"You're Next!"

- Chapter 14 -

Grian woke up. He first saw the bright light shining in his face and immediately blocked it with his arms. Which then, he realized, were coated with feathers. After a short panic attack, he realized he had wings, which caused another short panic attack. Then he realized what he had just seen. He turned to look at his wings again. Then blinked. They were still there, very clearly attached to him. But that raised another question. Could he fly?

Grian sat up in the bed he was in. He let out a squawky cry of shock at the sight of a very pale GeminiTay at the end of his bed. It looked as if she had been eating, or, had been trying to eat. But gosh, she looked so sick. Her skin was nearly white, and she felt cold to the touch. The faint breathing was the only sign that she was alive. 

Grian wanted to help her. But, then again, she had gone haywire last time he'd seen her... But she looked awful.

After having an argument with his brain, Grian decided to help her, but in a cautious kind of way. He lifted her up (with difficulty, as he was still smaller than her) and put her in the bed. Grian then put the tray of food on the bedside table and clipped a metal chain around one of Gem's wrists, connecting the other side to the wall.

Grian grabbed the tray and walked out of the room, the only sound the soft click-clacking of his talon-edged toes. Grian reached the kitchen and dumped the plate into the sink, making sure to wash it well with a sponge and some soap. 

Then it all went wrong.

Grian couldn't reach the bread to make more sandwiches. He kept leaping up, but the bread was on the highest shelf for some reason.  Finally he remembered his wings, and what (he thought) they could do.

Grian spread his wings and started flapping them. He hovered in the air a few feet above, and reached for the bread. But it was. still. too. HIGH.

So, he flapped his wings harder. And collapsed on the ground.

Grian felt a stinging pain in his wing, and looked to see an arrow sticking out of it. He felt suddenly very tired. He started coughing. But why did it hurt? 

As a last effort, he reached for the bread, but a second arrow hit his wing, and he collapsed, unconscious, onto the ground.

BONUS STORY

"Did I get it?" 

Lizzie peeped through the doorway. "Yep, you sure did!" She called to the others. 

FWhip looked into the kitchen beside her. "What IS that thing?" He asked.

Scar appeared, looking into the kitchen as well. "It kinda looks like Grian!" He said, tucking his bow and arrows away. He took a couple steps forwards, into the kitchen. "Oh my gosh, it IS Grian!" He yelped, lunging forwards to pull out the arrows.

Grian, apparently, was laying on the floor, very pale, with big red, yellow, and blue wings on his back.

"We need to get him to the beds!" FWhip called, running forwards to help Scar.

Lizzie ran in, after a moment of hesitation, and grabbed the tray that had fallen on the ground. She made several peanut-butter and jam sandwiches and put them on the tray, which she had moved to the counter. Lizzie then grabbed some glasses and filled them with water, putting them beside the sandwiches on the tray.

"Quickly!" Scar said loudly. He and FWhip had lifted Grian up and were walking carefully towards the attic. 

Lizzie followed, with the tray in her arms.

Scar and FWhip were the first to enter the attic, placing their unconscious bird friend in a bed.

Lizzie followed, placing the tray on the small table in between the two beds.

Everything was quiet. Suddenly, Lizzie heard a rustle of fabric and the soft clanging of metal-on-metal. Lizzie nearly screamed with shock at the sight of Gem, chained up in the second bed.