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The next few days were uneventful. I spent most of my time in the small cage on the wall. Alex explained that this was only temporary until the bones in my wing started to heal. Adjusting from an unlimited open space to a small, confined space was difficult initially. But the wrap around my s body and wing was much worse. My feathers were pulled when it moved, and I couldn't get my beak underneath to preen. But luckily for me, the body wrap was removed after a few days, leaving me with only my wing wrapped in fabric.

My surgery was to insert metal rods in my wing, which held my bones in the correct places, which is why I should be able to fly again. The metal rods would be removed eventually, then Alex said they would work on getting me used to using it again. I couldn't wait for all of this to be over, though. I felt away from home, with pain in my wing and trapped in this cage. Alex could tell something was wrong. Although she tried her best to communicate with me, there was no feasible way for us to converse.

Today was not unlike the previous. I was given a rat as my meal, and although it did its job, I would have preferred something less... cold to eat. At least with this, I didn't have to track it down and hunt it. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the hunt. While I daydreamed about flying once again, Alex sat in a chair near my cage. She was carrying a folder of papers, which she promptly began spreading across the table.

"So Lyall, I did some digging on you yesterday." She finished spreading the large packet of papers across the table, "I was able to find that you saw a Dr. Leslie? Does that ring a bell?" She asked, holding up a sheet with Dr. Leslie's face printed on it. "I called her this morning on your behalf, given that you, well, speak. She gave me some information on a group home you lived in?"

Hearing about Leslie brought back memories of my first change in college--all of the weird discoveries I made in her office. Although, at the time, it seemed to be the worst of times, I fondly remember those memories. Without her help, I would have never found my friends at the house. Which, come to think of it, is the house still the same place I remember? If Matthew is still around, I wonder how far he has changed.

Alex kept talking after I seemingly ignored her, too lost in thought to respond. "The man there seemed surprised to hear you were found. Maybe soon we could have them stop here to see you." Alex said excitedly as she turned to the next page. "I was also able to track down your mother. But I never called her. I think that's a decision for you to make."

So a male is still running the Bird House? I wanted to assume it was still Matthew running the show, but maybe Nash had taken up the saddle? As much as I wanted to see my mom again, would her seeing me like this be the right thing to do? I missed the rest of what Alex was saying, but it didn't seem to matter much. I was fixed in my gaze, imagining how everyone would respond to seeing me again.

"Lyall?" Alex asked, waving her hand. "You still with me here?" I nodded in agreement before she continued, "So like I was saying, someone will be stopping by tomorrow to ask you a few questions. Don't overthink it; just answer them, and they'll leave you alone. You are a bit of a rarity to researchers."

Great, more probing and questioning was coming. As much as I didn't want to be here, there wasn't anything I could do about it. As long as it still meant I could be free if I wanted, I didn't mind the questions all too much.

The following day began with X-rays taken of my wing and body. At first, Elizabeth was going to sedate me again. But Alex argued in my favor that it would be better for me to be awake for the interviewer and that I would be workable. I was placed on the cold white table top as a medical-looking device swung around. Alex warned me to hold still as a black plate was propped up behind me. Both Alex and Elizabeth walked out of the room for a moment.

Alex swung the device away as Elizabeth worked on the computer. I glanced at the monitor to see the black square with white ghostly images overlaid. It was apparent where the metal rods were placed. They glowed a bright white among the various grays of the bones. Although the wing was still folded, it is clear which part is which, including the crack across one of the bones. Seeing my skeleton gave me a surprise at first. I knew I was no longer a human in any physical way, but seeing the bird's skeleton in place of my own was still uncomfortable.

"Looks like your wing is healing like we expected. Maybe we can work on getting you in the air again in a few weeks. You'll have to keep it wrapped until the rods are out, and that should only be a few short weeks." Elizabeth laid the X-ray printouts on the table in front of me. "Only a few years ago had I shown these to a bird. I'd be considered crazy, but here we are, aren't we?" Laughing as she turned away.

While we waited for this interviewer to arrive, Alex fed me another cold, dead mouse. She presented it differently this time, placing it on a small disposable plate instead of laying it on the table with a pair of tongs. I didn't care if it was on the table, a plate, or even hiding in a ditch, but she had been trying to, in her words, "make it feel more human" these past few feedings. It's not like I could object, even if I wanted to. I happily accepted the offer and did my business.

