Of a Flock

Epilogue

 He still couldn't really believe it, even as he flew into the sky, watching the man dive after him. His wings pressed against the soft gravity, helping him to stay afloat, and the air almost seemed to take his breath away.

Without his flashing sword, his hands felt empty.

"Do you know how annoying you are, Purpled?" Quackity screeched. "Always running away just when I finally have you!"

This wasn't supposed to happen. He could hear his breathing grate harshly through his mind, echoing a history he wanted to put past him. But he couldn't.

In all honesty, his trap wasn't supposed to have killed anybody. But he remembered how buzzed his brain had been at the time, placing certain items here and there for revenge. He hadn't stopped to think if it was too much, if he shouldn't go that far. But, it worked. He had gotten his revenge.

"So now you're not going to!"

Colors blurred together and somebody rammed into him, causing him to gasp and momentarily forget how his wings worked. The harsh floor greeted him, scraping his limbs and reminding him vaguely where he was, but did it matter?

Did any of it matter anymore?

He thought that somebody was shuffling behind him, but he didn't pay it any attention.

Is everything my fault?

Hands grabbed his wings, slightly snapping him out of his thoughts. He gave a jerk for a response, trying to get out, but the grip only tightened, crushing his feathers together.

Maybe I deserve this.

The person exhaled and twisted his hands, sending a shock of fire through him. He couldn't help it. Purpled screamed.

It hurt.

"Purpled! Hey, listen, hear me out! Buddy, I'm right here, are you okay?"

Gasping in air, tears rimmed his vision. Why did his back hurt so much? He tried to move his wings, but instead, a flare of fire jolted through them, and he had to hold back his scream. Only to tense up and hiss out in pain when his back touched the cold, hard floor.

"My wings!"

He could hear the concern leak out in Punz's voice when he demanded, "What about them? What happened?"

"I-I can't move them!" He looked up at his brother, not even trying to hide his fear. He couldn't understand what was happening, why his wings hurt so much.

"Okay . . ."

He let himself be turned over by Punz so he was laying on his stomach, trying to breathe evenly through the pain. "How . . . bad is it?" he asked through gritted teeth, balling up his hands into fists.

Nobody answered him for a moment, and his heart thudded inside of him. What on earth had happened?!

"Sweetie . . ." Niki began, her tone as light as a feather. "I-I'm afraid you won't ever be able to, um, fly—"

"WHAT?" His cry seemed to echo throughout the entire End sky. "Punz, tell me she's lying!" He hated the way his voice cracked, but the strain was getting to him. The ground was cold, his back was hot, and here he was, a mess in the middle.

"I don't know, Purp. I don't know. Dream! Watch over him for me, please."

He saw Dream nod, his features hardening in determination as he stepped forward, grabbing Purpled's hand. He squeezed back, trying to still his shaking body. It was the one thing keeping him from screaming.

"I'll be back, Purpled," his brother promised, and all he could do was nod, forced to trust his words. So he just watched him go, his body racking with ragged breaths as he clenched his teeth together, trying to stop the pain. Techno squeezed Dream's shoulder before moving off with Punz, and the two female avians stood in front of the kids, their wings tucked safely behind them and their swords drawn out.

He hesitated, before exhaling, "Dream?"

The older brunette gave a smile, although his emerald eyes were far from happy. "Yeah?"

"I'm scared. What am I going to do if I can't ever fly again? I mean, who am I . . . What do I become now?"

Dream blinked and shifted in the still air of the End. Purpled watched as he tried to formulate an answer, sorting through his words. He turned away, wrinkling his forehead. He didn't want people to keep lying and tell him it was okay.

It wasn't okay. It never would be okay ever again.

Finally, the new avian took a breath. "Whatever happens, Purpled, just know that you are yourself, and that nobody can take that away from you."

-----

"They say there's an opal castle, somewhere in the distance . . ."

[Continued in the next book, Hidden Treasure!!! Coming out soon!]