Stranger was born with big curled feet, small curled hands, big ears, and wing flaps on his back. His parents looked at him as if he were a different creature altogether. His brother, Flutter, looked at him closely with a juvenile sense of curiosity.

"How strange he is," his father said.

"Indeed," his mother said. Stranger turned his head to the other noises. He could barely see his parents, but he could hear them all too well. Then, he let his head fall back to look at his upside-down brother. Stranger giggled before his mother pulled his head back up.

"He looks silly," Flutter said with a giggle, smiling at his little brother.

"He looks so unlike us," his father said. Turning to his mother, his father whispered, "Shall we keep him?" Sometimes the Bat-Men would leave their deformed young out in the wild to die; a courtesy they claim. Stranger's mother pondered this for a moment.

"No, we shall keep him," she said. "Those deformities can be hidden easily. He shall be a normal Bat-Man like us." They had given him a true name, but he was called Stranger instead, as they couldn't bear to look at him and imagine a real name for the creature. Even Flutter called him Stranger—only because Flutter never knew his real name. Stranger's big feet allowed him to grip branches better than the other Bat-Men and his big ears allowed him to hear everything. This attribute never stopped other Bat-Men from whispering behind Stranger's back, calling him horrible things as he would walk by.

Stranger loved his brother; he could barely live a moment without Flutter by his side. While Stranger grew up, he had to be with Flutter until his sight developed better. Flutter would listen to Stranger and never make fun of him. Flutter would even let Stranger stay up late to watch the stars or tell little theories or thoughts on the world around him. But as they grew, Flutter would stay away from Stranger at the school. Flutter would be with his other friends; normal Bat-Men. Stranger didn't mind, as he knew that Flutter's friends would be mean if the brothers were ever seen together in front of them. At breaks, Stranger would practice taking off. He had learned to hold the top joints of his wing flaps in order to actually get off the ground. A few younger Bat-Men gathered around the trees when Stranger made it to a high branch. His teacher looked with horrified shock before contacting his parents.

They sent him to the roost early with no food that night. He cried alone while looking up at the stars. Surely there must be creatures like him out there. Creatures that could fly, creatures that were different, creatures who were wanted, loved, and free. He wouldn't even talk to Flutter when the night grew darker and the creaking of the wood finally settled with a soft sound of sleeping breaths. Stranger looked down at the ground. The roots were beautiful in this light. He sat on the window sill, holding his wing flaps close to his heart, the sound thumping harder and harder with the desperation in his head. That night, he let himself free-fall out of the window, flapping wildly in order to get away. He broke his arm with a crash landing. His mother scolded him the next morning.

"Your deformities need to be hidden, Stranger! Why must you frighten the other Bat-Men with your wild flying? Flying is evil. We don't fly. We will never fly. You must hide your wings, so you will start wearing Flutter's clothes," she said.

"But, mother," Stranger pleaded. "I don't want to hide my wings. Flutter's clothes make me feel trapped."

"You will be normal like everyone else. No one cares about what you want. We know what you need. You need to be normal. No more flying!"

But Stranger did fly. When his arm healed, he would often beg Flutter to take him to the forests in order to practice. The two had grown up fairly quickly, their minds full of knowledge and bursting with questions. They would travel to the Thin Forest, far away from the roost so Stranger could try to fly to the top of a big tree. Flutter usually brought a book with them, as these sessions would last for hours. Stranger was getting closer to his goal every day. He touched down to the ground and sat down to roll his pant legs up past his knees.

"Did you see me that time?" he asked his brother as he wiped the sweat from his neck. Flutter didn't look up from his book.

"Yes, I did," Flutter replied.

"I bet you didn't even look up!" Stranger whined.

"Calm down," Flutter said, putting his book on the ground. "I looked for a little bit."

"Well, I want you to watch this time." Flutter took a breath and smiled at his brother. Stranger returned the smile and hopped up, facing the tree. He took a running start, jumping up at it, flapping as fast as he could as be climbed slowly, using his back claws to kick off of branches.

"You're going to kill yourself!" Flutter called from below. In the moment it took Stranger to look at his brother, he lost his balance and breath as he dropped. Flutter cried out and ran forward, grunting as Stranger crashed into his arms. Flutter stumbled back and fell with Stranger's weight. Stranger shuddered as he breathed slowly and deeply. Flutter held his brother close, shaking from the shock. Stranger looked up.

"Flutter, are you okay?" Flutter laughed breathlessly and pushed Stranger away.

"Don't scare me like that!" Flutter scolded. Stranger hugged his knees to his chest.

"I didn't mean to," he said with a whine. "I just..." he trailed off. Flutter focused on his brother's face, his face softening as he sat next to Stranger.

"I know. You just want to be great. I love how you're embracing your deformities, but you have to be more careful. I worry so much."

"I can't help it, Flutter!" Stranger cried out, tears forming out of the corners of his eyes. "You don't understand! It's so hard to live a life where you're put down for how you look."

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Stranger," Flutter said calmly, putting his arm around Stranger's shaky shoulders. Flutter rubbed his brother's shoulder slowly, a calming technique he had learned over the years. Stranger's eyes drooped as tears watered the dirt. His face was brought up to Flutter's.

"Come on," Flutter whispered. "It's getting dark. We'll try again tomorrow, okay?" He gave Stranger a gentle shake.

"Okay," Stranger breathed. Flutter pulled him up to a stand and they walked back to the roost, Stranger quietly muttering about the stars as Flutter listened, nodding occasionally. The two slipped into the house as quietly as they could, climbing the ladders to their shared room.

"You're lucky that mom and dad aren't awake," Flutter said as he took off his shirt, throwing it in a basket. Stranger only sat on his nest, staring out the window. Flutter looked over at his brother. "You okay, Stranger?"

