Last Airbender

This is a RP set in the world of Avatar, the Last Airbender. If you don't know the world, or want to find out information, go here http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Avatar_Wiki.


The first posts were done in the rp:

Kosumosu

It was a rather peaceful day in the high mountain range. Towering peaks touching the light fluffy clouds in the sky, lush green forests in the valleys, a bustling town full of happy people below. For this wasn’t Fragment… it was… Somewhere else, Alexis had no idea where she was as she picked herself up off of the hard ground, trying to scope out the unfamiliar landscape. She tried to pick her fuzzy brain as to what had happened, and remembered bits and pieces of it. She had been with some people… couldn’t remember faces at the moment… When one of Fragments normal space-time disruptions occurred… In an attempt to stave off Fragment collapsing in on itself, she had tried to fix the tear, only for it to fluxurate on her, enveloping the whole area into the Void. She had done her best to keep everyone together, but the strain had been rather harsh and everything had gone dark for her. So they were on some unknown world, who knows how far from Fragment, in what could be a very hostile location… Great…. Still feeling rather light headed, she doubted she’d be able to take them all back right now… Actually… Alexis found herself back on the ground again, leaning up against a figure… Didn’t know who it was… but…. At least it was comfier this way…

Ice-SpiritPhoenix

Angelique glared at Alexis, looming over her to glare more. One minute she'd been on Fragment, working on her current...project, minding her own business, and the next...well now she was here in some unknown location that most certainly wasn't Fragment (she'd tried to contact her spy network and had gotten nothing but static and a link to the one she always kept with her). "Oh good, you're awake...care to explain what happened and where we are? And most importantly, what I'm doing here?"

Jared-hai

Pala found herself sitting on her behind, somewhat dazed. There were two blurry figures nearby and she felt a little sick. The first time this had happened, she had ended up on fragment...had she been taken back home? After her vision cleared, she realized she definitely not back home...."Spirits, now where am i...?"

Kosumosu

Alexis groaned, not opening her eyes again. Her head hurt too much for her to argue much… Mumbling about rifts and multidimensional travel and muffins, she did her best to ignore the bird woman. She’d answer when she got up later. For now she was content to just lying here… On whatever it was she was lying on…

Ice-SpiritPhoenix

Angelique continued glaring for a moment before realizing that the girl wasn't getting up any time soon. Wasn't making any sense, either. Deciding to leave her for now and find answers on her own, she turned, examining the area. A little way's off lay what appeared to be a rather decent sized town. She glanced over at Pala. "You can follow me if you like, or you can stay here and watch her," she nodded over at Alexis, "as she is our ticket back...I'm going to go find out where we are." And with a brief flash of fire, she had turned into her small bird form and zipped off toward the town. When she was close to the edge of the city, she changed back behind a rock, stepping out and onto the road that lead into town. Glancing around she noticed the strange clothes that people were wearing, and subsequently the odd looks they were giving her. Furrowing her brow in annoyance, she buttoned up her labcoat. It didn't look exactly authentic, but it looked closer than her corset and fishnet shirt. Continuing on the road, she played with the idea of acquiring some local clothing in order to better blend in. Dashing that idea as quickly as it came, she continued to the first shop on her right. Hopefully they wouldn't be there that long. It was a stall under an awning that blocked out the heat of the sun. The whole setup made her grimace. She remembered times like this from her first life, times before technology was prevalent. "Wonderful, so I'm back in the past somewhere," she muttered, turning her attention to the woman behind the stand and raising her voice back to a normal volume. "Excuse me, but could you tell me where this is?" An odd look. Of course they wouldn't speak English. She waited until someone said something, listening and letting her brain run on autopilot. She tried again. A few minutes later found her sitting under a tree outside of the city walls. Gaoling...no place she'd ever heard of. "So I really am going to have to wait for that girl to wake up..." That was irritating.

Jared-hai

Pala shrugged, as the bird creature flew off. Who was that? She turned to Alexis, groaning. Pala got up, and examined her. Alexis didn't look very aware. She tried prodding her with the end of her boots, extracting no response. "Hey, wake up! I want to go home." Hmm... Maybe a bit of water will wake her up? Pala brought up a sizeable chunk of water from a nearby pond, and drenched Alexis' head with it.

