The Winged One - Chapter 3: Finding Truth
#3 of The Winged One
Helka could feel Griffin breathing on his fur. The two of them lay at their favorite spot, under the trees in the clearing where they first met. Helka had his wing wrapped around his HumanClan friend in order to provide some warmth that his furless body couldn't produce on his own. He started to stoke his read hair and marveled at the contrast between his own black fur and Griffin's pail skin. It had been too long that they had been seeing each other and Helka knew that if he didn't leave soon then Griffin would be much to attached to him and he sighed thinking about leaving the fun life he was living; sex every night, messing with Humanclan hunters, and the strange foods he had never tasted before.
As he lay, thinking about his life back in the CatClan, he let his mind wander to what he had left on his 16thbirthday. It was a life he knew well and all the faces of those that he considered to be his family seemed to flash in his mind. His littermates would be back soon, as it was natural for the young cats to return home after a few months time, and if he went back now he could see them again and share stories with them. He let a small purr of amusement rumble in his chest, wouldn't they be surprised by his actions.
As the sun started to show its first rays of light over the horizon Helka gently nudged his friend awake, "Hay there Griffin, it's time for you to be getting back to HumanClan borders." Griffin pushed harder against his soft fur and sighed. This was a normal occurrence for their parting and Helka wrapped his wings around the boy and keeping his claws sheathed, held him close to him. He had become rather accustom to his and Griffins routine but knew that today it had to end. As he waved goodbye he knew it would be the last time he saw the boy, though he never told Griffin about leaving. He would find out when night came again.
As the boy disappeared through the trees Helka spread his wings to fly home, CatClan was his home. He rose above the trees to have one last look around, memorizing the now familiar landscape. He purred to himself as he saw Griffin walking inside HumanClan borders, holding the feather Helka had given him to his chest. Losing himself in thought he was taken off guard by a loud screeching of a HumanClan cub. Looking over he saw 5 of them playing, they were clumsier than the kits in CatClan but it still brought back his fine memories of cubhood. One of the females fell and as Helka strained his eyes to see if she was ok he saw something that made his stomach turn in fear, she had wing stubs. Winged ones that were born to the HumanClan were killed as soon as they were found out, as they were thought to be possessed.
Helka flew to a nearby tree to sit and watch the cub, she was too clumsy to survive in CatClan but he needed to at least get her outside of the HumanClan borders, he would teach her to survive himself. The mothers called out to the cubs and they each went in to different houses. He waited till the streets were clear then flew to the house that the winged cub went into. This was the first time he had entered HumanClan borders and he was terrified. The members of HumanClan never fought fair, using weapons that could kill the enemy while not getting close to be injured themselves. He put his paw on the handle and shoved the door open.
He heard a loud shriek from the mother of the cub but he ignored it, instead trying to sniff out the cub. He located her quickly and ran over to the room, shoving that door open too. The cub screamed in sheer terror as she stared up at Helka, he felt hurt that these beings saw him as nothing more than a monster but he didn't let that stop him from his goal.
"Get away from Kit you demon!" A large man swung a knife at him, and Helka barely dodged it before the man pulled out another one and stabbed him in the side. Helka unsheathed his claws and raked them against the man's face while stumbling over to Kit. The mother jumped in his way and he pushed her out of the way just to fell a hand grab his wing and a knife penetrate through his feathers to the bone. Hissing in pain, he threw the man off his wing and turned to jump on him, biting his arm ready to tare it off.
He barley saw the mother carry her crying cub out the door but he knew that he had failed. He spread his wings to fly away but where the knife had penetrated him made the motion too painful so he ran out of the house, leaving the man curled on the floor in agony. He took off toward the woods and didn't stop running until he could no longer hear the shouts of anger, fear, and hatred behind him. When he did stop to rest, because the wound in his side was losing a lot of blood and he couldn't make it any farther, he realized he was back where he had started that morning, the clearing of trees where he and Griffin fist met. He sighed, knowing that he couldn't return to CatClan in this condition and sat against a tree, licking the large, bloody wound on his wing and side.
By the time the sun had disappeared in the sky the bleeding had stopped but he was still very week and didn't have much strength to move. When he heard the bushes rustled he expected Griffin with some of the weird HumanClan food that Helka seemed to develop a taste for. Instead the boy came through the bushes with a piece of paper and a scowl plastered across his freckled face. "What do you think you're doing Helka?!" Griffin through the paper he was holding at Helka and as he read it he knew the exact reason for his friend's anger. The paper was a wanted ad that read:
-WANTED-
CatClan winged one attacked the local Hampson family, Mrs. Hampson suffered only a few burses and managed to get their daughter Kit Hampson out unharmed. However, Mr. Hampson was put in the hospital and is recovering from extreme blood loss, broken bones, and shock. Reward for this monster is $10,000. Bring him in dead as he is too dangerous to me handled while living.
"Well, who else could they be talking about?!" Helka looked up at Griffin and sighed as his friend stared through the same hatefull eyes that the other HumanClan members had. "I thought that they were wrong Helka, I thought that the kindness you showed me was a love that no demon could feel. I should turn you in myself." After a long pause he looked down at his feet, "But I won't. Get out of here Helka, never show your face here again."
Helka could hardly believe that Griffin would think of him that way. It hurt much more than he had expected. This should have been the moment to leave, it should have been the end as he went back to CatClan, but he didn't want to leave. For the first time in all the months that he had been fooling around with Griffin he, Helka, was the one that got too attached to this HumanClan boy. "Griffin, wait." His voice was breathless and, although it hurt, he rose to his feet. "Please allow me to explain."
Griffin had tears in his eyes as he turned around and glared at Helka. "Go ahead. I'll give you this moment to explain why anything but a monster would do this."
Helka felt his neck fur rising, him the monster? When HumanClan slaughtered winged ones just for their own stupid power drive!? He forced himself to remain calm as he took another step toward Griffin, who in turn took a step away. Helka recognized the look in his friend's eyes, it was the same as when they first met in this very area, but this time it was mixed with regret. "I was trying to save her." It was obvious in the way his jaw clenched and muscles tightened that he didn't believe him. He sighed and sat back against the tree, clutching his side. "Tell me Griffin, when a winged one is born in HumanClan what happens to them?"
Griffin's eyes grew wide as if he didn't believe what he was hearing, "Y-you mean young Kit is..." His voice trailed off as he collapsed to the ground across the clearing from Helka.
Helka nodded, "I saw the wing stubs myself, I was trying to save her from the fait staying with her parents would have brought her." He was glad that Griffin had finally understood what had happened and managed to stumble over and wrap his good wing around the trembling boy. Griffin pressed close into Helka's fur and ran his fingers through it. Helka purred and leaned over to press his mouth close to Griffin's ear, "You know I have been thinking some time about staying here with you. That is if you would want to keep me as your mate." Griffin's head shot up and he stared deep into Helka's eyes. "What you said a little while ago was true, not only am a not any sort of demon but I also have found myself falling in love with you. Granted I never expected it to happen, let alone with someone from HumanClan, but it has." He leaned over and gently kissed Griffin's lips, "And I don't want it to stop. So what do you say?"
___________________________________________________________________________________________
I own this story and all the charictors in it.
Exept Kit who is owned by PandiLovesKoali