Page 23 of Darkened Wings
“Now, I’m going to have Jasmine and…Ronnie. You two come up here and I want you to show the others how it’s done.”
Since nobody asked questions, I had to be the only one who wasn’t in on the gig. I scooted back on my bottom closer to the trees, hopefully hidden a bit by their shadows.
Without any further instructions, Jasmine and Ronnie stripped and shifted. Nobody but me seemed to be bothered at all by it. I supposed those who spent time with shifters were used to people stripping down, but my parents had always been a little subtle about it, and I’d swear both of these two took a little more time than necessary to show off their perfect bodies. I liked Jasmine even less for that. Ronnie, I didn’t know at all. And didn’t plan to.
But once they were shifted, it was even harder to look away because they were so beautiful with their glossy feathers. My parents had been magnificent in their plumage, but they were adults, a different generation, and until this very moment, I’d never seen someone of my own generation in raven form.
Not even me in a mirror. Because when we shifted, we were always outside on a farm not far from our home. I hadn’t thought about it at the time, but now I wondered if the owners of the farm were shifters of some kind. Who else would let a bunch of ravens fly all around their fields?
And…that was what my parents did, while I strutted around on the ground underneath and tried not to be too jealous. When I was very little, I’d assumed that my lack of shifting was due to age, but by the time I reached thirteen, I’d figured out that wasn’t the case. It took me a while, but I learned. Or rather, Mom took me aside and explained.
Jasmine and Ronnie were up in the air now, swooping and bobbing and totally showing off. The instructor was making points about things they were doing. Compliments about their technique and suggesting we could all learn from them. The other students were watching, but none of them seemed all that interested, and I could see a few typing away on phones held in their laps. But the instructor acted as though they were all focused and in the moment. “Eddie and Janelle, you’re next.”
I scooted back farther into the shadows.
Two by two, the students were sent into the air, and soon they were all flying in kind of a big circle around the edge of the clearing, while I had managed to work myself back so far that I couldn’t even see the flyers anymore, except when they passed a very narrow gap in the trees. But even that brought back so many feelings. Sadness, loneliness, even admiration. I had perfectly good wings, according to my parents, so why didn’t they work?
“Why aren’t you with the rest?” The male voice came from someone who hadn’t been part of the group. In fact, while he smelled like bird, it was not raven. Probably a hawk or some other wild bird who had stopped by to watch the show. “They really are showing off, aren’t they?”
“I wouldn’t put it that way.” I felt required to defend them. My fellow students. “They’re practicing flying. It’s for class.”
He took a few steps forward, probably to see better. “They’re okay. But they’re so big and bulky, there are a lot of places they won’t fit.” A smaller bird, then. A scrub jay maybe? “I bet you’re a lot more graceful.”
“You’d be surprised.” I wasn’t about to tell this stranger about my inability to leave the ground. It wasn’t any of his business. I wasn’t sure how many of the other students did know about my unfortunate issue, but I couldn’t see any benefit to spreading the whole thing. “So, are you a student here?” He wasn’t a raven, clearly, and if not, why would he be here?
Were we still on the campus?
“I just flew in to check out the competition.” He tipped his head back, preening a bit. “And it’s good to see they aren’t really any kind of competition at all. How do they even hold their heads up?”
Competition?
“So, what are you saying? Are you a…”
I didn’t want to ask. The way the ravens around here seemed to feel about them, asking someone if they were a crow might be the height of rudeness.
“A guest, yes I am. I don’t go to school here.” He scoffed. “I finished my education sometime back. My people aren’t nerds like yours, always wanting to get more and more education before being willing to face life.”
“Uh…” I’d been facing life for a long time completely on my own, and I did not owe this stranger who I really believed was a crow. “Anyway, I should get back to class. It’s been nice talking to you.”
“You don’t mind if I stay here and watch while you fly? I still think you’ll be the most graceful of them all.”
“I’m not going to fly today. I’m…resting a wing. I did an extra hour of flight yesterday and sprained something. You know how it can be.” The lies flowed. “But I want to go support my classmates.”
“You sure? I hate to miss it if you change your mind. They don’t know what a treasure you are.”
“No. I won’t. It’s been nice talking to you.” I deliberately took a few steps away as if to indeed join the class, but I didn’t want to go too far for fear someone would notice me. I peeked over my shoulder just in time to see him strip and shove his clothes in a remarkably small bag. I peeked through my fingers because I wanted to see and…
Sure enough, the crow flew away. I’d spent my flight class conspiring with the enemy. Had anyone noticed?
Chapter Fourteen
Oh gosh. Now I’d really done it. I’d spoken to a crow. Not that it was illegal or against any rules to speak to a crow, well, not any written rules.
Not any that I knew of.
But ravens didn’t socialize with crows. Speaking to a crow was akin to sleeping with the enemy.
I knew better now, of course. Too little too late but no harm done.
