text: Kalan entered the hall of the high fortress, dragging his body along the ragged, uneven ground until he gathered the strength to rise. Inside, strong currents of air cleaved the interior of the monolith, immediately drying the blood that streaked his body until it turned dark and rusted. Hearing his entry into the nest, the flock, cautiously and curiously, approached the various cave openings that housed them then. Round, lidless, rainbow-colored eyes watched him in silence. The view was superb. In every den, on the various levels of height and width of the immense entrance hall, his people had stopped breathing, until Ka, his progenitor, approached him. Kalan knelt, forehead touching the forearm which held his upraised knee, anticipating the coming moment, anticipating his father’s judgment. He was the prince of a cursed people and everything depended on him. "You survived the descent and arrived at the sea. Yet nothing has changed." Ka hissed through gritted teeth which protuberate from his open beak, “The witch lied to us, just as I suspected. She filled us with false hope.” In the background, Kalan could just make out the voice of Katara, his younger sister. “No one has yet figured out the obvious? Why do you think she bewitched us and left us isolated on this escarpment with these mutations? It wasn't by chance,’’ she paused and took her time looking around, at the shocked expressions of our people ‘’Galantha would never do anything by chance. She was one of us." Concordant and discordant voices echoed in the tunnels and black stone halls that nestled them. The loudest the discordant ones. Their words veiled by fear. Refusing to accept that to return to their former lives they had to accept the transformations caused by the curse and learn to live with them. And what is the best way to go about it? Kalan knew, as Katara knew, but his father, the King, the one responsible for the condemnation of an entire people, could not accept it, and so the dissenting voices did not subside. Ignoring Katara's comment, Ka continued. "You've proven your courage, my son. Now it is time to heal our wounds and rethink our plan to break the curse." Again the denial of what was obvious. There was only one possible plan. There had only ever been one possible plan. Kalan looked up, the air shifting as his father moved away. Only the rustle of feathers echoed in the wide space as he passed. Ka's immense body momentarily covering the image of Katara's eyes locked on his. So lilac, like all her bizarre parts, and just like the translucent gown and dazzling amethysts she had worn the day everything changed. Coincidence? He believed not. At present, all that had been worn on that fateful moment was nothing but threadbare props, like his people, worn, wasted, their time reaching its end. Kalan took a deep breath and closed his eyes to all the life that depended on him. *** Kalan heard the band move away shortly after the King left the vast hall. His bruised body was slow to come to life when he rose. The craggy boulder, which he had descended and then climbed back in the space of a week, had left wide cuts along his chest, arms and legs. Fortunately, with the curse his feet had mutated to something more resistant and effective in his new environment, grabbing at the stone craggy wall like hooks, otherwise, the sea, which bathed the small cobbled cove at the bottom of the abyss, would have carried his carcass away long ago. He knew he should go wash his wounds, eat and rest, but that would have to wait. A few minutes, or maybe forever. There was no more time to lose. He approached the mouth of the cliff, the only opening to the outside of the immense basalt fortress, and peered into the sunny sky and blue sea ahead, the briny air grew more pungent the closer he got to the edge. The sea roared intensely, but the distance he was at was such that to his ears the sound was like the murmur of placid waters on warm summer days. The unbroken horizon and sunshine called to him. "Brother, what are you doing here? I went to the infirmary. Vetara had already prepared the poultices for your wounds, but she told me you had yet to come for her." Katara's voice startled Kalan. The landscape, like his intent, had completely absorbed him. Without turning around he said, "What do you think? You yourself proclaimed it." He exhaled loudly. "Sorry, but I can't do it anymore. Galantha's words haunt me. It's been nearly two years, and now that the end of the curse draws near... " he couldn't go on. "Kalan... what are you saying?" Katara's fearful mutter made him turn toward her. The silvery line he saw in his sister's eyes proved that she had sensed the intent behind his words. He hugged her. His azure feathers, the same color as his eyes, the only attribute to have remained unchanged, enveloped his sister's purple ones. "May the destruction of the Winged God of Heaven, who opposed the continued extinction of His people, be today and for another 730 days the condemnation of yours to live like Him. Once that time is over may your destiny be the same as thou hast offered Him. His life and death be made yours and of yours. But for Katara, I offer you a chance at salvation. For a price. When from His palace on high, your firstborn, heir of your nation, accepts Him and reaches the sea, may the curse be no more." Kalan whispered Galantha's last words to his father. "This is my torment Katara. This is my sacrifice." He continued. Shoulders slumped, posture stooped under the weight of responsibility. "I have to believe she knew you could do it. Father's reign is over, it's time for us to change, to accept our collusion in the extermination of those who we look like now. From all of us, you were the only one who always recognized how wrong we were. I know we will never be like before, not inside because you will be the next king. You will guide us. Galantha knew too. I have to believe it." Katara's voice trembled, but her fervor was unwavering and contagious. "Yes..." He nodded. Kalan moved away from his sister, but not before gently wiping away the tears that stained her tanned face, one of the few areas unaffected by the feathers that covered most of her body. Like she and he, a whole nation of humanoid birds. Facing the escarpment once more and the sea that plunged into the horizon, Kalan opened his arms. The wings that thus formed felt the fury of the Northwind. Kalan shivered. But it wasn't the cold which the gusts dragged inside that made his body shiver, but the deep fear of the unknown. Would he be able to conquer the skies and restore his people to their old selves, to their old lives, or would he be swallowed up by the waves that lapped at the rocks below? He was determined, but he couldn't contain the terror of what he had pledged to achieve. He woke from this temporary panic when he felt Katara's claws in the plumage of his shoulder. "Whatever happens, we will join you soon." She muttered to him. "In the infinite sky of annihilation..." she offered him a soft smile"...or back in our palace on the sea." Yes, soon , Kallan vowed Comforted by Katara's words, he didn't look back again. What will be, will be , he prayed. And, with the reflection of the blue horizon in his eyes, he stepped into the sunshine and threw himself off the cliff. The End