RED WINGS

The wind was sweet between. It did not have the brimstone smell of below, nor the stagnate air of above. I considered that the green things of the Between had something to do with this, but I didn’t care as long as it was. The wind lifted my hair off my neck, as well as shifting my primaries away from the branch I was perching on. The stark difference in color between the green and brown of the world and the deep red of my feathers was telling. I did not belong here. I stood to leave the between, and stretched carefully. I wanted to keep the contact I had to between as much as possible. This place should not be soiled by my unnatural presence.

The sweet air carried me over the green. The wind slid over my wings and changed from a gentle breeze to a whirlwind. The cold air brought water to my eyes just as much as the beauty did. I couldn’t stay away from the paradise that was the between, but I wouldn’t belong here and I would taint it as little as possible. As I soared, caressed by the blue I felt a warm up draft that pushed me towards the above. Following the wind’s directions I passed into the upper.

The white and blue of the upper seemed pale compared to the green and brown of the Between. There were others dancing on the wind, as I was. Their bright hair flowed with the beat of their wings. Loose feathers danced in the breeze as I floated, watching them. Yellow, white, and silver wings carried them over the green. My red was not muted by the light, so I did not pass unnoticed and soon attracted the notice of the silver winged. Not to be chased out of the sun, I danced my own dance of the cooling wind of the upper. I smiled when I saw a familiar face break away and headed toward me. My smile faded a little when I noticed that the white wings approaching me were starting to silver.  He joined me and we danced, in that moment the I did not care that it was  our last dance.

I felt his pleasure in the movements of my arms and legs, as well of my wings and primaries. He felt my amusement at his showing off the new dips and turns he had learned since the last time we danced together. Flinching at my uneasiness over the silvering of his wings, he sent reassurance. I sent him back warmth and understanding and his joyous flip-twist made me laugh. Shocked, I heard drawing of weapons and silver wings headed in my direction. With apologies and regret my stunned friend I found a cold pocket to take to the Between. There were none within reach;I realized this could have been a trap. He must have been close enough to feel my feelings of betrayal, he immediately straightened and flew to intercept the silver wings. He did not draw his sword, but sent a reassuring picture of what had happened. The silver wings slowed, to study the information sent. He repeated his flip twist and amusement radiated from all of the silver wings. Even though the silver wings would not acknowledge me, I sent them an apology and closed my wings. I couldn’t leave through the cold pocket over which they hovered it so I dove through the air to the Between.

They would not follow me through, I cried. The next time I saw my friend he would be a silver, no longer able to dance with me. The Between approaches quickly when not carried by the wind, even faster when there are no wings. I opened my wings carefully and wove in and out of the larger inhabitants of the green. Concentrating on dodging the hard brown parts of the green, I put aside the pain of not  saying  goodbye to my only feathered friend. I flew out of the green, and landing on the solid grey of the earth. The stone did not mark my passing , there were no living things here for me to taint. I was not use to the dancing of the upper, and my wings needed a rest. I moved across the grey to sit on a piece that reached for the upper but stopped half way. Stretching my wings I picked out a few broken feathers, then folded them against my back.

The grey was not always flat, and I had injured my wings. I could fly to the top, but dry flapping took more energy than climbing. It was a quick climb that I had done many times before, so soon, I was resting on top of the grey, looking over the Between.

Blues, greens, yellows, more grays, browns, and whites spread out as far as I could see. Such colors, and so many difference landscapes Between. There was ground as solid as the air I flew on, blues that changed from solid to liquid and back, and innumerable shades of green and brown grew everywhere. No matter where I looked, or how far I flew, there was no color like mine. I sat down to watch the beauty, wrapping my arms around my legs, lifting my wings off my back. I was tired. The wind lifted the weight of my wings, and the grey took the weight from my arms and legs. It was a wonderful feeling to be unburdened for a time. Granted, it made them heavier when I had to pick them up again, but it was well worth it.

My rest was ruined by a noise behind me. I sighed to myself. Returning my burdens to their rightful place, I faced the intruder of my solitude. The hissing noise alerted me to his location. His expression was puzzled. He motioned to me, mimicked my leap, and cocked his head. I repeated his hiss, my eyes wide.  Amused he showed me his teeth . I ran at him, pushed, wrapped my arms around him, and launched into the Between.  Spreading my wings, I released my reluctant prisoner into the air.

I laughed as he spun his wings out, surprising me with the change in his black leathery wings. The bony parts that had been dark now shimmered gold in the retreating light. He was growling when he caught a gust up to my level. Pointing to his spikes, I raised an eyebrow. He waved off the obvious question to catch a warm updraft so he could fall at me. A small sound escaped as I danced out of his range. He snapped his membranes out to stop his dive to look around for me. I danced in clumsy mimicry of my feathered friend, dodging most of his playful attacks. His grin faded as I dove in, and hit. It was a good thing the grey had climbed so high, or we would have damaged the green below us. We separated and opened our. Joy escaped as we dove together and our laughter echoed through the between.

He stretched to tap me with the most nimble golden bone. When I jerked away sadness entered his eyes. We landed. He opens his wings to show me how they alter the light that shines through. The light that ran through them changed from yellow to a dark sparkling shadow. Arms motioned to the altered light and then to my wings. Coping his angry hiss, I wrapped my arms around my middle and shook my head. Breath escaped him in a short rush.

I heard more leathery wings snap open. We were surrounded. The fading light had not alerted me to the pure golden wings that crept about us. I looked to my friend. Regret ran down his face. I had not seen that since his wings were purple, lined with black. He stepped out of the circle and wrapped his, pure gold wings around him. I saw him shiver before the circle closed on me.

I managed to launch myself off a gold wing into an up draft. They couldn’t get above me, so they couldn’t force me to the ground. Dodging attacks, I made my way back to the green, warm updrafts sending me far from my attackers. I passed through the white barrier of the upper. The feathered wings weren’t dancing; they were waiting. My friend no longer smiled at me, could not or would not hear me. He no longer had white in his wings either.

I wept.

Dove.

They followed.

Both sides met each other in the green of between.

I knew this sound well. I danced through battle. Each pair of wings that fell made my wings shine brighter, although I touched no one on either side. The seeping fluid made it hard  to fly, and eventually pulled me out of the sky. The green was gone, and only a few silver and gold remained in the air. It had happened again; the fight, the death of the green, and the loss of my friends. No matter what I did, who I chose they would always kill each other. Old pain, loneliness, and despair returned and control snapped.

The silver ones were pushed back through their barrier, and gold was pushed back into the grey.

I moved throughout the fallen with my seeping wings dragging on the ground. No matter how minimal the contact the horror repeated. Both sides would fight and kill, the green would die again. The same carnage would happen again as soon as the green was repaired. All because I was lonely.

“No.”

I ripped out my joy, my temptation, my freedom, and my burden. Regret ran down my back, into the ground.

“Never again.”