Alfred, the newest addition to the Russian freak show
Alfred sat up and kept trying to pry the pendant off of him. It seemed glued to him, almost embedded in his chest. It actually hurt him to pull the pendant off, which would glow and burn every time he tried to pry it away. Alfred groaned in both exhaustion and and frustration. "What the hell is this thing? Can you at least tell me that?" he shouted, not sure where the girl went.
There were a flash of blue black wings and the girl was at the door again. "Could you try to keep it down? I was trying to read," she said. Alfred glared at her. "Was I being too loud? I'm so sorry. I'll try to find another way to pass time in this stupid jail cell," he said. There was a flash of a smirk before she frowned again. "Do you really want to know what that pendant is for?" she asked.
"Considering it's practically stuck in my chest, yeah. That'd be nice to know," he said sarcastically. "It's a magic pendant that's supposed to absorb your magic," she said, crossing her arms. "Wait...What?!" he asked, feathers bristling. She sighed. "Look, I don't know how it works. I wasn't the one who made it. I'm a prisoner as much as you are," she muttered.
Alfred blinked. "What do you mean? I thought you were guarding me," he said. She shrugged. "To be honest, if you tried to get out, I wouldn't put up too much of an effort trying to stop you. I can't exactly just let you out," she said. He lifted up an eyebrow. "Then why are you exactly down here?" he asked.
The girl sat down across from him, stretching out a wing to preen it. "My brother lost his wings a few centuries ago. He was desperate for way to find them back. Living among our kind made him depressed and he brought my sister and I here to the woods. We searched for a way to get his wings back and found it to be impossible withouth having the wings with us," she said.
Alfred nodded. "Ivan's your brother?" he asked. She raised an eyebrow. "Yes. I suppose the rest of our kind have been whispering his name since he left. They think him a monster and me insane for sticking by his side. Now, can I finish the story or do I have to worry about you interrupting?" she asked. He mumbled something about a grouch but nodded.
"Good. After going to the human villages, under the guise of a human himself, Ivan found a man who claimed he could give Ivan back his ability to fly. The only catch was that Ivan bring back the wings of others to compensate for the loss of his wings and as a 'sacrifice'. Ivan was reluctant at first, trying to find ways to get around it. Then the human took our oldest sister, saying that her wings would be perfect for the spell and that mine could work as sacrifice. Ivan had no choice but to do what the man said," she said.
Alfred frowned. "So you really are stuck here too….but why do you have the entire basement to yourself? Can you go upstairs?" he asked. The girl shook her head. "Nyet. I have the basement because the human knows I wouldn't leave without my brother or sister. He has my sister locked up in a cell similar to yours down here. Since we're his only bargining chip, he allows me to take care of her and any prisoners," she said.
"...How many prisoners have there been?" asked Alfred. The girl paused in her preening, thinking. "About three. There would have been more but Ivan doesn't enjoy being forced to go after fledglings. He tends to accidentally leave them by avian nests. Though one time we had to drop a pair by a village. The other prisoners have already been de-winged as the human calls it and sent to human villages. The only reason the human keeps them alive is because he realized the wings deteriorate once they're killed," she said.
Alfred froze. "Y-You dropped a pair by a village?" he said. The girl looked at him and nodded slowly. "Yes...well I did. Ivan had to fight off a member of his flock. That was the night the human demanded that we bring him softer, fluffier wings or he'd kill Irunya. I had to hold one of them down...The ordeal was making me sick. Ivan was crying while he cut the quieter's wings off. When the older avian came, I ran off with them and tried to take off the other's wing...but couldn't do it. I dropped them by a village's farm and went back for Ivan. The wings he managed to get were enough to keep Irunya alive a little longer," she said quietly.
Alfred jumped up and grabbed the bars, making them rattle. "THAT WAS MY BROTHER'S WINGS YOU STOLE! YOU NEARLY KILLED HIM AND YOU STOLE US FROM OUR FLOCK! YOU RUINED OUR LIVES!" he shouted, wanting to reach through the bars and throttle her. The girl blinked, looking sad for a few seconds before glaring at him. "I did what I could to save my sister. We didn't have a choice. Be happy we didn't kill you and you got to keep your wings," she said.
Alfred glared at her. "That doesn't change what happened. Nothing could change what you and your brother did," he said. The girls sighed and stood up. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I regret doing it. I regret helping that monster. That's why he trapped me down here for. I let a pair of twins slip away. He was hoping for a matching set," she said before walking away. He could here her whisper to someone who was crying somewhere across the basement.
Alfred balled up in a corner. He wasn't sure if he pitied the girl or hated her guts. Speaking of guts, he hadn't eaten in a while and his stomach was churning from going without food for so long. Against his will, his stomach growled, echoing off the walls of his small cell. Five minutes later, a tray was slipped under the cells. Alfred didn't bother turning around to glance at the girl.
