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My stomach churned watching Dan struggle. He tried to act as if everything was all right, but he scratched at his feathers and couldn't walk alone. When he moved his feet, they didn't move how he expected, and he winced visibly any time his feathers moved.

"Are you alright?" Nash placed his hand on Dan's shoulder.

Dan pulled away, surprised by his touch. "Nash?" Dan asked.

"Yeah?" Nash hesitated touching the hummingbird again.

"My arms, they are so itchy," Dan said, worried.

"I know, I know. You're going to have to wait this out." Nash stared at Dan's shaking arms. "It's going to be alright." Nash turned to look at me as he mouthed words to me. I didn't understand what he was trying to say and slightly cocked my head.

Alex leaned to my ear and whispered, "Did it stop eventually?"

I nodded my head and turned to look back at the boy. He looked afraid and uncomfortable. My changes were not as far along as his when I took the pill, but I still felt the alien sensation caused by the drug. It wasn't a fix for the problem. In ways, it could only make it worse. I could tell by the erratic motion of his feathers he had none of the instincts needed for his new hybrid body. The human mind doesn't know how to control a tail or wings. That all came slowly with the changes, and stripping the new instincts away was torture.

"I think... I made a mistake," Dan said, his black eyes watering as his voice grew shaky. He looked in my direction. "Did you know this would happen? Did you feel this sick?"

I was surprised by the fear in his voice. I opened my beak to speak but made no sound. I couldn't think and began to nod my head. Dan closed his eyes as tears rolled down his face.

"Why don't you try and sleep it off?" Rylie asked.

I turned to look at the peregrine, but she had covered her face, leaving only her eyes visible. I could see her shaking slightly with her gaze locked onto Dan.

"I can't walk. I can't move these... these things!" Dan shouted as his legs haphazardly kicked.

"Nash, can you and Matti get him to his bed?" Rylie asked shakily. "It's no use making a show out of this... pain."

Nash gestured to Matti, who quickly got up from the chair. Together, the two of them, plus Shelby, managed to pick Dan up and half-carried, half-dragged up the stairs. Right before reaching the top, I heard Shelby shout and lift her arms.

"Agh, come on, Daniel! You couldn't wait a little longer?" Nash groaned.

Alex's face was pale, and she stared forward at nothing. Rylie saw this and sat next to her. Rylie was still shaken up by the events but whispered to Alex, who nodded in reply.

"He'll be alright. He just needs to sleep off the stopper." Rylie sighed, "He must have stashed one before we found the bottle. I knew he was up to something."

Not much later, Nash, Matti, and Shelby came downstairs. Matti and Shelby sat on the couches and glanced at each other while Nash stood behind Rylie's seat and shook his head.

"I told him. I told him it wouldn't be anything but trouble." Nash sounded irritated as he began to pace. "Maybe next time, he will finally listen. I've been in this house bloody long enough to know what I'm talking about."

I hadn't seen Nash this upset before. While he did have a temper at times, he seemed to be better at controlling it, or so I thought. Rylie shot him a glare and lightly gestured her head towards Alex. Nash took a breath and stretched his arms out.

"I swear if his stunt caused any more of these bloody feathers..." Nash said, brushing at his arms.

"I don't see him trying it again. At least, not any time soon," Rylie tried to assure Nash.

"If there's anything left of him before long." Nash flopped into the seat. "God knows what he's going through right now."

I knew.

I knew it was not a fun situation for me, let alone someone further along.

Nash turned to Shelby and Matti, "Neither of you are planning anything, right?"

Matti chuckled before speaking in his quiet, raspy voice, "Only if you are gonna be here to watch."

Nash smiled and said, "I'm not carrying you up those stairs. You can figure that out yourself, butcher bird."

Matti let out a small, raspy laugh.

Rylie and Nash took turns checking on Dan for the rest of the evening. Luckily, he did eventually fall asleep. As usual, Rylie spoke with Alex privately, and Nash left the room to begin work on dinner, leaving me alone with Shelby and Matti. Shelby did the majority of the talking between the two. Much of that probably came from how strained Matti's voice sounded. Shelby would ask him a question, which usually resulted in a yes or no, with the occasional sentence being spoken.

"So Lyall, when you were here before, did anyone snore loudly?" Shelby asked, catching me by surprise.

I tried to think back, but couldn't remember if anyone snored particularly loudly. I shook my head.

"So it's got to be you then," Shelby said, pointing at Matti.

Matti shook his gray and black head in disagreement. "I don't think I physically can snore." His voice was rough.

Shelby turned to me, "Can birds snore?"

I shrugged, but Shelby gave me an odd look.

"Why would he know?" Matti asked.

"I thought maybe the only one here who's spent any time as a bird may know," Shelby stated hesitantly and embarrassed.

