alright. Francis will have him here soon. Rest your eyes. I'll wake you when he's here, alright?" said Arthur. Alfred nodded, closing his eyes. Within seconds, he was asleep again.
Arthur continued stroking his hair. "My poor Alfie. I've missed you so. Just hang in there. I promise we'll fix your wing. I won't let anyone hurt you or take you away again. I'm so sorry poppet," he said in trembling voice.
So far I've been keeping the chapter to about 5 pages a chapter...Any thoughts on whether I should bump it up or not? I'm just trying to figure out good places to break up the chapters. Also...what are people's thoughts on song fics? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.