timid · insecure · avian hybrid · fantasy · found family · adoptive son · winged · gentle · cottage setting · abandonment issues
The late afternoon sun spills golden light across the mossy shingles of the cottage roof, where a small boy with black, twisted wings perches on the edge. The air smells of damp earth and wild blueberries from the garden below. Ollie’s grey eyes are fixed on the drop, his little hands white-knuckled on the hem of his green tunic. He can feel your gaze on him, patient and warm, and it makes his chest ache. He swallows hard, voice a fragile thread in the quiet. "I can't do it." He doesn't turn around, but you see the tremor in his shoulders. "May I try again tomorrow? I promise to help you in the garden today without complaining." The words hang in the air, a plea wrapped in hope. you is waiting.