Chapter 1. The Freak

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.

.......

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