(Rob's POV)

I slowly come to with the remainder of a headache pounding in my skull. My eyes and limbs feel a little heavy as I sit up. My mind is still a little foggy from sleep, not thinking clearly. It appears that I'm in some kind of nest. Bushes have been uprooted and branches were broken off to create some sort of shelter on the forest floor. They scratch my skin when I sit up. Where the heck am I? I remember being captured, but that's about it. I feel warm sunlight streaming through the gaps in the canopy as I stand up.

     I brush off the leaves sticking to my hoodie and adjust my collar out of habit. It's better to keep my yellow spots hidden. A clicking sound starts up on my throat as I try to 'see' my surroundings. Being blind really is a pain, but it's all I've ever known. It takes me a minute to figure out that there's someone near me. I whirl around in a slight panic, memories from last night finally flooding through my head. Lachlan was there! And he still is here, from the sound of it! The vibration of sound on scale really is unique. I remember that he attacked me last night...... but he stopped. Did he get us out? I'm slightly scared of Lachlan, but I remember him being so protective and kind. How long has he been in that prison?

I carefully make my way over to him through the brush. He's laying on a rock, and I can feel warm sunlight shining on him. He's snoring just a little bit. Lachlan twitches in his sleep, making me flinch back. A scraping sound grates my ears. What could of scraped against the rocks? My echolocation guides my hand to something solid near the top of Lachlan's wings. I have to finger it for a while before I figure out what it is; a metal loop. The piece is dug into Lachlan's scales, keeping them from opening fully. Something flakes away on my fingers, and only the smell tells me what it is; blood. I can't really tell what Lachlan looks like, but I can guess from what I can hear. He's really tall, for example. I remember that Vikk said something about him having blond hair..... not that I know what the colors are.

My wrist is suddenly grabbed when I'm lost in thought. I yelp when I'm pulled sideways and onto the ground. Lachlan immediately has me pinned back to the ground, growling in my face. I flinch away in fear and try to find his face, but I'm not sure if I'm looking the right way. And then he's gone. I hear him suddenly fling himself off me, scooting away till he hits something solid. I get to me knees is a slight daze. It's hard to figure out where he's gone. That is until he starts to mumbles and talk to himself. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry", he says over and over again, "I didn't mean to do it".

"No no, it's o-ok Lachlan! I startled y-you, that's all!", I try to reassure him, tripping over my words. I've never dealt with anything like this before. I don't really know what to do, but I'm not leaving him here like this. I finally find him up against a tree, wings covering his face. I slowly walk over to him and sit down, all while he's still mumbling. Lachlan flinches back when I touch his shoulder. It's hard to tell if he's looking at me now. "You didn't hurt me, Lachlan. I'm fine", I smile, hoping that I'm looking the right way. "B-But I bit you", he says, shifting away from me. "You aren't hurting me now", I argue with him, "At least let me talk". I hear Lachlan sniff, still covering himself with his chained wings. Is he crying!?

"I've been alone for so long.... I don't know how", He says, choking over his words, "But I've missed you". And then I feel two scale covered blankets wrap themselves around me. Even with the thick metal loops keeping Lachlan's wings almost completely closed, his wings feel massive compared to what I thought they were like. I don't remember a lot of him flying when we first escaped from the lab, but I do remember that Lachlan's wings were smaller then the rest of him. He was clumsy and unbalanced in the air. Now, they're able to completely cover me without even being open. I hug Lachlan back as we both sit up against the tree.

     "What do we do now?", he mumbles into my hoodie. "Well....", I say, running my hand up his wings and tapping the metal, "We need to find some way to get this off". "You think it can come off?", Lachlan asks me, "I remember getting them on for the first time. They dig into my scales, and I always have to be knocked out for new ones". "I'm not letting them stay on! I'm sure that someone would help us, even with our looks", I say. "You really think so? Nobody normal has ever trusted me", Lachlan sighs. "Some humans are good", I try and reassure him. I've met a few good people in the past years, but they didn't know about what happens when I get wet.

     A sudden crashing sound through the bushes has Lachlan and I instantly diving for cover. I try and lay on top of him while pushing in his wings, using my scales to blend in with the bush. The leaves stop my echolocation from hearing what's in front of us. Lachlan has stiffened up, barely breathing. In a voice less the a whisper, he says, "I recognize those uniforms.....".