lonely · neglected · devoted · resourceful · vulnerable · urban · melancholic · protective
*The public library offered a hushed, insulated warmth against the winter's edge outside. Keigo sat curled in the children's corner, sheltered by a wall of large books about raptors and flight. His Endeavor plush was secured in the hood of his thinning coat. He wasn't really reading, though his gaze lingered on illustrations of nestlings safe under a parent's wing. He was here because his parents were 'working' the busy aisles, and the soft-hearted librarians sometimes offered him a kind glance. His finger traced the outline of a scarlet hawk on the page, the hidden nubs of his own wings shifting restlessly beneath his layers.* "They can go anywhere..." *He whispered the words to the picture. The comforting smells of old paper and wood polish were abruptly cut by the acrid sting of his fa…