"Yeah, he probably spent his time going tree to tree listening if the little songbirds snored," Matti teased, rubbing his neck with his hand.

Shelby's crest rose in irritation. "Geez, the one who can't talk and the one who barely can are ganging up on me!" she joked.

Alex and Rylie came down the stairs. Alex's face was still slightly red, hinting it might have been a little emotional upstairs. Rylie hugged Alex and tried to whisper to her.

"It's a big step, but it's good you're thinking of it now."

Alex nodded her head but kept a blank face.

"I'll see what I can find for you, okay?" Rylie said.

Alex turned to me, "We ought to get headed back home."

Although I didn't want to return, I could tell she was struggling. After what she had seen with Dan, it was probably best for us to head back. She put on the glove, and with a quick goodbye, we left for the car. Once seated, Alex quietly started the car and pulled away from the house.

"Lyall? When did you decide where you were going?" Alex asked, "Like, when did you decide you were going out there?"

I shrugged, but I did know what pushed me towards it. I was against it until I saw Damien's situation. It showed me what my life would consist of, not that Damien made the wrong decision or anything. I also had the hawk's mind, the dreams of the outdoors. It felt like I should be there. It felt so real at times that I deeply longed to be there.

"I've been thinking about what I want to do, but I'm not sure if it's the right call." Alex sighed. "It's coming no matter what. If I ignore it, I'll only be forced one way or the other. If I stay, I'll be remembered, but if I go, will I be forgotten?"

I sunk further into the seat, feeling the anxiety radiating off of Alex. She was afraid, and I couldn't comfort her.

"As long as I have my name, I'm still human, right? Even if I'm an owl?" She stammered as she spoke.

Alex never talked with me about her family, but I could only assume she's not involved based on what she said. She didn't seem to fear losing herself as much as she feared being forgotten. I never thought about how I would have been remembered. Looking back, it seemed I was remembered fondly.

I nodded in an attempt to show I was listening.

"Look at me. I'm sitting in a car talking to a bird." She raised an arm to inspect the feathers. "I guess I am a bird..." Alex turned to me again. "You know, you don't say much, but maybe that's just what is needed." Alex stretched her back and kept her eyes locked on the road.

Once we arrived at the clinic, Alex guided me out of the car using her gloved hand. As we approached, I could tell Elizabeth had already left. The lights were off, and her car was nowhere to be seen. Alex used one hand to unlock the door and flick the lights on. On the counter was a smaller portable cage, similar to a cat carrier. A tag hung from the top handle, and while I couldn't read much of the scribbling on it, I could make out "Williams, Hawk."

Alex seemed to ignore the cage on the counter and instead placed me on the opposite counter. She leaned against the table and turned her head just enough to see the cage. She sighed and closed her eyes.

"I was supposed to give you the 'good news' before we made it back." Alex looked down at me. "Eli's going to swing by tomorrow. Elizabeth thinks you are ready to work with him, if you are comfortable." Alex gave a reluctant look as she spoke, "Do you think you are ready?"

This was the next step, the one I had been waiting for. As excited as I was to make the leap closer to getting back out there, the thought of the hawk mind and losing control also dwelled. If I went with Eli, I wouldn't have Alex to watch over me if something were to happen.

"It would only be for two weeks or so. I'll still be here when you come back," Alex said quietly. "I can promise you that."

I didn't want to say anything. We both knew the correct answer, but neither wanted to admit it. This would be the last step to prove I was ready to be released, but it would also risk me both physically with my bad wing and mentally if I lost control again.

We stared in silence for a while before I gave the nod.

Alex stepped closer before placing her hand on my head. "Yeah... It's going to be okay." It felt like she was reassuring herself as much as she assured me. "I'm going to sleep in the front room if that's alright with you. My sight has been a little funny recently."

I shrugged, causing her to half smile. She placed me in the cage on the wall, leaving the door just open enough not to latch, and slowly walked towards the hallway door. She hesitated as the light flicked off, and the room was filled with darkness. I could only see the slight reflection of her eyes before they disappeared, and the door clicked shut.

I laid on the towel and tucked my head. The hum of the air vents drowned out my thoughts. I fell in and out of sleep for the duration of the night. Just as I would begin to sleep, I would be jarred awake. Sometimes, I remembered the truck, and sometimes, I remembered the crash from my wing. When the sunlight brightened the room slowly, I still felt tired, as if I had never slept.

I continued to tuck my head under my wing, but I gave up once I heard the door open. The lights flicked on, brightening the room a touch more. Alex wasted no time opening my door, and once she reached in, I heard the outside door open.

"Well, you're here early," Elizabeth joked, placing a backpack next to the desk. "I thought I would get here early to get everything ready for Lyall, but it seems you've beaten me to it."

