Wings

2: I Kept Running For A Soft Place To Fall

NPOV

Track: Runaway, AURORA

I check on him often, never leaving for more than a few minutes. I don't want his fire to go out again—I really think he'd nearly died. His face was all pale, and he wasn't responding to anything I did, and all his limbs had lain completely limp on the cold ground.

I can't let that happen again, so I don't really leave the area except to gather more firewood for him. I guess I didn't need to worry, though, because he doesn't fall asleep again. Probably he's either scared I'm going to try to kill him, or he's trying to come up with a plan to kill me. See, the King has put a pretty hefty price on my head—he and I don't really get along. Every other day, people try to search the woods to finally be the ones to bring my head back to the palace and claim the prize.

Luckily, I'm pretty damn good at staying hidden. Most people give up before they ever even see me.

I'd assumed at first that this man had been hunting me. I thought maybe he'd gotten separated from his team, and maybe that's why he was so upset. But then he'd started talking to me, and I realized that I had been very wrong.

I followed him because it's my sacred duty to protect the humans—it's a part of our pact between species.

Unfortunately, only one species actually abides by the pact—it appears that the humans have forgotten it exists entirely. In fact, many humans aren't even aware of what the Guardians are anymore; their leaders have muddled the facts and created an image of a bloodthirsty monster with a pretty façade but an ugly personality made up of murder and hatred and apathy.

Which is probably why Will startles if I move too suddenly, and his eyes follow me any time I come into view to drop off firewood. It's no use trying to hide my wings from him—he's already seen them. He's holding onto a feather for some reason.

When morning hits, I come out of hiding and join him in the small clearing again. I allow quite a lot of space between us—I stand as far from him as I can while still being close enough to have a conversation. He swallows when he sees me, and his uncertain gaze returns to my wings. I pull them closer to my body again, trying to escape his judgment.

"Do you have a place to go?" I ask him. "I want to make sure you get somewhere safe before night hits again."

Will winces.

I sigh. "I'm going to take that as a no, then. That means we need to get you back to the village—surely there's someone there who you could stay with?"

"I can't go back to the village," Will mutters, and he finally tears his eyes away from my wings to stare at the feather in his hands. He twirls it between his fingertips. I'm kind of surprised he didn't treat the feather like it was a deadly weapon. In the past, when hunting teams find my feather, they have an amusing tendency to aim arrows at it, as if shooting the feather is equivalent to shooting me.

"Are you a criminal or something?" I ask, a little curious. He doesn't exactly seem like a criminal. I mean, he was trying to befriend me earlier, before he found out I'm the alleged Monster.

Will sighs and puts his head in his hands. "I guess you could say that. I just...admitted something I should never have admitted."

I raise an eyebrow. "You admitted to a crime? Why would you do that?"

He makes a sound of frustration. "It's not—well. It's not the kind of crime you're thinking of. And I thought...I thought maybe it would be okay."

He thought it would be okay to confess to committing a crime. I try to think of something comforting to say instead of bluntly telling him he's an idiot. What kind of criminal confesses to his crimes and thinks that all will be immediately forgiven?