A/N: So... This started as a Wingtalia!AU, but I decided to make it more... bird people-y? XD So, no. They are not actual angels in this, but this isn't Omega!verse either. Some of them are referred to as angels which is explained at the bottom (because I'm too lazy to put the stuff before...) but they aren't really angels. This is a Wingtalia(ish)AU where they are simply people with wings whose society is based around different bird terminologies and lifestyles (I guess). I really shouldn't have written this, as I have way to many stories going on already, but I love IceLiech and I finally found an inspiration to write them. Originally, this was a one-shot. But now it isn't because I got really tired writing. I might make this a two or three shot. Enjoy~
(P.s. Sorry that I ramble XD)
Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia
It was snowing again. Big bruder had his wings folded tightly around my shivering form, holding me gently. During these times, when the nest became very cold Mister Gilbert and Ludwig would go out to scout for lost souls or abandoned chicks. It is obligatory to welcome those without home and shelter into our flock in the midst of natural disruption or some sort of crisis… That's what Mister Roderich told me at least.
I shuddered as the wind nipped at the edge of our aerie, threatening to claw its way up the mountain and slink through the cracks of our modest dwellings. Bruder told me the cold was no good. All goals it had were only to our personal ruin. Embracing the delicate pinfeathers of our young and encasing our adult's humeral in its icy restraints.
Whenever I uttered a complaint, he would shush me, giving hope that it was only a matter of waiting for it to end. Reassurance wasn't really Bruder's specialty, but with the cold, it was about as much comfort as I could receive. Quite thankfully, I only take what is offered. Then Mister Gilbert would break in to the conversation with a strange guffaw and joke about how we were 'at the very least, not in a 'severyan guild' or something along those lines. He tells me it's much colder in their flocks.
As I sit wrapped in big bruder's wings, Miss Elizaveta enters the sitting room and kneels down to stroke my hair. She whispers kindly things. Johan had finally stopped crying and now lay tucked up in the nest's crèche room. Mister Roderich is playing him music now. I've always liked Mister Roderich's music, even when I was a small fledgling. His songs bring to me many memories of before the archangels left for other clans in their hasty diaspora.
We were once a formidable flock of strong raptors and intimidating angel-folk. Our guild was full of only the finest arboreal people this side of the great mountain had to offer. We had many strong links; but now only few remain. Our mighty archangel leaders left when I was still young enough to be identified only by clutch. After that, everything changed.
Many of the Southwestern groups cut off communication with the central completely, while the easterners and many northeasterners trickled away to start their own guilds. Miss Elizaveta was from a flock near the southeastern branch. She lives in our flock now as Mister Gilbert's mate.
Elizaveta keeps glancing at the door with a worried expression. I don't see why of course, since Mister Gilbert and Mister Ludwig always get back safely. Maybe it's because of their son Johan? He is our flock's only chick since I became a juvenile a few seasons back. Mister Roderich has been training me to be an angel for the last few months. Sometimes I don't think it's worth the effort.
Really, I'd rather be a raptor like Mister Gilbert and be able to protect people. But Mister Roderich is determined to raise Johan and I to be refined and noble so we may bring our flock back to its former glory. After all, there isn't much else I could do aside from being a brood matriarch or some domestic role in the flock. My wings are smaller than average, you see. To be a raptor, you must have strong, powerful wings which can beat against even the harshest of winds and carry you the greatest of distances. Mine can't even lift me more than a few centimeters.
It didn't bother me when I was younger. There were no other fledglings to pick on me for it and no rivaling flocks to shun me for it. I had a very happy childhood. Though, it could be frustrating whenever I tried to imitate Miss Elizaveta, only to fail at attempts of jumping off high objects and spreading my wings. They only buzzed a bit before becoming tired and stopping altogether. So, I never fledged.
Now that I am maturing, I've become more self-conscious. What if I'm never able to fly? Only one reason from a list on why I could never be a raptor… I suppose it's just not in my nature either. Raptors are the protectors of a flock, and I have a tendency of being rather meek. But if the situation called for it, I of course knew how to defend myself at the very least (Bruder made sure of that).
Mister Roderich also worries that I'll never attract a mate with wings this small, but I'm quite content without one. I have the rest of our flock to keep me happy, despite my hopeless dreams.
