When Wings Break

The Muzzle Led Birdie (II)

"Ten laps!" Saleh called when he passed the playing duo. What complaints there were, he ignored. The laps were gruesome for a reason. The path took them far into the ocean with only one stop between the flag and the land. Worse, they flew at low altitudes which didn't offer enough thermals to push them along. Saleh enjoyed it.

"What was the point of stretching?" Sheldon asked, looking worse than a rained upon dog as he pouted up at Saleh. He really was a short child, golden hair wind-ruffled, wings drooping to the ground.

"Yeah," Ebony, his sudden sidekick all things, couldn't keep her leg strength. She plopped to the grassy ground as Saleh made sure the last of them had some glucose before the next part. "It wasn't our fault."

"So you know why you got ten laps," Saleh grinned.

"Oh, no. It's the smile." Two children shuffled away.

"Maybe I should bring back partnering," he interlocked his fingers and stretched them palm upwards. That was when he noticed who was entertaining Amina and Jaiyana. Amina laughed. Christophe had placed himself a distance away from the girls, no doubt out of respect, but it was clear he was regaling them with a tale.

"No!" the children said in unison. It drew the attention he did not want at the moment.

Saleh turned back. "It'll be fun."

Heads turned, eyes met, silent questions and loud wariness continued. Finally, they turned to Ebony. "Define fun?"

Saleh tried not to smile. "Christophe fun." Ears perked. Why had he called his name? He glanced in the direction and there he was, listening keenly. Jaiyana was repeating the words to Amina. Saleh ignored them. "In fact, that big fluff told me a story of diving face-first into a pit of poop."

"Oy!" Christophe stood in return, cupping his hands around his mouth to holler, "Mud! It was mud!"

Saleh winced falsely. "Yeah, yeah. Sit down and let me teach, will you?" Was he smiling? "As I was saying--"

"Deal." Ebony shrugged at his stunned silence. "What? Between you two working together, practice gets both fun and productive." She shrugged again, blushing as she glanced down. "It's nice having fun, and it's nice getting trained. Sue me for having a head that thinks."

"I'd lose," he said. "Here's the rules. Mud becomes water, that circle's your best bet. You know the game and you know the rules. Do not drop the ball. And," he paused, meeting each and every eye that met his back. "Three-second rule. Who thinks they can make it?"

"Me!"

By the end of practice, Sheldon and Mickey, both slow fliers, had the best scores. Saleh could hardly keep himself from laughing and Christophe had become the biggest cheerleader together with most of the facility's senior staff.

Ebony walked by, drenched after diving too steep without ample opportunity to glide away. "Cold," she mumbled. "Too cold. Fun, but cold."

Saleh lost it then, whistle in his mouth. He had to pull it out as he bent over, hands to his knees to keep him from dropping.

"You mean person!"

"I've got this one, hun," Bunny called. "Worst! Person! Ever!"

Saleh continued snickering, which ended up with everyone, including the down-on-their-luck children, laughing off for one thing or another. "Okay! Okay! You all did well," he laughed on the last trigger. Finally, he cleared his throat and stood up straighter. "The game's open for practice. With supervision, okay! I'm going to enjoy watching you guys work this one out."

"Who's the furthest?" Jaiyana asked. Saleh had spotted her wings itching to try. He picked up a ball now, a simple round thing with enough bounce for the slightest contact. She caught it fluidly, but her brows pulled down in confusion.

Christophe coughed beside her. "Saleh."

Saleh felt proud when his sister looked at him in surprise. "How far?" She clutched the ball close to her, eyes widening as she seemed to bounce on her feet. All Saleh did was point at the red floating flag bouncing off in the water miles away. She squealed. "That's further than Imran!"

"Yes. Yes, it is." When he turned back to the audience, he said. "Tomorrow, I'll give you guys thirty minutes free flight. How's that?"

"Right. And when will that be?" Ebony asked. "Before or after you shatter our hopes and dreams of an ending?"

Saleh scoffed. The snicker came unbidden. "Get out of here before I decide on one last lap."

"Gone!" Ebony was the first to try to lift off. She winced. "Um, feet are good too. Come on, Sheldon!"

