Not Even Angels Can Help Him Now

Sal had just begun to lose his downy feathers when the carnival rides arrived that year. He was now often tasked to keep an eye on the younger siblings as he had grown quite considerably larger than them despite them eating the same amounts of food. Even with the extra snack gifts he would always try to share with the others. Both parents would now fly out for a hunt and leave little Sal on his own. He didn't mind though as he always found a way to entertain his siblings. Their favorite game was "Pick-Up Feathers", basically a copy of pick up sticks but with a bit more difficulty as feathers tend to be disturbed far easier. Winner would get to keep all the feathers and use them in a section of their nest, which wasn't the grandest of prizes but on a cold winter night it was sure helpful! On this particular night they had just finished up a game and the winning sibling took their prize to their corner when both parents returned home with some dinner. After they finished the owl family piled outside on a branch to watch the pretty lights for a bit before bed. Sal's eyes would light up every time the colors would twirl. They were just so pretty! He simply couldn't look away! Though he and the others were soon sleepy and piled inside their tree for a rest while the parents remained awake to keep an eye out for any threats. Sal's mother nestled in with them to keep them nice and warm and Shaddis had remained outside to survey the area though soon found himself drifting as the music filled the forest with such uplifting sound. The peace did not last long however as the family was abruptly awoken by the sound of screeching birds and screaming animals has begun to echo loudly over the sound of the carnival music. As they looked around to see what was wrong they gasped in shock as the town next to the forest as well as the forest itself was being consumed in a raging blaze. The music had become distorted and disoriented the creatures below as they tried to scatter away from the fire though the unfortunate truth was that many were running toward danger. Sal watched as his father told his mate to take herself and the chicks in the opposite direction while he tried to assist as many of their neighbors as he could. Disciple was reluctant but soon grabbed two of her chicks within either talon as gently as she could and gave Sal a quick lesson in flying. He was the only one who had some flight feathers in and had the best chance at flying. She pushed him off the branch as she heard Shaddis give his own warning screech and Sal screamed in horror as the ground came up fast. Thankfully he spread his wings in time and was able to turn away quick enough to avoid complete disaster. When he was further off the ground his mother flew underneath him to keep him steady, the sounds of the forest blaring in their ears as both predator and prey alike fled in terror. Sal didn't think he would ever forget the sound as long as he lived...
Once they were a safe distance away and tucked away in an old abandoned nest in an oak tree Sal watched his mother pace back and forth and mutter to herself, worried to pieces about her mate and if he needed help. The siblings watched as she fought with herself for a little while before deciding she had to make sure Shaddis was okay. When she turned to her eldest son he immediately knew that look.

"My sweet baby boy. I need you to look after your siblings while I find your father."
"But mom! Father said to stick together! What if-"
"I know hon. I won't be gone long. I just want to retrieve your father before he gets in over his head."
"But what if you don't come back?"
"I promise I'll be back."
"Promsie promise?"
"Promise promise."

She gave him a soft smile and gently placed her wing on his shoulder as she gave him a little forehead kiss. She did the same for his siblings and was soon off. Sal felt his chest grow heavy but knew he had a job to do and he had to do it or they'd all perish...

Many months had passed by and there was no sign of either parent. Sal knew by now that the fire had died down but it was labeled as a hazardous area by the other creatures that had escaped and thus not a soul would be returning to the area. He watched from the tree above as the animals below existed peacefully with their mates, their families, their parents. Yet he and his siblings had suffered such great loss. Well, it was just him these days anyway. He had tried so hard to hunt and feed them all but he hadn't been taught the basics and every owl he had come across while finding food was rather volatile and vicious. Prey outmaneuvered him with ease due to his large size and not being as graceful as an owl probably should be. Nothing like his parents. This place was nothing like his old home. They could not live off of the berries alone he had gathered. He was finally starting to deteriorate himself, the hope he once had for the family to be reunited now lost. Sal sat lonesome in the nest his mother had placed him all that time ago, slowly losing his grip on this reality. The night had just begun and he knew this would be all over soon. He just wished it would happen sooner than later so he didn't have to wait. As the stars burned bright he closed his eyes and sat perched on the edge of the nest. If he fell then so be it. He could feel himself sway in the gentle breeze. He started to lean forward to fall when he felt something touch his chest. It felt somewhat moist and caught him off guard as he didn't recall anything being in front of the nest hole when he had perched. He opened one eye to see what was happening and he let out a startled hoot as a pair of glowing eyes were looking right back at him! These eyes were attached to some wolf-like creature and the nose is what he had felt touch him. The voice that came from this particular being was somewhat soothing but felt oddly sinister.

