A woman is flying... Her hand occasionally going to her petruded stomach. She's giving out unpleasant grunts of pain and uneasiness. She is breathing heavily. If she doesn't land anywhere soon, she'll have to give birth in the skies. Not a preferably good option.

The sky is darkening too. She suddenly spot a peaceful village down below. Yes. Peaceful. Just what she would require. No. Something her child would require.

She suddenly gave out a small cry of pain.

She immediately flew down and rushed to a small ditch that was made to dunk compost.

Definitely not hygienic but that's the only option. People seeing a being like her would cause extreme mayhem. Best to lay low.

She laid a long cloth underneath her and gave out raspy breaths and cried out in pain when she felt the strong kick. She saw a long thick branch nearby so she picked it up and placed it on her mouth to bite down the outrageous pain.

She closed her eyes and murmured under her breath 'Oh lords of Almeria. Help thy descendant. Thy child. Let this old fool's offspring rise from the womb'.

She shut her eyes shut and biting down on the stick she pushed. Her extreme attempts making her weak. 'Oh lords!!!' she cried out. She pushed. And pushed. Her wild cries successfully muffled.

Her nose started to bleed. Her wings quivering.

She gripped the dirt and compost for support. She stopped pushing, looked up the sky and gave two heavy breaths and pushed. It was a strong push, enough to give birth to the bawling babe.

She jumped and pulled the child to the warmth of her bosom and wings.

It was exceptionally dark but the new mother was able to see her daughter peacefully in slumber.

'The lords have granted me a beautiful child' she said while rocking the babe and humming a low lullaby. But then she remembered of her coming.

She lifted her wings and flew above the ditch. Ahh fresh air at last.

The illuminating lantern of the sky welcomed the child with its full glow. The sprinkled dust of the dark twinkling in joy. The wind blowing off the heaviness of the mother's pain.

The mother kept on. She walked to the village.

It was midnight.

All beings of the village sleeping peacefully. While the lands far away are at war.

She kept forward. She had her eyes on a small house with farm animals watching her in silence. The little child gurgled in her arms. 'Almost there my child' she said.

She kept her ears at the door of a house and listened. A peaceful house indeed.

She laid her wrapped up child in blankets, on the floor and knocked the door sharply several times.

She heard noices from inside. 'Someone is outside' said a woman's voice. 'Its bloody midnight' grunted a man, 'Hurry. Open the door before the kids wake up'.

She heard distant footsteps. She backed away.

She lifted up her wings yet again. She looked at her child once again and smiled with tears rolling down her cold cheeks and took off to the skies.

And now the clouds consumed her.

...

...

'And that folks is what I dreamt the night before' said a girl while slamming a tankard of rum down the table.

'Unbelievable. Aerona do you expect us to believe that rubbish anytime soon..?' asked a young lad while drinking down a tankard himself. 'Hah. She thought we'd believe it' said a girl sitting next to Aerona.

Aerona pushed back her dark locks of wavy hair and said 'Thats why I said it was a dream. Dreams, my dear friends, are figments of our imagination'.

'But certain times dreams do come true' said the girl while getting up.

'Certain dreams yes. But not impossible ones' said the lad helping Aerona up too.

'Yes' sighed Aerona. The dream had surprisingly started to haunt her. She expected it to vanish from her thoughts but it was like a sickness that refuses to go away.

Aerona walked back to her home, tired and in pain.

She pushed open the door and she was received in with a side hug from her older brother and a warm smile from her mother. 'You are late. You promised to brush the horses' said her older sister while crossing her arms.

Aerona shrugged and replied 'I forgot'. Her remark got a glare from her sister and she stomped outside.

'Mama I think the lace behind my back has given me a cut' said Aerona while walking towards her mother. 'Cut?' asked her mother turning her around.

The mother pulled down the zip and unbuttoned a small compartment of the dress. And suddenly from that hidden compartment of cloth arised a magnificent pair of lucious white feathered wings.

Aerona slowly stretched her sore wings in the small room.

Her brother eyed the wings and said 'It has grown quite large. What do you think would happen when you flap it fast'. 'I'd probably be lifted off the ground' said Aerona.

'Don't even think about it. Airen go fetch the mild ointment. It's the small blue bottle' the mother said checking for the cut.

'Agh mama right there at the scapular' winced Aerona while Airen walked in holding the blue bottle.

