Starborne [SB19 OT5]

1. the fish who sings

She remembered being a helpless little bird.

The sun blinded her as thorns prickled her tiny figure, the weeds being the only blanket she had right now. The harsh rays threatened to burn her feathers.

She did not dare move, not when any movement sent waves of pain throughout her wings.

If she died here, it's not exactly her end, but then the amount of magic she'd needed to take on this form, magic she'd stored for centuries, will be for naught.

Maybe she shouldn't have flown close to those village boys. Heaven knows who else they may end up injuring with those slingshots of theirs.

A few onlookers passed by. Some looked in her direction but went on. After all, who would stop to tend to an injured maya, a common bird, when they have more important things to attend to?

After a few minutes, gentle hands scooped her up. They were so small she feared they might drop her as the hands pressed her close towards the chest of a young boy not older than five.

"Poor thing," he cooed. And yeah, maybe the spirit-turned-bird would rather not have pity thrown onto her, no thanks.

But then she mustered the energy to look at her savior, and it turned out to be the best decision she has ever made.

She saw the brightest pair of eyes she had ever seen.

It was then that the spirit of the stars vowed to protect this little human at all costs.

[It's been a year since then...]

'Ang saya nito!'

He giggled as he sprinted past the street, his playmates following suit as they scattered in all directions. For certain reasons, one of them was hell-bent on chasing him.

"Stell!"

He giggled once more at the desperate shout of his pursuer, running even faster. His athleticism was his second most prized asset when it came to play dates, his competitive nature being the first.

Still, all of this did not prepare him for what was coming.

Stell shrieked as hands gripped his shoulders.

"Bulaga!" An older kid yelled the moment he took a turn.

After the short scare, his lips formed into a pout as the other kids went near, laughing at his demise.

"What was that? That's unfair!"

"We lost again?"

"That's because you tripped," Stell chided, even though he was the last to be caught and therefore, was basically the reason why his team lost.

"Oh well, what should we play next?" The eldest of the group said, instinctively assuming a leader role.

"Ah, ahh!" Stell immediately raised his hand like a diligent student. "How about tagu-taguan?"

He was met with protests.

"You're too good at that!"

"We'll never find you!"

"How about we choose another one?" an older kid suggested. "The last time we did that game, you fell asleep on your hiding spot and we had to tell the elders to come look for you."

Stell pouted. "You guys just suck."

"Okay, how about we play patintero instead?"

The kid who suggested that was met with glares from the short-legged, younger ones.