"Hey, Chessie?"
I looked up, swinging my legs in the open air. The ledge underneath me wouldn't crumble, or at least, it better not. Domane's wings were loud, loud with each beat as she alighted next to me, claws digging into the ground.
My sister blinked at me as she let herself down, her legs so much longer than mine. She folded her wings up by her sides, something she always did every time she was close; I could feel her body heat radiating off her as she settled down. "You always come up here, but you never ask me to fly with you."
"Yeah? Why would I?" I tilted my head, clearly to her confusion. I reached over to smooth some of her ever-wild hair down behind her ear. "I wouldn't want you to drop me, Dome."
"I wouldn't! You know that!" Her voice rose, rose to a near-screech that I knew she never meant to get to. She was joking, kidding around just as I was, but it was still hard to not wince at the heightened notes. "I'm a good flier!"
I know you are.
There's just nowhere for you to fly to.
"Mhmm." I looked away from her, down below with all the white buildings and everyone walking around, pretending like I didn't believe her. Domane bought it and shoved me, playful action not having enough force to send me anywhere.
She's too weak.
"You're mean, Chess! I only dropped you once!" Her wing was rough against my skin, all dark browns and greys and near-black, coarse feathers not meant for pushing but flight.
"Once was enough for me." I was content with simply sitting there, watching everyone go by, seeing Acroste with his tell-tale hair leading someone I didn't know around.
..I should say hi.
"Ugh. You never visit me, then when you do you just make fun of me." Domane abruptly rose, brushing off her wing with the other as if to rid herself of cooties. She was all fast action, quick words, quick dive-downs to prey that didn't see her coming.
She doesn't even know that this is a cage.
"Mmm, not true." I continued to kick my legs back and forth, boots tightly laced and having no threat of falling off my feet like they had once or twice before.
..she could go anywhere in the world if she wanted.
But..
"I can't believe you. Stupid." Domane leaned down - more than a few feet for her size - and tipped my head up with the very tip of her wind to kiss my forehead. Her lips were the only soft thing about her. "It's been thirty seconds and I'm already sick of you."
"That's a record." I let my eyes close as she let me go, hearing her huff and shake out her feathers again. A whoosh and an air current I'd heard so many times, Domane spreading her wings and cracking her spine, pops that I did wince at but she only happily sighed.
"I'll see you around, okay, Chessie? I'll see if I can go with you. Out there."
..'out there'.
No one's ever going to let you out, Dome, can't you realize that?
..if I told her, she'd break.
"Okay. I'll try and see if you can, too." Opening my eyes, I pushed myself a bit away from the edge to stand up, my head only reaching Domane's too-wide shoulders. She patted my back, not hard enough to push me off, not hard enough to do anything.
"Thanks, sister." Domane smiled, childlike glee on her face giving me bile I had to swallow down. "Maybe we can see the moon! Talk to it!"
"Oh, Dome, you know that was always just a story." I started to walk away from the ledge, back on the too-narrow path up lined with trees. Domane was right beside me the whole time, squeezing her wings close to fit.
"No it's not! The raccoon and the moon. From out there, being friends. Hey, it's like us!" She bumped my shoulder, grin still on her face. I knew she was walking slower than she usually did, hell, she never walked around anymore, but here she was, walking with me back down to Silvest.
"Oh?"
"'Oh?' You know exactly what I'm talking about! I wait here and then you come and barely say anything! But the raccoon story is much cuter." Domane had to move out of the way for someone to pass us, a girl who I should've known but somehow didn't. "Hey, Chessie, what's a raccoon?"
I looked up, swinging my legs in the open air. The ledge underneath me wouldn't crumble, or at least, it better not. Domane's wings were loud, loud with each beat as she alighted next to me, claws digging into the ground.
My sister blinked at me as she let herself down, her legs so much longer than mine. She folded her wings up by her sides, something she always did every time she was close; I could feel her body heat radiating off her as she settled down. "You always come up here, but you never ask me to fly with you."
"Yeah? Why would I?" I tilted my head, clearly to her confusion. I reached over to smooth some of her ever-wild hair down behind her ear. "I wouldn't want you to drop me, Dome."
"I wouldn't! You know that!" Her voice rose, rose to a near-screech that I knew she never meant to get to. She was joking, kidding around just as I was, but it was still hard to not wince at the heightened notes. "I'm a good flier!"
I know you are.
There's just nowhere for you to fly to.
"Mhmm." I looked away from her, down below with all the white buildings and everyone walking around, pretending like I didn't believe her. Domane bought it and shoved me, playful action not having enough force to send me anywhere.
She's too weak.
"You're mean, Chess! I only dropped you once!" Her wing was rough against my skin, all dark browns and greys and near-black, coarse feathers not meant for pushing but flight.
"Once was enough for me." I was content with simply sitting there, watching everyone go by, seeing Acroste with his tell-tale hair leading someone I didn't know around.
..I should say hi.
"Ugh. You never visit me, then when you do you just make fun of me." Domane abruptly rose, brushing off her wing with the other as if to rid herself of cooties. She was all fast action, quick words, quick dive-downs to prey that didn't see her coming.
She doesn't even know that this is a cage.
"Mmm, not true." I continued to kick my legs back and forth, boots tightly laced and having no threat of falling off my feet like they had once or twice before.
..she could go anywhere in the world if she wanted.
But..
"I can't believe you. Stupid." Domane leaned down - more than a few feet for her size - and tipped my head up with the very tip of her wind to kiss my forehead. Her lips were the only soft thing about her. "It's been thirty seconds and I'm already sick of you."
"That's a record." I let my eyes close as she let me go, hearing her huff and shake out her feathers again. A whoosh and an air current I'd heard so many times, Domane spreading her wings and cracking her spine, pops that I did wince at but she only happily sighed.
"I'll see you around, okay, Chessie? I'll see if I can go with you. Out there."
..'out there'.
No one's ever going to let you out, Dome, can't you realize that?
..if I told her, she'd break.
"Okay. I'll try and see if you can, too." Opening my eyes, I pushed myself a bit away from the edge to stand up, my head only reaching Domane's too-wide shoulders. She patted my back, not hard enough to push me off, not hard enough to do anything.
"Thanks, sister." Domane smiled, childlike glee on her face giving me bile I had to swallow down. "Maybe we can see the moon! Talk to it!"
"Oh, Dome, you know that was always just a story." I started to walk away from the ledge, back on the too-narrow path up lined with trees. Domane was right beside me the whole time, squeezing her wings close to fit.
"No it's not! The raccoon and the moon. From out there, being friends. Hey, it's like us!" She bumped my shoulder, grin still on her face. I knew she was walking slower than she usually did, hell, she never walked around anymore, but here she was, walking with me back down to Silvest.
"Oh?"
"'Oh?' You know exactly what I'm talking about! I wait here and then you come and barely say anything! But the raccoon story is much cuter." Domane had to move out of the way for someone to pass us, a girl who I should've known but somehow didn't. "Hey, Chessie, what's a raccoon?"
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