"Eat something. I promise I haven't done anything funny with the food. If you stare yourself, you'll just make it easier for the pendant to suck you dry," she said. Alfred blinked, thinking about that. "Suck me dry…" he mumbled. It isn't magic really….It's just having more life energy than the average avian or human. Alfred's eyes widdened and turned to the girl, who blinked, looking surprised at his reaction to her giving him food.
"Is that what he's hoping to do? Take all my magic?" asked Alfred. The girl slowly nodded. "He said he doesn't have any magic of his own to do any spells with. He wanted an avian captured so he could use the humans' brand of magic to harvest the avian kind in order to supposedly give Ivan his wings back. ...I don't think he's going to actually do it. He's kept us here for so long and hasn't shown any signs of letting us go yet," she said.
Alfred wasn't listening, he was leaning against the back wall. "That's going to kill me…" he said. The girl stopped talking and looked up at him. "What? No...Ivan wouldn't have brought you back here if it would. ...The human said you would just act as a renewable powersource," she said.
Alfred shook his head. "No...it's not really magic-magic. .It's just that I have more life energy or whatever allows avians to bond with each other than normal. Draining my magic won't just tucker me out...it'll kill me. I guess that's why my wings are still on my back," he said, muttering the last sentence bitterly.
She looked at him. "You're just making that up so I let you out…" she said. Alfred shook his head. "I wish I was...What is this stuff?" he asked, looking down at the tray of food he had been handed. "Wrapped palyandvista and milk. If you won't let me heal your wrist, at least let me set it properly so it heals correctly and hurts a bit less," she said. Alfred hesitated before thrusting his arm between the bars.
Without blinking, the girl quickly moved his wrist back in place, ignoring Alfred's choked back sob of pain. When he had his wrist back in place, he thanked her and started eating. "This is pretty good...Thanks," he said. She nodded and leaned back, watching him eat. "So um, since we're both kinda trapped down here together, mind telling me your name?" he asked.
"My name is Natalia. Natalia Arlovskaya. You are?" "Alfred. Alfred F. Jones," he said, giving her a grin. She smirked. "Like I said before, I can't just let you go...but I wouldn't be surprised if you find something in your cell or food one of these days that helps you get out," said Nat. Alfred blinked. "Wait...you'll help me get out?" he asked.
Nat shrugged. "You seem like a good guy...and I regret what I did to you and your brother. I will find a way to make it look like an accident...but I have to come up with something more creative. The human suspected me last time someone got out. It'll have to be accidental and it can't be similar to the way he got out last time," she said.
Alfred raised an eyebrow. "How did the guy get out last time?" he asked. "She was a smaller girl, spoke french. I showed her how to use one of her bobbie pins to pick the lock. Her mate came in and provided enough of a distraction for her to sneak out. The time after that, the man was skinny enough to squeeze through the bars...provided they were greased up a bit. The man after you...I got lazy and put a file in his bread. Said he must have sneaked it in," she said.
Alfred whistled. "Nice. Any ideas for me?" he asked. She shook her head. "Not yet….Do you have anything on you that might be able to help?" asked Nat. "Just my glasses and some pocket change...I knew I should have brought a screwdriver or something. And Mattie calls me paranoid," he said.
Natalia frowned and leaned back. "Do you expect anyone to come and find you? Or look for you?" she asked. Alfred sighed. "I was with two other guys when your brother ambushed us...I'm sure they'll come for me. If not, my flock will come for me too," he said before suddenly swearing. Natalia raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "If they waste time on me, Mattie will get sick and he might lose his chance of ever getting his wings back. Is there any way you can contact them to tell them not to come for me? Or better yet, have you seen his wings laying around the house? Maybe they can kill two birds with one stone...no pun intended. Okay, pun slightly intended," he said.
Natalia blinked. "W-Wait..what? You know how to reattach wings?" she said. Alfred nodded. "That was the entire reason we came out here...We wanted to make sure that the hunter that had shot me out of the air was actually dead so we knew what we were going to walk into," he said.
Natalia frowned. "So you were the one who shot my brother? You're lucky I was able to pull the bullet out and heal him before it did too much damage," she said. Alfred scowled. "Okay, one, he shot and broke my wing. Two, it was my brother, Arthur, who shot Ivan. I was a little too busy trying not to pass out at the time," Alfred shot back. Natalia sighed. "Sorry...but you know how to reattach wings?" she asked, leaning forward.
"Arthur and my brothers do...They had to cast a circle that helped us track the wings down. Mattie's are in some cabin in the middle of nowhere that's seriously bobbie trapped. We have a little less than a week to get them and perform the second part of the spell where we actually reattach them to my brother," sighed Alfred.
"What happens if you don't get it done within the week?" she asked curiously. Alfred sighed. "Everyday we wait to reattach them, he'll start getting sick and by the end of the week he might die. If at the end of the week we can't find the wings and reattach them, we'll have to cut off his bond between him and his wings. He might lose his chances of getting them back forever. The others are hoping that if it comes to that, they can find some other spell to help him get his wings back….but I have a feeling this is going to be our only chance," said Alfred.
