Set Him Free

Caged

Rin was still trying to think of a way to avoid getting killed by the hunters when they got back to the Hunters Base.

It was a large warehouse. Rin saw other Unusuals in cages as they passed, rolling him in a cage on a cart through the building. Desperate pleas, cries for help, deep heart-wrenching sobs, and someone murmuring that they wanted their mom could all be heard as Rin's panic grew worse and worse.

It couldn't end like this! He still had so much more life to live! He still wanted to explore more of the world, to fly around the planet and see the sunset from every country. To find someone who loved him, to have a family, to have a home. To be happy with himself like he never had been all his life.

These wings were the only things he liked about himself. These wings were a gift. They were previous and could've been anyone's, but they were his. They were meant to be free, just like he was. They were meant to be strong and protect, just like he was.

They were meant to be alive, just like he was.

§~•~§~•~§

He sat on a stone cold floor, grooming his feathers. They'd thrown him in a cell and chained his left ankle to the wall.

"You're lucky." One if the hunters had said in a gravelly voice. "There are a few Freaks to be executed before you, so you've got a bit o' time, I'd say." Then the man had walked away laughing, sounding like a chain smoker who'd received a baseball bat to the stomach.

He tried summoning the fire from the oil lamps across from his cell, but there must have been something on the chain around his ankle or his cell that stopped him from using his Nature Talent. His Talent was fire. He could take regular fire and it would do what he told it. One weird thing about his power was that the fire always turned blue when he controlled it. It was an unfortunate giveaway.

Life was going to end soon.

§~•~§~•~§

"Hey, you! Bird guy!" A voice woke him up from a fitful sleep he didn't remember falling into. He'd been dreaming of his less-than-pleasant childhood again, something he hadn't dreamed of in a long time.

"Oh good, you're awake!" The voice said. Rin looked at the bars of his cell and saw a guy his age crouching there. He had bright pink hair and caramel eyes. He looked friendly.

Of course, he was obviously a Hunter since he was here of all places, so he couldn't be that nice.... "Your wings are beautiful. What bird are they from?" The boy wondered, smiling. Rin gave him the finger and turned around so his filthy white wings were facing the teen. "Aw come on. No one is ever going to know if you don't tell before they end you." The guy reasoned. It was a harsh thing to say, but it was true. Most bird Unusuals had hair the same color as their wings. But Rin's hair was inky black and his winger were pure white. They were soaring wings-wide and long and a large amount of feathers. The feathers went from small and short to long and wide the further they got from his back.

"....Eagle." Rin mumbled quietly. "No way! Those are super rare! But your wings are all white, how can you be an eagle?" The boy tilted his head to the side, confused. Rin didn't answer. He hated everything about his origins and he'd be damned if he let anyone know where or who he came from. He'd take that information to his grave-which didn't seem to be very far away.

"He's an albino, you dolt! He colored his hair to throw people off." An older man snapped at the teen. Rin flinched. "Oh! Interesting." The boy gasped. "Shima, don't make friends with him. Hell be dead in a short time. All you're supposed to do is watch these two. They're troublesome." The man growled. "Yes, Paladin Fujimoto." The guy-Shima-murmured, like a child who'd been scolded.