Time has slowed down. The look of terror is frozen on her face. I wish I had noticed the rotten board before she had leaned against it. I wish we had never decided to come up here. I wish that these falls never existed. I wish that it was me falling to my death and not her. But I don’t think that wishing this away will work. In slow motion she tips forward, the rotten railing snapped in half and crumbling in her hands. The others are looking in horror and surprise. I can see Dave reaching out, but he is far too late. I am not sure how I look. Are my facial muscles even working? Maybe I look passive, but inside, my heart is dropping into the abyss like a rock. I know how this will end if I don’t do something. The Wretched Eagles will get her, and carry her away to the Masters. They will cage her up in a small cell, with barely any food. Then comes the torture, the rape, the abuse, and whatever else the bastards feel like doing. Drag her to their sick, twisted laboratories and experiment. I can see one of the bloody Wretched Eagles coming in now, and she’s only just gone over the edge. It’s going to snatch her up and take her away. If I don’t make a move right now. I wasn’t going to reveal my secret just yet, but my hand has been forced. Majorly. No screwed up monster is going to take her to their stinking, greasy, disgusting holes, and not have me to contend with. They have messed with the wrong guy. So in the warm view of the setting sun, and begin to run. I can see that bloody Eagle swooping in, sickly green talons dripping with venom stretching out. It’s certain that she will be snatched. I must be quick if I want to get her out of here alive. My friends scream at me to leave her as I pull my short scythe out of its scabbard. They think that there’s no hope, because that’s how they were brought up. Down in the Slums, you are told that if someone is taken, they are dead already. You can’t get them back. Well I wasn’t brought up in the Slums. I’m getting this one back. As I leap off the cliff edge, I see the waterfall. It shimmers in the light of the setting sun, water cascading out of the metal piping, changing from light green to dark. The surrounding shrubbery is long dead. It’s disgusting. The sunset however, is beautiful. The one thing that the Masters couldn’t touch, with their long, blackened fingers. The one thing that gives me hope. So long as that great source of light continues rising and setting, I have hope. So now, as I dive from the cliff edge, my friends yelling after me, I feel the warmth of the suns rays and close my eyes. I feel the power in my muscles. The strength of what I can do. Time to use that strength. I push against the fabric of my shirt, and it rips off my body like a dry leaf. I open my eyes and smile to myself. Time to show these buggers what they’re up against. I snap my wings fully open, and soar upwards into the sky.

~~~*~~~

I should have seen the rotten board. And now where am I? Freaking caught in a bloody Wretched Eagles claws. I’m dead now. Nothing will save me, and oh crap now I’m crying! Hold it together girl! It’s not so bad… Is it? I can take whatever they throw at me, can’t I? Oh why did we come up here? I am so screwed! I will never see my friends again; I’m going to die alone in those… What the hell is Sam doing? Oh my gosh! He’s jumping off the freaking cliff! He’s going to kill himself. He has just committed suicide. This can’t be happening, not Sam. He was my Sam. He was always there for me, and now he’s gone too! In the warmth of the sun, I can feel my tears flying from me eyelashes. It’s all over. I’m done. I can’t… Wait... What. The. Hell… Sam is… He just… Oh my gosh. His wings are shining like tinfoil in the sunlight. His wings are glimmering like the surface of a puddle. Sam is freaking flying! His pearly white feathers are fluttering in the face of the wind. This is crazier than Sam committing suicide. I shut my eyes, and reopen them, expecting him to be plummeting to the ground. But he’s still there, getting closer and closer, his wings powering him forward through the air. I can see a glimmering blade in his hand. Suddenly, the Wretched Eagle dives, and I scream out. We swoop swiftly down and into the Town. Great rusting monsters, with broken windows rush past me. I see Sam tuck his wings in and shoot down in between two dead skyscrapers. He is going fast. I watch in awe as he snaps his wings back open, and banks sharply back behind the Eagle. I can see the look of determination in his eyes. I can also see that he is rather mightily pissed off. I can see it in the way he is readying the scythe. His knuckles are white I’m sure, and the curved edge of the blade is aching to carve flesh. The Eagle banks to the right, and now I can tell that it knows Sam is there. It has changed its flight pattern, and now Sam has to work harder to stay with us. I watch as he spins in midair, through the bars of an abandoned crane, and banks slowly, to stay behind the Eagle. Come one Sam! You can do it! I scream in my mind. The venom in the claws is taking affect now. My eyelids are becoming heavy. This is not good. Sam is getting closer, his eyes blazing, like they are on fire. He looks beautiful, light is emanating from his wings. I know it’s the venom making my mind go weird, but I can’t help thinking these thoughts. My mind is not my own… Wow, Sam is a stunner. As my eyes droop closed, I can’t help but stare at his stomach. Yep, he’s a stunner that one…

~~~*~~~

The venom has taken her already. If I don’t get to her now, she might become too far under and never wake up without medication. I need to get to that Eagle before it gets to the Masters. I push myself harder, powering through the air, ducking and weaving through the broken city. I put all my strength into one flap and tuck my wings into my back, bulleting towards the Eagle. I land on the back of the disgusting thing, and grab hold of a patch of feathers, stuck together by some sort of nasty liquid that could be blood or something totally different. The Wretched Eagle gives out a gargled squawk, and starts to fly from side to side; shaking itself as much as it can to dislodge me, but my grip is like iron. I claw my way further up, towards its short neck. Its serrated beak starts snapping back, trying to catch a stray limb, but I am well out of reach. I latch onto another tuft of nasty feathers with my left hand. I stretch out my wings to full length, in an attempt to slow the bugger down, and raise my scythe to the sky. I summon all the power I can, and the scythe starts to glow a deep blue. The tattoos on my arm glow with it, and I feel the rush as the weapon charges completely. Then, without mercy I bring the scythe down with all my strength. The blade traces a blue trail behind it, and as soon as it connects with the neck of the ugly creature, a brilliant blue light flashes briefly across the area, then it turns into crackling electricity and spreads violently through the bird. The Eagle freezes in midair, and disintegrates into small blue particles. I see her start to descend, and quickly flap my wings down towards her. Lightly, I pull her into my chest and unfurl my wings, catching the air and swooping back upwards into the sky. I feel her breath against my skin, light and soft. I fly as fast as I can back up to the waterfall, very aware that more of the bloody Wretched Eagles might be about. But I am lucky this time, we are left in peace. Our friends are standing there, still awe struck. Even as I land, I can see they have questions on their mind. But as soon as I touch down, I wave my hand to silence them. Dave stops his mouth halfway through forming a question, then nods. He understands, thank God. I need some time to myself. He motions to the others to follow him back to the Slums. I’m glad I have Dave. I’ve only known him a few weeks and already we’ve developed a good friendship. As they leave, I walk back towards the edge of the cliff with her still held against my chest. I watch as the sun slips behind the mountains on the other side of the Town. Her breathing is becoming stronger. She’s waking up. The last few rays of light reach out to me as I stand on the cliff top, wings party extended. It’s like they are reassuring me, telling me that there is still hope.

I believe it.