Freed Wings

Chapter Six

A/N
Okay, okay, I know it's been a while since I have updated.

*Ducks into a doorway to avoid angry readers with pitchforks and torches*

But I have a new update right now!  Yes, right now!  Please, enjoy!

I woke up to an urge.  It wasn’t a ‘nature is calling’ urge.  It was an urge. An urge that if I ignored, it would be a fate worse than death.  I got up and stretched as best as I could in the small sand tray.

I looked out one of the ornamental windows and saw that the sky was being dusted with the faintest first light of dawn.  I had a sudden inkling to fly to the window. Lifting my wings, I let out a hiss of alarm and pain as my right wing sharply throbbed.

I then remembered that I had broken my wing.

Wow.  I thought to myself, Great thing to forget.  Reminds me when I forgot how painful a couple of deep cuts in your wrist can hurt.

I jumped down off of the ledge, careful to keep my right wing steady, and trotted over to the window.  As soon as the sky started to brighten, my heart was filled with such exaltation, I could barely contain myself from trilling.

What in the hell is this feeling? I thought.

I shrugged the thought off as the sun started rising.  I couldn’t keep my eyes off of the glowing orb of fire as it rose just a bit higher into the endless expanse of the gold streaked purple dawn sky.  Finally, I could contain myself no longer. I let out a most joyous trill as my heart burst with such happiness, I thought every dragonet would have felt it.

My good wing started to flap slightly in a feeble attempt at flight while my bad wing hung limp and heavy in the cast on the ground beside me.  It clacked on the hardwood floor as I started to do twirls on the ground, and my claws extended to swipe gracefully at the air. Chirps and melodic sounds flowed from my mouth.

The urge began to fade and my song began to die down to small whistles and growls.  The sun was fully risen and the world seemed a much brighter place. I turned to go back to the sand tray but I was met with a surprise.

In my devotion to this new routine, I had not noticed the small family of three creep up behind me and watch.  Crystal’s eyes were bright with delight, but the mother and father’s eyes were dark with concern and curiosity.

“Mommy, Pine is sooooo pwetty!” she exclaimed tugging her mother's bathrobe.

“Tanya...what is this animal?...” asked the man, his jaw hanging from wonder.

“Richard, remember when I told you we were experimenting with some dangerous chemicals in the lab?”

“Yes.” he said suspiciously.

“Well, we had some ideas for experiments, and I got roped into it because I majored in the correct qualifications to help with these experiments-”

“Just get to the point!” Richard cut off Tanya.

“We figured out how to alter human DNA and change them to different forms.  It was purely going to be a small process, experimenting on willing test subjects...but the head of the organization I work for decided that the willing test subjects wouldn’t fit the qualifications for the experiments.  So they employed stalkers and halftime assassins to kidnap and spy on the kidnapped test subjects.”

Richard’s face was surprised.

“But why?  Why would you do this to innocent people?” he asked.

“I didn’t want to, Richard.  They threatened you and Crystal.  If I didn’t do what they said, then they would have killed you both!  Mr. Siglen, the head of our organization, he said that we were working on a cure for cancer!  A cure to help shrink tumors and other incurable diseases! We were in the middle of a groundbreaking discovery!”