Since I was brought here, I haven't left the singular room I first woke up in. There were doors on two walls and a few small windows on one of the others. What little I could see out of these windows was a small parking area--covered in gravel and some trees. This time I could see a small SUV pull into a spot. Out of the vehicle came a taller lean man with a black messenger bag. Shortly after he left my view, Elizabeth entered with the man in tow.

"Here's Alex and, of course, Lyall." Elizabeth held the door open for him.

"Wonderful, so is Mr. Williams currently conscious?" The man asked. Confused, I looked around at Alex and Elizabeth and readjusted my stance. He seemed to take notice. "Oh! Hello Mr. Williams. I am Andrew Shult. I am a researcher here in conjunction with the CDC. I'm here because you are different, and we want to learn more about how you are different." He pulled a laptop from his bag and placed it on the table. "If you are ready to begin, just give me a nod." I slowly nodded my head before he smiled and began rapid-firing questions.

"Are you Lyall Williams?"

I nodded my head in agreement.

"Were you previously a human before your current state?"

I nodded a Yes again.

"Were you a biological male before your condition?"

Yes

"Did your family have a history of this condition prior to or after your changes began?"

No

The following questions were simple yes or no questions with obvious answers. But after twenty or so questions, he finally reached more pressing queries.

"Was your choice to be released in the wild a personal choice?"

Yes

"Did you feel pressured or forced to go with this decision?"

No

"Would you say you have adjusted well to your living conditions?"

Yes

"Have you ever felt you were in danger while living in your current form?"

No

"Have you interacted directly with any humans in which both parties were aware of your condition while living outdoors?"

No

Elizabeth was watching from the other side of the room. At first, she seemed interested, but the mundane and dry questioning seemed to cause that interest to wane. Alex, on the other hand, started by looking interested, but I couldn't help but notice her expression change throughout. Her face turned a light shade of pink, and she kept shuffling her arms.

"Have you interacted with another of your current species while living outdoors?"

Yes

"Was this interaction territorial or competitive in nature?"

No

"Was this interaction for the means of reproduction?"

I hesitated to answer this question. I knew it would lead down a path of questions, but I also knew that lying would negatively affect the research. Reluctantly I nodded my head, Yes.

"Did you mate with the other member of your species?"

Yes

I caught a glimpse of Alex, whose face told a story of surprise and confusion. Slowly, her face began to look sad. I tried to answer the rest of Andrew's questions quickly, but the possible question list grew with every answer. The entire interview lasted two hours. Two hours of a man asking a bird 'yes or no' questions. The questions varied from how I hunted to how I raised the chicks--more detail than I would have ever wanted to give.

"That's all I have for now for you, Mr. Williams. I'll have the rehab collect the samples from you in the near future." Andrew stood up, closing his laptop, "You get that wing healed up. You are lucky to be where you are." He gave me a nod before leaving. Elizabeth walked him out of the door, but Alex stayed behind. She slowly stepped closer, her mouth slightly open as if she wanted to speak. She sat on the same chair Andrew used and placed her elbows on the table, holding her head up with her hands. Her eyes were glued to me, but her face seemed worried.

"You lived alone out there? You were still you?" Her voice was shaken and slow. I waited before nodding yes to her. "Was it scary?" she slipped her hands in front of her mouth. I tried to shrug as best as I could with my wings. The truth is I would be lying if I said transitioning was easy. It took time to learn how to be me, or rather the new me. Alex's face turned a deep shade of red, but she quickly got up and ran from the room.

Elizabeth walked in moments after Alex exited, "Where did she go?" She asked me before muttering, "How are you going to tell me?" She shook her head as she exited the room again.

I walked around on the large table I was left on. Not much of a distance to go, but I had no way of leaving this table. My wings were useless if I wanted to ascend or descend from my current position. I could hear Elizabeth and Alex talking behind the door, I couldn't make out what was being said, but Alex was close to, if not already, crying. After a few minutes of trying to snoop on their conversation, the door opened. Both of them seemed to be fine, but Alex's face was still pink from crying.

"Lyall, we need some samples from you. I know today has already been a bother, but I promise we are done for today after this." Elizabeth opened a drawer and removed a needle. She gave a light pick on my wing and drew a small amount of blood. She stopped at my cage as she walked away and grabbed a loose feather from its bottom. She placed both of these in a bag before sealing it and removing her gloves.