Natalia stared at him for a few minutes, trying to figure out whether he was really telling her the truth or not. Why would he lie if I already agreed to help him escape before he told me all of this? She swallowed before looking him dead in the eye. "I'll make sure you get out and get those wings. I know where they are. I help your brother, you help mine," she said.
INSERT CLEVER/FUNNY TRANSITION TITLE HERE
Matthew groaned when he woke up the next morning, his stomach feeling extremely upset and sore. There was a knock on his door. He tried to see if it was Francis but he was slightly surprise that it was someone he hadn't bonded with. "Come in," he said. The door opened revealing a girl with blue eyes and braided blonde hair. Sylvia. Right. Francis had mentioned her.
She frowned when she noticed him balled up in the bed. "Are you alright Mathieu? Are you already feeling sick?" she asked him. Matthew nodded and was surprised when she sat on his bed and took felt his forehead. "You don't have a fever. That is good. Do you want me to tell the others you want to stay in bed?" she asked.
Matthew shook his head and sat up, accidentally bumping her wings. Sylvia moved her wings out of the way but not before he noticed a section of feathers missing from each wing. Matthew frowned. "I'll be fine...With Alfred gone, I don't want them worrying about me. They need to focus on finding him and getting him back," he said.
Sylvia looked at him for a few seconds. "How about this? I won't tell them that you're feeling this unwell and you keep letting me know how you feel, alright?" she said. Matthew hesitated. "They have the bond...they're probably keeping tabs on me that way," he said. She raised an eyebrow.
"And you're probably doing your best to block them from feeling how you feel physically, oui?" she said. Matthew sighed and nodded. "Then you tell me how you feel. I won't tell unless I think it's serious, promise," said Sylvia. Matthew sighed. "Alright...why do you care so much, if you don't mind me asking?" Sylvia smiled. "You're my older brother mon cher."
Matthew shyly smiled back. "R-Right...Francis mentioned another sibling," he said. Sylvia rolled her eyes. "We have several. We have an adopted sister from Seychelles. Arthur has many younger siblings, but after you two left he left them in the care of others. I'm sure you'll meet them all eventually. It's hard to get us all in one place at a time," she explained.
"...Just how many other siblings are there?" asked Matthew. Sylvia shrugged. "Five or six that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm probably missing a few. Francis and Arthur have been around for a while. Their parents are both ancients, few of the original avians that we know of. Arthur actually decended directly from an original ancient. It was Francis's grandfather that was one of the originals," she said.
"Really? How old are they?" asked Matthew. "Well Francis's grandfather Romulus was around the time the Roman Empire was started. Arthur's mother came from Britania and his father was part of one of the original Celtic tribes. There's another avian whose mother was part of Ancient Greece and another avian who claims to have been around during the time the Ottoman Empire was founded," she said.
His jaw dropped. "W-We can really live that long?" he asked. Sylvia nodded before hesitating. "As long as the lands that we come from continue to live and thrive. That connection is what's thought to give us the ability to bond with each other and withstand more pain and injury than a normal human would," she said.
"...So Alfred and I would be connected to the New World some how?" he asked. Sylvia nodded. "That's where you two were found and presumbably born. I'm tied to a tiny country off of France. Francis is connected to France and Arthur and his brothers are connected to the British Isles. None of us are really sure how this whole thing works. We're not even entirely sure if we're connected. We're just basing that off of different observations," she said.
"Like what?" asked Matthew. "Well...like how there's only one avian for every country we know of. There's a few exceptions to that, like the Italy brothers, but they once represented two different regions that got combiened into one region. Also, whenever something happens to our countries like floods and stuff, we get sick," said Sylvia.
Matthew frowned, distracted from his upset stomach as he tried to process this. "So we represent our homelands?" he asked. She shook her head. "Not quite. We're just connected to the physical land. We're not ruled by what the people on that land do...though sometimes our relationships to other avians reflect the relations between different countries. However, we're not forced to love or hate others because our people do," she said.
Matthew nodded, following along. "Alright then...Are the others awake?" he asked. "Everyone except Tino, Gil, and Matthias. They had a nasty flight yesterday, so I wouldn't be surprised if they sleep in for another hour or two," she said. Matthew nodded and slowly got up, careful not to make any movements that would make his stomach hurt even more.
The two of them walked down to the kitchen, Matthew doing his best to look like he was feeling alright. "There are my dears. How are you feeling Matthew?" asked Arthur, setting down a plate of burnt scones in front of them. Matthew tried not to puke on the spot. "Angleterre, you'll make him sick with those! No need to give him food poisoning!" said Francis, pushing away the scones and handing them crepes instead.
"Frog, quit putting ideas in his head! I'm sure Matthew would love my cooking if you stopped telling him it sucks! Even Sylvia says she appreciates my baked goods!" said Arthur. The two ascended into a fight, to Matthew's relief. He managed a couple of crepes before passing the rest to his sister. She took them and finished them and the two were able to sneak out of the kitchen without either of the older avians paying attention to it.
Reviews are appreciated. They let me know it's not me and my one weird friend that's reading this. Thanks to those who have!