"What do you think the valley looks like, Lili?" A voice startles me out of my thoughts.
"Hm?"
Bruder stares at me.
"The valley. Covered in snow as it so definitely is now. How do you think it looks?" I thought for a moment.
"Like a glistening, white shield piling up to protect the grass from some sort of indecent exposure." Bruder chuckled at this.
"Roderich's been filling your head with too many unimportant things…" I looked at him curiously.
"For me personally, it seems more like a blanket, confining the grass. It keeps the flowers from blooming and freezes them down to the roots. And if the snow is a shield it does a poor job. Even the lightest of footfalls from a doe could penetrate its surface. Surely not a safe haven for young flowers…"
"Oh," was all I said.
The minutes turned to hours as the white flurries turned into a rage. The storm did nothing to comfort Elizaveta's nerves and she excused herself to hurry off to bed. I lay on the rug and thumbed over a soft area. Bruder had gotten up to talk to Mister Roderich about something. My wings fluttered lazily and I began humming an old folk song in boredom. The cold continued to nip at my slightly exposed flesh. We'd made a fire a few hours previous, but it had been long snuffed out. Without Bruder's embrace, I only had an old blanket to warm me.
Suddenly, a rapid swooshing noise was brought to my attention. Realizing what it was sat up on my knees. With a sigh of relief, I stood and scurried to the nest's entrance.
'It must be Mister Gilbert and Mister Ludwig.'
Indeed it was.
Mister Gilbert nearly pushed me down as I opened the door. He appeared frazzled and out of breath as Ludwig came up behind him carrying something. Curious, I tried looking over his shoulder. But they rushed past too quickly to tell what it was he was holding. The only distinguishing feature was a light and limp wing dangling from its side, a few feathers sticking up at awkward angles.
"Liz! Roddy! We found something out there!" Gilbert shouted down the hallway. Ludwig saw me staring and nodded slightly before bringing the figure in his arms over to the healing roost.
"Is it… injured?" I asked, coming up to his side. Ludwig nodded and followed Gilbert's direction down the hall. With no one shoving me around or walking away, I finally got a chance to see the cause of all the fuss. At a glance, I recognized it to be a person. He had soft, silver hair and a pale complexion I was unused to seeing around these parts. His wing color was much like the snow; a gentle white shade which, depending on circumstance, could have the potential of a storm. I hadn't seen anyone besides Gilbert with wings such as his. His breathing was quiet and shallow, almost so that I could not hear it.
It appeared in small, rattling puffs, which were only identifiable through the small, wisp-like clouds in the air. I felt my chest tighten and I let out a small gasp. His left wing… It was gone. My eyes were wide as I felt my hand reach out to brush the area where there should have been humeral. It seemed like an old wound though, as it was healed nicely and stitched over.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the nest as Elizaveta rushed into the room. She knelt and began inspecting the boy. I stood back with a tired looking Gilbert and a bleary eyed Roderich. A few moments passed and she looked back up.
"I suspect hypothermia… Gilbert, could you fetch me a slightly warmed cloth? We can't warm him too quickly and risk heart arrhythmia…" Mister Gilbert nodded and left the room. I looked up at Elizaveta with a questioning look.
"What about his missing wing?"
"It looks like a past amputation… Nothing wrong with it, édesem." Gilbert returned and handed her the cloth. She told us to leave so she could undress him. I was a bit skeptical, but obeyed. When we were aloud to return, she was dabbing his midriff gently, the wet cloth wrapped securely in a larger cloth. He seemed to be breathing better now. Elizaveta muttered something and turned to Mister Roderich who was holding Johan in the corner. He was our flock leader and made the major decisions such as adopting new members to our group.
"We are taking him in I presume? Judging from his feathers I'd say he's still a juvenile… Probably a little bit older then Lili." I blinked at the mention of my name.
'Another juvenile? How strange… Why would he be out in the storm and not with his flock? He doesn't look old enough to be fledged.'
Mister Roderich nodded at her question.
"How can we not? It is obvious he is in an unbefitting condition and without a flock. We couldn't send him back out without a flock." Roderich shook his head in pity and carried Johan back to the crèche chamber.
Flock bonds were familial. It was part of the reason our kind often took in strangers. We just couldn't imagine being without the comfort of our families.
