Wings

by Ancient

Chapter 5

"So how have you been Derek?" my girlfriend’s voice said over the phone.
"Great! I just got a new ride and thought about taking it out for a spin. Care to join me?" I said casually.
"Yes! I’d love to! Let me check my schedule. Hold on." I held the phone away from my ear to hear the sound of sirens pass by outside. It was a few moments later that I heard the phone being picked up on the other end.
"So how about seven?" I asked before letting her speak first.
"How about now?" a strange but familiar voice said to me.
"What? Who is this?" I replied confused. My back suddenly felt as if I was stabbed twice side by side between my shoulders. I screamed in pain. A cracking sound suddenly erupted accompanied by what sounded like something being torn. I fell to my knees and reached around my side for the source of the pain. I felt something protruding from my back. I pulled my hand back and tried to get up but stopped when I saw my hand. It was covered in blood and feathers. I turned my head still wincing in agony to try and see what the cause of this was. What I saw I couldn't believe. A large skeletal wing hung down from behind me and laid sprawled out to my side. My hand was shaking but it traced it up to my back. I turned my head to see the same at my other side. The pain increased and I tried to scream but I couldn't hear my voice. I tried to stand but I fell to the floor. I tried to crawl but as I reached out my hand I saw I no longer had hands I had talons. The room started to shake and the door and windows exploded. Water gushed into the room though the newly made openings and hit me full force.

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My eyes shot open wide as I gasped for air. I didn't feel any force from the water though I felt wet. I looked around a dark room and saw nothing. The pain was gone but I quickly reached for my back to make sure. The wings were gone too.
'What the hell?' I thought.
"Yo!" came a voice from beside me.
I turned my head to look into the golden eyes of a large bird's head.
"Ahhh!" was all I could say trying to back up. I fell from something and hit the ground landing on my back. My body wouldn't move. I let out a long groan and stared straight up which was all I could do. The bird head was suddenly there looking down at me.
"Uh dude?" came that same strange voice from earlier. I groaned again.
"Get up man c’mon. You're really freaking me out." said the bird head.
It all came back at once.
"G-Gilda?" I sputtered. Gilda breathed a sigh of relief.
"The hell happened?" I said with a clearer voice tainted with agony.
"I think you passed out." she replied.
'A dream? Wait if that was a dream than this is...'
"Oh fuck." I moaned and tried to sit up. I felt alright though it took me awhile to remember why I had a huge hole in my hoodie and shirt and had dried up cracked skin with dried blood on it where the hole was.
"Why am I wet?" I asked still a bit shaken.
"Well shaking you and yelling didn't wake you up soooo..." Gilda finished her sentence by holding up a wooden bucket with a little water pooled at the bottom.
"Really?" I asked with a depressed tone.
"Hey listen you were out of it. You kept thrashing about on the floor till I-"
"Thanks." I cut her off. By now her blank stares of confusion had grown on me.
"What? W-" She tried to ask.
I stopped her again.
"Nightmare." was all I said.
"Oh." was all she replied. We sat in silence for a moment. Gilda backed away then turned and walked over to the desk which now had the map on it. She folded it up and slid it beneath the other papers. I just stared down at my hands.
'What’s going on?' was a thought that kept popping in and out of my head ever since I was forced into this mess and it hit me again. I tried to stand and even though my legs felt weak I managed an upright posture and began to stretch.
"Are you alright dude?" Gilda asked with her back turned to me.
"Now that is a great question." was my response. I started to make my way over to Gilda but stopped when a reflected light shimmered by the pile of blankets. Gilda was busy doing something with the papers so I took the opportunity to see what caught my interest. I made it to the pile and saw the corner of a picture frame poking out from the middle of it. I reached in and pulled out a fairly big picture. The first thing I noticed was Gilda was in it. She was defiantly younger from the looks of it and a hell of a lot scrawnier. She wore what looked like a tank top with the letters 'J.S.C' on the front. The second thing I noticed was her arm was draped over something beside her. It looked like a cyan colored horse but what really interested me is that its mane and tail had rainbow patterns. I also noticed that the little blue horse thing had wings and was wearing the same shirt as Gilda.
'Weirder and weirder.' I thought.
"Hey Gilda!" I shouted, "You know I first took you as an antisocial friendless bird but from looking at this you seem to have a soft side. Hah! Have you been holding out on m-"
My stomach was instantly pushed into my spine and before I knew it I was airborne. I hit the ground hard making it a good five feet from where I stood. The pain in my stomach erupted once again in a torrent of upheaval and agony.
"WHAT DID I TELL YOU?!" I heard Gilda scream.
"YOU TOUCH MY STUFF, I KILL YOU!"
I moaned wrapping my arms around my stomach. I couldn't speak though even if I could I didn't want to. I just laid there silent trying to think. I shut my eyes and laid still.
"I told you!" Gilda's voice rang out again, "Hey! Are you even listening to me?"
I just laid there and tried to wait for the pain to die down.
"Dude?!"
Moments passed as I sat there with my eyes closed patient my past came to mind again.
"C’mon get up."
'There has to be a way back, but how?' I thought. I felt Gilda shake my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see that griffon standing over me again. I heard a relived sigh. Gilda looked like she was about to say something and then stopped. When I looked at her she deliberately avoided my gaze. I saw she was holding the picture close to her chest with her free talon. I had apparently crossed a line with her though I never saw it coming. I was able to sit up cringing from the pain in my midsection. I felt a strange but familiar sensation inside of me. I spun over to plant my feet beneath me and bolted toward the back door.
I practically threw the door out of my way and dashed outside. It looked like it was late afternoon from the looks of the sun. I managed to make it a few yards from Gilda's nest.
I threw up. I felt dizzy and my throat burned from whatever came out. Thankfully it wasn't much but it was getting hard to stand. I leaned against a tree and spit the last of the vomit out.
I heard a strange whine and turned to face Gilda who was standing in the doorway looking at me with some awkward mix of emotions written on her face. It was as if she couldn't decide whether to like me, hate me, or feel sorry for me. I shot her a glare that made her step back though it was unintentional.
"What?" I demanded. I was angry and my voice was harsh. It was obvious that she was thinking about her next choice of words.
"Are you..." I heard her start,
"Mad?" I spat almost shouting, "Confused? Lost?" I reached down and grabbed a foot long chunk of wood from a fallen branch.
"Or how about in a shit load of pain!?" with that I chucked the wood at Gilda. It missed and hit the side of the house. She flinched when I threw the wood but did not move.
"Take your pick!" I finished looking at Gilda not knowing whether to hate her or like her. Her head lowered and she glanced down at the picture she held. Her expression suddenly changed to that of pure depression. Everything was still and silent for a moment before she looked up at me and opened her beak to speak.
"I guess we're on the same boat."

Comments

[Ancient]

Here goes! Its been five years since I've written my last story. Whew! Well all comments are appreciated especially constructive criticism. I hope you all enjoy what I can dish out. Peace!

[The Commissar]

Lets see where this goes shall we hmmm?

[Meta Knight]

fantastic