Survival

At least a week passed. I couldn’t really tell because I couldn’t see the sun, and meals never seemed to come on a regular basis. The two humans visited me sporadically, sometimes waking me from my distressed sleep to torture me some more. I didn’t dare speak to them or answer their questions. My wings became very tattered, but I still had a lot of my feathers. Every time they left I would cradle my wings around my body and enjoy the nice comfort of their soft touch. They were so nice, and it was only now that I truly appreciated them. My feathers were the only things I had for warmth in my cell, and I hated when Tim came to rip out another patch. But I stayed strong. This was just something that was a part of being a warrior. I had accepted that and was prepared for the horrible end that I’d soon meet.

When Tim came in alone, I thought it was my time. It had to be. There was no need for a translator when you were going to kill someone. I stayed still and he placed a bag over my head, securing it around my neck with something. He pushed me down hallways, and I heard many doors opening. Other humans talked to Tim, and I could hear more footsteps walking with us. Unexpectedly, I started to smell fresh air. The humans came to a stop and I awaited the pain that would end my life. I would do anything to say goodbye to my friends… Especially Toby. He had done so much for me recently.

“Marion,” the translators voice said. I snapped back into reality and listened carefully. “We bring you… your home. You live. We no kill.”

“What?” I breathed. I was so confused. Was this some sort of cruel trick?

“We no kill you,” the translator repeated with a bit of agitation. “You go back. You be good or we kill you. No bad moves. You can understand?”

“Yes, I understand…” I said. There was some more human chatter, and then I was pushed forwards. I could hear leaves rustling and the humans moved at a pretty quick pace. My hands were still restrained, but I didn’t care. I still believed this was a nasty joke. Freedom couldn’t possibly be so close. No one who was captured was released. Ever. I trudged along and was eventually brought to a stop.

“Marion?” Was that… Tobias? “Is that you? Are you okay?”

“Toby!” I shouted with delight. There was no way the humans could imitate his voice. They hadn’t deceived me after all! Toby was here, wherever here was, and was rescuing me!

“No! No talk! You give female back!” I heard the translator’s voice ordering.

“You give Marion back first!” Tobias demanded. Me first? Did they have someone else? Had they captured a human? There was a murmur amongst the humans. “Take that thing off her! Alvin, tell them!” I then heard Alvin, one of our elders, slowly speaking in the human’s language. He was one of the few of us who knew the other language, so if he was here then this must have been very organised. I soon felt the material on my head becoming loose and someone pulled it off. Tim still had a tight grip on my arm. The light was bright and it stung my eyes. I blinked quite a few times before everything came into focus. We were in a clearing, and Tobias was there, looking relieved. Alongside him there was Sylus and Alvin, as well as a few other warriors. Everyone was armed and tense. Sylus was holding onto a young female human who had her hands bound as well. She looked absolutely petrified.

“We take it off… You go when our female go too. You be good,” the translator told me forcefully. To show my understanding I nodded, and then Tim used a key-like object to undo the metal that was around my wrists. I was free. Was this real? Tim gave me a shove forward and I stumbled towards the other Kasiens. I glanced over my shoulder to ensure that this wasn’t a trick where I’d get shot in the back or something, but it seemed okay. Sylus untied the child and she started to walk forwards too. We met in the middle, but she avoided my eyes. She was so scared and was shaking because of it. What had the others done to her? I reached Toby and he warily put his arm across my shoulders.

“Are you all right?” he muttered. I noticed his other hand was busy clenching a gun, prepared to fire at the humans if needed.

“I will be,” I whispered. Toby’s arm was still on me, and I enjoyed the comfort so much. I was so glad to see his face again.

“Tell them we’re leaving. We’ll hold fire as long as they do,” Tobias ordered Alvin, who then started to speak in the human dialect. The humans appeared to agree, so they started to back away. Now that the trade was complete, there was no need to stay or become hostile. Us Kasiens moved slowly away too, Tobias pulling me away quicker than the others. They came together and defended us, which I appreciated. I felt too weak to do anything, especially fighting. The humans were soon out of sight, and I put them out of mind too. What horrible memories those would be… Sylus stayed at the back of the group as we weaved efficiently through trees, Tobias holding me and keeping me steady. We were soon at the edge of the island, so it was time to fly.

“I don’t think they’re chasing us. We should be safe,” Sylus announced as he joined Tobias’ side. They both then turned to look at me. “You look absolutely dreadful.”

“Thank you,” I said with a little smile. I was just so glad that I was with my own kind again. Besides, he wouldn’t mean it in an offensive way anyway.

“You can’t fly, can you?” Toby questioned anxiously. I shook my head before moving my aching wings a little.

“They’ve destroyed my wings. There’s no way they can work,” I remarked sadly.

“We can carry her. Sharing the weight will be easiest,” Sylus suggested.

“We should find some yarrow plants as well,” Alvin advised in his kind, soft voice. “It will help sooth the pain on your wings.”

“I know where there is some. It’s very close by,” Toby said, probably referring to the time I was shot and he had to find some yarrow plants to save me. “Let’s go. Marion, keep your body as streamlined as possible. It’ll make the journey easier.”

“I know,” I sighed. I just wanted to find those yarrow plants. Once the ache was alleviated, I knew I’d feel much better. Toby and Sylus started to flap and hovered a bit off the ground. I folded my wings back and held my body as straight as possible. They scooped me up and then headed away from the human’s area, the others following. Somehow it didn’t take us that long to get to that tiny island with yarrow, and Toby sat me down against the same rock that he did last time we visited the island. As the others searched the island for yarrow, Toby crouched in front of me and gently ran his hand down my face.

“You look sick…” he muttered, his brow creased.

“I feel awful,” I agreed. Barely any food was not good for a Kasien, nor was losing so many feathers prematurely and unnecessarily.

“This is why I don’t want you fighting with us… You should never have had to endure that…” Toby continued. His upset eyes quickly scanned my wings before coming back to my face. “I can’t believe this happened…” Alvin suddenly appeared on my right, yarrow leaves in his hands.

“You’re going to be fine, Marion,” he said gently, rubbing the leaves together in his hands. Toby’s hand fell away from my face and gripped onto my left hand instead, providing me with a lot of comfort. I gave him a weak smile and leaned forwards, preparing myself for the sting of the yarrow leaves. Alvin slowly rubbed the leaves onto the bald spots on my wings, the holes that should have feathers coming from them burning intensely. The older wounds barely hurt, so it wasn’t too bad once he moved onto those. The others came and joined us to give Alvin more leaves, and soon everyone was squatting nearby and watching. They all seemed pretty concerned, and I felt a bit flattered. I tightened my grip on Toby’s hand. I would be forever thankful that he had somehow rescued me from the humans.