I decided to stay and tend to him with Miss Elizaveta until he awoke. It was long past dark when I found myself wondering how he'd lost that wing. Shadows danced across the walls of our nest as the coldness radiated through the room. Snow was piled to the window sill and yet the storm showed no signs of stopping as it continued to rape our land with unmerciful manacles.
'Did you lose it to a storm such as this, or to some sort of fight? Was it sickness? Was it abuse? Was it removed for the sake of your survival or did some cruel being try to pluck you and make horrible mistakes?'
"How did you end up this way…?" I muttered and squinted, bringing a hand to his cheek. It was still cold. I subconsciously began rubbing it as my mind raced through the different possibilities of what could have happened to this one-winged oddity in front of me. What I failed to notice were the half lidded violet eyes peeping up at me in confusion.
"Fire…" I jumped at the sound of an unfamiliar male voice and realized it was the juvenile. I contracted my hand in embarrassment; a light coloring tinged my cheeks.
"I-I'm sorry H-Herr… I was just wondering how you lost that w-wing!" His voice has startled me with how smooth and dull it was. He eyed me intently before closing them.
"A fire. I am from a guild near the top of the mountain. It was active once, you know… My flock doesn't live there anymore…" He stopped talking abruptly.
"Where am I, exactly? And who am I talking to?" His eyes appeared somewhat frantic in a split second as he peered inquisitively. It was such a quick change from his previously calm expression that I stuttered through my reply.
"O-oh! Erika Zwingli-Vogel… Juvenile angel. My flock calls me Lili though." I gave him a small smile.
He nodded once, in apparent thought.
"This is a central-western flock then? Alright… My name is Emil Steilsson. And before you ask, no. One wing does NOT make me handicapped."
A/N: Ehehehe... I tried? Clarifying, this is in no way meant to be Omega!verse and I'm sorry its so similar but I wanted to try something different. I really adore the wing thing, and I know that the wings kinda are the things that make them angels but JUST FORGET EVERYTHING YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW ABOUT WINGTALIA BECAUSE I'M GOING TO TRAMPLE ALL OF IT. To be honest, I've only ever read one Wingtalia story (and it differs greatly from this one) and most of my inspiration is from fanart. But on a different note, DAMN. WORLD BUILDING IS HARD! I really feel like I did an awful job at explaining things, as I am new at this whole 'serious multi chapter fic thing.' Ughh... I hate myself. :P (But don't worry, NOT REALLY.) Anyway, many of the things in this are based on bird terminology as promised. (I feel I wrote them as bird people (things?) over actual angels because I really don't know anything about angels and researching would take forever because I have an obsessive desire to make things as accurate as I am able to and if I feel I'm unable to do that, then I just write non seriously.) Oh my Gosh, I'm rambling again... Anyway, here are the terms you'll probably need to understand to know what the heck I'm talking about in this story.
Flocks- "Clans/Family Groups."
Guilds- "Used to refer to many different flocks living in the same area."
Raptors- "The hunters and protectors of a flock. They are sort of like the 'warriors', but really only act in defending fellows of the same flock and capturing prey. They also are the ones who search for lost or abandoned chicks to take in."
Angels- "They are kind of like the nobility social class. They're viewed in high regard and often very well respected. They're not actual 'angels' from the heavens like in most Wingtalia!AUs, as it is used more for a title."
Brood/Crèche/Clutch- "Gathering of hatchlings in a nesting colony/flock. Crèche refers to a brood where different adults cares for the chick."
Aeries- "The nests of raptor folk built usually on a wall or cliff side." (Since the majority of Lili's flock are raptors, they live in an aerie.)"
Preening- "Seen as a sensual or intimate ordeal, it is only used between two very close individuals."
Severyan (северян)- Russian for 'northerners'. (If this is incorrect, please know that I used google translate for translations and I know full well that it can suck sometimes.)
édesem- Hungarian for 'sweetheart.'
Okay... I think that's it. Yes, I use the name Erika for Liechtenstein. I like to think that Lili is only a pet name or something. She will be mainly referred to by Lili, so if you wanted her to be called something else, sorry. Btw, Johan is Kugelmugel. I'm going to go lie down before I hurt myself...
~With Love, from Rosemary ;)