Winged

f i v e

Chapter 5

Missy

8 Years Later

     My eyes were sharp as I scanned the forest for any hidden dangers. Seeing nothing, I took a sniff of the air before cautiously creeping out of Kate and I's nest. I especially kept my eyes peeled for those horrid black beasts or any of their disgusting crawler caterpillars. Sensing that the forest was clear, I turned and entered the nest. I chirped softly as I nudged Kate with my nose. She stirred, stretching as her eyes slowly peeled open. She hummed in greeting as her eyes met mine. I nudged her again.

     "The sun is rising."

     That was all it took for her to be up and moving. She stood up and walked towards the exit, scanning the forest for any dangers before she took to the air. I immediately followed her and we flew towards our usual spot.

     As soon as the sun touched the horizon, we felt the pull. The urge to dance and sing for the sun was blood deep. No one could resist. Kate and I stretched our necks and started singing softly. After the first verse of our song, we took to the air and danced. The sound of our chirps, whistles, and hums pierced the air as we showed our appreciation to the morning sun. Every morning, we did this, and we never tired of it. My heart filled with joy as I twirled in the air, releasing a sharp whistle. Despite us being out here in this dangerous forest all alone, the morning song made us forget our problems.

     We landed on the very edge of the cliff, our wings fully outstretched and our necks held high. A low hum left us as our dance came to an end. We stood there a minute longer, soaking in the warmth of the sun before we started our day.

     Despite the Morning Song cleansing my heart, it was still saddening that Kate and I only had each other to sing it with. When I was shot out of the sky, Kate had rushed to my side to help me. During that time, we were separated from the other Dragonets. We had no idea where they were, and it was too dangerous for the both of us to go looking for them. The forest was filled with dangerous creatures and we hadn't had the first clue as to where to look.

     I scanned the forest again before I flew to our nest and grabbed a basket Kate and I made out of vines. As usual, I flew to the pond to catch some crayfish and pick some fruits while Kate went in search of some herbs and firewood.

     We did this every day and had been doing it since we escaped from that wretched facility. That day had been horrible. I uncurled my left wing, my eyes looking over the scar the bullet had left. When I'd first been shot, the pain had been immense, so immense I'd slept for days. Kate had been by my side every step of the way, dressing my wound with leaves and any herbs she could find.

     As soon as I woke, I was immediately greeted with a world I was unfamiliar with. White Aliens from a distant planet had successfully claimed the Earth as their turf. With their murderous yellow light, they annihilated every single human on the planet. It was devastating. Billions of humans were wiped out in a few days. It was as if we'd never been here in the first place. Next to go were the cities it'd took years to build. Hundreds of years of human history were destroyed. The White Aliens cleansed the earth of everything the humans had ever built. A month later, there was nothing left that spoke of the true inhabitants of this world. If it wasn't for my memories, I would have thought humans never existed in the first place.