My Writetober 2020

Day 6: Chased

Grian's heart beat fast and his lungs burned. His feet thumped upon the ground, carrying him farther and farther away, hoping to escape his pursuer.

His thoughts were the same mantra, over and over again.

Keep running, don't stop. Keep running, don't stop. Keep running don't stop. Keep running-

Grian felt his heart drop as his foot caught on a stone, sending him tumbling down onto the ground. He whimpered as his arm scraped on the ground, leaving it raw and hurting.

"P-please. Don't hurt me." Grian pleaded, not daring to look up at his attacker.

They were silent, pacing around him in a circle. Grian curled up in a ball, trembling and shielding himself from any kick that might come.

Grian cried out when the attacker grabbed his wing and yanked it open. Something sharp ran over the inside of the wing, tracing the bone until it met where the wing connected to Grian back. It rested on the joint, eliciting another whimper and whispered plea from Grian.

The knife moved to the tip of Grian's wing, before swiftly slicing off a bunch of feathers, mainly ones Grian needed for flight.

The pursuer was clipping his wings.

Grian tensed as they moved to the next wing, finishing quickly. The knife was removed from his wing, and the stranger stepped back, mumbling something into a walkie-talkie.

Still panicking, Grian scrambled to his feet and sprinted away. He kept running, not stopping until he was at the door of the building he stayed in with his 'family'.

Grian fumbled for his keys and unlocked the door, hurrying inside and locking the door behind him. A very tired and concerned Xisuma sat in the living room with a book.

"Oh Grian, thank the hermits in the skies you're okay! Where have you been? It's so late, everyone has been so worried-"

"I g-got lost." Grian stammered, still shaken up.

Xisuma noticed his arm and grabbed it, looking over it like a concerned mom. "What happened? Why are you hurt?"

Grian opened his wings.

"Oh Grian!" Xisuma gasped. "Who did this?"

"I don't k-know." Grian shivered. "The feathers won't grow back for a few months, the guy might've been planning something. He was talking into a walkie-talkie when he finished clipping my wings."

Xisuma wrapped his arms around Grian. "You're safe with us, okay? We'll keep you safe until your feathers grow back, alright?"

Grian melted into the hug, tearing up. "Th-thank you."