Kosumosu

“Gah!!” Alexis shot upright at the sudden drenching, then moaned and clutched at her head with her hands. “…What was that for?” Alexis groaned, her hair plastered over her face. Glaring at the woman as she got up on shaky legs, she glanced around once again, thinking with a slightly clearer head this time. She wondered who exactly was brought here, along with herself and the two women… It was possible that once she lost consciousness that the group broke apart… Many things were possible she supposed. Wringing her drenched hair, she glanced down at the village. Well… She wasn’t going to make a portal anytime soon… Traveling through the void with low magics and no clue where to go wasn’t the best idea… So off to the village they’d end up going, she supposed.

Whispers. Muttering. "...Don't know....came out of no where....Foreigner..." Wary under tones filled his head, pounding. Aching and pulsing with an unspeakable migraine. "....red....fire nation......-abably a spy..."

Fire nation? Spy? Where was he? He couldn't remember. He could only recall pain and a dazed confusion. Something probed his shoulder. Prodding. Jabbing. Reflexes made him lurch with a grunt at the thing. His movement came to a jarring halt as suddenly as he moved. And only then did he become aware of his restraints. Heavy cuffs bound his wrists closely together, immobilizing his arms. Short, heavy chains kept his feet fixed to the floor. Was he a prisoner?

His startled guards recovered from his unexpected response. "He's still got some spunk...We'll take care of that." He lifted his head, glowering at his blurry company. His glare was rewarded with a keen smack to the back of his knees; flooring the Gyspus to his knees with a hearty cringe. "Douse him! I don't want any fires in here....His temper is heated enough."

A door opened. Light illuminated the floor he could hardly make out. Foot steps retreated while others ascended him. Followed by a chilly splash of icy water that drenched his uniform and sucked the warmth from his bones. Metal clanged and rattled as a bucket bounced off his side and rolled away, adding to the numbing pain he already felt in his every muscle.

The bodies retreated, the door creaked shut. Leaving the man in his solitary confinements as his captors spoke of public trials and punishments, beyond his cell. Comprising that he would leave his prison eventually.

In the mean time, He sat in relative silence. Shivering and pondering. Trying to make sense of his awkward predicament.

(Gale still has amnesia I'm going to say)


He was just sleeping in the base, in Alexis' room. Then he wasn't. It was confusing. He was even still clutching the puppy toy with the burnt ear. He had awoken in a town and people stared at him, commenting on his wing and his golden eyes. Something about fire. Frightened, he had tried to flee. But he had been pushed down by a spear.

Old animal rage building up, he grasped the wood and broke it in half. If he wasn't as surprised as his captors, Gale may have been able to escape. But they grabbed him, shackled him and tossed him in a cell. With the other fire nation bastard, they said.

Gale's arms were wretched painfully behind his back, the puppy plush landing inside too, just a few feet away from his grasp. Legs shackled as well. Then he was doused with water. Just in case, they said. The boy cried out, in fear more than pain.

This... this was a familiar place. Not the place itself, but the situation. Underground... surrounded by rocks and stones and drip drip dripping of water and the thump thump thumping of his heart and there was someone else in here with him, but he didn't care. It was a bad memory. Painful. He let out another half sob, stopping himself from fully crying out - from fully losing. No. He couldn't lose. Had to make that pale grin cry.

I was trying to wake you up, of course! You looked like a berserker who had taken the wrong kind of mushrooms...you were really out of it. And anyway, it was only a little bit of water. Are you part-cat or something? Now...can you get me out of here please? Or...at l east let me know where i am.

Alexis glared up at the woman, still rather annoyed that she was soaked. She stood up after a few moments, her feet still rather wobbly. Feeling lightheaded at the sudden activity, her hands combed through her hair, trying to get the wet strands out of her face. "… Pala, I have no idea where we are, the only way I'd know that would be if…. if I went into the Void, and started searching from there… Which there is no way we're doing that right now…" She took a few steps towards civilization, focusing on making sure her feet don't slip out from under her on this steep slope, "I can't make a portal right now, and if I tried, we'd all just end up either stuck out in the spaces between or on some OTHER random world… Plus…. wasn't there someone else with us?" She glanced around, sure she had talked to someone earlier, but wasn't sure if that was a part of the dazed dream she had or not.

