LUC

     I wasn't sure what I was waiting for, but I stared intently at the sinkhole below, expecting the wingless creature's head to pop over the water anytime soon.

     "That's no way to dive," I muttered to myself, changing my position at the edge of the cave entrance that looked down at the sinkhole, expecting it to give me a better view of the situation.

     Still nothing.

     In the beginning, the creature had trashed in the water before going deeper, and then there was nothing — it had been several minutes. I cocked my head to the side, farrowing a bit as I wondered how long a creature like that could be underwater before coming up for air. In my observation, it had no gills or air sacs. It should have come up by now...

     I'd watched some of them from time to time, mostly in skintight black clothing, appendages they added to their weak flat feet, and weird face masks they wore over their eyes and mouths. Often, they would come up for air, then dive back down, and often, they would leave with nothing but rocks.

     It wasn't wearing the typical gear. I thought to myself, cocking my head again as I stood up to my full length. For a Helli, I wasn't very tall — I had been the runt of the clutch. I hadn't fought hard enough for food as a hatchling, and so remained smaller than normal. My wings were normal-sided, each being a little longer than the full length of my body. They dragged a bit on the ground when I walked, fluttering occasionally to let go of the dust that accumulated on the lower feathers.

     I grasped the edge of the cave entrance with the claws of both feet, staring down at the six digits distributed across two of them. I leaned forward, peering down at the water again.

     The creature hadn't come up for air.

     It might be in trouble.

     I could feel pressure in my ears as anxiety crept through me. I'd always watched these beings from a distance, mostly staying out of sight and returning to the safety of high ground as frequently as possible. I came down to the world's surface to hunt — diving in the sinkholes for eels and the occasional aerial animal that had the same train of thought. I ate out of the sight of other Helli who could make a bid for my food. The creatures had appeared from nowhere in the past few years, making camp close to sinkholes and expanding towards the creaks and seasonal streams.

     I stayed out of their sight. They were very anxious beings, and had weapons that shot fire — I wouldn't want to give one a reason to direct a weapon at me...

     A nervous sound resonated in my chest as I clawed at the plumage on it with my fingers, running them through the softness nervously as I contemplated what to do.

     It doesn't have very long to live. I found myself realizing. "It's probably knocked out. It won't see you," I muttered to myself, taking in a deep breath before crutching down for a fraction of a second and falling forward. Before I could overthink the situation, my hands had broken through the water's surface, and my body and wings followed. I used my wings to propel me downwards, as my eyes darted underwater using my limited vision. I saw a body down below, and I started swimming as fast as I could. When I reached the creature, I touched it, moving to cradle its body to mine when I confirmed it wasn't conscious.

     I had been worried it would be heavy, but it was surprisingly light. Its bones must have been fragile — or the lack of wings and feathers made it weigh less than a Helli of its size. Size wise it was also small. At most, the nest of fur on its head reached my breastbone.

     I swam upwards, breaking the water head first. I tightened my hold on the creature with one hand, before using the other to swim towards the edge of the sinkhole. When I reached it, I hurled us both over it, rolling the creature on its back before squatting beside it to inspect it.

     A full-body shudder ran through me as I stared down at it. It was the first time I was looking at one of them so up close — It had soft fur on its head and brow bones, but also light ones on its jaw and limbs. The lack of plumage anywhere was unnerving.

     It still wasn't breathing, so I pressed a hand to its chest, pressing down with force. An expression seemed to form on its face before its lips parted and coughed up a concerning amount of water. It coughed and coughed, and after several moments went to heaving and breathing lightly. It still wasn't awake — at least not fully.

     I should go. I thought to myself, letting my eyes run through the creature's face. It looked male — smelled male. Its face was strong, and the thickness of its brows unnerved me. I watched it frown, baring the small even-sized row of teeth it had. I wondered how it was able to eat anything with them. I let my tongue run over my teeth, touching the tips of its sharp edges.

