Bird Wings

Chapter 3

Another girl might have rather spent the night in a rocky crevice than sleep in a monster's bed, but Wren was more used to concessions of dignity than going without comfort. Also, she was not used to sleeping in rocky crevices. So instead of taking a dramatic stance for no witnesses' benefit, she finished her cry and then began to feel through the darkness in the general direction of the pile of blankets she had seen earlier.

It was harder than ever to navigate the cave's floor in the dark. She made slow progress, hurting herself on unexpected bumps. Finally, her searching hand found something soft, and she heard the rustle of hay when she pressed down. The bundle the bird man had tossed there was gone now, it was just a pile of hay covered by a woven blanket, with another in a pile on top. It didn't smell or feel very clean. Wren wondered if she should've just stayed on the mat by the dishes, but lying down on something that wasn't rough stone was a feeling she wasn't ready to give up and she found as she did so that her whole body ached.

It was time to cry again, she thought. Now was the perfect time to fully indulge in dwelling on how bad her situation was, how little food she had eaten that day, and how afraid she was. However, now that the shock of the moment was over, her tears were gone as well. Her mind kept drifting instead to her kidnapper and his strange behaviour. Had he really expected her to look into his eyes once and forget that he had actual animal wings growing out of his back, or be able to decide that he was trustworthy despite that? How dare he act as if she was being unnecessarily unfeeling towards the thing that had taken her from her family, and refused to bring her back! He had accused her of forgetting her compassion. How unfair! Should she be compassionate to someone who had spied on her from the shadows? If he wanted a better reaction, he should have approached her when she was safely on the ground, with the option to run back to her home if he frightened her.

He was getting inside her head. The way he had offered her his arm earlier, that weirdly intense look in his eyes - all of it must be part of some sinister plan; he wanted her to stop seeing him as the enemy. Was this a plot to get at the rest of the villagers? Could she be used as a tool, to mediate for him and put everyone else in danger? Wren rolled onto her side and wondered what a demon could do in a village after it had gained their trust. She had to be careful not just for herself, but for everyone she loved too.

He had singled her out by more than just the kidnapping; he had hinted that she specifically was important to him, and what she did mattered more than others. He had talked about her personality like he knew it, like he knew her. This frightened her more than overt violence would have. However, she was not as soft as he seemed to think she was. Flattery like this might have begun to work on a younger girl, but Wren knew better. She was stubborn, and determined to be strong. This monster was not getting its claws in her. What would he do when he finally knew he wouldn't be gaining anything through her though? Maybe he would just kill her, and try someone else.

The tension in Wren's body kept sleep from her for hours. Her dress itched, and she was hungry again. She felt every minute that crept by until she wanted to sit up and scream. Had she screamed yet? Maybe she should. It could help her feel better...

And then it was dawn. Wren blinked at the soft light that had stolen across the cave floor. She must have slept after all. How awful it was to wake up and know that it all really had happened!

The light grew gently over the cave. Wren lay still and watched as the objects around her took shape. Birds were singing, and once one flew inside the entrance and landed for a moment on the rocky floor. She could see a bit of the sky from the bed, and it was oddly peaceful to see it change subtly from grey to white and then to a soft blue.

Her vision was blocked by a dark shape and the familiar flapping of the bird man's wings. He was back. He slipped neatly through the entrance and landed just as lightly as the tiny bird had earlier.