The short trip to the town below felt like forever to Alexis, not used to having to take the slow route. On a hill overlooking the town she leaned up against a tree, trying to get a feel for the people below. The people wore cloth and the occasional metal on their clothing. They reminded her of some of the outfits she had seen on Fragment, a less formal version of the things Gramps wore actually. She glanced over at Pala, then her own outfit. Not exactly identical in style, but logically possible given the world's recourses. Alexis took the ties on the side of her hair out, looping her purple hair within the black to hide it within a bun, similar to some of the women below. She saw that a rare few of the people had rather significant auras as well, "It seems that a magic of some sort is used here… but it's best not to use it unless we really need to… We just need to see if we can find anyone else… and just wait till I'm able to take us back… ok Pala?"

After warning Pala to be careful and to not do anything to attract attention, she entered the town, getting the looks and glares that she knew she would. This wasn't the first time she had done this… She just needed to keep her cool, and act like a random passing traveler, and the curiosity would die soon enough. Though to her surprise, it didn't, they kept looking, starting, muttering. She hid her confusion the best she could, going through the possibilities of the local situation, and how they may have to act due to this, when suddenly she got an odd feeling… A feeling she recognized after a moment or so. A rather familiar pocketwatch and the man who carried it… He was here as well? Well… this was going to be a lot easier finding people than she thought it would be...

It had been so quiet. He enjoyed that peace of sanity as he tried to piece together the present. Those damn guards were yammering again, though. "....Another one....beastly child....Invasion...fire nation.... mockery..."

The word invasion caught his attention. He'd been doing something like that himself. Plans. Intentions. Is that why he was here? Dismally he watched the shadows skitter across the floor as a small, simpering child was shackled and left in a puddle of freezing water.

His stomach fell heavy as he attempted drowning out the boys sobs. Resisted snarling at the child to shut up. He couldn't think straight. Finally staring at the boy beside him in the dank cell, his stomach churned. Coden felt sick. His memory rushing back to him in fragments.

It was as any other invasion. Sneaking into the Resistance base, while Alexis was away, to check on Gale. It had become routine for Coden after....after the incident. Obsessing and sneaking around behind Tarots back to secretly visit his little trooper. He'd gotten messy, though. And in a last ditch attempt to make a clean exit, He found himself in a foreign land. Just as surrounded as when he'd portaled out of the resistance base.

People stared. Strangers panicked. He'd attempted porting out again. His watch had been unresponsive. He did the only thing he could have. He ran. Defending himself from their...strange magic. Loosing the fight long before it even began.

Looking at Gale now, He felt a retching guilt. It was his fault Gale was here; Imagining Gale must have somehow gotten trapped in Coden's messy retreat from the Resistance. And now these people....they wouldn't harm his little boy, would they? This...third party of fragments war? Not like they could do any worse to Gale than Coden already had.

Shifting on his knees, Coden sat up to look more closely at Gale, only to hunch back over. it never ended well when they were this close together in consciousness. It was best if he....just pretended....as if he was never...
Coden ground his teeth. He couldn't do that. Eying Gales little stuffed dog, just out of the sobbing child reach, Coden leaned forward, stretching to reach it. His mind too numb to function his tendril properly. Much pain and chaffing later, He caught a loose string, and tediously dragged the toy towards himself.

"Be quiet...you mustn't cry...", He said quietly, dusting the dog with what little movement his had from his sore and bound wrists.

He couldn't help it. He began to cry, feeling helpless and bound waiting for the people to come back. They would come back. His ears heard it. They would come back and they would hurt him because he had gold eyes and a wing and pointy ears. They would hurt him because of that and-

"Be quiet... you musn't cry." There. That voice. That voice was in a place similar to this. That voice did bad things to him. That voice hurt him like the grins did but he couldn't remember exactly what it was. But they were going to do the same things to him.

The sobbing changed. He inhaled shakily again, taking a long deep breath. He held it for just a second, shoulders quivering. Then he screamed. Childish, high pitched screams that echoed around the small cell. Which each breath he took in the screams intensified and changed from fear to rage to hate. He didn't realize it, but he was diving into his power.

As the screams morphed into bestial cries, rocks exploded. Expanded, disintegrated with a pop, completely blown apart. The bindings, he felt them on his skin and some in the stone around him. Those too exploded, metal shrapnel joining the stone. This place was too small, too tight. Had to make it bigger. The wooden door blew open, hinges completely torn apart.

There was light now. Light and wind. Wind on his wet wing. Wind meant outside and not inside. Wind was good. He calmed down, pulling away from his power and the memories that came back with it. When he opened his eyes again, he realized he was no longer cuffed and he shakily pushed himself up to a sitting position, feeling exhausted and drained.

