Human

The deer was right below me. I waited, my bow ready, for the perfect shot. The deer lifted her head, and I saw it. It went down without a sound. Grinning, I leaped down from the branch I was perched on and picked up the deer, slinging it over my back. Carefully, trying to avoid the blood, I opened my huge black wings, for which I had gotten my name. Blackfeather, a gift, given to me by the nymph, Antares. Glancing up at the sun, I realized that I would never make it in time to get dinner ready for her visit, unless I flew.

Without hesitating, I jumped into the air, pumping my wings, up down, up down. Within a few seconds, i was above the trees, the sun shining through the clouds. I grinned, lost in the blissfulness of flying, the trees passing below me, and the wind in my face. My blood sang in joy.

In about two minutes, I saw the clearing where my camp was. banking to the left, i landed gently in the center. Setting the deer down, I quickly started a fire, grabbed my skinning supplies, and in an hour I had deer steaks roasting over the fire. I sat back and waited, knowing that Antares would come when she was ready, and not when i was. About ten minutes later she appeared suddenly across the fire.

"Hello, Blackfeather." She said. her voice was soft and whispery, like the wind. The nymphs were the only creatures who I ever saw, and each one looked like the element she lived in. Antares was tall and beautiful, with tan skin and mottled brown and black hair. Her eyes were a dark, leafy green, which changed color with the seasons. They stared at me intensely.

"Hello Antares." I said politely. The other nymphs had told me that Antares could rip up trees in her fury if she was not treated with respect, so i was always polite, at least until I knew what kind of mood she was in.

"What have you prepared?" Antares asked.

"Venison." I said. "Something simple."

"Very good." Antares sat down across from me and began to eat. She talked little, only telling me of the recent happenings among the nymphs and forest beings. I listened intently, but nothing of particular interest to me was happening, so I said nothing. After finishing her meal, Antares left, saying good bye. She was there, and then suddenly she was gone. I hated it when she did that, but I would have to live with it.

I cleaned up my meal, hiding it carefully in a rotting trunk to hide it from bears and wolves. I was going to go to bed, but then i heard something. It was distant, but it sounded like the ripping of trees. Curious, I jumped up into the air and flew towards the sound, the growing dark covering my approach.

Through the trees ahead of me, I could see the dim light of fire, and soon i could hear harsh voices and shouts, and a high-pitched laughter. Landing in a tree, I quickly jumped between the branches, my light bones enabling me to jump from branch to branch as easily as a squirrel. I stopped on the edge of a clearing similar to where mine was set up. peering through the leaves, i stifled a gasp.

The clearing was filled with humans. There must have been at least a hundred of them, and most of them were busy setting up large skins, while others were tending to animals Antares had once called horses, although I had never seen one before in my life. A small group of them were sitting on cushioned chairs around a fire, dressed in fine clothes and fine jewelry. They were eating some very large pieces of meat. And they were talking and laughing. I felt a sudden longing to be with them.

After watching them for a few minutes, I started. What was I doing? Humans were dangerous-they killed people like me, and nymphs were savage monsters to them. If they saw me, i would be dead in seconds. I jumped into the air and fled back to my clearing as soon as possible.

But there was a small part of me that longed to go back. I would do so tomorrow.

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