Young Writers Society

Sixteen years ago, a laboratory in the desert researching human-animal chimeras didn't terminate the experimental embryos. These experimental embryos had been given DNA from both bird and human. Just under twenty of the embryos made it to infancy. They grow wings, just like they were programmed to.

From there, a life of medical examinations and invasive tests took hold. Each specimen was sold to institutions internationally, traded around and experimented on until ten lived until they turned eleven.

On their eleventh year, they were all bought by someone mysterious, someone whose name had not been given, whose face had not been seen. They'd been taken out to somewhere rural. The door on the crates had been opened. They'd flown away. They were free.



They spend five years living on the fringes of society, doing whatever they can to survive and evade any attempts of recapture. At the end of their fifth year of freedom, they feel an uncontrollable urge to migrate. This pull leads them to a scrapyard outside of New York, where others with wings are gathered around a small fire.

One comes bearing a warning for the future, an invitation to find out once for all where they all came from and what their purpose could possibly be. Their quest for meaning uncovers things about their origins that are darker than they ever could have imagined.



1.Normal Storybook rules apply
2.Please put adequate detail into your character
3.No godmodding, please
4.Be polite
5.Use correct English spelling and grammar
6.It’d be nice if you could stay active, but I get that interests fluctuate

Character Template:

Code: Select all

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Gender[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Sexuality:[/b]
[b]Physical Appearance:[/b]
[b]Personality and temperament:[/b]
[b]History (can be brief):[/b]
[b]Strengths:[/b]
[b]Weaknesses:[/b]
[b]Other:[/b]




Note: I’m going to need a person who’s interested in running this storybook with me, because I can’t get to YWS as much as this storybook will need. Please PM if you’re interested.

Gale

I woke up with the sun. It's golden rays shown through the veil of leaves around me and right on my face. Groaning I cracked my blue eyes open and sat up on the branch. The morning was a cool one and I was covered in dew drops. Wiping my skin off with my fingers I decided my other appendages would have to wait. Slowly I stood up and stretched my stiff muscles. I puffed out my chest which ached from sleeping on it, my fingers ran across the tree trunk and gripped a notch I had made. Slowly standing up I rubbed my thighs and swept my chestnut hair behind my ears. Extending my wings for balance I surveyed my home. The large willow tree I slept in was positioned above a lake which held my breakfast.
Brushing the dirt from my ragged shirt and my stained canvas shorts I grabbed my makeshift spear from its hiding place next to the tree and slowly made my way to the water. The lake was clear as glass and made a reflection of my face. Using my mirror I brushed some twigs from my shoulder length hair and combed it with my fingers. I normally didn't think much about my appearance because I couldn't see it. However it was nice to clean up once in a while. I liked to wonder what people who live in towns did to look so nice. I sighed and began to preen my grey wings, I could live like them if I tried. At least that's what I told myself. Life after the lab I was born in was hard. I had to find my own way to live and suddenly I was alone. Everyone was different than I was, I had wings and people didn't. That kept me isolated up in this forest for now. One day I will go marching into town and everyone will turn their heads not just because of my wings. I would fit in very well if I was a bit bigger. I could go to school and have friends! My heart swelled just thinking of it.
"One day"
I whispered wrapping my wings around myself.
"One day"

After I caught myself breakfast I decided to practice flying. Recently I had begun to have some problems with turning. My wings would not obey me and I felt a strong pulling sensation. I was not about to leave my home over a feeling so some practice would be necessary. I inspected my feathers briefly to be sure everything was in order then I leapt into the air. My huge wings lifted me high above the earth and a cool breeze chilled my skin. Flying was my favorite thing to do, I felt so free, so alive, each time I beat my way above the clouds. Nothing seemed impossible at that moment. I closed my eyes and drifted on an updraft for a moment. When I looked around again I realized I had turned back to the tree. Frowning I tilted my wings another way and glided back in my previous direction. However the pulling feeling became to strong. It over powered my muscles and took over my path. Fighting to regain control I dove down toward the tree line. Fear struck me like a rock. I had lost control, the only thing my terrified mind could think of doing was to crash. Without considering my options much I folded my wings and smashed into a tree.
I clambered to my feet and leaned against the tree trying to slow my breathing. Through some miracle I didn't break any bones and only had a few scratches to show from my fall. However I was shaken and I spent most of the day without using my wings at all. After dinner I decided I could use them for small tasks but I didn't dare fly higher than the tree line. That is until I was forced to.
I awoke to the smell of smoke. Grimacing I lifted my head to see ribbons of fire snaking through my forest. Immediately I jumped into action and grabbed my spear and my small back back. Fear driven and exhausted I fluttered into the night sky to escape the smoke. My starry ceiling was hidden tonight, frowning I stared up in search of the stars. The twinkling beacons of hope that lit my world where missing. As I flew I pondered how it was possible for anything to be so beautiful like my sky, I had stared at it long enough to find my way home again.
Before I knew it the sun began to rise and I had flown away from home all night. Now I was over a city with tall buildings, frowning at the unfamiliar landscape I landed on a store to try to make sense of where I was. That's when I saw a blur of feathers, across the street stood another kid just like me. I could hardly breathe.
"Hello" I called to my new friend.