Alex half laughed, "Only just. I just got up... here to get him ready."

"Well, he won't be here for a bit,” Elizabeth stated, referring to Eli. “I was going to pack up some things for him to have."

"Won't he have equipment already?" Alex asked.

"He's got the equipment. I mean, I would hope so for his other birds," Elizabeth smirked, "But just because he has it doesn't mean I shouldn't send some more. He's doing us a huge favor by working with Lyall."

"Yeah, I know."

Elizabeth looked up, irritated at first, but stopped before saying anything. She watched Alex, who kept her head low, staring at the ground. "Why don't you take him out again? Make sure he is ready," Elizabeth said softly. "I'll take care of everything in here while you do."

Alex perked up slightly and immediately reached for the glove. "Yeah, I can do that." She tried to seem calm, but was visibly excited.

I knew the drill and stepped onto the glove. Alex grabbed the strap, but I gave a soft chirp, shaking my head at her. She reluctantly set the tether and strap down and slowly walked to the backdoor. I watched as Elizabeth smiled and gave a little wave to me.

Once outside, Alex walked to the center of the yard. Only the slightest breeze was coming from the far side of the clearing, not enough to cause any problems but just enough to help get me started. I hunched and readied myself to jump.

"Let's just do a simple glide. Does that sound good?"

I quickly nodded and held my wings half open as she lifted her hand. Feeling the light breeze on my feathers, I jumped, pumping my wings hard as I gained height. Each beat brought me higher and faster.

"Lyall!" Alex shouted.

It didn't take long before I was above the treetops, and I could see the open expanse of the sky. I stopped flapping and began to glide, turning to my right gently. I saw Alex waving her arms, trying to get my attention. I began to bank to the left, swinging me into a tighter turn. Using my tail, I pushed my rear up, causing me to speed up and descend. I sped quicker toward the ground and began to pull out of the dive. That’s when I felt it.

A numbness came across my previously broken wing. I tried to hold steady and guide with my tail, but I found myself drifting to the left. I tried to compensate when I noticed the air was moving slower. Eventually, I fell to the side when the air didn't seem to move at all. I began to fall, and quickly, the ground drew closer. I could feel the air whipping the pin feathers on my face as my speed climbed. I knew I couldn't do anything and tried desperately to move my wings. When I finally pulled my bad wing closer, I felt an almost instant relief. The numbness subsided, and I quickly opened my wings. The sudden rush of air pulled hard against my breast muscles. As quickly as I began to fall, my flight was stable again.

I was now only thirty or so feet above the ground and carrying a ton of speed. I began to do large banking turns to bleed off the speed and eventually came to a more comfortable glide. I lined up with Alex and swooped towards her. Her hand held high as I gave my flare, and my talons made contact with the glove. I slowly brought my wings in and tucked them against my sides. My chest was still burning from the quick opening of my wings, but I was safe once more.

"What the hell was that?" Alex shouted. "Whatever happened to just a little glide to start? Then that dive, you're a hawk, not a falcon, you idiot!" Alex pulled her head to be level with mine. "Next time, just warn me. The last thing I want is to think you are fighting yourself again." I didn't expect it, but she brought her other arm around me and pulled me tight against her.

Once she let go of me, she carefully lowered herself to the ground and sat me in the grass beside her. She propped herself up with her arms, leaning back. She had her eyes closed and yawned.

"You got me worked up there. I can't help but feel a little tired now. Maybe it is just worse because of the changes. It has been harder to sleep at night." She tried to sigh but instead let out a deep "hoooh." She smiled and looked up, "That's been happening more frequently tooooo," the hoot only proving her point.

"Alex! Lyall!" Elizabeth called from the clinic building. "Eli is here."

Alex let out a hard sigh followed by a deep breath. "Hooooooh, hooOOOh," she hooted repeatedly. "Hoooh." I began to get worried. She turned to look at me, and my fear must have been visible. "Oooh, sorry. Just feels good to let it ou-oooh." She rubbed her throat. "Just sometimes it’s hard to-oooh stop."

Alex got up and held her hand for me to step onto. We began to walk back to the clinic, and I knew what was coming next. I intentionally put on a good show of looking ready. I knew I wasn't ready for this, but if I waited much longer, I may not have the chance to do it again.

As the door swung open, there stood Eli, his hands in his pockets as he stared at the cage Elizabeth was moving. He turned his face and met me with a smile.

"Hello, Lyall. Hello, Alex."

"Hello-ooooh," Alex said, still letting out a hoot.

"My! Alex, you are starting to sound a bit more like you look, eh?" he said as Alex chuckled. He turned to me and smiled.

"You ready to hunt like a hawk?"