Take Flight

Head in the Clouds

Noises swirl and echo in Taka's head. The feathers on his back ache with each twitch. Soon the pain becomes unbearable. His eyes flutter open. He shifts his right shoulder against a soft cushion. His left shoulder moves in the air.

"Oh s*** he's awake! Quick! Get some anesthesia ready!"

"Hnnngg?" the boy moans. He starts to breathe in...and out...

Where am I? Everything's bright. And there's a lot of white vines...they're very smooth..

He notices a strange cloth feeling cloaking the front of his body.

Wait a minute....is this?

It feels as if his stomach collided with a tree branch.

No no no no!!

Taka bolts upright. His pupils fight to expand against the blinding white suns. He rapidly scans the room. An endless sea of people...all masked...tools in hand...all in the same matching white.

"PAPA!" he screeches. His diaphragm expands beyond its limits.

"Boy, please calm down," an unfamiliar voice calls. Adrenaline pulsing through his body overrides the innumerable pain signals. ignore the chills and shocks.

"PAPA! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

They start closing in. The pressure around his heart increases. He can't help but cry.

"Hey hey hey, dear. It'll be alr--"

One of them reaches out. Taka immediately shies away. His back contacts something fluffy, yet the impact is enough to make him feel an explosion in his left shoulder and wing.

"PAPA!!"

Everything is blurry and hazy. The heat on his skin could evaporate water. He attempts to stand up. Something grabs his arm. Rather than sitting, the child lashes out with his talons. He barely feels their edges as they slice through fabric and skin layers. The crowd gasps. One by one they each attempt to restrain him.

"STOP IT PLEASE!"

I have to get out of here!!

Someone grabs his other arm. He lashes out again.

"HEY! LET ME GO!"

Why am I here?!

One hand snags his neck while another catches his elbow. They pin him into a sitting position. Taka struggles and kicks his feet. He bites his tongue and twists his body in every possible direction.

"HNGGG STOP!!'

Where's Sora? Where's Papa? Where's Mama?

As he writhes and wriggles, one of the people compresses his left shoulder. Immediately all adrenaline is replaced with an eruption of glutamate.

"AAAAIIIIIII!!! PAPA!! OWW THAT HURTS STOP!!

-----

2 minutes earlier in a separate yet similar room:

"This is urgent if you want your wings salvaged," the doctor remarks. The patient slowly inhales and exhales. He grunts at the pain shooting up his exposed, bloody back. His eyes squeeze out all the light.

"Hnngggh, right. Okay. Aaaaaaa where's...the...anesth..," he hisses through his teeth.

"Anaesthetic?"

"Y-yes, doctor." The patient digs his fingers into the mattress.

"Measuring it out now. Please trust me, Hawks. This isn't my first emergency surgery."