Watcher's Admins

Chapter Two

"When I crash-landed in season six, all of my avian features disappeared. Today...I woke up after the memory of that fall and since then...I've been getting sharp pains where they were. It's getting worse to the point I can't equip my elytra."

He paused, shifting, rubbing his eyes again. He cleared his throat and went to continue but Pearl did for him. "His wings are growing back. According to the waffle-head here, that's not supposed to be possible and we don't know if all of the characteristics of being an avian would also return. We can't ask anyone else about this."

Xisuma looked between the two of them crossing his arms and thinking for a moment. "How fast?" He asked and Grian looked at Pearl before getting up and pulling his sweater up past his shoulder blades and showing him. There, setting against his back were wings that looked like they belonged to the small baby red macaw. They were small with feathery down, clearly new by the look. Xisuma looked at them, gently putting two fingers on them. Grian winced before Xisuma pulled back and apologized.

"They're bigger and have some more colour than when I checked. It did take about three hours to walk here from his base..." Pearl said as Grian fixed his sweater and sat down.

"I think, and I can double check the council, but I think Grian'll be reverted to his full avian self within a day or two," Xisuma said softly. No. He was speaking normally. Grian squinted his eyes and tried to focus on what he was saying but he couldn't seem to. He started dozing off. Pearl's voice echoed softly calling his name as he did fall right asleep. The last thing he heard was Xisuma saying, "Let him sleep. We'll figure this out."

Grian found himself back in the Academy. During one of the meetings. The beginning of his exile trial. The council at their table, his old peers around him in the seats that circled the trial room walls, and him, standing in the middle at a podium. He wanted to speak. He wanted to go against them. As he went to open his mouth, no words could come out. Suddenly he was wiped above the room, looking down at the sight. Him standing there, the mask he was so scared of now on his face covering his eyes, the purple and white robes that covered everyone's bodies.

He heard the murmurs of his peers and riled authoritative voices of the council until everything fell silent for a moment. Everything froze. Then he heard a loud bang and it all went dark. He recognized that sound. The gavel signalled the council's decision to his exile.

He shot upright in a cold sweat, coughing trying to get enough air into his lungs. He couldn't stop shaking. "Grian. Grian hey. Grian looks at me." Xisuma's voice came from beside him. When he looked towards him, Grian saw Xisuma kneeling on the floor. He sounded panicked at the sight of Grian waking up like that.

"Hey. Grian look at me and takes a breath. You're alright. Wherever you were. You're not now." Xisuma said quietly. Grian looked at him, then around hugging his knees to his chest and letting out a long shaky sigh.

"Yeah...y-yeah..." He murmured with a nod and wiped his face with his sleeves, brushing his matted sticky hair out of his face. He sat there for a moment, collecting himself. Making sure his breathing and heart rate steadied. He just couldn't seem to stop the bloody shaking.

"Grian, I'll be right back okay? We'll talk in a bit. I'm just going to get you something hot to drink." Xisuma said and got up heading to the kitchen. Grian rubbed his eyes and slowly loosened up. Muttering that he was safe under his breath to himself until Xisuma came back with a mug of hot chocolate.

"How long was I asleep?" He murmured after taking a sip. "It's about sunrise the next morning. When you first fell asleep, Pearl and I talked about what was happening to you then she went home. I let you sleep here because you....honestly you looked like you were going to collapse any moment." X shifted sitting on the floor again. "You're communicator wouldn't stop going off so I told everyone you went afk here and were going to be for a few hours."