Where was his puppy? He wanted his puppy and he wanted to sleep outside.

So loud. Coden dipped his head, wished he could cover his ears. So loud and scarred. So ...angry... He flinched one way or another as metal and stone popped all around him. Shielding himself form the destruction.

A guard peeked on the window of the door. "Hey! Whats going on in there!? Shut up, you stinking brat!" He eventually began unlocking the door. Hadn't even clicked the key when Door and guard was all blasted away in one move.

Were he on better terms with Gale, Coden might have laughed. Instead, he just looked sad. 'Run...Run Gale, run away. Run far away. Run and don't ever turn back.' The words were stuck in his stomach, though. Coden merely sat up and stretched out his arms as far as he could. Offering the little plush dog with a meek smile.

Ah... There was his puppy. Papa had his puppy. Getting his achy legs to move, he headed toward Papa and grabbed his puppy with a hand, collapsing on Coden and resting his head on the man's legs, eyes half closed, plush held close. There was still the wind, so it was fine. And the light.

Until it got blocked by several guards, armed to the teeth. "You!" One yelled, pointing to Coden. "Firebender! Hand over the Earthbender child!"

They acted as if Coden was the bad guy. Why did they think Papa was a bad guy? Gale did not know and his powers were now subconsciously being used to press back the memories. He didn't remember Coden hurting him again, though a feeling remained near him and in this cell. In response to the guard's angry yelling and hesitant step forward, Gale wrapped a tiny fist around Coden's pants and stared at the adult with large eyes, golden color a hard yellow. His mouth was turned into a slight frown and he just observed the man.

Staring at Gale nestling against his lap, Coden felt conflicted. His cuffed hands hovering mere inches over the tiny child's wild head of hair. Then the guards came. The conflict grew.

Logic told him it was safest to hand Gale over. Instinct spoke otherwise. Straightening, Coden loomed over the child, glowering fiercely at the guards. "I believe we've had a misunderstanding, gentlemen. I'm not a fire bender....", whatever that was. It seemed to be the main source of their wrath towards him. Was he really on Fragment yet? He was beginning to doubt.

"Liar!", one of the guards accusingly hollered. "We have numerous eye witnesses who saw you fire bending before your capture! That strange uniform and hair is proof enough, otherwise!"

He didn't recall ever...fire bending. these men didn't look like they were willing to reason, though. Fact was...he looked like what they called a fire bender and was accused as such. It was like pleading insanity. Once you've been accused, the stain remains eternally.
"I won't give the child to the likes of you."

(merr post)

Pala was content to follow Alexis for now, until they found some idea as to where they were and what was going on. She had felt tension gradually rising in the air around them, the spirits of the city following a conflict point, as they tended to do.
"Alexis...there's something going on. Trouble, i think. I've probably damned myself telling you....you always have to go and deal with any problems nearby." She continued to mutter on with herself...not as if much of it mattered any more, she was lost to roam a pointless existance until the conflict on fragment came to an end.

Gale watched as the adults argued. Friebending? Earthbending? Since when did he move earth? Gale tried to remember what happened in the last couple minutes, but he was drawing up a blank. There was... and... but nothing came to him. The last thing he remembered... sleeping. He had his puppy then and he had it now as well. And he was tired again and he wanted to sleep again. But the other men were still yelling. Hand over the child, they said. Hand him over or we will-

The boy blinked, feeling sickened and scared. They... they threatened Papa. Though Gale was still a bit afraid and wary of the man, right now he and puppy were the only familiar things to him. And Gale did not want to be taken away from them.

And they were blocking the wind, trapping them in. No trapping. Trapping bad. Stones bad. Outside good. There people blocking outside, blocking him and papa inside.

Gale looked up from Coden's pants, seeing a guard hesitantly take a step to him, hand outstretched. Gale's breathing quickened. Papa was familiar, Papas were good people who loved and didn't hurt. (This a throw back feeling to his own, real father who never hurt Gale in front of him)

With a cry, Gale backed away from them, nestling himself into Coden's lap. "No!" He yelled. "My Papa! Go 'way!" Tiny arms wrapped around the man's waist and the boy buried his head into the man's chest.

