Some Wings Must Bleed

Chapter 1 - First Meeting

-this chapter is kind of an intro and not very exciting, so if you find it boring please don't give up on the story lmao I promise it gets better-
-I love how I'm saying this as if anyone is going to read it lmfao-

It was a beautiful Wednesday morning, and I was sitting by a soft moving stream that crossed the border of the (l/n) estate. Sometimes the mist of the moving water would gently graze the bare skin of my legs, which was a pleasant feeling that always woke me up from my daydreams. I contemplated following the stream down to Swan Lake and searching through the water to try and find a new species of fish, but decided against it.

Fish were hard to make contracts with, to be honest they just weren't very social animals.

Of course I should still try, I mean, making contracts is my one and only job.

I sighed and stood up, beginning to walk along the stream and through the soft grass. I let my skirt fall down around my ankles, knowing damn well that it probably got dirty and I was going to get scolded once more from my father. I soon reached the end of the estate and hopped over a fence, landing on the ground and wincing as one of my bare feet hit a rock.

I guess I should've worn shoes...

. . .

The lake was quieter on Wednesdays, which made my job easier, as the water was still and empty. I walked through some sand to the very end of the shore and knelt on the loose ground, placing one of my hands into the water and releasing some of my energy. Immediately all sorts of organisms came rushing towards and around me, including a species of fish I hadn't seen before.

Perfect!

"Hello there." I said softly, singling the blue fish out.

It cautiously approached me and I smiled, slowly turning my hand over so that the fish could touch my palm. "I'd like to speak with you, if that would be possible." I murmured as the other animals slowly dispersed.

The fish was called oreochromis aureus, or "The Blue Tilapia" for short. I pulled a scroll out of the small bag I carried and sunk my teeth into my thumb, causing blood to ooze out of the small injury. I tapped my thumb against my other fingers and pushed my hand against an open area of the scroll, making five finger prints of blood. "If you agree to the contract, it means my family and I can transform into your species when necessary. All I need is to put some of my blood on to your fin and press it to this here scroll! It's nothing too special, it just documents your consent so that you and your species is well respected in our agreement!"

The fish was rather closed off and hard to reach, but after some encouraging words and making a promise not to hurt the Tilapia's families, she agreed to the proposal. I put my thumb onto her fin and gently pressed it into the scroll, making the blood contract official. I released the fish back into the lake and wiped my hand on my now very dirty skirt, grimacing at the mud, dirt, and now blood that stained the fabric.

Forgetting the clothing and placing the scroll back into my bag, I began to feel proud of my work.

It's not everyday I get a fish from the Cichlidae family! The Blue Tilapia is nice and agile too, perfect for travelling up streams without drawing attention!

Not a minute had passed before I was snapped out of my thoughts by a voice. "Excuse me, miss? Could you direct me to the (l/n) estate? I seem to be a bit turned around."

There is someone here? But I didn't sense anyone! Unless, could they have masked their presence with nen? If that's the case why do they want to get to my clan's estate?