2: Seeker

Earth, Heatherfield

The sun was shining in the cloudless blue sky. It was mid September. On top of a tall tower in the middle of the city a fold opened, Will stepped out, she looked around, it had been years since she had visited earth. Around she could see that the tall building were mostly made of a steel frame and glass all over with holo displays on them. Some had antenna on top of them for communications. She walked over to the edge of the one she was on, looking out she saw the river now contained clear water that lead out to Heatherfield bay in the east before going into the sea. On the hills around the city building looked like modern wooden constructs and the mountains could be seen beyond them. She took the heart out from under her cloak, wrapping her hands around it and closing her eyes, "Guide me to the chosen" She whispered to it. She then disappeared in a green and white flash.

"Come on Holly" A soft female voice called out from below.

Looking down over the edge at the water just gently lapping against the oak that made the pier on the coat line of Heatherfield, the beach was all pale yellow sand with several of these piers, each about 3 meters long extending from them, there was quite a lot of people on the beach and just in the water as it was a good day to be at the beach. Holly crouched down to look over the edge at the crystal clear waters. The sand could be seen at the bottom but that isn't what she was looking for. Then suddenly she was splashed from behind. She turned around and on the pier stood another girl. She stood 5 foot 4 and was dripping wet. She had pale blue pink skin, brown hair that came down to the base of her neck which underneath on the side of her neck was 3 slits on each side surrounded by dark yellow scales. Her eyes were green and had a clear film that retracts when she is out of water. Her hands and feet only had 3 digits on each but were webbed and had short pale white claws on the end. Her arms had the scales cover her hands and wrists. On the side of her arms each had 3 small dark blue mounds sticking out. From the base of her spine extended a tail that was ling and thin, a length matching her legs that spread out into a 2 foot wide horizontal sapphire fin, the bottom half of the tail was also covered in the dark yellow scales. She was wearing a simple black 1-peice swimsuit that extended onto her tail a few inches. She stood there and gave off a giggle "How long are you going to be?"

Holly stood up, she was only about 5 foot 6 but with a very mussel built body. She had very short dark green hair and dark blue eyes that looked like a reptiles. On each side of her forehead were 2 small dark brown horns, each was like a curved claw, tho were only a couple of inches in length. Her skin was covered in a pale brown scales that could easily be mistaken for tanned skin. Her hands and feet both also had short dark brown caws on. She had a tail too, starting from the base of her spine it was about as thick as the top of her legs but thinned out to a point about the length of her legs to her ankles. Down her back and the top of the tail she had some dark brown spikes that came out, they started small just below the top of her neck got bigger as they got down to just above the top of her tail, then as they went down her tail they got smaller. She had 5 on her back and 5 on the tail. Like the other girl she was wearing a 1-peice swimsuit that had some of her spiked coming out of it and coming onto her tail a little, tho this was in a dull red. Next to her was some matching dark red framed goggles, flippers and goggles. "You know Terri I will get you back one of these days" She giggles out as she then playfully pushed her back into the water, before grabbing her flippers and placing them on, then carefully putting on the goggles and jumping in after her. Both of them kept their heads above the water as they then chatted.

"Ready, cos the dolphins aren't too far out, but won't be for much longer" Terri happily said as she then swam circles round Holly using her tail to move.

"Yea, I am" Holly replies happily as she then placed the snorkel into her mouth and they both dived below the surface.

Both girls swam using their tails for moving in the water but in different ways, Holly would kick with her legs while having her tail sway from left to right, similar to a shark, while Terri kept her legs tailing behind her as her tail would go up and down. She also swam at a greater depth to Holly because she wasn't limited to the reach of the snorkel, for her the moment they went below the surface her lungs had shut off and the gills had taken over, so the water passed through them rather than into the lungs so she could breath underwater.

As they swam off out to the edge of the bay where as they got closer they could start seeing dolphins swimming around a green and white flash occurred near the end of the pier they had been on, then on it Will stood, looking out towards where they were. Despite the people around, no-one acted to what happened, or seemed to acknowledge she was there as some young kids ran past her in a way that should have knocked her into the water, but they just acted like she wasn't there at all. She looked down at the heart which was giving off a brighter pink glow, she then gently places her right hand under it lifting it up just before her, but not taking off her neck, she then whispered to it "Join the powers with your chosen." The heart then released a pink orb with the curved equals symbol in it and a blue orb with the wave symbol in it. Will watched as they flew off over the waters of the bay.

The orbs flew above where Holly and Terrie were, then gently dived below the water. The pink one went behind Holly before it then gently passed into her body while the blue did the same to Terrie, both girls didn't see anything but a strange tingle went through both that they ignored.

"So the she is the one that will be your new holder" Will commented as she turned and walked off the pier, and across the beach as she lowered the heart to let it dangle by its chain again, she then whispered "Be ready, for your time of destiny approaches." She then walked past some people as she was teleported away by another green and white flash, she was completely ignored by everyone else, even as she teleported.

In the waters Will's whisper was herd in the back of the minds of the girls. Holly surfaced, she took out the snorkel from her mouth a looked around confused, Terri then surfaced a few moments later. Holly looked to her before asking "Did you hear something?"

Terri looked back "I hear a lot of things under the water that others cant" She replied, clearly confused by Holly's question.

"It sounded like a normal person, very feint but I am certain it was something" Holly was trying to make sense of what she thought she had herd.

