The Angel's Nature

Chapter 11

He got completely immersed in his thinking. He wondered if that was the reason why his climb was clumsy. Or perhaps it was because he had never climbed before.

Suddenly something made him shrug. At first he didn't realize what it was. Then it came to him – the feeling, the flaw he had brought here from home. The flaw that was always there.

His wings were popping up. Luckily, his shirt had holes, and he smiled, mentally thanking himself for not forgetting it. They went out easily and gracefully, which rarely happened.

Cosmo flew up for a second and then jumped on another rock, then again and again. It made the climb way easier, which made him wonder if this was how all normal people climbed.

Suddenly he felt the cold beneath himself. It felt like stone on the back of his leg, and it hurt slightly. Cosmo opened his eyes and saw himself stretched across the rocks in an uncomfortable pose. Luckily, he hadn't fallen off, but it seemed impossible to get up safely without hurting the leg even more.

"Willow! Can you wait?"

Nothing followed. It was harder to breathe in such a pose, and Cosmo held his chest.

"Willow! Help me, please!"

Sighing, he forced himself up. Of course his wings would disappear. He was acting stupid again. But now there was nothing to worry about; they had popped back up. Clearly, he was stressed. And since they would disappear in two minutes without warning, it was dangerous to fly.

Quietly swearing, he brushed the dirt off his clothes and kept walking.

"Willow!"

There was nobody around. He must have not noticed or run ahead. He couldn't have just left Cosmo behind.

So he started running. He didn't care if he could fall; finding Willow was all that mattered. He tripped and regained balance at every step he took. The wings wouldn't vanish; at one point he thought of flying.

Then he saw movement again, this time, more vividly. Clearly, it was the proportions of a person. Now it could be one of two things: his illusions or Willow. He hoped for the second.

"Willow, is that you?" He rushed after the person, into the thick bushes. The hill was rough and almost vertical; it was very easy to fall, especially when walking on tiny pebbles that he could roll off.

Cosmo saw the person again.

"Stop!"

They stopped. Breathing heavily, Cosmo approached. The boy standing in front of him was clearly not Willow. He was taller and looked more around Cosmo's age, with messier hair and clothes a bit oversized.