Avian Trails: Lost Feathers

Prologue

    The wind howled at gale-like wind-speeds. Snowflakes twirled in the sky, landing on a barren, gloomy bed of snow. Trees hung over, leaves rattling as the wind sped through them. There were two people in the snow. They had feathers dotting their face, graceful and long wings, and pairs of bird-like eyes. The two were avians, avians thrived in their lands of Aviania and were by far the best species there. They were graceful and elegant, cordial and intelligent, and small and swift.
    The smaller flapped their blue wings irritably. "Mother, when can we rest? This blizzard will last the rest of the day- I'm sure of it." She grumbled, looking her mother with her sharp gray eyes. Her mother was tall and beautiful, though the snow didn't do any good highlighting her features. She had long brown and tan feathers on her nose and lifting off of her ears. She had long dirty blonde hair tied in a braid which was adorned with different feathers and ribbons.
    "It won't be long, hold in there Misty," the woman answered. Her long claw-ish fingers scratched a spot on her head and drew back to her side. They trudged through fresh snow and her pants were wet with melted snow. Both of their legs had to be numb by then. The wind only howled louder and fiercer as time stretched on.
    Misty stopped after the long hike, gazing at their surroundings. "There, the shelter," she pointed with a long finger. Her mother followed her finger to a tree. Thick roots which marked the entrance were tangled up tightly. It doesn't look too warm, Misty thought to herself, but it would have to do. She dragged her legs as she walked and her mother followed suit. They were both exhausted from the hike, and it was their fourth day out in the wilderness.
    She crawled into the burrow, which was small but expansive nonetheless. It looked like it had been there for years, avians adding onto it every visit. There were crawlspaces to different areas and holes that could fit a Ground Avian to sleep in. There was a hole in the middle to the outside, presumably for fire smoke. Though now it was covered in snow and only made the main burrow colder than it already was. She could hear the wind howling and whipping back trees outside.
    Her mother crawled into a winding tunnel to a sleep room and Misty followed. They settled in their own beds that were stuffed with different plants and feathers and furs. Misty felt it was only fair if she gave back a little- even if the plant material was a bit old. They wouldn't have time in the morning, though. She then drifted into a dreamless sleep, snoring quietly and her wings twitching every now-and-then.

. . .

"Misty, your father isn't waiting for nothing," her mother said exasperatedly. She shook her daughter, and Misty blinked awake. Early morning light glowed through the smoke-hole, lighting the rooms in pale gold.
"Can we fly today?" Misty asked, heaving herself up. Her wings dragged behind her as she rolled out of the bedding and crawled into the main room. "It'd be faster," she remarked, and then looking outside through the twisting roots. "The weather is clear today, too."
Her mother looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, we'll fly today. Stay close to me though, it's not safe in Cold season," she said. They both went out from the burrow, cold wind smacking Misty in the face. She followed her mother obediently, stretching her wings out as they got ready to fly. I wonder when we'll have morning prey, she thought as she flapped her wings. They took off in the air, and she flapped when her mother did, she shifted her wings like her mother.
Misty wasn't very familiar with flying as a featherling, but she wanted to learn. She could only imagine being as graceful as her mother, lifting her wings in air currents and diving with such momentum that only she could master. She admired her mother, Ophelia. Her mother was precise and only wanted the best and Misty wanted to be the best.
Though as she admired her mother, she wondered about her siblings. They had left them all alone, in a house not very suited for Cold season. She felt guilty, leaving them all alone but it would be too difficult to bring them along. Her mother needed help too, and observant Misty would help tremendously, she had remembered her mother saying. Vinelli is suited for the job of taking care of others, she thought. Her little sister was a talented healer and was so very generous. She envied her skill, and that would be why she wanted to be her best.
Jiggit was a bookworm at heart and knew basically everything there is to know, Vinelli was so kind and talented at healing and she could craft so many things, and so Misty would be the best but ..best what? What could she possibly be better at?

She shook her head in thought, I'll figure that out later. Right now she needed to focus on flying and not getting lost. She gazed around, flapping her wings. Fear took over her as she started panicking. Where is mother? She thought, she had lost her!
    "Mother!" Misty shouted, the wind whipped her dirty blonde hair and dark blue feathers into her face. The wind drowned out her hollering. She stopped when her throat grew sore and her wings felt heavy. It was no use, she had lost her mother and she was the only one who could take the fault. She soared down, towards the ground and then caught herself as she drew her wings out at full-length. She looked around, gasping for air as the wind made it hard to breathe properly.
    Misty heard a thump and saw something falling out of the sky. She contemplated on looking closer and her curiosity won over her cautiousness. She clumsily landed, her feet almost giving way underneath as she touched the ground. She stood up straight and squinted her eyes. It was hard to see in the snow drifting down to the fresh blanket of snow.
    She then paused, I can't sneak around in fresh snow, she realized. The ice and snow wouldn't help her, she was too heavy to go about silently. Misty was thinking about grabbing a hare and riding it over but that also wouldn't work. It's not like her weight magically disappeared when she's trying to ride an animal or ride something at all. She flapped her wings and her ears twitched indecisively. Maybe I can just fly .. quietly, she thought, though most avians knew only Moon Avians could do such thing. They were fast as lightning, and never missed their target as well as silent as an owl. They were cruel and prideful hunters, tracking their prey for days- making their prey terrified and paranoid -she shuddered as she remembered Moon Avian facts they were taught. They were the scariest things on the island, besides Batians trying to give something a heart-attack.
    Misty flapped her wings slowly to get a feel for them. She had never tried to be quiet while flying before. Usually the wind would drown her wingbeats out. It had seem to quiet down since she had landed. She then jumped up, flapping hard. Her wingbeats were loud, but the wind was a little louder. She glanced around as she lifted herself in the air.
    She didn't see that dark shape in the snow anymore, the one that she thought was her mother. That thoroughly freaked her out and she fell to the ground. Something was out there, and she wasn't planning on dying today. You can never be too cautious, she promised herself, trying to calm her nerves and beating heart. There should be a hiding place somewhere, Misty thought, gazing around. The snow made it hard to see and it felt hopeless trying to find somewhere to hide.
    She felt something pinch her in her left wing as she stood up. She looked over and didn't see anything ..until she saw a dark figure hiding in the snow. Suddenly she felt a wave of nausea hit her like a boulder. She staggered as her body and wings felt heavy as a block of iron. She keeled over, practically falling down, and everything turned black with sleep. She fainted from something or someone, and was dragged away by a strange avian.