"Didn't mean to give you a fright, young one."
"I-it's okay."
"May I ask why you're perched in such a dangerous manner?"
"Take one look at me and make a guess."

The creature looked over him with those eyes... They reminded Sal of the fire he had seen tear through the town months prior. He did not trust this thing.

"Ah. I see. Starved. Lonely. Lost all faith."
"..."
"No need to be shy. I have a family you can join."
"I'm not looking for a new family, thanks. I want my old one back."
"Perhaps some of your family has integrated with mine."
"What do you mean?"
"I cannot elaborate. Only show."
"..."
"You want to perish anyway no?"
"I... I don't know."
"You can donate your body to our sciences then."
"....What?"
"We study all manner of things. Your body would be useful in helping some of my family get better."
"...Really?"
"Yes."
"Well... Okay I guess."
"Excellent. Now close your eyes. I'll make sure you have peace."

His words felt like false promises but the aura that expelled from this beast told Sal he had no chance of escape even if he wanted to. It was best to play along and try to do as asked. He closed his eyes and listened as the other seemed to chant something. The creature then laughed and told him he forgot to tell him his name. Ophius. Do not forget it. Haha! Sal lost consciousness after that final laugh and drifted off into dreamless sleep.

Sal's eyes fluttered as he began to wake. He found he could only see out of one eye now and his neck felt very off. He noted he was laying on his back on what seemed like some sort of table. He was surrounded by grey walls and harsh lights. They were quite offensive to the eye that did have sight. He tried to sit up but found he was bound in some sort of bundle but didn't quite know what. Some of the movements were painful as he felt something sharp prod him. He tried looking to either side and noticed his wings had been splayed out. He lay there in shock as his wings had been stripped of pretty much everything, down to the bone. A few tufts remain here and there but otherwise they were just bone. What little feather he could see had seemed to change color too. They had been a beautiful dark grey and cinnamon colored mix that had helped him blend into wooded areas when attempting to hunt. They had now lost their saturation and began to mold? At least he hoped it wasn't mold. He had heard so many horror stories about birds contacting feather rot... He was soon taken out of his thoughts when he sensed a presence nearby, turning to try and look at it. Ophius. Sal felt his face twist in disgust when his eyes met the wolf.

"Now now, what's with that face?"
"What did you do to me?"
"Tsk Tsk, that's not how you thank someone."
"Thank you for what? Destroying my wings? My eye?"
"For keeping you alive."
"You said I was going to be used for science!"
"And you are! You're contributing to science as we speak."
"How?"
"Well, you've begun to rot and we can observe how your internals do with a bit of... ah shall we say, experimentation?"
"What...?"
"You've been injected with some chemicals. Nothing more."
"..."
"You've been a wonderful specimen! We've learned quite a bit about how our research will do."
"Now what?"
"Well for now you'll be taken to your new home. We will monitor you. When we are done, I'll let you go peacefully."
"You said that before."
"Well I am saying it again! Hehe!"

Sal didn't get a chance to argue as he felt himself being lifted by some sort of masked figure. It was then he realized his neck had been broken and repaired in such a way that it sat funny on his shoulders and gave him a permanent tilted head look. He now knew his body had been wrapped with a strand of long barbed wire and wondered if this metal bit was keeping all his organs in place. His back sure felt breezy while being transported and it caused him to shiver hard. He was taken to some sort of room filled with books? He'd only ever heard them described by his father. He was then forcefully shoved into a cage on a desk, the person sitting behind it glancing up from writing to glare at the sudden sound. Sal remained quiet at the two exchanged words.

"If you were any louder, you'd wake the dead."
"Shut up."
"What is this?
"An experiment."
"What does his royal majesty want me to do with it?"
"Watch it."
"Ugh. As if I don't have enough to do."

Sal learned that this person's name was Bedfellow and she ran this library. She was clearly unhappy to be there and he could definitely relate. Despite the rough first impression she was actually okay. They sometimes spoke though she preferred to stay busy with her work. She quietly mutters about getting out of this place someday and she was gonna take Sal as a way of saying that everyone in there could kiss her left hoof. He always chuckles at these mutterings. Though he does truly wonder what Ophius meant by maybe some of his family assimilated with his? Surely both parents were lost to the fire and he KNEW where the bodies of his siblings had been. At least Sal hopes none of the family had gotten tied into this place.

credits

Lea

Character/Story by Glory

Background by Wallpaper Cave