The Savior and the Saved

The next day my bear claw had been replaced by a stone, carved into the shape of a moon. It was a dark, blood red, hung on a delicate silver chain. I took it gently, looking at it wonder. I had carved bones into knives and a comb, and sometimes in the shape of animals, but this was different. This was done purely for design, not for need or out of boredness. I put it in my pouch and laid a bundle of blackberries on the stone.

This time I jumped into the trees and waited for him to come. After two hours of waiting, he finally appeared between the trees. He approached the pool slowly, looking around. When he saw the berries, he sat down and carefully bit into one. His eyes widened, and he quickly popped another one into his mouth. I grinned. It seemed he liked my gift as much as I liked his. I watched him eat.

And then suddenly I was aware of another sound. A heavy, padded sound, and wet, snuffling sounds. there was a low growl from the trees on the opposite side of the clearing. The human jumped up and pulled out a long knife. Before long, a bear appeared between the trunks, his fur matted and his eyes wild. I realized immeadeatly that it was ill, for a sane bear would never come this close to a human camp.

The bear charged, and without thinking I pulled out my large boned knife and jumped out of the tree. The bear stopped short at my appearance, but only hesitated a second. Standing, he lashed out with his paw, swiping at my head. agilely, I jumped into the air and onto his back, using my wings to clear his head. Wrapping one arm around the bear's thick neck, i grasped my knife with the other and stabbed down into the back of his neck. He roared in pain and anger and thrashed around. I jumped clear of his death throes, landing on a rock. Within a few seconds he finally collapsed, and lay still.

I stood for a few seconds, breathing heavily, and then I realized that the human was still standing behind me. Scared, I jumped into a nearby tree, hiding in the leaves.

"Wait!" The human yelled. His voice was the only thing that kept me from flying away. "Wait, come back! I want to talk to you."

Hesitating, I jumped down from the trees, and stood on the edge of the clearing. He watched me, eyes wide and amazed.

"I won't hurt you." He said gently. I didn't move. "You're the one who's been watching me, aren't you?" I nodded. "And now you've saved my life. Thank you." I still didn't say anything.

He remained quiet for a while, and then said, "can you understand anything I'm saying?"

"Yes." I said.

"My name is Rhys." He said, holding out his hand. I stared at it, unsure of what to do. He dropped it when I didn't move.

"I am called Blackfeather." I said. I suddenly felt very shy. I could see myself through his eyes: wild black hair, bright green eyes, tan skin and huge black wings. It was summer, so I was wearing a short leggings, not even coming to my knees, and a shirt that only covered my chest. I felt half ***** compared to him, a completely alien feeling to me.

"Do you live out here?" Rhys asked. I nodded. "Where's your family? Is there a village out here?"

"I live alone." I said stiffly. "My family abandoned me."

"Oh, i'm truly sorry." He sounded it. I felt myself relaxing. I inched closer.

"Trust me, I won't hurt you." Rhys smiled gently, and i relaxed even further. I stopped within three feet of him. He stared at my wings.

"I've never seen someone like you before." He said.

"I've never seen a human before." I answered.

"Really?" Rhys said. "Who takes care of you?"

I bit my lip as I suddenly remembered Antares, and her warning about humans. I stepped back, my uneasiness returning. What if this was a trap? I could be dead if I wasn't careful. I took another step back. Rhys picked up on the change.

"Sorry." He said. "Forget I said anything. you're not hurt, are you?"

"No." I said. "I must go." I fled into the trees.

"Wait!" Rhys yelled. "Wait. Will you be back tomorrow?"

I stopped. It was too dangerous. I was being stupid by putting myself in so much danger.

"Yes." I found myself saying. "I will." I took off.

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