I always had thought that Mantana City was surrounded by wooded areas, a place full of greens. Instead, after a few hours of tiresome flight, a vast body of blue water greeted me. The air smelled salty while I gazed around the harbor. My heart nearly sank to the bottom as I saw the last ray of sunlight shimmered upon the uneven ripples of the cold, teal surface.

How was I going to be able to leave the cursed region when the ocean was in front of me? It was impossible for me to fly for a long period of time let alone crossing the sea.

A horn sounded as a cargo ship was getting ready to depart. The cranks on the deck were moved off quickly, while crew members climbed aboard the massive transit. Water foamed around the rusted bow of the vessel, displaying the amount of pollutants that were in the icy world of unknown. Seagulls cried out as they circled near the boxes, searching for food. I was jealous of them. They didn¡¦t have any problems that were hard to solve.

Night was beginning to appear as lights were turned on automatically. The flood lights were bringing the shadowy areas into brightness. Insects scurried away frantically. I continued to stay afloat in the air, surveying the scene.

The wheels in my brain were turning furiously. I was trying to figure out a way to leave. Mantana wasn't safe for me anymore. People were starting to hunt for me. Who knew what they would do after they had located me.

The wounds were stinging as I moved around restlessly. Gasping at the painful sensations, I was determined to find a place to hide, or rather, a place to leave this land. Sucking in a deep breath, I descended down near the giant steam pipes that ran adjacent above the thick, steel hull of the ship.

After double checking to see if there were any people coming around the corner, I forced open one of the freight containers that were one level below the main deck. Inside it was gloomy and it was somewhat stuffy. I folded my wings and walked inside. The sound of my talons clicking upon the tinny surface echoed around me. It was like a prison cell. I didn¡¦t want to venture in, but with my current state, I had to. It would be hazardous for me to stay outside.

I blinked a few times in order to adjust to the dimness of the chamber. Finally, I navigated around the boxes and sat in the far corner. I winced as I tenderly touched the gushing wound on my leg. I would have to find a way to get the bullet out. Around my arms, cuts could be seen. Most of them were shallow, but some were fairly deep.

It was a foolish mistake to smash through the glass panels back at the mall. I could have been stabbed in the eyes by the sharp broken pieces of crystals. I could have been killed if my wings were to tangle up by the twisted frames.

Groaning, I leaned my head against the steel wall. Before I dozed off, one of the staffers on board shouted angrily: ¡§Who the hell opened the gate of this container?¡¨

I shuffled back nervously away from the line of white that extended from the tip of a flashlight. The man shone into the area slowly, and I lay sprawling across the floor behind other items.

At last, he scoffed impatiently and slammed the door shut. Complete darkness smothered me. I sat up and closed my eyes. The gentle movements of the ship had somehow soothed my mind as I fell into a deep slumber. At least while I was asleep, I didn¡¦t have to notice my burning lesions both internally and externally.

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A sudden jerk woke me up. Beyond the exterior steel wall, I could hear men yelling out orders. The entire cargo was lifted and wooden crates around me slid around dangerously. I moaned as I stood up. I placed my hand over the bleeding gash on my leg. I felt sick and lightheaded.

After what seemed like centuries, it was still. Stumbling forward, I vigilantly opened the doors and peeked out. My breath was caught in between my throat as I saw the scenery before me. I was at a small dock, that wasn¡¦t impressive. What really captured my attention and interest was this enormous jungle standing before me.

Birds were flying above the tree tops and they sang happily within the warm sunlight that materialized just barely over the horizon. Clouds were a light shade of orange-purple, signaling the coming of dawn that would start a whole new day.

I gritted my teeth while forcing myself to walk out of my little concealed place. Before anyone could see me, I leaped over the handrail and dropped onto the sandy beach below. My legs collapsed beneath me as I stifled a painful cry.

¡§Who¡¦s there?¡¨ One of the workers heard my movements.

I scrambled to get into the bushes that were several feet away from me. Just as he came around the scattered equipment, I was safely behind some trees. I panted quietly while trying not to make too much noise.