The mother pulled her shoulder and stretched the wings from the scapular and behold there was indeed a small cut. It was bleeding slightly and the surrounding feathers were stained.

The mother doused a cloth with water and dabbed the blood and cleaned it. She pulled open the cork of the bottle and slowly poured the content onto the cut.

Suddenly the wing jumped up in reflex, knocking a table over and hitting Airen squarely on his groin.

'Ahh sorry' whispered Aerona to her brother.

'Sorry my ***' said Airen while walking away a good distance and watching her from that distance.

'My...the wings have grown immensely strong too' said the mother resuming the process. 'It has' whispered Aerona, 'Mother why do I have to wear all these clothes to cover my wings. I want to walk proudly with my wings held high'.

'No. You know why I and your father hide your wings. If people see your wings they'll have your head' said the mother without looking at her.

'Its better to die than to hide your true self from the people' Aerona argued angrily.

'Oh believe me we would have killed you if we never pitied you' the mother yelled but stopped suddenly when Airen and the older sister, who had come inside hearing the commotion, yelled 'Mama!!'.

The mother looked shocked at her own words. She quickly said 'You know I didn't mean it'.

Aerona looked at her adoptive mother with her eyes brimming with tears and said slowly 'I know you meant it all' and walked out of the house and ran to the forest. Her siblings and mother trying to catch up with her but she being faster than any one of them disappeared from sight.

Aerona sat under the shade of a tree. Her wings was still in view. She started ruffling her feathers while she sobbed.

It was true in a way. Anyone would have killed her if it weren't for her adoptive family. They kept her in as their own member. Hiding all risks, keeping her safe from the outside. Aerona appreciated the love but hated the protection as this took a great toll on her both mentally and physically.

She bowed her head in shame.

She was born a freak. No wonder her birth parents left her.

As she hurt herself with these thoughts she did not sense a figure coming behind her. He was a holding a long knife. Poised up his head.

Aerona saw a shadow.

She suddenly looked up and her eyes went wide ins shock. She screamed.

.......

Aerona screamed when she saw the man ready to kill her.

He tried to strike her on the throat but she moved quickly but causing a small cut on the side of the neck. She held her neck tight to stop the blood trickling.

'What are you doing??!!' she cried.

He did not reply but poised himself for another attack. Aerona saw the rage in his eyes and she knew this man was venomed to kill.

He swung the knife at her causing another cut on her shoulder and she stumbled crying in pain. The man jumped at her and her quick reflex caused her to kick him on the stomach. Which luckily gave her a chance to run down.

But she was smart enough not to run back to her home.

The man knew she was a being of another realm, probably cursed. If he knew that humans have taken her, a being like her into their homes he'd probably notify the other villagers and she and her entire family will be executed.

The human villages never took beings of other realms kindly. Some villages gave them no mind but other villages like Rudark hated them and would love to have their blood. Aerona had seen many people decorate their homes with the heads to dwarves, Alkariyas (Phoenix-shifters), and many more creatures so. And her adoptive family hoped to protect her by hiding her wings from the other's views. Her family considered this barbaric and vile and this made them no different from the dark sorcerers who fought war with the world times ago.

The man was hot on her heels. She was running straight into the woods. The trees did hide her well but her big wings was very easy to notice.

The man yelled 'Filth stop right there! Come back you!'.

'Not in a million years. Not unless you tell me why your trying to-' huff '-trying to hurt me...' she replied back while still running.

'Filth like you don't deserve to live. Stop running and surrender or else I'll skin you alive when I get my hands on you' he roared which shook Aerona to her core. Not from fright. But from pure wrath.

She stopped in her tracks. The man stopped too but he walked towards her, his knife in striking position.

'This is absurd. Have you ever thought that this might be cruel as people like you have killed thousands of innocents. I have done nothing to you or your family then why do you carry so much hate in you?' she said bitterly.

'Why? Because you, all of your kind and the others are an abomination on the face of the earth' he spat. And suddenly he jumped at her.

She dodged but did an uppecut on his throat causing him to choke and stagger back.

He didn't notice a muddy ditch as he staggered back and due to his ignorance he fell down. Aerona ran to help him but while she ran she disturbed the loose soil and the whole mud fell down on top of the man.

Her eyes went wide in realisation.

'I killed him...! Oh good lords!!! I killed a man!!!' she cried. 'Well he was the one trying to kill me first. But oh what am I even saying. I shouldn't have tried to kill him. No wait I didn't kill him on purpose. It was an accident. Oh lords...' she comforted herself crying.

