Thanagarian

Chapter 2

I turned sharply towards the voice, the added weight to my back almost tipping me over. "Thana-what?" I asked. Jet had since left my side to pick up the red ball and bring it to me, his tail wagging. He didn't seem upset and I thought I was pretty good at reading him. He sat down beside me and barked gently, his sharp nose pointing at a shadowy form in the window. "Thanagarian." It, no she, said. "An alien race that you seem to be a part of."

"That's impossible." I said. "My mother's human, she doesn't have wings."

"She may not." The stranger replied. "But your father must have."

I was surprised. My father, did he have wings? The stranger stepped in through the window, rising from her crouched position to full height. She was tall, taller than me by a long shot. She held out a hand to shake and Jet took that chance to give her his toy, but not before I had studied it. Her hand was calloused but petite. It had long nails but they weren't disgustingly long like the women on billboards advertising beauty products.

Above all I noticed the leather strap that encircled her wrist... and the mace it held. It dangled to her waist and glowed lightly, illuminating her face and upper body and... wings. It was muscular and she held the mace like it was a piece of paper.

I realized I had just been standing there while she held her hand out for a few seconds so I offered her my hand. She nearly broke it. "I'm a Thanagarian as well, you can call me Hawkgirl." I practically fell to the floor, Hawkgirl was one of my favorite superheroes. "I'm here to get you and keep you safe and hidden until you can keep yourself safe. Will you come peacefully or will I have to carry you?"

"I'm Abigail Miller and you'll have to carry me either way, I can't move my... wings." The word still felt strange on my tongue. Her mouth twitched under her mask and a smile formed. "Easily solved. Take my hand."

"Wait! I can't go! I can't leave my Mother alone with Harley Quinn, Flash, Martian, Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and Jet!" She raised an eyebrow.

"Pets?"

"Yep."

"Good name choices."

"Thanks. Now what about Jet? Harley doesn't need much attention, just food twice a day. Batman, Robin, and Batgirl are fish so they only need food and a clean tank. Flash and Manhunter don't need much either, food and fresh bedding, all can be done in my Mom's free time. But Jet is a little harder, he needs attention 24/7, if not he'll go crazy. He also needs food twice a day and a walk every four hours."

Hawkgirl paused as if considering, then said, "He can come, but keep him close and don't let him destroy anything, where we're staying a sort of loan from a friend." She bent down and picked Jet up easily and he was more than a little surprised. I grabbed his rubber ball, a few Nylabones and his Bully Stick, then his leash. I put it in a bag, then handed it to Hawkgirl who held it in the same arm that suspended a wiggling Jet. I grabbed a bag of cookies, then fled to my room where I started packing clothes. "You only need pants." She said. "Human shirts won't fit over wings. I have special shirts for you." I threw some more things in a bag, put it over my shoulder and took a deep breath as she took my hand... and jumped.

For a moment we were suspended in mid air, then her wings started beating and we were flying. I looked at the lights of New York City glittering below me, I smelled clean, fresh air. I felt the cool wind pull and tug at my baggy clothes and the strong arm around my waist. Never once did I feel like we were going to fall, I trusted her. Jet didn't feel the same way, he was whining and squirming but he couldn't budge, not in Hawkgirl's grasp. "Easy Jet." I said, but my words were blown away in the wind.

After a few minutes like this Hawkgirl began dropping and soon enough had touched down on pavement again. Gracefully, she folded her wings and put me and Jet down. The sun was just peeking over the horizon and Jet had just lost his dinner. Hawkgirl petted his head, then walked into an old warehouse. I hugged him close, clipped on his leash, and followed. The inside was sparsely furnished, only two small cots, an old table,and a radio on the table. Plates were set but they were cracked and chipped, the furniture fared no better. "Where'd you get this stuff?" I asked, pulling Jet away from the bed.

"The dump." She replied as she rummaged in the fridge. "Breakfast?"

"Sure." I replied, not really feeling hungry. I sat on the bed, grimacing as the wing was sat on. I unclipped Jet's leash and he immediately went to Hawkgirl's side, sticking his nose in the fridge. "Hey," She said, laughter in her voice, "Paws off." She tapped his nose and he yelped, running back to me. "You big baby." She scolded gently as she dumped an armload of food on the table. "Okay, what do you want?" She asked as I get off the cot, grabbed the wall for support, and made my way over. I took the milk cartoon and cereal, not even bothering to question why it was in the fridge, I was too tired. I shuffled to the head of the table and sat down, hearing a squeak. I barely even registered it, too occupied with making my meager breakfast. Jet wasted no time shoving his head on my lap and wagging his tail, scooting closer all the while.

Hawkgirl sat down on the other end, resting her mace head on the floor and leaving the handle a few inches from her hand, enabling easy access. "So tell me," She said. "When did your wings first appear?"

"Last night." I answered. "I was asleep when I felt this really bad pain in my shoulders. It lasted about half an hour, then it went away. I went to the bathroom to look in the mirror and saw the wings. I figured it would be strange if someone with wings was just walking their dog down the sidewalk at two in the morning so I hid them and now they're starting to cramp up." I said, clenching my teeth as pain ran in waves through my shoulders. "I can't move them either, they're just dead weights." Jet whined and laid his head on my thigh.

"I see." She said. "Take this and go change, the bathroom is down the hall to the left." She threw a shirt at me but I missed it and had to pick it up off the floor. "Where do I put my bowl?" I asked, indicting the empty bowl. "Is there a sink?"

"Nope, I'll take it to The Watchtower."

I got up and began to walk down the hall, Jet following close behind. I stepped into the bathroom and looked around. It was your typical public restroom, several sinks, several stalls, grimy floors, walls, and probably ceilings, nothing a New Yorker isn't used to. I stepped into a stall and took off my sweatshirt, struggling greatly to get it off over my wings. I slung the sweatshirt over the wall of the stall and stepped into the loan. It was way too big for me. I took the hair tie out of my red ponytail and used it to tie the shirt in the back so it was less baggy. It was just a plain black long sleeve shirt with the back cut out so my wings could be free to work. Unfortunately mine didn't seem to keen to do so.

I pulled the rest of my wings out of my pants and let them drag on the floor, the weight seriously hurting my shoulders. The rustle of feathers as they dragged on the floor behind me was easily heard. Hawkgirl was waiting for me in the kitchen. "Ready to train?

"Doesn't Black Canary do that?"

"Am I Black Canary?"

"No."

"Then we'll have to substitute."