Take Flight

Birds of a Feather

Fun facts:

A group of crows is called a "murder".

A group of ravens is called a "conspiracy".

Both are considered to carry bad or good omens depending on the culture

To eat like a bird means to eat lightly to be a picky eater

12 years after Fukuro and Keigo meet...

Summer sunlight warms a forest, where trees are friendly enough to wave to their neighbors. A startled branch shakes as eight talons crash into it. The accompanying legs squat, cushioning the landing. Bright red wings with golden tips rapidly flap and retract. The boy stands and puffs his chest. A clean, smooth t-shirt waves around his body. He closes his eyes and listens to the forest voices. The wind flutters through his golden locks, exposing hidden and scattered brown streaks.

The boy smiles to himself. "I can hear them," he whispers. Then he squats, outstretches his wings and leaps forth! With one swift thrust he soars above the sea of green. He opens his triangular eyes. Do it slowly. A fatherly voice echoes in his head. Right now your eyes are still young so be careful. You don't want bad eyesight like your Papa Keigo! Haha! As the golden-brown irises reflect the sunlight, the hills expand. The boy's cheeks simultaneously pull a wide smile and push his bushy brows up.

A sudden caw echoes in his ear. He cranks his neck towards the source. He chuckles.

"Heya buddies, you enjoying the wind, too?" he asks. The black-feathered creatures fly away. Meanwhile, the boy feels a feather tingle. If your feathers send you a message, listen and trust your instincts.

The boy falls out of the air and flies until he feels an immense amount of vibrations. Abnormally, they cease. The boy narrows his eyes. He decides to take cover among the high branches. So, he folds his wings and presses his hands over his ears. High wind speeds will have long-term effects on your hearing, so make sure to protect your ears, especially when you're diving.

In one swift motion, the boy shuts his mouth before seabird diving beneath the leaves. Fierce eyes lock on a landing area. He extends his legs in front of his face, stretching out each talon as he reaches the target. As soon as bark contacts thick bird feet, his toes instinctively curl up. Combined with the silent yet rapid wing flapping, he squats and halts. He suddenly leans forward but quickly regains his balance.

Tinglings resume.

The winged boy's eyes shoot up.

They focus on a site 1.2 km away.

Adrenaline rushes through his veins.

What...was this horror?!

The fight or flight response tears inside. Suddenly, a few different feathers tingle. Immediately, he leaps towards the new vibration. This one was more important than his own life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ♡〜٩( ˃́▿˂̀ )۶〜♡ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Among an intersection of medium-thick branches is a bundle of brown feathers. Thin light rays peek through the green, waving hands. However, neither they nor a few frequent feathered visitors disturb the sleeper. Beneath the group of branches is a quiet, gushing stream.

A pair of talons charges in and shakes the area clean. The young boy looks up at the bundle with a sigh. He carefully hops closer. He squats next to the sleeper. After a moment he pokes the brunette hair with a talon-like fingernail. At first no response. He pokes again. Again, nothing. After continuous pestering, the figure groans and shifts.