Page 2 of Wings of Desire

Gunfire erupts around the camp, accompanied by agonizing shrieks of pain. I dig my heels into the dirt, struggling against the monster that holds me.

Another shot rings out, and the grip on my hair suddenly goes slack. I can’t see where the shot came from, but on instinct, my legs move. In a frenzy, I navigate through the chaos of bodies and tents, swiftly darting in between them. The fear of being caught grows, causing my heart to race and thump loudly in my ears.

“No!” someone yells in despair.

I hear choking, followed by a deep, grotesque laugh in reply.

Panic surges through me and I run. I run as fast as I can, not caring where I head. I go deep into the darkness of the woods, not stopping until the sounds of the camp fade away.

My chest aches with exertion, and I finally stop to catch my breath. I’m doubled over, inhaling through my nose until finally my breathing steadies. Once I’m calm, I take in my surroundings, curious about where I’ve gone.

I’ve stumbled into a clearing at least twenty feet wide where the trees have chosen not to grow. The moss under my feet glows with each step, illuminating my bare feet as if the ground is electric.

I can’t hear the screaming anymore. There’s nothing but the tittering of birds and wildlife around me, along with the rapid beating of my heart.

From the shadows, a majestic creature strides into the clearing. It has two antlered heads and four legs. Its body is a sleek, solid black with piercing eyes that glow. The creature is enormous! It’s as large as a car. It pays me no attention as it moves gracefully to its destination.

This must be where animals graze. I realize I must be in this deer-things territory. A sudden snap of twigs behind me makes my body go taut with fear. Another crack sends me springing again into the forest.

The trees become narrower as I push forward, funneling me into a tight linear line between them. Their bark is ordinary at first glance. Up close I can see intricate swirling bioluminescent markings that travel up their trunks that look like a face. Tighter and tighter they grow until there’s just a hair’s breadth between me and them. I reach out, compelled to touch their rough exterior. My fingers graze the bark, and it lights up as if on command.

“Amazing–” As soon as the word leaves my lips, the trees begin to shift. It morphs before my eyes. Snake-like vines coil and twist at the edges of my vision, but I’m too entranced to move.

Where my hand is, the bark undulates and moves into what looks like fingers and above them, two eyes slowly open. The entire forest holds its breath. The usual chorus of birds and wildlife falls silent as a hand clamps around my arm, yanking me forward. Right before my eyes, a tendril inches closer, slithering slowly.

“Fuck!”

My shout creates a chain reaction. All around, the trees animate themselves. They sprout eyes and hands, their tendrils writhing and reaching towards any sound.

Suddenly, a rough vine wraps around my throat, coiling around my neck until I can’t breathe. Another tendril snakes up my torso and the fingers dig into my skin, pulling me flush to it. The vine squeezes the last of my breath from my throat.

Panic floods my mind as I struggle against its assault. The sound of ripping fabric mingles with the furious pounding of my heart.

I’m going to die.

My vision goes blurry as I slowly give in to the crushing pressure on my windpipe.

A guttural scream pierces through the sound of my hammering heart. The vine around my neck suddenly releases its hold on me and I’m yanked free of the tree’s grasp.

I can’t tell what’s happening. I feel powerful arms around my waist, lifting me off the ground. The rushing air pulls a scream from my throat and my glasses slide down my nose as I kick frantically. “Let me down!” The shout mingles with the wind as we soar away from the living forest.

“Hiljaen likva!”

I crane my neck to the thing carrying me and my breath catches in my throat.

Large, pale green wings sprout from the creature that’s carrying me. The being has two sets of arms and between a delicate aquiline nose are bright white eyes glistening like polished ivory. A pair of long furry antenna sprout from its head and a thick ruff of fur covers its neck. It contrasts starkly against its entirely white body. In one of its hands is a long, slender blade, dripping with a brightly glowing sap from the vines.

“Set me down!” I scream, my voice rising in panic as we dip under a limb, spiraling higher recklessly. I think I’m going tohurl. This creature flies completely unconcerned with how my legs dangle or how close we come to hitting tree branches.

The thing curses under its breath—at least I assume it’s cursing—before we stop blissfully on a limb thick enough to stand on. It sets me down, my legs trembling as I struggle to catch my breath. The creature sneers at me as if irritated by me.

“Not up here!” I screech, peering over the side of the limb, immediately squeezing my eyes shut again in terror. We have to be at least twelve stories high. The ground is nearly invisible beneath us, and I’m here stranded with this bizarre butterfly thing.

“Hiljaen itsei! O’lena kunnosi,” it says, shaking its head no. Its voice is a deep, rich baritone. It’s only now that I realize this creature must be male.

As I catch my breath, I take a closer look at him. His feet are bare, each one with two toes and a third digit positioned like a thumb on the ball. Each of his four hands has five fingers, and his muscular arms tell me he’s no stranger to hard labor. There are intricate green designs that match those on his wings that snake up his powerful torso. His hindwings are similar in color, but longer, adorned with eye-shaped patterns. This reminds me of insects I’ve studied before. These were called Luna Moths.

He wears nothing but a leather loin cloth draped over his front. I can’t see the outline of genitalia, so it makes me wonder if he has a cock-pocket.

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