Sorry it took so long to update guys! I've been really busy the last week :) Well, here you go! :)
Trees waved their snow-laden branches in the freezing breeze as a fox slunk through the underbrush, its white tail bobbing cheerfully. Broken branches littered the clearing and blood patched the snow from where a young boy had fallen from the sky. His mask had fallen off in the fall, revealing that his face and neck were swollen and bruised black and purple. The bone of his left leg was splintered and the jagged edges had pierced through the skin.
Snow crunched as three pairs of feet walked towards the boy. One pair barely sunk through the white powder, her weight was so slight. The other two pairs belonged to a sleek white wolf.
"You should have caught him, Angel." The wolf growled.
"I wouldn't have been able to reach him in time Wolf. He was too far away."
"What is that evil man doing in our sanctuary?"
"You know the answer to that, so I know not why you ask."
"But you can not give him what he wants."
"He does not know that, and he wouldn't believe me if I told him so." Angel sighed as she pulled off her mitten and leaned down to place her hand to the boy's temple.
"If he alive?" Wolf wagged his tail back and forth in agitation.
Angel did not answer for a second as she concentrated. Nodding abruptly, she responded. "Barely. It's a miracle that fall didn't break his neck." Brushing his bloody hair out of his face, she shook her head as she imagined all the work it would take to keep him alive.
"Who is he?"
"One of the kids with superpowers who works with that spy agency… Ah, I know the name, I just can't remember."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"Oh yeah! That's right. Anyhow, I heard the others say his name was Danny.
Placing on arm behind his back and the other under his knees, Angel gently lifted the boy, being careful not to injure him further. Cradling his broken body against her chest, she slowly stretched her wings towards the heavens. "Come on Wolf, he has lost a lot of blood. We need to get him back to the tree."
"Should I tell the children to hide? We don't want strangers finding them. They are afraid of people, especially of men."
"He is barely more than a boy." Angel smiled protectively at the teenager she held onto. "But you are right, if the children are afraid, tell them to go to the caves. However, ask Daniel and Xiwang if they wish to stay. I may need their help. I don't know if I can save this one Wolf."
Her eyes flashed with worry as she spread her mighty wings further and Wolf took off into the underbrush. Snow swirled up like a storm as she beat them down once. The powerful stroke shot her into the air like a bullet from a gun.
Within minutes, she landed on the porch of a large, one-roomed tree house. Slipping through the doorway, she smiled wanly at the sight which greeted her.
The walls of the tree house were filled with shelves on three walls. The last wall had a fireplace built into it and sleeping bags lined up along the side. Two children stood in the middle of the room covered in mud, leaves, and ice. Seeing her shocked expression, the boy gulped and pointed at the girl. "She started it!"
"No he started it!" The girl growled back, hands on her hips.
Sighing, Angel shook her head. "You two are supposed to be the responsible ones. I left you two in charge and you end up fighting with each other? What sort of example is that for the others? I'm rather disappointed." Latching the boy in her gaze, she continued, "Daniel, build the fire back up it's freezing in here. And you are both going to catch hypothermia in those wet clothes. Where did you find mud this time of year?"
"The waterfall never freezes Momma." The girl flashed a smile filled with mischief.
"Oh no!" Angel gasped. "Xiwang, I told you not to go near that waterfall! You could have fallen in. And I wasn't here to catch you if you fell."
Hunching her shoulders, the girl nodded. "I'm sorry Momma."
"We are going to talk about this. But you both need to get changed. Now. Get some different clothes on, dry off, clean up that floor, then we will talk. Did Wolf already get the others to the caves?"
"Yes Momma." Daniel looked subdued from her disappointed tone. "Come on Xiwang, let's find something dry." Glancing at the boy in Angel's arms, he frowned, "Who's that? And what happened? Looks like he went five rounds with a grizzly bear."
"Go, you little hooligan!" Angel laughed tightly. "We will talk about this when you are dry. I have enough work to do without caring for two kids with hypothermia."
Rolling her eyes, Angel set the boy down on a mat next to the fireplace as the children scurried away. Pulling her hair out of her hat, Angel tugged on it thoughtfully. "This is going to be a long night." She muttered as she scanned the jars of strangely colored liquids which filled the shelves.
"Try the yampah and prairie clover root." Daniel's quiet voice startled her.
Turning around to smile at the thirteen year old, Angel nodded. "Good idea, thanks Daniel." Suddenly, her expression turned worried when she noticed how tight and pale her child's face was and how he kept one hand clenched on his upper arm. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Old injury is hurting me. Let's help him first." Daniel motioned towards where Danny lay. "Come on Momma, I'll bind the bone of his leg back into place, you get the herbs."
"And I will gather provisions for the others." Xiwang came up behind them. "Wolf will be here to pick up supplies soon."
Nodding to each other, they split up. Working together like they had so many times before.
"Is he going to survive Momma?" Daniel asked, staring at Danny's pale face and blood-soaked body.
"He should already be dead, I have never heard of someone surviving a fall like that." Realizing too late that that was the wrong thing to say, Angel tried to cover-up the statement when she saw her child's scared eyes. "But don't worry, we will do everything we can."