Snippet #1795837

Kinarie sat huddled against the trunk, hugging herself and humming softly to block out the surroundings. That's why she didn't know the dark boy was even below her until he sent that gentle thought-nudge that almost sent her sprawling off her perch if she hadn't been hugging it already. It okay pretty-wing-girl. It safe. Pretty-wing-girl come down yes? Nudge help get metal things off. How get up there? Not get down? Nudge help if pretty-wing-girl want. As it was, her head jerked up and her wings spread wide with a bright whoosh, gripping the branch she sat on as she wavered.

Her heart fluttered so fast, Kinarie thought it would pop out from her chest. Her hair whipped in a dark silver arch behind her as she fervently tried finding it's source. A rustle of feet caught the attention of her ears ans she stiffened, slowly bending her neck to see below her. Far below, on the ground, was a person. This time she couldn't suppress a high gasp. A person, but... he didn't look exactly like a scientist. He didn't have wings like her; none of the scientists had wings like her, too. But, his stance was calm. And he looked more like her in build - unnaturally slim and small. His upturned face held not hatred, disgust, or trickery. And yet, she couldn't place what it was. His hand, it was open and free of any sort of gun or knife or leash. And his mind-voice; Kinarie brought a thin palm and pressed it against her forehead, brow furrowed slightly as she tried to understand his words: It okay pretty-wing-girl. It Safe. Pretty-wing-girl come down yes? Okay, okay. Kinarie knew that word. Then twice, he directed the longer phrase at her: girl, wing. She was a wing-girl but that first part she didn't understand... pretty? What was she, pretty? But safe. She knew that one, mostly. Safe, okay. It, was was it? What was safe? She was not safe. She was in an unknown forest closeby to the only thing she knew, and it just exploded. Not, not safe. She firmly thought. How was this boy not scared to be there? He said more, though, she remembered. The odd mind-thoughts echoed around inside her head.
Nudge help get metal things off. How get up there? Not get down? Nudge help if pretty-wing-girl want. Nudge, what was this? He, the boy, he must be Nudge. She blinked, looking at the extremely thin branches around her, filling out to huge thick ones at the base where he stood. She'd flapped as hard as she could with her wings, which hadn't gotten her very far before she started using her arms to pull a bit too. But it had still taken her quite a while. Her feet twitched under the metal lead weights. Metal... off... help...? She bit her lip. Boy, Nudge, could take them off? She shook her head slightly, hair falling into her face. Uncoming gone. Not. She thought helplessly. How many hours had she sat in her cell, scraping, pulling, whacking at the cuffs?

Kinarie tilted her head, watching the boy warily. He looked so different from the Scientists. He was calmer, unhurting. It almost made her want to crawl down to him, if only for curiosity's sake.
Slowly, carefully, Kinarie slipped a foot to set it on a branch lower. She swung her other leg to it, but the weights unbalanced her and she wobbled for a heart-throbbing moment before wrenching herself back to safety, wings humming as she tried to use the acute balance a bird should have before clutching the trunk with weak arms. She blinked down at Nudge silently, shaking. Not- C..can't. She wasn't used to thinking to another person, the thoughts wavering uncertainly and soft.