This is the picture I drew of Nadia, from Nadia's song. She has the wings of a Harris' Hawk, and is fourteen years old. Maybe I will upload some more of my pictures if you think its good. Try taking the quiz to let me know what you think. Here is the Prelude to the story:
One girl virtually alone in the world, will find a way to fly away
This is Nadia,
This is Nadia's Song
This is Nadia,
This is Nadia's Song
Prelude
Seven years previous
It was cold. So cold.
I remember that day as if it were yesterday, Who knows, maybe it was. It was so cold though. I was only Seven, but I remember so well.
We were high on a mountain top in our little village, where my parents had come to be missionaries years ago. Somewhere in the Swiss Alps. But I was different, In so many ways. I wanted to go inside it was so cold that day.
The leather harness on my back started to chaff but I knew I couldn't take it off. It held in my wings. Yes, Wings. Beautiful wings, the covert feathers are bright reddish auburn, like my hair. The Primaries are mostly Black that fades to silver and blends into the auburn. Like a hawks, but they were wings, and they were so beautiful. I had only used they a few times, when I was with mother, picking berries in the valley below. She would let me stretch them out and even fly.
Ah, flying it was so glorious to feel the sun beating down and my wings outstretched. Flying, feeling the gentle rhythm of my wings, up and down, up and down. But then mother would call me back. I would furl my wings and she would bind them up again. But today it didn't matter, it was so cold, and something was coming, I could feel it in my bones.
The air all around me felt damp, and dark, I gazed around, and saw the tall pines, the dirt path, the ravine below me. I heard a car coming up the road, from far below. I heard my name being called, Nadia, I turned. It was mother, she made hand motions for me to come.
"Nadia my dear you must come inside, I have something to tell you!" Her face was flushed and her blonde tresses damp with sweat, like always when she is nervous. She led me inside our cottage and sat me down beside the fire. It felt so good, to be warm again. "Nadia my darling there is something I must tell you my dear." My dear, you'd think she could find another word to use!
"Nadia, in a little bit there are going to be some men here; they're coming for you, only you must not be here when they come, do you understand?" Even though I couldn't comprehend what she was saying I nodded.
She sat me down on the couch and took off my sweater leaving me in my under shirt. She began to undo the straps, on the harness, I could feel my wings being lifted from where they were tight against my back, poking through 2 holes I had cut in my shirt. She took the harness off of me completely.
"Mama, how do I get away from here?" I asked her, not getting what she wanted me to do.
"You must fly." I stared at her dumbfounded. I gaped at her bluntness. I didn't know what to say. She picked me up and sat me down beacause at that point I couldn't move. Mama walked into her bedroom.
Our house only had two, it was a small rectangle, half hanging over the meadows where the shepards took out their flocks. I loved to watch the little shepard boys, no older than me, dragging thier little lambs into the grazing pasture. But there were no shepards in the valley today, today was too cold.
I followed Mama into her bedroom, and watched as she dug through her closet, finally pulling out a sling, which she draped over my shoulder and between my wings.
"What?" I started but Mama hushed me. She walked into my room now and over to the cradle, and pulled out my baby sister Leena.
Then, much to my surprise set her gently into the sling around my neck. She adjusted the straps, until it was tight enough to hold her in.
"You want me to bring Leena too?" I asked, She nodded. "Mummy, I...Why do I have to leave?"
"Oh! Nadia I wish you didn't have too, but you do. There are some really bad people who are going to come for you, and I can't see it in my heart that you go with them, they can't have Leena either." I kinda knew what she meant, I was different, and I knew it. For goodness sakes I had wings! And Leena, she was, different too, except she didn't have wings...she was covered in fur. And her ears were different, and I'm pretty sure normal people don't have furry tails. Leena was a little kitty-cat.
All of a sudden we heard the cars pulling up the road. Mama looked at me and rushed me out the door, and over to the edge of the cliff. She pulled out a slip of paper and gave it to me, saying "Go here, she will help you." On it was an address scrawled in black ink.
"Ok, mum." She turned around to head back to the house, but stopped and looked me in the eye.
"Use the tips of your wings to steer, and don't start flapping until you have to, OK? Now hide."
"Ok mum." She walked back to the cottage now, and locked the door behind her. I ducked behind a bush near the edge of our cottage, 50 meters from our house.
The hum of an expensive car pulled up the gravel roadway. Five men got out of a black Jaguar. Five men in Black suits, and sunglasses. Never a good sign. One of the bigger men walked up to the cottage door, and knocked twice. My mother opened it.
"Where are they?" The man asked in a voice that sounded like it had been smoking for twenty years.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Said mother.
"We know that you've given birth to at least two mutants in the past decade." Said the man with the raspy voice. "Where are they?" My mother didn't answer. She turned her head. "Look," the raspy man said. "You may have gotten away with being a monster twenty years ago, but now, you're a real problem. If you don't give us the mutants now, then we'll take them by force!" My mother still would not answer, her lips were locked tight together.
The man pulled out a gun, and shot her. My mother collapsed in a bloody heap, and the man stepped over her body into out little cottage. Thank goodness my dad was in England, or they probably would have shot him too. The other suited men followed the first in, but they all came out in mere minutes. I don't think I cried, but I can't remember.
I twitched, and one of the men looked in my direction. When he headed my way, I did what I had to do.
I ran to the edge of the cliff and jumped. Just like mama had told me.
I flew down, ten feet, twenty feet, thirty feet, there weren't that many left. I stopped thinking, and started doing. I could hear shouts coming from behind me. I counted to two, and unfurled my wings. They practically popped out of my back, tearing at my shoulder blades and wrenching me upward. Then I started to fall again.
My wings glinted in the sunlight. Black and red against the clear blue sky. Black and Red. I flapped once, twice, all the while holding onto Leena as tight as I could. I curved my feathers upward, and flapped harder, over, and over. Until I pulled myself far above the Pine trees.
I heard a curse from one of the men. A gunshot. I was so dead, but it turns out God was on my side today, because he missed. I guess faith did have it's plusses.
