Birdflash oneshots 2

A different type of love

Wally groaned as he opened his eyes, wincing at the bright light that blinded him. He covered his eyes with his hand, grimacing as the leaves shifted under his back. Where was he? How had he gotten here? Why the hell did his head hurt so badly? Nothing was making sense. He didn't understand what had happened. Had he been kidnapped? Killed?

Leaves started crunching somewhere to his left, getting progressively closer. Was it a predator? Maybe another animal? He had to get up. He had to move. His body said no. Everything hurt, and he couldn't see anything. The sound kept getting closer, though. Wally tried to sit up, but fell back down. What happened to him? This couldn't be the end, could it? He was too young!

The sound stopped right next to him. Wally tried to move his hand, tried to see what it was, but the sun was too bright. A hand laid on his forehead, cool against the burning sun. That...was a human. There was another human there! Wally tried to call out to them, tried to talk, but it was in vain. His throat was too dry. He tried to grab the hand, but it moved before he could.

"Shh." They whispered, cupping his face. Wally tapped his throat, trying to signal what he wanted. "Rest. Safe." Wally tapped his throat again. "Water?" Wally nodded. The hand disappeared, and Wally heard wood thumping against stone. He could hear running water nearby, and wondered if it was safe to drink. He didn't really have much of a choice. The other human, who he was pretty sure was a guy, was in control of his care.

"Drink." the human whispered, pressing wood to his lips. Cool water trickled into his mouth, easing his dry throat. Wally gladly gulped it down. "Better?" The smooth voice asked. Wally nodded. "T-Thank...you." "No problem. Need more?" "Please." The man stood up, walking away again. Wally was feeling a little better now. That left the question: how the hell did he get here? The last thing he remembered was getting on a fishing boat with his Uncle Orion. How did he end up here? Where even was here?

Wally peeled his eyes open, managing to turn away from the sun. He was in a hut of some sort, on a pile of leaves that seemed to serve as a bed. Wooden items were hanging around the room, and he could see a spear made out of some metal next to the door. The man came back in, carrying a bowl of water. Wally felt a blush creep over him. Holy hell, this guy was gorgeous.

He had dark skin, which was a beautiful olive color. His long hair was tied up in a braid, slung over his shoulder with two blue feathers dangling at the end. He had an animal pelt fashioned into a skirt of some sort, and he had a string of stones around his neck. Wally felt his heart skip a beat. If this was the guy taking care of him, he never wanted to leave. "Awake." He said softly, kneeling down next to Wally. "W-What happened? Where am I?" "My home. Washed up on beach. Weak, and tired. Brought to village. Drink."

He pressed the wooden bowl to Wally's lips again, tipping it back. Wally wasted no time in gulping it down, swallowing every drop he could get. Dick pulled the bowl back, setting it down on the ground. "You stand?" "I don't know if I can. What's your name?" "Dick. You?" "Wally. Thank you for saving me." "Leave no one behind. Even strangers." "I'm glad you don't, otherwise I probably would've been dead."

Another man walked in. He was dressed similarly to Dick, but he had black feathers and black paint on his face. "How is he?" "Healing. Awake. Orion?" "He's fine. Annoyingly so. Do you think he's okay enough to see him?" Dick nodded. The other man walked out again, heading to another hut. "Who was that?" "Bruce. Adoptive father. Chief." "What happened to your parents?" "Killed. Panther invaded our hut. I was six." "I'm sorry." "It's okay. Happened long time ago. Better now."  

Bruce led Orion into the hut, standing outside the door. "Wally." Orion sighed, pulling him into a hug. "Hey, Orie." "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" "I'm fine. Dick's been taking care of me. Where are we?" "A small island off the coast. We got caught up in a storm, and were sent off course. They helped us. I managed to get a mayday signal out before we went down, so help should be by soon." Wally nodded. Help was coming, so that was good...right? Why was his stomach sinking, then?