Starbird (UNDER MAJOR EDITING)

Chapter 10

Odette pov:

I sense him removing my bandage, but only hazily. The real pain comes when he starts to probe my wound, pulling out ripped threads. I spin him a thread and open my fist, holding it out to him as I open my eyes. Jorgen smiles, taking the thread. I see my father and mother peek out from behind the secret wall in my house, watch Jorgen thread the needle, and see him pause before he starts to sew, looking at me. "I'm sorry I have to do this to you, Odette." I smile, laying back and closing my eyes. "Imagine a happy place." He says as the needle pierces my skin. I cringe, holding back my cry. I try and hold the tears back, but a few leak out. I feel Jorgen brush them away, his soft hand caressing my cheek. After a few minutes that feel an eternity, I feel him tie off the thread. I open my eyes as Jorgen brings me up to a sitting position, careful of my shoulder.

"We shouldn't stay here. This will be the first place they look for us once they find out we're gone." I stand with Jorgen's help, walking towards the door. I look out carefully as I open the door. "There's somewhere I go to be alone." I see no one, and carefully step out the door, herding Jorgen out. I run to the woods nearby, and clamber up my maple with great effort. I duck inside the hollow in the trunk, carefully pulling the woven bark door down after us. Jorgen peers deeper inside, seeing my stashes of food and drink. He smiles, taking it all in. I sit down on a cushion that I made and smuggled in here a long time ago. He sits himself down, holding out his arms for me. I go over to him, and hold out my arm, letting him inspect it, even though he already did. My shoulder burns, but his gentle touch soothes it. He pries the bandage off gently, and I wince even though trying to restrain it. He takes up a cloth and dips it into the natural pit nearby, soaking it. He gently swipes at my shoulder wound, cleansing the blood.

"Why does your blood run silver?" He asks me.

"Yours doesn't?" I've never heard of a race with non-silver blood.

"No." He says, his little half-smile making it's way onto his face. He picks up a knife and brings it to his arm. I cock my head, trying to figure out what he's doing. He draws the knife across his skin before I realize what he's doing, and I see a line of red appear on his arm. I take up the cloth and wipe his wound, bandaging it. His blood runs red! No wonder he was so surprised when he saw my shoulder! I realize. Jorgen rewraps my shoulder, placing some yarrow root and poppy leaves on the wound. I hold out my left arm, focusing on only changing my arm to a wing. It flickers into a wing, and I concentrate harder, furrowing my brow. It flickers again, and this time it holds. I go for a brush, and gently run it along my wing. Jorgen reaches out and brushes his fingers along it. A few feathers fall out, a result of stress. Jorgen picks them up and tucks them into his inside breast pocket. I smile bashfully at this romantic gesture, and Jorgen's cheeks darken slightly as well. He takes my small hands in his larger, tanned ones as he whispers, "So small, yet so strong." he turns them over, gently tracing the fine lines on my palm. I close my fists, letting him run his fingers over my knuckles. He lifts my hand to his lips, and I relish the feeling of his lips on my hand, imagining them on my lips.