The rest didn't try flying, either. Each walked off, feet carrying them at a slower pace but fast enough to get away from him. Saleh made sure neither was dragging down a wing or wincing too much. He was training them to be stronger, not trying to destroy their health.

"Why didn't you tell me!" Jaiyana tossed the ball back at him. He barely caught it in his mid-rift. "Imran will so hear it from me."

At Bunny and Roan's questioning looks, he said, "Our big brother. Meathead thinks he's still greater than me."

"Hm," Jaiyana then let her wings stretch. A little patch of down remained between her coverts, but all along, Jaiyana's wings were growing wide and pure. Not a single different-colored patch was to be spotted. It made her notoriously famous with the mothers at the mosque. "We'll prove otherwise for that big head."

"Looking good, girlfriend," Bunny sang. "Hey, how about we head off for some grub, now? Grub? I said it."

Christophe laughed. "Yes. Grub."

"You two are embarrassing," Saleh sighed, expanding his wings for a stretch. Tendons snapped into place, the momentary euphoria destabilizing that he didn't hear what was said until he heard his name. "Hm?"

"You're taking Amina around, right?" Bunny said. Saleh felt himself tense without conscious thought. Christophe frowned and Saleh berated himself for noticing how the light played with his blonde brows. "How about we help? Will that be okay, Amina?"

Amina's eyes widened in excitement, but she glanced his way and lowered her head, cheeks flushing. His comment last night came to mind. Was he really going to bite? Saleh caught Bunny's damning look and his confusion grew.

"What do you think, Amina?" he asked, deciding he might as well do something to save his soul. Only Allah knew where it was going now. He looked upward and discovered some children were still able to fly. A pair of parents could be seen coming from the distance. "Why don't you guys set this up? I'll be right back."

Saleh didn't wait. He walked off. Courtesy dictated he walk a few feet away, especially where hijab clad women were. It was rude to publicly address a respectable woman with the overmuch gust of wind wings taking off made. When he was far enough, he prepared to fly off. The buzzing in his ear cut him off.

"Saleh."

"Saleh. Hey! Wow, you sound so professional when you talk, y'know?" Saleh's flight plans stopped. "I'm just wondering if we're still up for lunch? I mean--"

Saleh looked down at his watch. Ten minutes to twelve. How did I forget? He swallowed thickly. "Uh, yes. I'm on my way. Right now." When he looked back, all wingkin were giving him a look. He glared at them for infiltrating his privacy.

Denise's silence was stretching. "Um, uh... Okay. Saleh? My dad's a major chief in Hell, you know? I can pretty much tell when someone's telling a lie." Saleh winced. "You, honey, don't know how to tell a lie even if your life depends on it."

He dared them to laugh. All four laughed. Amina looked lost. Amina. She looked around her, at the people with wings in a world she clearly didn't understand. As she met his gaze again, a fleeting look as before, Saleh saw something in her he hadn't felt in years.

"Saleh?"

"My friend Amina came into town and I got booked to showing her around," Saleh rumbled off, walking away.

"So... Not today?" Denise's disappointment was thick.

"No. No." Saleh sighed. "I guess what I'm asking is, um, permission to bring her along? And like," he glanced back but he knew how many people were coming along should he finish his sentence. "Maybe five other people. f**k, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen."

The silence that followed brought all kinds of guilt clawing at him. He should have just said no. No. What was so wrong with that word that he avoided it like the plague?

"That's it? A few other friends? Psht," she said. "If you tell me, like, all of them have wings I can watch do some crazy swan lake thing today, I'm game. Big game, Casanova."

Saleh grinned. "You're the best, sweetness. Hold on," he turned towards the others again. He had every hand up with thumbs extended. Even Amina looked excited as Jaiyana and Bunny held up both her hands, thumbs up. "Right. That's everyone in. See you in, um, thirty. One of us isn't winged."

"See you in thirty. And bring me some of those bribe sweets. I feel like nasty sugar today." Saleh frowned. "And don't even think of saying those words."

When a fairy says don't, you do not. "Yes, ma'am." Sean should have some sugarless in his pocket. He hung up as he flew off, hoping to catch the counselor in his office.