She came back to the chair and sat in front of me. "We don't want this to seem like a prison to you, and I hope you know that. As we said before, we found your friends at the group home you stayed in. If you want me to contact them, I could always give them a call." Elizabeth observed me for an answer. As much as I wanted to see them again, were any of them still there to be seen?

I nodded in agreement, thinking of seeing my second family again. Elizabeth smiled lightly as she jotted a note on her paper pad. "You know, for all the time I've been working this place, I never expected to talk to a patient like this. Figured this was only for real doctors." She laughed as she tore the page off the pad and sat it aside. "Now for your mother, she is still around town. Do you want to speak with her before you leave?"

I did not answer, undecided if I should see her again. I couldn't help but feel bad not making her aware that I was not only alive but being treated for a traumatic injury. After our last interaction, I can't bear to give her the heartbreak of leaving again. As far as she knew, her son was as good as dead, and his mind was probably lost to a wild animal. But here I am. I may not be as human, but I still feel like me.

Elizabeth got up and informed me she was going to make a call. She picked up her paper and pad and left the room, leaving me alone with Alex again. Alex avoided eye contact with me. She kept staring out the windows or whatever was before her, but her eyes never turned to me. Had I done something to offend her? She only started acting like this after the interview. I tried to follow her with my head, hoping she would acknowledge my stares. But her face slowly turned red again before finally crossing her arms on her desk to shove her face into it.

I felt terrible, and assuming my staring only made her feel worse, I turned away. I sat quietly on the desk, a soft towel being the only thing separating me from the stainless steel surface. My mind seemed tired, which was odd since I only got sleepy once the sun began to set. I closed my eyes and took a short nap.

The tree I was standing in was the tall oak standing alone in my field. I could see a handful of people walking through the trails cut into the overgrowth. The warm sun heated my back as a light breeze swayed my branch. The only work to describe the scene is peaceful. I heard a voice call out, "Lyall!" I tried to turn to find the source, but my head didn't want to move at first. Eventually, I turned to see a man waving his arms and looking at me. From my current distance, I couldn't make out his face.

Deciding to look closer, I turned to face them and hunched, preparing to leap and glide over. But I couldn't get my body to jump, and my legs and wings didn't seem to listen to my commands. After many tries, I turned away from the man, but I couldn't recall deciding to do so. Instead, I felt my wings open and spread wide. With a hard flap, I was airborne, but I was no longer in control. The voice grew more distant as they continued to call my name, slowly fading into the distance.

Before I knew it, I landed on a branch next to my mate. Still not in control of what my body was doing, I followed her from branch to branch, slowly ascending the tree. I tried to think of how this seemed familiar, but it became harder to think. I couldn't recall simple things that should have been easy. I couldn't even remember my own name. The other hawk led me to our nest, and inside were two chicks with only the start of their plumage grown. As I looked at my mate and the two young in the nest, my mind seemed to lose track of what I was doing. All I could think of was gathering for my young, for my mate.

My eyes flicked open, and I was still lying on the table on top of the towel. My mind raced as my name returned to me and rushed through my memories, realizing I could still remember my past life. I pushed the hawk side of my mind back again, letting my human side take complete control as I had been doing for days. I stood up from the towel and tried to spread my wings before remembering the wrap. Elizabeth returned, where she found me standing on the towel, and Alex was nowhere to be seen.

"Glad to see your nap went well. I figured you were probably exhausted, and you would want to sleep a bit before you went back into the cage for the night." Elizabeth spoke before slipping on a thick leather glove. She held her hand out, and I stepped onto her arm. She walked me over to the cage, and I stepped in. Still in shock from my dream, I never made a peep and just nodded my head. "I'll see you in the morning, Lyall. You sleep well now." The light flicked off, and the door shut behind her.

I wanted to go back to sleep, but the nightmare I had was still burned into my head. My biggest fear was losing myself; I couldn't remember anything in that dream. I felt so... feral. So raw that I felt like the hawk had entirely shoved me out. I laid my head on the towel, my eyes watching the windows as they were the only moving thing. I tried to fight the urge to sleep, afraid I would dream of losing my mind again. But no matter how hard I fought it, it only grew stronger.

I closed my eyes for a moment, just a moment. I told myself that I would just rest them for a few minutes. But when they opened again, the sun was shining in the windows. Birds were singing outside, and in the parking lot was a familiar sight. One I never thought I would be so excited to see.

It was a small van I had ridden in many times before. It was owned by Nash, the cardinal.