((This is what you get writing when you first wake up LOL))

Alexis paused for a moment, turning towards Pala. "Hmmm..." She really didn't want to get involved with otherworldy affairs, that's how people got themselves in situations they couldn't get out of. Going up against people where she had no idea what kind of magics were present in a world, in a political situation she did not understand. It wasn't the same on Fragment, all the magical rules were messed up as soon as the chunk of the world was broken off, it's main ties cut. The only established peoples was the Tarot Master. This, this was entirely different.

"Pala, how about we compromise. Since we do have people from Fragment here as well, I just want to make sure this does not stem back to them... If it doesn't, we shall stay far enough a way and just keep going. No conflict. If it does... which while the chance is small but law-of-plot appropriate, you... you can stay out of the conflict... ok?"

The two of them had been walking through a crowd of people, obviously curious to the cause of the conflict. She could have chosen to walk through the more deserted alleyways, but she learned over time that crowds are much better at hiding someone than what seems like a more obvious choice. As the crowd started to slow down, Alexis tried to see who was involved in the conflict. That was the deciding point of her participation. She frowned as everyone around her was much too tall. She jumped up, but still couldn't see. Finally on the next hop, she recognized two familiar auras. Not realizing she had jumped up much farther than a normal Earth Kingdom citizen should have, she turned to Pala. "You stay within the crowd, and try to find out as much as you can about where we are... I'm going to get the kid out... I'll meet you outside the city in an hour."

With that, Alexis slipped through the sides of the crowd, wondering to herself how well she'd handle after the portal mess... Oh well... Slipping to the side of the mass of people, she made her way to the roof of the blasted structure, and dropped down in front of Gale and Coden, putting herself between the soldiers and her. "I think this has all been a misunderstanding... We're just travelers through this town... What have you accused my friends of?"

She frowned as the soldier mentioned the word firebender, and turned back towards the two. "Firebender? Really? Umm.... I've never seen them use fire magics.... Is there some way we can just prove that they're not these 'firebenders' you mentioned and let them go?

The guards stirred with a conflicting confusion. Whispers and undertone mutters spreading uneasily among them. Unable to grasp the ease in which Gale would so willingly cling to a fire bender and call him papa. It was unheard of.

Coden watched as a soldier crept warily close, laying his bound arms over Gales back to refuse a easy grab. A heated rage boiled unnaturally in the pit of his stomach. Climbing up his throat like a beastly roar just waiting to lunge out and frighten the guards away.
Instead came an airy gasp that quelled the rising heat, capping the protective rage with a single name. "Alexis?" His head cast down with a small glower, listening as she attempted to barter for their freedom.


"If that is true...", The captain of the group began warily. "...then we may make an exception for the child. We know he's not a fire bender." A pair of soldiers stepped forward and around Alexis.
"Your other 'friend' were going to have to keep in custody. Fire benders aren't welcome here. And he's especially hostile.... You should be more careful about who you foreigners let travel with you. Your lucky he didn't use the same techniques on you as he used on the city people."

The heat in Coden's bowels lurched. He was getting tired of being accused of being a...fire bender. He never recalled using fire or..bending. As Alexis stated, he didn't use magic.

One soldier dragged Gale away from Coden's grasp, struggling to pry the child hands from Coden. If he could, he would have defended Gale. the boy was scared, he didn't like the way the handled or treated him. He couldn't take it.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM!" Coden snarled at the guard, whom scrambled back screaming. Clutching his burnt face. The gyspus hadn't even seen the stream of flames that escaped his lips. Only saw the hot white that was his blind rage.

Gale was dragged hurriedly away from Coden's reach. Alexis with him. Coden sputtered as a splash of freezing water doused him, killing the heat that thrived in his bowels. Benders stepped in. His chains were shortened with a mere sweep of the hand, sucked into the stone floor beneath him. Pillars of stone cast up tightly around his neck, suppressing his ability to control a steady breath.

Wildly staring, Coden watched the burned Soldier be dragged out of the room. What had he done? "....!" He should be defending himself with words, he knew. Anything he had to say never made it to his lips. It wouldn't do him any good. He'd felt more comfortable accepting the punishments than pleading for something he didn't deserve.

Hands on him. Taking him somewhere he didn't want to be. They gripped at his shoulder and stomach and he didn't like it. How did he get here? Why were these people doing things to Papa?! They were chaining him! Was it because he had darker skin than they did? It probably was.

Infuriated and frightened, he struggled fiercely, surprising the guard. "Leggo!" He screamed, aiming a kick to the groin as well as an elbow to his chest. Not caring about the guard as he stumbled back, gasping for breath, he rushed to Coden, falling to his knees as he did.