She slowly backed away. The heavy pang inside her heart grew heavier by passing minutes.

'I buried a man alive' she repeated in her mind. These thoughts started to depress her.

She sat down on the wet ground and buried herself in tears. Her bawling could be heard echoing the forest. She sniffled in guilt. She pulled her hair in frustration. His family would go all around in search for him. What if the signs lead his murder to her? Then the whole village will know of her identity.

Her face grew red. 'I can't let them find him' she said to herself.

She got up immediately and decided to go back to the scene of murder but...now she is lost.

'Oh lords!!! What did I do to deserve this? I killed a man but wasn't it an accident...' she cried looking up the sky.

She looked around the unfamiliar sights. She definitely is lost she thought bitterly.

Suddenly the ground beneath her shook. She fell down but the tremors stopped. She trembled in silence.

She slid her fingers to the soil and she felt the Earth beneath her shake.

Something is coming towards her. And fast. Something big and probably not tame.

She jumped up and ran to an unknown direction and suddenly the ground started to break and smoke rise from the ground.

Aerona panicked but she started to run with all her might. And her wings going up all the way and the wind positioning the feathers for flight.

As Aerona started to run faster she felt herself lift of the ground.

'What??!! No! I'm not going to fly' she yelled. But the wings seemed like to have a mind of its own. She was suddenly lifted a few feets causing her to panic a lot more the cracks and tremble on the ground.

The ground suddenly broke open and a vile creature so hideous emerged from the ground.

The beast had an owl head on a lion's body. The creature roared and charged towards her. Aerona screamed like all hell loose.

But suddenly the wings pulled her up to the sky. Aerona screamed in panic while the creature was thrown off guard.

Aerona was high up the sky. She knew not how to fly and her panic evident on her face.

She flapped her wings trying to imitate the birds but this did not seem to work but she started to fall down. Right down at the creature.

The golden eyes of the creature piercing her with its gaze.

Her life flashed in her eyes but as she fell to its mouth her wings flourished wide and with a might swing she took off to the sky again.

Aerona's scream intensified. Not from fright. But from ecstasy.

'Okay so my wings are controlled by my thoughts' she said while stopping mid air.

She grinned and turned herself to the right and now flew soaring like an eagle.

She shouted in glee and tried to flip herself around the air. But she was unbalanced and staggered down but immediately pulled herself up.

'Better not try anything new' she reminded herself.

As she was up the sky she saw the village of Rudark a few miles away.

She smiled in relief and happiness pounded her heart.

But suddenly a small part of the village started smoking. At first she thought the creature has gone to the village but then she saw many people throwing buring torches at the houses. And now the smoke turned to blazing fire.

'My family!!!' she cried and flew as fast as she could towards the village.

She heard cries and bellows coming from inside the burning houses and many people who jumped outside their houses were on fire or the villagers cut them up.

The villagers saw her flying overhead and started firing arrows at her. She dodged them and flew to her house and saw her house breaking down in fire. No sound coming from he house.

She flew down ignoring the blazing fire.

And amongst broken charred woods she saw burned corpses.

She walked slowly through the coals and ashes. Her mind void. She went near the corpse and examined it. A small cloth was sticking to the burned skin. She plucked it off the skin and saw it was maroon apron cloth. The one her mother wore.

Her heart hit a million times. She looked around and saw another two corpses on top of each other.

Airen seemed to have died trying to protect the older sister from the falling ceiling but got burned but the fire. Aerona couldn't bear it. She screamed in pain of heart.

Suddenly she heard a long hoarse wail. She looked behind her and saw a man. Her adoptive father.

'Papa!!! No go back!!' she yelled knowing what might happen.

But he didn't hear her and ran towards the burning fire. The men of the village saw him, pulled him off the buring ground and decapitated him with no hesitation.

'Papa!!' she yelled and ran towards his body.

The men positioned their swords and arrows. But Aerona was not in a mood to dodge and run. She was burning with revenge wrath that could burn the whole village.

She charged at them. Her wings wide open in a fighting stance. 'I killed a man. And I will not hesitate to kill a thousand more' she screamed and jumped at a man. Stepping forcefully at his head, it went down the earth.

The others charged at her with their swords high. She swung her wing and threw all of them to the ground. But another jumped up immediately and hit her head with its hilt and she fell down unconscious...

......