Midnight wings (Paradise sequel)A Story by Aldora SparrowSequel to Paradise. Raena fights the Smoke and with herself. Hope you like it!Midnight Wings The
trip was far too long for Raena’s comfort. Soaring through the air was
relaxing, yes, but incredibly slow on a windless day such as this. Plus, the high
afternoon sun beat harshly down on her midnight hair and wings. Toshio, on the
other hand, had it easy. She glanced enviously at her partner. He glided
without any noticeable effort, short silver hair rippling like silk. His snowy
wings reflected the light. The
sky was clear, free of clouds and disturbances. She crossed her arms, shifting
uneasily. Unconnected thoughts floated through her restless mind. Toshio just
watched her changing expressions with a soft smile on his light features. Today
was the eighth anniversary of her becoming a Sister of the Society. Her chaotic
mess of thoughts thinned, connected together and flowed into threads of memory.
She
was barely older than seven winters when her parents became victims of Smoke.
That night was the only defined memory she had from her previous life. It
was a dark and chilling night near the end of winter. Raena had already
requested a Sister to come to heal. Trying her best to keep her parents
comfortable, she was acutely aware of the ticking of the clock. She remembered
vividly the panic that rose in her body when the sickness took a turn for the
worst. Her father died first painfully. The open room echoed his last agonized
screams. Her mother held out for a little longer, holding Raena’s terrified
hands. Incoherent words slipped her mind. Then, Raena heard the footsteps of
the Sister entering the room. But as she turned to greet the Sister, her
mother’s freezing hand in hers began to shake violently. The moment the door
flew open, the hand had one last convulsion and went limp. The silence that
followed was deafening. Raena
couldn’t believe it. She was alive just a moment ago…She couldn’t hear the deep
gasps of the Sister that had hurried there. The only thing that went through
her mind was “They were both gone. Lifeless. Dead…” The last word rang through the empty numbness of her mind. She
vaguely felt the warm hand of the Sister on her shoulder. “I’m
so sorry,” the Sister said softly. “I wish I could’ve been sooner…” “It’s
all your fault,” Raena said. Standing up and throwing her hand off, she rounded
on her. “It’s your fault that Ma and Pa died!” she screamed the words as if she
was throwing stones blindly at the Sister. Angry tears slipped down her face,
obscuring her vision. “If you had been sooner, they wouldn’t have died such a
painful death! It’s all your fault! It’s
all your fault!” The
entire time, the Sister just stood there with a deeply wounded look on her
face. Raena didn’t care. She had just lost everything. Everything dear to her. Just
because this Sister was late…Her body collapsed onto the ground, shaking with
cries of pain and sorrow. They were gone…what else did she have in this world? When
her screams calmed to silent tears and deep breaths, the Sister, who stood
there the whole time, reached out her hand. “You are strong, child,” she
murmured. “Come with me, join the Society. We fight against the Smoke and
search for a cure for it. With your help, we can create Paradise where humans
like you can live in peace and harmony with my kind, the half-humans.” It
was the first time Raena noticed the sharp stripes on the Sister’s cheeks. She
was half-tiger. “Will you lend us your strength and make a perfect society
where no one has to die as painfully as your parents?” Raena
gazed up into the older woman’s face. She had nothing to lose. Maybe she could
even start over again. Nodding slightly, she reached a hand and held the
woman’s much larger hand. She felt a wave of warmth passed through their
entwined hands. When the Sister beamed at her, she couldn’t help the small
smile from touching her lips. It was a new beginning. On
the first night of spring, raining heavily as she remembered, she was “born” as
Raena into the Society, shedding her previous self and forgetting her name. She
went through the transformation that merged her with a raven. She lost her only
pride, her shining golden hair in the change. They became stained with a
midnight black that glowed slightly in the dim light. Her sapphire eyes became
like onyx, deep and endless black. Worst of all, she lost her human memories,
which was very unusual. Her head would hurt when she tried to remember. But, as
if to make up for those losses, she gained wings, something she had dreamed
about. A
few weeks after her transformation, she entered the training to heighten the
healing skills she gained. It was designed to take seven years to complete. She
finished it in only four years, making her the youngest Division member since
the creation of Society. Her partner was Toshio who is two years older. When
they first met, she was eleven and he was thirteen. Together, they made the Raven-Dove
Division. At first, he had a grudge against her because he had finished the
training in five and a half years, but she robbed him of his two-year glory. But,
as they were joined by a single purpose, they became one and his grudge was
lost. The number of completed assignments soared and the Division was nicknamed
Black and White to show the duality of the two. Sometimes, she teased him about
it, but they were closer than brother and sister because they only had each
other. Together
they worked to create Paradise. A decade ago, the human race had been wiped
out. Or so the half-humans that survived unscathed thought. The half-humans,
led by Rain and her mate Stormfoot, discovered a group of greatly weakened
humans that numbered just over five hundred. Getting right to work, Rain and
her pack quickly found a medicine that would slow the effects of Smoke. Then
they established the Society to train more half-humans to temporarily heal the
affected humans. Since
the Smoke hadn’t been destroyed, the growing number of humans still were being
affected by the lingering effects. Divisions such as the Black and White worked
to slow the passing. One touch through bare skin raised the chances of it
affecting. Since the main sign of Smoke was abnormally cold hands, it was also
called the Frozen Pain. “Everyone
is so cold,” Raena complained once to Toshio on the way back from an
assignment. “Everyone else is afraid touch us. So, there are only cold hands…” He