Rocks. Shackled. Going to get hurt, going to get punished. No no no. Frantically, he clawed at the restraints around Coden's neck, chipping away the rock and his nails at the same time. When he was approached by a guard, he lashed out, batting away the hand. He returned to the stone shackles, scraping away. Another came up, and Gale rammed into him with all his might.

They wouldn't go away. They were going to hurt Coden because he wasn't like them! Fight back, fight back. The power came to him, memories as well that only intensified this need to get Coden out. When the captain approached, Gale backed off the shackles and growled at the man.

"My Papa!" He boy barked at him, bending over onto the ground, hands and feet. He scraped at the rock, carving deep gashes into it with a small bit of power. Intimidate. Make something.... explode. The rest of the stone prison behind them just... flew out. Boulders, pebbles, rocks of every size. When the dust cleared, there was a huge hole where the prison once was.

The boy was beginning to panic now. Less power to keep the memories at bay. These people did not have the same hair color, but they still wanted to hurt them they hurt Gale and they hurt Papa and he wouldn't stand for it no he wouldn't so he stood his ground as more came in.

Alexis watched her argument died with Coden’s sudden acclimation of new powers. She cursed to herself, she forgot how some people reacted to traveling to different universes…. If that person is compatible to the magic’s… it’s possible that they accumulate said powers during their time on that world… While she silently congratulated herself on her past assumptions that Coden would be able to use magic’s if the situations were right, this wasn’t the time for that to happen. Her mind raced as plans for breaking Coden out without compromising the rest of the group arose, when Gale went and… Her eyes widened… This wasn’t going to end well was it…

As more guards came in, she contemplated just blasting her way through them, but… That’d leave them nowhere… She wasn’t up for a fight, and neither was Gale. Coden possibly could be, but not with powers he didn’t know how to use against twenty men who did. Quickly snatching up Gale into her arms, she took a step away from the soldiers, who apparently moved the ground beneath all of them at their will, “Sorry about that…. He’s… He had a really rough time as a kid… and this man has become a dad for him…” She said, carefully positioning herself with Gale away from the other men as she plotted. So much for keeping a low profile. “I’m just… going to take off with the child now” She said, taking a step back. She hated how these things never went well…

“Not after that rash outburst, we-“ The man was cut off as Alexis rushed to the side towards Coden. Snatching onto what bit of his coat wasn’t covered in stone, she pressed a bit of magic out, fingers slipping through the now empty space. Racing forward to try avoid attacks, she headed towards where she ported Coden to. Catching up to him, she shoved him forward, towards the mountains, she wasn’t carrying him as well, “We need to get out of here due to your little outburst”

He tried telling Gale to stop. Tried to tell the boy to go. He'd be fine. He could take a better beating than most people...if it came down to that. Accursed child. So stubborn. He closed his eyes, straining to breath. Straining to speak. When his eyes opened again, He was no longer in a cell. Open air. Tall gates. Wide country land beyond him.

Cursing, he turned back to the city. 'Idiot! Wasting her magic...' He hadn't taken but a step when the Moipai appeared in front of him, pushing him toward the mountains. "........", Humming, Coden took Gale from the Alexis. Greedily hugging the child against his chest as he resisting countering her remark.

The guards gasped and awed as the trio simply vanished. Confused to what they were suppose to do now. "Air bender?", someone commented. "Foreign travelers...It's just a trick." Glowering at the soldiers, the captain of the guards turned to his men, sending them out. "Scout the city limits and send word to the earth kingdom. They can't have gotten far...."

Power receded. Took the memories with it... even of these past minutes. Exhausted, Gale relaxed in Coden's arms. Somehow, puppy had stayed with him and the boy kept a grip on the toy, arms wrapped around Coden's neck, head resting on his shoulder, keeping Alexis in view.

They were walking. Gale wasn't getting jostled much but his hands and wrists hurt. Squirming slightly in Coden's arms, his wing fluttered, snapping open and then shut again. It repeated, stretching out longer before slowly coming back in. The boy made a face. He was confused. Why was his wing and back aching? He hadn't done anything to it? The memory of being shackled and imprisoned was suppressed.

Then he looked at a hand. Most of the nails had been chipped or torn off and there were scratches and dirt on it. Opening his mouth, the boy clamped down on a larger scrape and sucked on it, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth. How had he gotten these? Wasn't he just sleeping?