     I reached down to touch its forehead — it was cold. I let my fingers wander upwards, tracing the hairline of the dark long fur on its cranium. I let myself twist a lock of hair between my fingers. It was softer than I imagined — possibly not made from the same material as mine. Mine was brown, matching the dark brown plumage that framed the face of my neck and jaw, then disappeared into a lighter brown down my neck, chest, shoulders, and upper arms. The skin on my lower arms, legs, and stomach was mostly bare. There was a bit of plumage trailed down and sat over the slit on my pubis mound, but it was light, almost not there. I moved my fingers to touch its eyebrows lightly, before letting myself touch its neck and growing fascinated by the little bump that seemed to heave with every breath. Its lips were a brown pink color — like there was blood pooled under it. I touched the upper one, unnerved by the squishiness. My lips were char black, and they were not soft, and they did not have that many blood vessels under them.

     The creature groaned, shifting a bit as it rolled its shoulder and turned its head to the side. I backed up a bit, cocking my head to the side as I observed it. I noticed the bag it had strapped over its back must have made lying down uncomfortable, so I reached down, letting my hands pull at the straps until I could nudge the bag over its head. I placed the bag beside it before standing up and spreading my winds as wide as possible. They were still wet, but I could still fly. The oils in them resisted the water well. I fluttered them a bit, stopping immediately when I noticed it seemed to draw a reaction from the creature.

     It was frowning deeply now, then it suddenly convulsed in rapid shivers as it clenched itself with its arms.

      It was cold.

     The wet fabric on its body probably wasn't helping, and neither was the wind from my wings.

     I squatted down again, and gently went about tearing the fabric off it. I had initially tried to keep them in one piece, but the clothing was complicated. It wasn't as simple as wrapping fabric around your waist like Helli did. I pulled the foot covering — leather? Off of it as well. I frowned, noticing the fabric on its flat feet. Goodness, they did wrap every inch of themselves. It made sense though. They had very little fur. It was sparse on this creature's chest and legs, and slightly thicker on its pubic mound. At first, I had been nervous, thinking I had excited the thing by mistake when I noticed its sex but relaxed when realizing it had to be one of those animals that showed — externally...

     I pulled my head out of my thoughts, before standing up again. I had to leave before it woke up.

     I looked up at the cave entrance, bracing myself to take off when the strange being coughed. I blinked, looking down at it. Its body was shaking — shivering, and for a moment I wondered if it would live. The fabric on its body had been important for warmth, and there was no saying how soon it would wake up to care for itself.

     Even if it did.

     It seemed a long way from the others. They seemed to be pack creatures that heavily relied on each other.

     Where would it get new clothing or food? It clearly couldn't dive or swim. I stared at the wet bag I had placed beside it. Whatever provisions it held were most likely soggy and inedible.

     I contemplated the situation for a bit, stepping closer before crouching again to look at the creature. It had stopped coughing, but it did occasionally shiver.

     I should take it. The feathers on my neck stood up at the thought as an anxious noise vibrated through me. I had three options. I had a nest in the canopies — warm, but it was dark. Would it be afraid if it woke up in there? Probably. There was a cave I liked not too far from here, but it held nothing of value since it was more a shared habit between me and anything that could reach it.

     There was the cliff nest I used mostly to hoard my belongings. Far away from anything that could fly — and off the radar of other Helli.

     The decision was clear. I reached out, gathering the creature in my arms, letting my hand absently smooth over its hair which was mostly dry now. Its body was still cold, but not wet anymore. I was still surprised at how light it was — lighter now without all the wet fabric clinging to it with the weight of water. Its breathing was stable as it fanned my neck.

     I wondered for a moment if it could breathe high above ground. Its nostrils were small, and its nose was pointy, not flat like mine. I concluded that the creature would probably struggle, but it would get used to it. I could make crop milk to provide it with vital nutrients for its adjustment.

     Plus, it wouldn't be forever.

     This was only going to last until it got better.

     I let my fingers pat down the creature's dark hair again and I adjusted my grip on it. I lifted off the ground a bit, using one foot to pick up the wet bag. My wings pushed me upwards, and soon I was out of the cave, staring up into the night sky dotted with its five moons. The black band above provided a reference point for distance. I flew higher and higher, clenching the creature tight as I made my way to my cliffside hoard.