A Pair of Wings - Sanders Sides

11. "Take care of yourself?"

The moonlight shone down on Virgil as he raced back to the mountains. He'd eaten dinner with Logan and was now rested enough to go to Roman and Remus' place. He was grateful that he slept at their cabin. It helped him shake off his feelings after he fell. If he went back in broad daylight, he might've tripped or fell in the river and feel even more terrible. Though as he thought back, something about Logan did seem off. The faces they made were familiar, but he couldn't quite pin down what it was. Then again, they weren't the most emotional type of person. Maybe they were just tired like he was. He shivered as a wind blew past him, making the leaves in the trees rustle. Soon, he sped up, wanting to get to the mountains as fast as possible.

Virgil dashed just at the edge of the clearing, the tall grass swaying as he ran past them. He tried not to look at the clearing, the damn clearing where Logan saw him fall from the sky. Why couldn't he stop himself? Why'd he have to clip his wings the night earlier? His claws almost pulled at the dirt beneath him and his wings folded tightly as a storm of thoughts attacked him. No. This wasn't the time to be so caught up in thought. Another breeze passed by him, making him take in a deep breath. He had to focus on telling Roman and Remus about his new wing, about Logan... Just, how would they react to him having a human friend? He shivered both from the cold and the anxiety building up in him. The new wing ought to change their minds on humans, right? A human wanted to help him fly again and there was the concrete proof.

Virgil took in another deep breath as he reached the base of the mountain. Too bad he couldn't fly just yet. He hated climbing up and down the mountains. It was tiring but he gotten used to it. His hands were now worn climbing up the mountains over and over again, but at least it got him around. He looked up, trying to find Roman and Remus' hollow. It wasn't very hard to spot it with the burning bond fire that was always up at night. Though, a hesitance started to stir in him. His gut twisted as he looked up to the hollow. Goodness, what would those two say? Would Roman think he was silly? Would Remus try to eat Logan? There was a million ways this could go wrong! He sucked in another deep breath, trying to focus. If he didn't leave soon, an angel hunter might find him. He looked up once more, his wings opening to gain some balance, and finally he jumped up, grabbing on to one of the trees. As quick as a fox, he hid himself among the trees, and started climbing up.

A strong wind blew past him, making the trees hum their sweet melody. Thankfully, there was some moonlight illuminating the path and shining through the cracks of the old trees. He jumped from one tree to another with some grace, climbing higher and higher. His heart raced, not just from climbing but from the other injured angels he'd have to see. Of course he had to forget there were other angels there! He was also there a lot too, so they'd most likely recognize him. His heart skipped a beat when his hand almost slipped off the tree, though he was quick to regain his balance. If he fell again, he might pluck out even more feathers. He was always quick to berate himself, but if he was off his guard, an angel hunter might just sneak up on him! It was rare to see one hunting up in the mountains. It was difficult for humans to climb up here, but it's happened before and can certainly happen again. Another breeze passed by, dragging him out of his thoughts. He soon started climbing again up towards their hollow. A small hope latched on to him that there wouldn't be any other angels, and if there were, he'd try and sneak past them. Roman and Remus weren't expecting him to come tonight either since he did want some time off for himself. Now all he need was for them to actually be there.

Virgil took in a deep breath, almost at the lip of the entrance. One angel dashed out the entrance, flying into the night. The crackle of the fire now echoed all around as he climbed closer and closer. Once he got up to the tops of the trees, all he needed to do was jump inside the hollow. There was exposed rock near the lip of the entrance and the moonlight shone on to it, reflecting from the stone just a bit. It made sure if even a human climbed up these mountains, it'd still be difficult to reach the hollow. Even with the cold wind threatening to blow him down, the warmth from the fire inside graced his skin. He took in a deep breath as he looked at the hollow. His heart raced as he jumped up to the hollow, grabbing on to the stone floor. He was never able to land in the hollow, but just outside it. A deep breath entered his lungs as he tried to get a footing on the stone wall. With a grunt, he pulled himself up, his wings flapping to help him a bit. He stood up, dizzy from climbing. Something, though, caught his attention. The hollow was empty.