JESSIE

I didn't imagine dying to be so... painful.

I remembered my mind going numb. I remembered feeling like my stomach was collapsing with the weight of water, and then I remembered nothing for a long time...

My head had been numb, my mind had been fading, and then — coughing. My chest had shaken so violently, that I felt I would throw up my intestines. Everything had been cold — wet, and then it wasn't wet, but still cold. The feeling of tremors was constant. I thought hell was hot. Served me right for jumping into a sinkhole. I didn't know if I was already dead or still dying. Everything was surreal.

There was the existentialist dread of being alone that randomly hit me, and I wanted to cry, but couldn't open my lips. The feeling didn't last long. Someone... something? Was holding me, touching me. Patting down my body and running a hand down my hair in an almost soothing motion. I might have been imagining it — the warm vibrations that coursed through me via proximity. It felt like a purr. My fingers bent, gripping onto handfuls of what felt like a mix of fur and feathers. The hand didn't stop stroking my hair. It felt like I was clenching onto a cat and being soothed by my mother at the same time.

What was this feeling? The calm before the final breath?

But I kept breathing.

At least I think I did.

There were times I felt like I was being dragged through the air. The fear of falling made me nauseous. My head felt heavy, but the hand that had been stoking my hair carefully moved from one ear to the other, gently pressing on its entrance until a loud pop relieved that feeling.

I don't know how long I was being held. My mind was all over the place.

A final burst of brain activity before death maybe?

The next time I could concentrate, I was no longer being held. I still felt cold but now I was laying on something warm. Fur? Blankets? No... fur. I tried to open my eyes, but nothing happened.

Soon there was a hand again, this time pressing my forehead. Its looming body produced warmth, and I could hear that sound again — the purring vibrations that had calmed me previously.

Then I heard words —

Words I couldn't understand. Short syllables dotted with clicks and high-pitched notes. It didn't sound like English. It didn't sound like anything — it barely sounded like a language at all.

I frowned as my brain tried to comprehend what I was listening to, so I was caught off guard when I felt fingers on my lips. I gasped and immediately felt taunt skin against my mouth. I wasn't sure what it was, it seemed shaped like a mouth but it didn't feel like one. I didn't have time to shuffle through my guesses when fingers pressed down on my lips and pried them apart, and soon a slick tongue plunged into my mouth. I was still in shock when a warm liquid followed.

My body wanted to projectile vomit, but a hand was holding me down, and a tongue was buried in my mouth. I would hurt myself. Choke on whatever the liquid was and on the unnaturally long tongue that was feeding it directly into my throat. I squirmed — uncomfortable, but I swallowed.

I heard the purring sound again. Low and comforting. I kept swallowing, gasping for air when the tongue finally pulled out of my throat. I heard... chirping. What the hell was going on?

There was a sharp wind, and then all the noises stopped. Was I alone?

What was even going on?

Slowly, after what felt like hours my eyes peeled open. I was more energetic — aware. Whatever I was fed must have been the reason. The first thing I saw was the bend of the basket — bed? That engulfed me. It was made of mostly fur as I had guessed. The edges seemed made of weaving material, and the design seemed weirdly intricate. I sat up, and my stomach fell at the sight in front of me. Nothingness for miles and miles below, and the sun seemed so incredibly close.

I was on some sort of cliff?

Fuck, I hate heights.

I stood up, immediately realizing that I was naked.

I blinked rapidly, looking around for anything that belonged to me. The cliff-side looked... civilized?

There were baskets and bags neatly arranged in piles. A slab of stone stood high enough to be a table and held onto small bottles and bowls. I walked out of the bed, biting my bottom lip as I looked upward. Nets were woven into the ceiling, holding onto bags, furs, and what could pass as clothing.

I was in the middle of my observation when I heard wind whirling, and by the time I looked behind me, something — someone was standing at the edge of the cliff with a handful of human duffel bags.

I hadn't thought of the avians much since the first day of the crash. We all knew they existed, and would occasionally catch a glimpse of something in the sky that looked like an uncanny version merger of a human, bird, and cat. Seeing one up close though, was so very different.

I swallowed the spit in the back of my mouth as I wondered what to do. It looked mostly human if one negated the backward knees and feet that only touched the floor with the pads of its six clawed toes. It was huge — much bigger than my 5'8. The wings on it looked too big for it, sweeping the ground as it made careful steps towards me. It had a flat nose bridge and eyes with very little eye white. Its hair looked thicker than mine, shinier — like it was made of rubber. Maybe just thicker keratin?

