Birdflash oneshots 2

The secret pond

Dick was lost. He didn't know where he was, and the forest was scary at night. He and his father, Bruce, had gone hiking for Dick's tenth birthday. However, there had been a storm that separated the two, and now Dick had no idea where he was. He'd never seen this part of the forest before. All the trunks were a dark blue, the leaves were pink, and there seemed to be little glowing creeks that ran up the trees. The animals all seemed strange, too. There was one he'd seen a while back that looked like a fox, but it had nine tails. There had been a really big lizard with wings, and a tiny lady that flew off before he could ask where he was. The plants seemed to be alive, too. Vines had reached out to him, and roots had tried to trip him up. The bushed seemed to whisper, making remarks about how he was a human.

Dick had been walking down a hill when he tripped on a root, which sent him tumbling. He'd landed at the bottom with a thump, too sore to get up anymore. Everything hurt. He was cold, he was scared, and he was lost. Would he ever go home? It seemed he was doomed to die out here. There were a bunch of animals too, all sitting around and looking at him. Dick closed his eyes, trying to think of the good times he had with Bruce. That one time where they'd made cookies with Alfred, and he'd gotten frosting on Bruce's face. That day they went to get ice cream, and Dick got ice cream down his face. The day Bruce brought Ace home, and watched as he ran around the little acrobat.

One of those foxes walked up to him, sniffing at his hair. Dick almost didn't care what they did to him. He was probably going to die out here, anyway. He was hurt, probably sick, and now wild animals were going to eat him. The fox turned away, running out of the clearing. Okay, maybe one wouldn't eat him. The others were still sitting around him, staring at him like he was a threat. He wasn't going to hurt anybody. Maybe they'd never seem a human before? But they were forest creatures, and all of them seemed to be adults. Then again, he's never seem blue trees or tiny people who were the size of his index finger. Maybe he was in some new place nobody's ever discovered before. That would be cool, if he wasn't stuck on the ground.

"Kana, slow down! What's going on?" A voice asked. It sounded young. He heard a yip in reply, and a soft gasp. "Go get Uncle Barry. Tell him someone fell from the surface." The voice said as it got closer to him. Dick whimpered, curling further on himself. Was it another creature? Maybe one that talked to lure little boys to their deaths? A hand laid on his shoulder, almost exactly like his. Except...it was missing a finger. "Hey, can you hear me? My name's Wally, I'm here to help." Wally looked up and down the other, trying to figure out what he could do. The human was covered in bruises and scrapes. It was also covered in dirt. Maybe it was unconscious? Wally had always heard that humans could get knocked unconscious.

Wally was an Nymph. Short version? River guardian. His family had guarded the Fountain of Youth for centuries until it was destroyed by the humans, so they guarded the moon temple now. Wally may have had hair like fire and eyes as green as the grass, but he preferred night. It was a much calmer place, and the creatures were so much more interesting down here. His species had evolved to handle the lack of sunlight by absorbing the moonlight. "Wally? What happened?" His Uncle Barry called, walking into the clearing. He was a tree guardian. "I think it fell from the surface. It's hurt bad." Wally told him, moving so the older man could see the human. Well, he thought it was a human. He wasn't sure. 

"Where did you find him?" "He was right there. Kana says nobody moved him. She says that he did fall, though." "Okay. We need to get him inside. Can you get the bed ready? He's probably going to be out for a long time." Strong arms gently picked him up, leaning him against a warm chest. Dick cracked his eyes open, surprised to see another person. Well, he assumed it was a person. He'd never known anyone with green skin. Well, he suspected J'onn, one of Bruce's friends, was an alien, but he had no proof. The man looked down at him, grinning softly. "Hey. We're going to get you some help, okay? Just stay with me. You're going to be just fine." "...Bruce. W-Where's Bruce?" "We're going to find him, okay? I just need you to keep your eyes up here." "M' cold." "You'll be warm in a minute. My name is Barry, okay? Think you can remember that?" "Sounds like a bee." "Sure. I'm Barry the bee, kid. Just stay awake."

Barry carried Dick into some sort of house, which was surprisingly warm. There was a large fire in one corner, and tons of small candles around the room. "It's ready." The voice from before said. "Good. Go get me some water. We need to wash the dirt off. Tell Iris we need her healing." Barry carried Dick over to the large fire, laying him down in front of the strong flame. Dick could feel the chill get chased away, seeping out of his bones. He sighed, managing to lift his hands to the fire. "There we go. That's better, isn't it? We're going to get you cleaned up, then Iris will heal you. Do you remember how you got here?" "There was a storm. I got separated from Bruce. I must've wandered too far." "Do you remember a pond? Or maybe a small lake?" Dick shook his head, rubbing his arms.

Dick closed his eyes again, letting himself drift off. He seemed safe here. They hadn't tried to eat him, or anything. In fact, they'd brought him to their home, and were caring for him. It definitely seemed safe enough. Maybe he'd take a small nap. Just long enough to rest his eyes. He had been through a storm and had wandered through a strange place until he'd fallen down. He'd fallen down a long way, too. He wouldn't be surprised if he'd injured his organs. Yes, he knew what those were. Bruce had given him a very disturbing anatomy lesson. Where the hell did he get a human lung from? Sure, he was a pretty wealthy guy, but he was sure lungs generally had to be put in someone for them to work.

When Dick woke up again, he was in some sort of hammock, covered with blankets. There was a woman holding his hand, humming softly as she drew symbols with paint. Dick didn't mind. He was always drawing on himself with pens, which drove Bruce and Alfred crazy. "How is he?" Barry asked, walking over to the woman. "I believe he's waking up. You may want to get him a glass of water. He's been out for a while." "When do you think we can take him back?" "Probably this afternoon. We'll need to be careful, though. Enough time has passed that they will be looking for him." "You accessed his memories?" "Only briefly. His father is wealthy. There will be search parties. You must be careful not to get caught."

Wally was suddenly next to him, looking down at the small form. "They're about to bring you back to the human world. I'll keep visiting, okay? This isn't a dream. We're real. Remember us." Huh. That was strange. Nobody else had talked so cryptically. Was this place in danger? Why did Wally tell him don't forget? He wasn't going to forget them. Not after they'd been so nice. They'd saved him from dying in a strange forest with trees that had never existed before. Then he was being carried by Barry, thick trees turning into floating kelp. Was he underwater? But he was breathing. "Don't tell anyone about us, okay? I bid you farewell." Barry's voice washed over him, bringing a tide of exhaustion. He was really tired.

A shrill beeping woke Dick up. He was somewhere cold, and bright. Arms wrapped tightly around him, pulling him close to another warm chest. This chest was much broader, though. It was almost like..."Bruce?" Dick croaked, managing to crack his eyes open. Sure enough, his father was hugging him, quietly muttering something Dick couldn't make out. He'd apparently been missing for three days, and was found unconscious next to a small pond. He'd been taken to Gotham memorial, where he'd resided for another week. He had gotten ill from the storm, but had miraculously avoided injury. The doctors simply dismissed him when he said Iris had healed him. They said it was his imagination, a delusion his mind had made up.

Dick met with therapists from all over the world. They all said the same thing: it was something Dick had come with to avoid the trauma. Dick never believed them. He knew what he saw. He knew dragons and kumihos and all sorts of creatures, all living together in a forest. There was a man named Barry, a woman named Iris, and a boy named Wally. There was a kumiho named Kana. There was a hammock he'd been laid in while he rested, and there were blankets that he'd been covered with. He didn't care how many people told him he was, he wasn't crazy. Why couldn't they see that he was telling the truth?