105 Age of Steel
Pah sat on the room of the barn structure, enjoying the sunlight after several days of rain. The young boy had managed to actually get away for a while as he frankly wasn’t much use right now. They had managed to clear sections of the field and now the men of the house were trying to figure how to use the plow without a horse. The young boy sat at the peak of the roof just watching the others in the fields not really caring what they were doing, but just enjoying being alone for a while. It was something that he had missed.
He had taken to the roof in an effort to enjoy that freedom as long as he can. He felt safe from his father and brother, they were in the thick of plowing endeavor. His mother and oldest sister Delan were still a danger though. It was one of the benefits of flight, it got him to out of the way places. He was also up there to enjoy the feel of the sun. The over cast days hadn’t helped the him, and so he sat there his wings spread so that they would collect the warmth of the sun.
It was while he was just relaxing there his ice blue gaze sweeping over the canopy of trees beyond the former fields. He saw a very small amount of smoke wafting up from among the tree’s. In complete five year old thinking. Pah spread his wings and took flight. He actually went the long way around so as to not draw the attention of his family working below him. He tried to hover just above the canopy, but his shadow startled a bird out of the branches and suddenly the two were steering out of each other’s way. The boy went a bit higher and flapped madly to rebalance himself.
Soon though he found himself closing on already dying smoke. Pah angled himself so he would make a circle around the small opening that was appearing before him. As Pah came upon the clearing he could see that their was a very small campsite below him. It was as he was making the turn that he saw a flash of steel, then it was accompanied by a high whistle sound. Instinct more then anything caused him to dive into one of the trees just as something flew pass his wing. The boy lost complete control and crashed into the trees and just grabbed on to a branch any branch for dear life.
The boy found himself among tree’s branches clinging on for dear life. He wasn’t sure what hurt more, the areas of his body that had smacked into branches or all of the sticks that were now pocking and stabbing him. He heard a groaning sound and realized that it was coming from his own mouth. He really wanted to cry now, but both groaning and crying stuck in his throat as he saw a shinning arrow pointed in his direction. Behind it was a shadow figure that held the bow, but Pahoran didn’t pay much attention to that figure instead he focused on that arrow. Pah began to fidget trying to get himself out of his spot. Then he heard a voice say. “Your not a bird.” There was surprise and that voice most certainly belong to a girl.
“No.” Pah said still struggling, and hearing branches snap. “I am a boy.” There was a whole mixture of emotions, indignation, fear, pain in his voice so it came out mostly as a squeak.
The arrow slowly lowered and Pahoran stopped his thrashing long enough to get a look. He could see now that she was human, though she was so filthy that he couldn’t have really guessed her gender. She did have longer hair, but it was cut so ragged that she could have been anything. The boy looked down at her. “Can I get out of this tree.”
“Are you human?” She asked instead.
“No I am Avialae.” Pah said deciding he could get down. He tried to move down to the next branch, but instead slipped and fell down about four feet, when his grasping hands succeeded in grabbing another branch, though with the help of a large branch his feet could also wrap around. While he fell he let out a blood curdling shout. In that moment the human girl down below raised her bow again in responses to the scream.
Pah was holding on for dear life and quietly sobbing when he heard a deep scream passing through the air by the tree he was standing in. Next thing the boy knew the sound of two bodies impacting each other occurred below him. Through the tears the boy looked down and saw his brother was holding a dagger to the girls throat and had her pressed against the tree. He could hear the voice saying. “Where is my brother.” Pah was actually afraid of his brother in that moment. He wanted to just stay hidden up there in the tree. Away from that anger. The words of his father came to him, and squeaking from fright and sobbing he called “I am here Bakato. Don’t kill the dirty lady.”
A pair of vibrant blue eyes looked up into the tree and saw the boy clinging like a clumsy monkey to parts of the tree. He pulled the knife away and kicking the now discarded bow away he began to climb the lower branches calling out as he did. “Pah can you climb down?” He asked as he moved to the lowest branch.
“I think so.” Pah said and tried to extract himself from the tree. He clung much more tightly this time, but he was slowly able to make his way down. He avoided looking at his brother until he was on the branches above his brother. This last one would be the hardest.
Bakato though spoke. “From here you can jump to the ground.” He then explained how to hold your wings and then did so himself to show his little brother. He then turned and stretched out his hands. Pah adjusted his wings for a while and then Bakato said. “You can do it.” The boy nodded his head and then jumped off the branch. He could feel the air catching in his wings slowing his fall as came down. He didn’t actually land though as Bakato caught him and wrapped him in his arms. The two clung to each other while Pah sobbed into his brother’s chest even as the both wrapped each other in arms and wings. Pah could hear his brother saying. “Don’t ever wander away like that.” Pah just cried harder.
Eventually Pah stopped crying and holding his brother became uncomfortable for Bakato and so setting him down the two ended the hug and turned to the “dirty lady”. Bakato looked the girl who was about the same height as their sister Delan. There was an awkward silence and the Pah spoke. “Thank you for not shooting me.”
“I am sorry for taking that first shot at you.” She said. “I saw the shadow and though you were a big bird. I wouldn’t kill a child.” She gave the big brother an appraising look. “You though might have scarred me into shooting you.”
Bakato grinned then. “Well thank you for not shooting me. I apologies for threatening to kill you.” Pah didn’t notice him looking down at him.
“Understood.” The girl said and then moved to go away.
“Wait.” Pah said looking at her. “What are you doing in the forest?”
She paused and shrugged. “Living, avoiding beast, avoiding monsters in human skin.”
Pah’s mouth dropped then and he said. “There are monsters who put on human skins.”
The young woman looked surprised and then threw her head back and laughed. Pah could hear a chuckle coming from his brother. His lips turned up in a pout and he looked at the two of them. She shook her head. “I am sorry. No. I was referring to actual humans who behave very badly.”
“Oh you mean like those imperidiots.” Pah said looking up at his brother for confirmation. The boy wasn’t sure why but he just trusted this girl. He had looked into her face at that moment and he could say how but he found a kindred spirit. She giggled again at his choice of words.
“Pah, we should let her go if she wants to.” Bakato said.
“Do you like living in the wilds?” the boy asked.
“I once lived in a village near here.” She said looking at the boy. “It burned down and local bandits drove the survivors into the woods. I once had a brother, he to took care of me.” She paused and looked sad. “He didn’t come back on day.”
Pah ran over and hugged her and then in the way that only a five year can said. “Come back with us. I have two big brothers we can share.” It would be years before Pah understood what happened next, but the girl looked at his brother up and down and said. “I am not sure I would want him as a brother.” There was something in her voice that sounded wistful. “Are you moving into the old Calgro farm.”
“We are just passing through.” Bakato said.
“Maybe we can help each other then.” The girl said.
“I am Pahoran.” The boy said.
The girl smiled “I am Velaline” she said down at the grinning boy.
