Frostwing lay in a heap of bloodied feathers and fur, her breath coming out heavily, her pride not regretting anything that she had done that day. She wasn't sure what the wolfdea was doing, but she knew that she couldn’t move or else she would make her injury worse. She waited for what felt like hours -even days- for her to return with any form of help. The pain in her leg persisted, the burning worsening with each breath she took. But she toughed it out. She wouldn’t scream or cry or wail. I am brave. I can withstand this tiny wound.

She repeated encouraging phrases through her mind as she rested her head on her shaking talons. Then, just when she thought that she would never arrive, Frostwing’s ears perked ever so slightly when she heard many footsteps coming her way. And as she had predicted, the woldea trotted from an opening in the heavy foliage, her tongue lolling out of her mouth and her tail wagging like a house dog. However, following close behind her was a single entity. Of course she brought a person. I should have known from the start, for she did say something about some of them not being as bad as I thought. Could she be correct? Probably not…

The human that she had brought along was average height with very light blond hair that was pulled back by a pink band. She wore a strange, light yellow shirt along with dark blue jeans. But, thing that Frostwing noticed about this particular human was that, she didn’t carry any weapons with her at all. Instead, it only had a small, harmless looking bag that she wore around her shoulders. Maybe just this one time I can trust one.

The wolfdea walked over to her and sat next to Frostwing’s shoulder, her head tilted to the side. “Don’t worry, you can trust her. She helped me when I was just a pup.” she said, waving her severed leg up and down. Frostwing suddenly casted an alarmed glance at the human, who was suspiciously close to her leg. The wolfdea, noticing her change in expression, launched into a story, “don’t worry, she won’t cut your leg off, I  promise. When I was little, my mother and I were very close. But one day, there was a very large storm and, me being young and foolish, I decided to wander away from her. And, of all places I could’ve wandered, I ended up being washed away in an overflowed river. It carried me very far away from my homeland, all the way from the great redwoods to this here city. That was when I finally escaped the river’s grip before I ran into the city, where my paw,” she indicated her half-leg, “got stuck in a hunter’s trap. My bones were still very fragile, and it damaged my leg to the point where, even if it did ‘heal,’ it would never work the same again, and it would only cause me more problems later in life.”

Frostwing flinched when she felt something sharp pierce the skin on her leg, but the wolfdea kept her distracted, “that was when, who I call Flora, came in. she found me stuck in the trap before the hunter did, and she took me all the way to her home, which isn’t far from here. I can’t remember much after that, but I do remember her raising me for the next few weeks, teaching me how to walk, run, jump, and hunt on only three legs. Then, she let me go. I lived free for a while until I recieved my name from my mother, who had died in the storm. Just for some background knowledge, wolfea receive their names only from a loved one who has died, curing them of any grief that they may have. I was named Mono for my black fur.” Mono paused, her silver eyes glancing quickly at Flora.

It was now Frostwing’s turn to speak, and she had only one burning question at the back of her head, “ what about the fire?” she asked quietly. Mono’s ears perked upwards as she snapped her eyes back towards her, “my fire… I’ve always been able to ignite my fur into a purple flame for about ten seconds at the most. But, as you saw, it leaves me exhausted afterwards like I had just run up a steep mountain without a rest. It’s a wonderful feeling, when I am encased in flame. But, I have never figured out the real reason why it happens. I have my theories, however. I think that it may be my mother’s lingering love, but, you know, that’s sappy. You don’t want to hear about that. My second theory is that it comes naturally, that maybe my father had that ability and I inherited it- I never knew much about him. And, of course, I have a third theory. It’s a little desperate, I think. Maybe it was my destiny. Maybe I was given this ability from the universe. What if I am destined for something great?” Mono dipped her head down and her ears drooped, obviously embarrassed. There was a small moment of silence, and Frostwing realized that throughout the entire time Mono had been talking, she had felt barely any pain whatsoever. She was suddenly very grateful for her being there.

    Mono just sat next to Frostwing, her glowing silver eyes watching Flora. She wasn’t sure what was happening, but Frostwing hoped that Mono would launch into another interesting tale. She was beginning to grow anxious as her leg began throbbing again. She laid her head down on her talons and tried not to look at what Flora was doing, knowing that looking would only make her panic. So, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to forget what was happening, and only when she felt something touch her shoulder did she open them.

    “Flora says that you’ll be fine if you stay off your leg, or at least that’s what im guessing  she said.” Mono barked. “In the meantime, I guess I can keep you company until you’re fit to move around.” Frostwing was lucky that Mono was beside her, and she was thankful for Flora’s help. Her injury didn’t hurt one bit. It seemed like some kind of magic. But, she couldn’t stay here for long. Humans were persistent creatures, and she knew that if she stayed in the city, they would most definitely find her, capture her, and lock her up. “For the time being, I guess I can wait a bit before I leave.” she sighed.

    Frostwing hadn’t noticed that Flora was still near them, and she most certainly hadn’t realized that it was her who had put her monkey-like paw on her shoulder. She looked up into the human’s bright, smiling face, and she found herself questioning if what she thought of the species was true. Well, there are exceptions in every species I suppose. She then heard her say something in her own human dialect before Flora stood and left the little space they all were in. “she says, ‘take care’?” Mono guessed, her tail wagging, and curled up next to Frostwing in a small ball.

    Frostwing turned her head to observe her leg and saw that it was wrapped tightly in a soft, white bandage. There wasn’t a single spot of blood on her fur or feathers, and she was incredibly happy about that. The sun above her shined brightly, but Frostwing was feeling especially tired after all of the events that had taken place that day. And, with a final glance around her, she spread her wings over her head to block out the light so that she could finally get the rest that she deserved.

A/N: for this entire book so far, I've been trying out a different writing style. I dunno if you guys can notice the difference. But, tell me if I should change it, or if you like it how it is, and if I should keep writing like this. Have a gucci day!