The location of the harbor was rather cleverly used. With the rapid currents of the river that flowed downstream, people could place their supplies into many empty barrels and send them to the main camp site a few miles down. The monstrous boat could venture upriver and back into the sea in no time.

I patiently observed their actions, monitoring them. When it was nearly noon, the crews were back into their transportation and were off. Only a few handfuls of men were left behind to rack up their work.

I stayed in the same spot until they began to serve lunch. Once the conversation had started and voices murmured, I turned around and marched into the woods. The deeper I entered, the more stillness it became. Soon, all I could hear was my wheezing breaths and the crunching of the fragile leaves beneath my piercing talons.

Two more hours had passed since I first came to this mysterious land. I didn¡¦t know where I was. I didn¡¦t really know what time it was anymore since the abundant branches of the trees had covered the entire sky. It felt cool without the inviting sunlight. Insects buzzed around my ears as I tried to shoo them away.

I felt weak. I knew that I must had lost a large amount of blood, yet I had to keep going. I squinted when I started to see things in doubles. Tripping on a rough root that outcropped from the soil, I fell forward. I reached out my right arm, trying to grab hold on something before I struck the ground. My claws snatched the body of a small sapling. But with my weight, it couldn¡¦t withstand the strength. Ripping a large chunk of bark off the poor plant, I slammed onto the soft surface in the forest.

I puffed as my eyelids were half-closed. Before I lost consciousness, I saw a dark figure looming in the distance. I didn¡¦t care anymore. Let it consume my soul if it wanted to. I just wanted to rest.

***************************

A territory of darkness was set in front of me. Millions of sparkling materials swirled around me as I was rooted in place. I couldn¡¦t move. A mist of dense fog drifted in, surrounding me as it danced playfully within a space that contained no breeze.

Pictures of my family and friends appeared. I felt my mouth hung open while my eyes watered uncontrollably. Mom¡K Dad¡K Jake¡K all of them were smiling at me. Rohene was with them. She gave me a reassuring grin.

I reached out with my hand. They extended theirs. Just when we were going to touch each other¡¦s finger tips, their faces contorted with pain and anguish. I glanced around fretfully and saw my own wings.

They glowed with a taint of crimson red. Spikes protruded from the thin membranes of the flying appendages. Feathers flushed over my bare skin as I screamed with fright. I desperately tried to hang onto them, trying to reach them, yet they shunned away from me. The people who I knew and had lived with for a long time had evaded me.

I sensed a river of tears dripping down my face as I distraughtly attempted to explain to them. Without warning, my claws lengthened with great speed. They speared through my Mom¡¦s face and Jake¡¦s body as I bellowed with frustration. I tried to force my hand back, but something inside of me refused to let go.

I excruciatingly saw the amiable images being shredded into pieces. A bright light flashed and crystals of multi-colors rained down around me. I cried and shrieked as I fell into a bottomless pit. Sounds of moaning echoed around me as invisible hands were trying to snatch me. Their icy fingers raked my flesh as I swung my arm wildly.

No matter how I tried to escape, there were always walls enveloping me. I couldn¡¦t get pass them, I couldn¡¦t get through them. I couldn¡¦t flee the eternal torment...

***************************

I gasped out loud when I woke up. Sweat covered my body as I registered the environment. I was in a crudely made hut that composed of dried up hays and hardened clay. Irregular branches were the only things that supported the entire structure.

I was half covered in soft fur of an animal of some kind. Its smell was rather uncomfortable, but whoever had laid the material on me had also dressed up my wounds. Large, green leaves with medicine of unnamed were pressing against the rips of my muscles. I felt thirsty, yet the most important thing for me right now was to know where I was.

Outside, it was quiet. It was as if time itself had stopped for me, waiting for me to wake up from my nightmares. I was on my stomach and I felt stiff. I slowly got up by the leverage of my elbow. Gentle sunlight was filtered through the cracks of the roof of the hut.