My eyes rapidly blinked when the thing opened its mouth. There was that string of syllables again, and the nonsensicalness sounds that dotted them.

"I... I don't understand you."

Dumb. It's not like it could understand me either.

The creature dropped the duffel bags it was holding before side-stepping and walking towards the table-like stone slab. I watched it reach down, dragging out the bag I remember wearing when I had decided to end it all. It carried it over to the pile of duffel bags, dropping it before saying something in that weird language.

My eyes moved from the creature to the pile, and then to the pile again. I wondered what it wanted me to do.

Well, it had pulled me out of the sinkhole, stripped me naked, and brought me to its nest. I wasn't food — I don't think? Maybe I was a pet?

The word almost made me burst out laughing. Doing back-to-back surgeries, and rationing medical supplies as I watched people die used to be my life. A bird's... cat's? Pet didn't seem too bad in comparison.

I walked over to the pile, unzipping the bags before going through. Lots of clothes — mostly useless to me being for women and men much bigger than me, but there were a few pieces I could wear. I found intact rations, a first aid kit, toiletries, a compass, a sewing kit, and books. Everything in my bag was still useful besides the food. I didn't want to think about where this bird person had nicked these bags from. I doubted it understood the concept of stealing much. Plus, it seemed to have done this for me... It somehow knew I was supposed to wear clothes.

I quickly put on a pair of sweatpants. The creature watched me with interest as I picked up a sweater and quickly pulled it over my head.

"What's your name?" I asked, pulling the sweater's arm over mine. The creature blinked, just cocking its head to the side.

Of course, it doesn't know what you're saying, idiot.

When I was done wearing the sweater, I gripped my chest. "Name, Jessie."

A part of me was afraid, but I closed the distance between us, reaching out to touch the creature's chest. It was weird to look at. There was no nipple or belly button, but the warmth was familiar and soothing.

It looked down at my hand, confused.

I sighed, withdrawing my hand to press against my chest. "Name, Jessie."

I reached out to touch its chest again, smiling lightly. "Name?"

There seemed to be a moment of realization in its eyes as it blurted a syllable coaxed between high-pitched sounds. I blinked, pretty sure I had heard 'Luc'— that was its name or a piece of its name. There was no way I could make whatever series of sounds that preceded and succeeded it.

I pulled my hand away from its chest to touch mine again. "Name, Jessie," I muttered before reaching to touch him. "Name, Luc?"

There was that purring vibration in its chest. Did it approve? I forced myself to stay still as it moved to grasp my hand with both of its own. Only then did I notice the four digits instead of five and the jet-black color of its nail beds.

"Name, Luc," it said, with no high-pitched intonations on its name. I wondered if the high-pitched intonations were necessary, or if it had picked up on my inability to make them and was dumbing things down for me. The possibility made me chuckle a bit, and Luc stared at me. I stared back at him, wondering what the matter was until I realized it was looking intently at my mouth. Was it because of the laugh? Or the smile? Which was peculiar? Maybe both?

I let my smile settle into a thin line. "Luc?"

"Jessie..." the creature said, and I blinked.

"Yes..." I trailed unsure what to say. I watched the thing pet my hand with a thoughtful look on its face.

"Name, Luc," it repeated, holding my hand to its chest. It moved our hands to my chest. "Name, Jessie."

"Yes," I said, smiling softly. "Jessie," I repeated, earning that loud buzz that radiated off the creature.

I didn't have much time to react until I was pulled into the creature's arms. The hold felt familiar — safe. It cradled me against its chest, pressing my face against its neck as it ran its hand down my head in a patting motion as it repeated my name followed by a string of words in its language I couldn't understand. I let it hold me — it wasn't like I had much of a choice. Its grip was firm. I settled into the warmth of it, though. Enjoying the purring vibrations I was receiving secondhand. Its body was warm, firm, and soft at the same time. It was probably the feathers. I felt like I was pressed up against a firm mattress. I wasn't sure what I thought it would smell like, but my immediate impression was earth, salt, and something innate — like a pheromone I couldn't put my finger on.

"Jessie," the creature kept repeating, patting me as it carried me towards the nest bed.