"I thought I did, but I couldn't really hear what was said." Terri said in a slightly down voice before she cheered up "Come on, we are missing the fun." She then dived under again, Holly turned towards the shore, staring in that direction, she was sure it was that direction it came from, she then placed the snorkel back into her mouth and dived back under.

The mountains at the edge of Heatherfield were very rocky, but they had pale grey box houses built into the mountain facing north towards the city. Linking the houses was a trail of footpaths. The skies around the area was full of people that had wings.

About half way up on top of one of the houses a young girl was standing there looking up. She had normal looking dark-ish white human skin. She had black curly hair that was tied back into a tail by a dark grey tick hair tie that came just below her shoulders, she also had brown eyes. She stood about 5 foot 3 high. On each of her arms just before her wrists extended out a length of wing that was the same length as her arms. On them were dark red feathers that started at only a few inches long before at the top they were just over a foot in length. These wings could tuck back against her lower arm should she wish to use her hands. Her feet were like bird's foot, 3 talons at the front and a small one at the heel. Her lips was a solid similar to a bird's beak rather than flesh tho it still looked like a human just in a deep yellow. She wore a deep green tank top with matching tight shorts that came down to her knees. She had grey legwarmers wrapped around the base of her legs and the flesh part of her feet. Around her shorts coming from a slit in them, she had 2 foot long dark red tail feathers spanned into a foot wide tail. She was crouched by the edge looking over. She looked up into the skies looking at everyone else flying, some like her and others with wings fully in their arms rather than an extension to it or on their backs.

"Am I ever going to see you fly dear." A mature female voice was heard from behind her. She turned around and walking out from a doorway in the rocks was a 5 foot 9 woman. She also had a slightly lighter skin as the young girl but had the same black curly hair that came down to just below her shoulders (tho not tied back) and brown eyes. She wore a yellow dress that came down to just above her ankles but left her arms bare. Hr hands were wrapped around a large bump on her belly, she was clearly in late stages of pregnancy. On her right ring finger was a gold wedding ring. On her feet were a pair of white slippers. "It would be nice if you were flying before you get a little brother or sister." She said as she came up behind her.

"It is just too high mum" She replied is a nervous voice as she looked out down the mountain. About a mile of meadows of grass and little woods in them was all that separated them from the main city tho there was a min road that lead it to the base of the mountain from the city. Her mum placed her left hand on her right shoulder.

From above a male figure came down and landed just behind them. He was about 6 foot tall. He had hazel eyes and dark red 3 inch long soft feathers on his head instead of hair. His arms were like the little girls just the feathers continues all the way up the back of his arms not just stopping where the wing parts met the arms. He also had a tail feather array like the girl and the same sort of feet. He wore a dark blue short sleeved t-shirt and dark green combat trousers. He also had similar leg warmers like the girl. His mouth was a 4 inch long curved dark yellow beak. He walked up behind the mother and wrapped his arms around her as the wing part of his arms tucked back. On his right hand ring finger he also wore a gold wedding ring. He spoke in a slightly clicking manner because of the beak, but in a deep voice "You feeling ok my love?"

She smiles back as she took her hand off her daughter and turned to the male, wrapping her arms around his neck as he moved his hands over the bump on her belly. She spoke back in a soft voice "I am, as is the new youngling, but she still won't take flight."

He pressed his beak to her lips as he then walked over to the young girl, and crouched down on the edge next to her. "Emma, you know you should be able to fly now" he softly spoke to her in his voice.

"I know" Emma spoke nervously as she looked down again. "Just why does flying have to be so high up"

"Because if you were close to the ground you would crash" Her dad chuckled. He then stood up and walked back over to his wife as they went inside.

"Rob, I fear she may never take to the skies of her own abilities" The mother spoke sadly.

"It is something I fear too Kim, all the other young Verlinger cross's around here are flying by 8, and she is now 13." He replied as they went out of what would have been a human's earshot.

She heard what her parents were saying, an advantage of what she inherited from her dad's species was strong hearing and eyesight. She kept looking down over the meadows terrified. "It lot like I don't want to fly" she muttered to herself "It just I don't like being high up without something solid beneath me." She took a deep breath and spoke to herself again "You can do this." She then stretched her arms out with the wing parts also stretching out fully. She leaned forwards pointing her head on the level so her head was clearly over the edge. She breathed deep and slow, feeling the winds. When she felt it a nice updraft then pushed herself off the edge, catching the winds in her wings, she glided on the level for a few seconds, but it was when she started to flap her arms she looked down. Seeing how far up she was (a good 200 or so meters) she panicked, she didn't establish a rhythm for flapping and started to fall in a spiralling motion towards the ground.

As she got closer to the grass covered ground she started flapping hard and fast, closing her eyes and tilting herself feet first towards the ground and braced for a rough landing. She felt her feet hit the ground and she then fell forwards ending up lying on her front in the grass. She tucked her wings back and pushed herself onto her hands and knees, crying "Why does someone meant for the skies like me have to fear heights."

In some woods nearby, hidden in the shadows will stood there letting the heart do its thing. From it a pale grey orb left it, one that had the curved upright version of the water symbol. It flew across the meadow Emma landed in and like the other 2 orbs gently was absorbed into her body on her back. As she let the hear hang again will softly spoke in a quiet soothing voice "fear not young one, for soon you will be master of the skies and soar through them." She then stepped back further into the shadows before teleporting away.

Like the previous 2 girls, Will's words were heard in the back of Emma's mind. She stopped crying, and sit up on her knees looking around but unable to see anyone, she wiped away tears from her eyes as she then stood up and started to walk back towards home.

Next Time: The quest to find the others 2.