The Original

Chapter 4

        Sander's arms and chest were aching. All the scratches he earned from running so much did a lot more than he thought it would. His stomach growled with hunger as he hadn't eaten anything since he ran away. He had no sense of direction at all and he wasn't sure if he was close to another town or not. He slowly stumbled through the forest and spoke to himself.

        "Why did this have to happen to me? Why couldn't I be normal and live a regular human life?" He tossed a stick into the woods and it clicked against a rock. 

        A playful scream sounded a little ways off from where Sander was and he froze. Was it friend or foe? A few more voices joined in the laughing and screaming, causing Sander to run toward them. His legs resisted and his muscles were burning, but he ignored the pain, especially te sharp pain from his wings. He risked a quick glance behind him and saw that his wings were growing quickly and were now down to the back of his knees. Would they grow larger?

        A large town appeared through the trees and Sander felt excitement flow through him, until a thought occured to him.

        What if they dislike bird-people? 

        As soon as the thought occured three children began to run around in a circle and a man with large gray wings landed in the center of them, causing them to cheer with joy. Sander froze, just watching them to see what happened. Were there humans that liked people like him?

        "Breecan! You're home!" a little girl said. "How was your search? Did you find what you were looking for?"

        The man known as Breecan smiled. "I did! And I won't have to deal with humans ever again!"

        Sander was surprised by his words. He looked like a very sociable middle-aged man. He had buzzed brown hair, tan skin, loaded with muscles, and his wings were a light gray with dark gray tips. They were very different from Sander's almost pure white wings. 

        Suddenly the kids gasped and ran behind Breecan, causing Sander to look up. He realized that he stood up from behind the trees and bushes, giving everyone a clear view of him. He became afraid as they only stared at him in fear, except for the man.

        "Who are you?" he asked him.

        "Um...I'm..." Sander died off, taking a few steps back, ready to run away.

        "Wait!" the man said, walking toward Sander.

        He didn't listen to him as he took off running back through the woods. Sander ran around trees and took a glance behind him to see if he was being followed, and was happy to see no one. All of a sudden he ran into something thick and strong, causing him to fall onto his butt. He looked up and saw the man standing there with his arms crossed and smiling down at him.

        "Hey, just listen-"

        Sander closed his eyes and then felt himself fall even though he knew he was sitting. His eyes snapped open and he saw that there wasn't a man in front of him anymore, and that he was in a completely different area. He looked around in panic.

        "What the hell?" Sander said to himself, looking around wildly.

        "Wow," a voice breathed.

        Sander looked behind him and saw the man desending from the sky. He crashed to the ground landing perfectly on his feet and standing straight. Sander backed up until he was against a tree while the man walked toward him with astonishment in his eyes.

        "I've never met a teleporter yet! How long have you been able to do that?" the man asked him.

        "Um...what?"