Jewel

"I spy with my little eye something delicious." I whispered to myself. My prey obviously didn't hear me- they were too intent on causing no noise themselves that would scare their prey- a deer. The deer became slightly nervous- seemingly ready to bolt.

BANG! A gunshot ran out. My prey was distracted by observing it's dead target- now was time to make my move. I crept up behind the first one- grabbing his head and twisting it around in one quick motion- breaking his neck. The second one's eyes widened, and he screamed. He aimed his gun at me but I used his hunting partner's body to shield myself in case he decided to fire. I then charged him- knocking away his gun with one of my wings and crushing his windpipe with the other. It was pathetic- the way he struggled for air. Before long he stopped struggling. I gathered my kill and began dragging them back to my lair- so I could make the most use out of their corpses.

My lair consisted of a stone cottage with a thatch roof- an inviting enough place if you had no knowledge of who lived there- me of course! I made use of every piece of whatever I killed- made canvasses from their skins which I painted with their blood. Their bones I carved into pens, sculptures, and paintbrush handles. Nothing ever went to waste- what I didn't use the birds would feast on. I always left half my kill outside my house so that the birds could feast. This being as it was- every night was a party.

***

As soon as my kill had been properly dealt with, I took to flying with the rest of the birds. I rode up on a draft of warm air, giggling as I rose. I always felt free in the air- like nothing in the world could bother me. Like nothing could ever drive me mad. Well- madder than I already knew I was.

However- apparently there was something new to drive me crazy. My wings tilted in a direction that I didn't want to go, leading me away. I decided that I didn't want to follow them and tried to land- ending up going face-first into a tree. Nothing broke but I got a pretty major black eye.

How could my wings betray me like that? How could a part of me betray me? HOW!? Frustrated, I began to fly again- refusing to go in the direction my wings wanted to go.

***

Thirty-two crashes and a broken nose later, I collected several of my weapons and followed my wings- whatever they wanted to see so desperately was probably worth checking out. Besides- I couldn't stand betrayal around me much less as part of me. Maybe this wasn't a betrayal- maybe this was a lesson.

I always loved learning. Unless someone I hated was doing the teaching- in which case no. No I insisted on remaining ignorant.

Wren and Jay Sparrow

Wren watched the sun set over the market-town as she sat on the top of the church's steeple. The end of the crisp light caressed her face, telling her goodbye her like it did every night, and she spread her wings out to bask in the last of it. Trees stood around the church to hide her, and the half-light would obscure her enough to be mistaken for a holy vision.

Jay poked his head out of the steeple window, yawning and scratching his head.

"Good morning," he smiled dozily, rubbing his eyes. To travel with more safety, they'd taken to sleeping in church spires during the day and flying cross-country during the night, stealing to eat as they went.

"Good night," Wren sighed, inhaling deeply before she got ready to take off. She preened her feathers as quickly as she could, pulling them back into place and brushing off any dust, before she let herself fall forwards off of the spire. Her wings caught her and she flew.

Behind her, Jay leaped out of the tower without bothering to even try to preen. A few of his feathers fluttered groundwards, spinning like sycamore seeds. He caught up to Wren after a bit of labored flapping, gliding next to her as they skimmed over the outskirts of the town.

"There!" She hissed, pointing to an egg stall on the end of a farmer's driveway. Like always, she dipped a wing to bank and circle overhead, to keep watch while Jay swiped as much food as he could into the pouch of his hoodie. He folded his wings and dived, enjoying the feeling of the wind cradling him for a moment, before he snapped his wings back out again and snatched up a handful of eggs as he soared up again.

As he climbed, he felt his primary feathers shift slightly, before he jolted around so violently that he dropped the eggs and struggled to stay airborne.

"Woah!"

"Nice going, doofus," Wren grumbled, feeling her stomach gargle as she drifted over. She too was turned in the other direction by tiny shifts in her flight feathers. "...Oh."

Flight in the other direction was easy, effortless, as if the very wind was pulling her along. She glanced at Jay, who looked to be flying as easily as her. Perhaps it was God, watching over them still, warning them.

"Shall we carry on this way?" Jay asked, his voice small and lacking its bravado.

"I think we should."