nodded in agreement. Suddenly he stopped. His body went rigid as he stared
ahead. She watched him curiously. “Rain…” was all he said. He bowed and kept
his grey downcast. Immediately
understanding and following Toshio’s lead, she hurriedly bowed to the leader of
the Society. There was small flash and a group of Brothers and Sisters
appeared. Rain was different than she expected. Raena always imagined her to be
a tall and glowering old wolf though she knew that her kind never aged. Instead,
Rain was barely taller than she. She had pointed black ears and tail, long blue-black
hair rippling to her waist. Her silver claws and fangs glinted slightly in the hallway
light. A gentle smile touched her lips. Standing proudly, she radiated power,
youth, and beauty. But
when she caught sight of Raena, the smile quickly disappeared. Looking straight
ahead and making no sign that she noticed her, Rain walked straight past her,
slowing to stop beside her. Then she turned her proud head to the side and, in
a soft voice that still rang with power, said, “You think this is a chore, raven?” Raena,
surprised, turned to meet her eyes. They were an intense gold and bore deeply
into her mind. With ears slightly flattened, Rain slowly broke the connection and
strode away. Her boots clicked echoes down the empty hallway. Raena couldn’t
move for a moment. Her words were branded into her memory. She spun around just
in time to see Rain round a corner. What did she mean? Toshio
was watching her confusion with some understanding. He never talked much, but
they always knew what the other was thinking. He reached out and held her hand,
smiling. She felt a rush of warmth towards him, almost washing away what Rain
had just said. Almost. There
came a day when Raena ran late. Things had gone wrong with the previous
assignment and she hurried to the next assignment. As soon as she threw open
that door, she knew it was too late. There was nothing that could be done,
nothing she could do. And, worst of all, she knew exactly how those people
felt. Her body involuntarily stiffened, preparing for the words that she knew
were coming. Echoes of the very words she had screamed to the Sister many years
ago rang in her mind. But when
the elderly couple turned towards her, their faces were gentle though stained
with droplets of pain. "Thank you," they said bowing their heads.
"Thank you for coming out of your way for our granddaughter's sake."
Shame like she never felt before entirely consuming her. Her body suddenly went
weak and she was swallowed by darkness. What kind of person am I, she thought, later in her room alone. Here I am, blaming that Sister for all this
time for what happened, for not saving my parents. I should've been grateful to
her....I am such a horrible person… Ever
since, she tried her best to save as many lives as she could. To make a
difference, even if it meant just one more life. Sometimes she was unable to
save the people, but it only pushed her to try harder with the next patient. Seeing
those smiling and healed faces brought her more joy than anything else in that
life… Something
warm enveloped her hand. Her black eyes met Toshio’s grey ones. He nodded, eyes
falling to indicate the place. She affirmed his sign and, retracting their
wings, plummeted from the sky. The sensation of falling so unrestrainedly was
heart-stopping and Raena was thankful this was something her gift allowed her
to do. A
tattered wheat-colored roof came into view. Perfectly in sync, the pair threw
out their wings and Toshio, taller of the two, gently touched ground first.
They dusted themselves off and turned towards the dumbstruck couple that waited
for them. The other pair seemed to revive as Raena and Toshio strode towards
them. The young
woman broke away from her husband’s grasp and bowed deeply. Her gentle face was
deeply anxious. “P-Please help our daughter,” she burst out before she could
help herself. “The other Brothers and Sisters couldn’t heal her. They told us
that only the Black and White Division could. Please, Sister Raena, Brother
Toshio, I beg of you…” A
sympathetic smile touched Raena’s lips. She reached out and held the other
woman’s hand. The woman’s dark blue eyes widened in surprise. “She is in good
hands,” Raena said. “I just need you to do some things for me…” “Of
course! Anything!” Raena
met Toshio’s grey eyes and he nodded. As he went to explain the steps, she
turned to the other man. His light green eyes watched her curiously. She knew
she was different from him and was quite used to this reaction. “Your
daughter…?” He
started but quickly recovered himself. “Yes…yes, of course.” He hurriedly led
her to a small closed-off room. With a comforting smile, Raena unfastened the thin
rope that closed the door. Immediately, she was pleased to see that the parents
had taken the measure to stop the spread of the Smoke. The window was closed,
but curtains were drawn open�"Smoke thrived in dark places. Underneath
a large window, a small girl lay on a covered bed. Raena stole a glance at her.
This child, who looked no more than eight, got hit hard by the sickness. Eyes
closed, she was deathly pale and was shaking violently. She shook her head,
sighing sympathetically. With much practiced movements, Raena drew out and
started mixing the materials needed from a pouch that hung against her side.
She vaguely heard the door being sealed and Toshio extracting a white feather
from behind his neck. “W-Who
are you?” a small, weak voice brought Raena’s eyes up. The little girl watched
her with dark green eyes that shone in pain and fear. Raena
knelt beside her and took her small hand. It shuddered and was ice-cold. Raena
smiled encouragingly and she knew the girl felt her warmth. “Friends, little
daughter,” she murmured. “Don’t worry. I will work some magic to heal you.
It’ll be tough, but I know we can work together. Are you ready?” The child
relaxed. She tried a grin and slowly nodded. “Trust
me…” And the little girl held Raena’s hand just a little tighter. © 2010 Aldora SparrowAuthor's Note
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Added on November 19, 2009Last Updated on January 17, 2010 AuthorAldora SparrowAboutI have been writing for longer than I can remember, but it was only during 7th grade did I start to write outside of class. I am still inexperienced and I love helpful comments. I love to write fa.. more..Writing
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