Hiding

chapter 1

His name was Admon. He was strong and his wings were very powerful, but he knew the cost of them being seen. Like a pouch on either side of our shoulders a layer of skin holds our wings out of sight, though a jacket is still recommended.

He was walking at night to the abandoned bus stop near a dark forested park, where we usually take flight to go home. He hadn't seen the human boy sitting in his grandmother's yard next door playing on his phone when he took off.

The sound of his wings drew the boys attention and he instantly snapped a few pictures.

We have the typical human electronics as well and we found the pictures posted everywhere, however many humans believed it was photo shopped so we were safe.

Until Natalia was found flying home, much too low than she should have been. Sadly she was shot down, the government took her and concluded she was of a new mutant species that were incredibly dangerous.

This discovery spread around the world and we had to go into hiding. No flying and no human contact.

But our numbers began to grow, and other tribes started contacting us, further gaining an advantage.

Living deep in the northwestern woods has protected us for over a decade now. Still, a few of our younger children would wander too far, and a heart wrenching gun shot would be heard before we had to venture deeper again.

That's when we decided to fight back. We are stronger than humans and yet we are being hunted down. Our children being killed and experimented on.

When you turn ten you were put into a group of two others. Based upon your wing size, your job was decided and what training you had to do in order to help in the war effort. You start fighting at 18 and if you live until you are 45 that's when you are pulled to have chikdren.

Our life expectancy is lower than the average human, but our ability to reproduce is longer. We generally pass around 50-55, but are still able to reproduce until 50. One couple has one child, before they pass away, then the child is raised with all the others by the females whose wings are too small, broken, or deformed in some way to fight.

We have a leader that is in charge of all of us, like the human's president, he is the oldest our kind has ever become at a honorable 80 years. However his wings are no longer able to fly and he is very weak, he has the most wisdom of us all.

At this time when the war has just begun, my grandparents were being born. Now I am 18 and my team; Jason and Spencer, will have to help in the war efforts.