Kalin Talon


Kalin Talon never liked to fly. It was strange. After all, he was a genetically modified chimera, and half bird. It would make more sense for him to enjoy the sensation of flight rather than be disdainful towards it.
However, Kalin was modeled after a Peacock. Peacocks have noticeable tails, but rather small and easily ignored wings. When Kalin flew, he felt as though his wings weren't really supporting him well. It seemed to him that he would just fall out of the sky.
For some reason, though, he was flying today. He awoke to the strange urge of flight, the only thing he despised. He didn't know why, but he seemed to be pulled into the sky on his wings against his will. Off he went, soaring higher and higher, flying towards the rising sun.
It was the middle of the day, and the sun was well above him. He continued to soar, ignoring the need to rest. His beautiful tail trailed behind him. For the first time since he began his journey, he looked down. Below was a large city.
All through the streets people were staring at him, taking pictures with their smart phones. He waved. Best to be polite.
Suddenly his wings stopped flapping automatically and he plummeted out of the sky. He continued to fall, unable to activate his wings. Panicking three hundred feet in the air, he twisted in the air to look at his ineffective wings. In between the fold of them, he saw what looked like a black jet shooting towards him. As it got closer, he realized it was a human.
Or at least a partial human. He wore a long black coat. His hair was dark blue. That was the semi-normal part. The not normal part was that he was flying at ninety miles per hour on large black and red wings. In seconds, he had grabbed Kalin and was diving towards the network of roads below.

The dust and the darkness sometimes got to her, but apart from that the building was a place of unusual comfort and happiness.

Celine had woken before dawn to prepare herself, adjusting her uniform skirt and tying her long, blonde hair back neatly. The house was silent and echoed as she moved from room to room, packing her things and searching for her second shoe, which she’d left abandoned in the hall.

The old mirror on the upstairs floor was frameless and cracked in one corner, but it helped Celine see her hands folding the white wings carefully behind her back and wrapping bandages over them. Once the wings were tucked securely away she put on her shirt and blazer. Then, stepping back from her reflection, she regarded herself objectively.

“There. Nothing but human,” she declared proudly, twirling around to check her shoulder blades. To her, wings were not a symbol of freedom; all they had ever done was put her in cages.

As the pale sun peeked above the horizon and slid its rays across the rotting floorboards Celine grabbed her bag of stuff and dashed excitedly out the front door.

On the days that she had school she was as chirpy as the birds each morning. It made a good distraction to the pain and loneliness she dwelled in, and it allowed her to feel more capable and human.

A few hours later Celine sat at the back of the classroom, listening to the teacher summarize a timeline of European history. A couple of boys in the class were staring at her again. The boys often did that for some reason, and the girls gave her mean looks because of it. She had been attending the school for nearly a year now, and still no one her age had approached her.

All she wanted was a friend.

Without warning, the wings under her shirt suddenly squirmed, causing them to bash loudly against the back of her chair. People turned to look at her strangely, and in response Celine sunk lower into her seat. What was that? Her wings had never acted on their own before...

Then it happened again, this time with a horrible ripping sound. Celine shot up from her desk. The whole room was watching her now. “Um, I have to leave,” she said, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice. The teacher opened his mouth to reply, but Celine was already exiting the classroom.

Not knowing what else to do she ran into the girls’ bathroom. Tears leaked from her dark eyes in the vanity mirror, and she wiped them away furiously. Why couldn’t she be normal for once? She took off her blazer, and saw that her wings had completely broken free from the bandages and had torn violently through the back of her shirt. They currently struggled on her back as if possessing a mind of their own.

How could she face school like this? Her heart beat fast in her chest, panicking. She needed to escape, that much was obvious. The last time someone had seen her wings was when she had been flying away from the circus last year, much to the displeasure of her captors. She couldn’t be locked up again. No way.

On the furthest wall of the bathroom was an open window, too high for anyone to reach normally. It was situations like this when her experience in confined spaces came in handy.

Double-checking that no one was coming, Celine spread her huge wings out on both sides. After taking a slow breath to calm herself, she began flapping them quickly and in restrained movements like she’d practiced. Gradually she felt her feet leave the bathroom tiles and ascend to the height of the window. In a final gust of speed she charged at the wall, pulling her wings close just before passing through the window and out the other side.

The open air welcomed her, but she didn’t have long to relieve herself. Her wings urged her onward, and she could only obey.

The wings guided her to the western shore, where all she could see beyond was deep, silvery water and an endless stretch of clouds. So much visible distance scared her, and at first she refused, forcing her way down to the roof of a skyscraper and clinging tightly to its railing. However after thinking it over, she realised that she would go. “There is nothing for me here,” she muttered, a sense of certainty creeping over her.

In a spurt of action Celine leapt from the roof, airborne for a wild moment before letting her feathered wings lift her. Soon she was soaring over the waves like she had done almost five years ago, wondering what she would find at her next landing across the sea.