"If you cut off my wings and I jump, do you think I'd die?" Stranger murmured in response. Flutter sighed, walking over to Stranger's nest, sitting next to him.

"Please don't talk like that."

"I'm sorry."

"I know you feel that's the only way out of this, but I'll do my best to make this work."

"I don't think you can do anything, Flutter. You can't fix me."

"I can try." Stranger said nothing for a while. Flutter's eyes shifted awkwardly.

"Come on," he said. "At least get comfortable." He lifted Stranger's shirt off, tossing it aside, and brushed hair out of his face. Flutter smiled at his brother. "Can you smile for me?"

"I don't think so." Stranger looked down at his feet, his damned deformed feet. Flutter followed his gaze.

"Hey," he said. Stranger's ear twitched. "Look at your foot and mine." Stranger looked. "They're almost exactly the same." He was right; Stranger's feet were only a little bigger. Stranger's mouth twitched.

"Now, look at my ear," Flutter said. Stranger looked at the pointed ear hidden by Flutter's messy curls. "Your ear is just a little bigger." Flutter brushed his knuckles along Stranger's ear, making Stranger raise his shoulder and snicker. Flutter giggled.

"There's a smile I'm looking for," he said. Stranger faced his brother. "You're not that different. You're a Bat-Man like me." Stranger turned away with a sigh.

"I'm no Bat-Man. I'm just a Bat. I'm different," he said with a shudder.

"I like different." Flutter put his hand on Stranger's shoulder. "I just wish you liked different like I do. Now, come on and look at me. I don't want you to go to sleep all sad like that. It's not healthy." Stranger paused a moment, trying to make himself smile. Flutter's face fell a bit—he was going to get his brother to smile. He smirked and ran his finger along Stranger's ear again, causing the younger to squeak.

"Flutter," Stranger whined, brushing his brother's hand away. "Quit it. I'm not in the mood." Flutter just shook his head and grabbed his brother's wrist, lifting his arm up in order to run his fingers over Stranger's ribs. Stranger's face forced itself in to smile, then to a laugh as his squirmed with his brother's touch.

"Flutter! Don't!" he squealed, pushing his brother away with a giggle. Flutter snickered and pulled his brother in for a hug.

"There's a good smile," he said. "Feel a little better?" Stranger sighed and leaned into his brother's chest. "Want me to lull you tonight?" Stranger nodded and curled himself down into the nest, Flutter still sitting by his side.

"Sleep next to me?" Stranger asked.

"Only when you fall asleep first." Stranger's shoulders sagged as Flutter ran his hand across Stranger's naked back, warmth and love spreading to every inch of his body. The weight of his eyelids was almost too much to bear any longer. With a quick muster of strength, Stranger whispered,

"Can you sing me that ancient song?" Flutter shook his head.

"Not tonight, Stranger."

"Please?"

"No. Now, shush you. Go to sleep." Flutter curled himself next to Stranger, his hand still on his brother's back. The two fell asleep fairly quickly as the stars peered in through the little window while the night dragged on. Stranger was the first to wake in the morning. He shook Flutter awake before getting up, pulling on a clean shirt and messing with his tuffs of hair. Flutter stretched his back before doing the same. Stranger kept thinking of the ancient songs of legend. His favorite was about flying creatures; angels screaming for freedom. His mind raced as he descended the ladder to eat breakfast and, for the first time, thought the day wouldn't be that bad.

"Where were you two last night?" his father demanded. Stranger froze in fear as his eyes met the fiery eyes. Flutter stayed close to his brother, Flutter's hands on his shoulders as he weakly wheezed.

"We went to the Thin Forest," Flutter muttered.

"What were you doing there?"

"I was trying to fly," Stranger squeaked.

"What have we said about flying?" his father hissed, turning bitter instantly. Stranger shuddered so hard that Flutter's hands could barely keep still. "What have we said?"

"Flying is evil," Stranger muttered slowly. "We don't fly."

"That's right. Now, put on one of Flutter's shirts and haul yourself off to school."

"But, I don't want to wear a different shirt." His father came very close, his voice slicing into Stranger like the claws of a bigger creature.

"Did I ask what you wanted?" Stranger whimpered, refusing to look at his father as he felt tears forming behind his eyelashes. "Put a different shirt on." Stranger backed away to the ladder and ascended again, sniffling to himself. His father then turned to Flutter.

"And what have we said about encouraging him like that?"

"But, dad," Flutter protested.

"No ands, ifs, or buts, Flutter. Answer my question."

"You said to not to take him places and to not let him stay up late."

"Good."

"But, it's just not fair!" Flutter yelped. "He's not different than me. Why must he be treated as another creature?"

"Because that's what he is. He is not a Bat-Man."

Stranger had heard every word. With a horrible shriek of mixed emotions, he tore off his shirt, grabbed his wings, and lept from the top window. Flutter's spine rattled with the cry.

"See what you do to him?" he yelled at his father.

"Don't talk to me that way! Now, you haul your ass off to school!" Flutter caught a glimpse of Stranger's wobbly flight before he had to turn toward his school. His tears wouldn't stop flowing for hours.

Stranger's rage and hatred caused numbness to his body as branches scraped his skin, some drawing blood across his face. He would not stop as he flared through the Thin Forest, passing his tree and continuing toward the Predator's Rocks. Roars of bigger creatures came from below and Stranger answered the calls with his own screams. He had flown for hours before he was too tired to even land; he let himself drop to the ground, kicking up dirt and rocks as he slid across the terrain. His eyes were sore from the wind and from the salty tears that just kept coming and coming. He lay face down into the dirt, his emotions banging against his head. 

{LAAN: "Lazy Part" means that I'm too lazy to keep going or it means that I'm just stopping here. Keep that in mind.}