Wincing, I slowly got up. My wings were a mess. The feathers needed preening and cleaning. The once light grey color that shined with a sense of life was replaced by black blotches of dirt. I limped toward the only door. I peeked through the space between the ragged boards and saw no one outside.

Opening it, I stumbled out into a place that was filled with walkways which joined different shelters together. They all suspended above a giant river. The crispy sound of water rushing underneath the bridges was refreshing. The air was filled with wonderful smells of flowers and other wild plants. Small pollens were drifting within the soft summer breeze. They encircled around me once then disappeared beyond the thick woods on my left.

I cautiously navigated across the footpaths and held onto the ropes that were draped from post to post to prevent people from falling into the cold river. After passing six houses, I was at the edge of the forest. From deep inside, I could hear animals shouting with energy. I found a huge white boulder that had various kinds of colorful speckles sparking within the sunshine. Weeds were growing lengthy along the outer edge of the massive rock.

I sat on top of it, while stretching my wings. I looked dreamily across the mirror-like surface of the river, lost in thoughts.

I didn¡¦t know how long I had sat there, but when my mind was back in my body, I felt a gentle tap on my bare shoulder. Turning around with surprise, I saw a native girl around the age of seventeen smiling at me. She was shorter than I was by perhaps a few centimeters. Her long, dark hair ran down to her shoulders that were covered in an old dress made out of the skins of creatures that had lived nearby. Her arms and legs were rather skinny, but her face was slender with two large black eyes to put a finishing touch. Overall, I was stunned at her beauty.

For some odd reasons, she resembled somewhat like Rohene. I shook my head to clear the thought as my face blushed with shame.

The girl in front of me spoke in a language that I couldn¡¦t depict. All I could hear was some random sounds that didn¡¦t make any sense at all. Finally, she smiled and grabbed my hand.

I flinched at her touch, but I tried to remain calm. It was a shock to see that she was not afraid of my appearance. She cleverly avoided the claws that were once my fingernails. Following her into the woodland, I looked around nervously. Everything was so foreign. I was an outsider, trespassing the lands of a race that I didn¡¦t know.

We stopped near a small spring that gurgled its way through the dense forest of rocks. Tiny shrubs grew along the bank. Their elongated leaves dipped down into the running water. She bent down and I squatted beside her. I was given an elegant pebble no larger than the width of my index finger.

Inspecting it, a smile stole onto my face. I watched her looking directly into my eyes. I felt my blood pulsing. I was not very good at being near females who were nice to me. She grasped my hand once again and led me through a series of twists and turns until at last, we had arrived at a small hill that overlooked the entire area.

The sky was a pale yellow as the sun was setting. Eagles were heading for their homes as smaller preys were descending down onto the abundant branches below. I realized that we were at a cliff that rose hundreds of feet high. Once slip, and it would be over.

The girl wheeled around and faced me. She traced her long fingers on my wings as I blinked blankly. She said something and giggled. I could only watch. Sighing, she led me back to where the lodgings stood.

When we returned, I found a group of men were gathering in the center of a platform which was constructed in the middle of the small ¡§village¡¨. They stared at me as I followed her. One man shouted something and other replied. Then, a heated debate was underway. I stood there, dumbfounded, unsure of what to do.

She saw my hesitation. Gently and knowingly, she guided me pass the males and into another shack. There, she urged me to lie on my stomach as she tended to my wounds. I yelped out as an agonizing sensation shot into my brain. She said in a reassuring tone (at least I thought it was reassuring) as she changed the leaves.

After several minutes, she nodded with satisfaction and smiled at me. I sat up, cross-legged. I felt drained and hungry, not to mention that my brain was filled with the desire of sleep. She must had saw my expression and left hurriedly. A short amount of time had passed and she returned with food. A bowl of soup was placed in front of me and I gulped it down greedily. Before I could say thank-you in my own tongue, she forced me to rest by placing her palm on my chest. I tried to protest but she silenced me with a finger on my lips.

In the end, I obeyed and fell into a comfortable sleep, ignoring the fleas that were jumping around me.

~End Chapter 16~