Birds of Paradise, [Clay]

[DANICA VALENTINE]

Danica made her way through the thick underbrush by the tree line with her medical bag slung over one shoulder. She pushed through a few of the lower branches and found shelter from the rain under a few large evergreens. The sky had been gray for days now. Clouds had been gathering together and it was only a matter of time before they burst. The down pour had been heavier when she had gotten the distress call a few hours ago. They didn’t have any kind of animal control in this small town, so when people found something the vets were the only people they could call. Danica didn’t mind really. She wasn’t exactly a stranger when it came to wildlife. It was just this woman who had called her. If the boy who had cried wolf had been eaten in the end by an actual wolf, then this woman was soon due for a very untimely end.

As Danica trudged on she could hear the light patter of rain droplets hitting the canopy above her head. Every now and again rain would slip throw and fall from the leaves onto her face. It was the kind of cool spring rainfall that made everything seem greener, even with the absences of the sun. Danica ran a hand through her wet hair, brushing it out of her eyes.

A bird had come crashing into the trees, the woman had explained. Just as Danica was beginning to doubt the likelihood of such a story she came across a peculiar tree. There wasn’t anything obviously odd about it, just that the tip of seemed to have been taken off. It was as if something had come crashing though here and into the clearing that was now in front of her. She stepped forward over the branches of the decapitated tree, many twigs and sticks cracking under her feet. Something glistening caught her eye in the mud. She bent to pick it up. As she stood up she turned the object over and over in her hands. It was a feather, hard and cold like steal. As she slid her finger down the side of it water from the rain dripped off. She was almost certain if she pressed harder it would slice into her flesh.

Danica raised her gaze to the open clearing ahead of her. She stepped forward, turning this way and that, as she did so. Grass was torn up in front of her, as if someone had skidded across the floor. She walked forward, eyes searching for any signs of movement.

[CLAY DAWSON]

The overcast weather was Clay's paradise. He felt like he could coast forever on storm thermals, the warm and cold fronts slashing together like jagged ice and rock in the air currents, stirring precipitation to life and electrifying the atmosphere... Who was he to resist a long flight in it? When the rain was fiercest, he was the happiest, wheeling circles over endless expanse of earth below him, far out of sight of those on the ground. Cloud and air filled his lungs and cleared them out, seeming to take with them the weight of pollution and cigarette tar. It felt good. It was refereshing. It was his second home.

The thing was, though, that being so high up it was difficult to pay attention to what he was flying over; when the American Air Force picked up a strange, large flying something in their airspace, they tended to react badly, especially with the world falling apart these days. Of course the Thunderbird wasn't going to answer any hails, either. Not for lack of trying, if he even knew he'd been seen, in a sense. But he knew something was wrong the second he felt something cut through his currents--and an anti-aircraft missle slammed into his chest, ripping a shriek of pain from him that would have scared every living creature in a mile's radius.

His landing had been messy; tearing through the canopy of the trees in the tihck of the woods, tearing a makeshift landing strip with his talons and shoulder as he forced a stop, and rolled his entire massive body into a tree. Everything hurt.

He'd stayed there for... he didn't know how long, unmoving. It was when he heard a sound, lying still, that he had stirred; he'd lifted his head, sharp gold eyes blinking blearily, and then he'd recognized the smell of something human coming toward him. He'd barely had time to--

"Fuck," he hissed under his breath, back to the tree he'd rolled into; looking down at his chest, he unbuttoned the top two buttons to get a look, and grimaced. His shoulder and most of his chest were blooming in a massive, agonizing bruise, purple, black, blue and red, and it hurt to breathe. He panted raggedly for a moment, closing his eyes and tipping his head back. There was no way he wouldn't be heard, but maybe it'd be someone willing to help, rather than harm. "Shit..."

[DANICA VALENTINE]

Danica turned her head sharply at the sound. It had been a voice, a human voice. She was sure of it, but it had been quiet. It almost sounded like someone was cursing under their breath. Her eyes darted about the area. She heard several twigs snap as if something had run, or rolled over top of them. Her eyes focused on a stop at the other end of the large stripe of torn up forest. Then she heard it, as clear as a bell. She trudged forward, bits of the broken canopy crackling under her.

She paused standing over the man leaning up against the tree. For a moment she was completely stunned. She looked at the man, then back up at the tree that was nearly snapped in two, then back to the man. She narrowed her eyes, brow furrowed, as she just tried to comprehend what could have happened. She knew what it looked like. It looked like this guy had fallen from the sky. Shot or propelled through the trees and skidded across the floor, digging up the earth and some roots along with him. “I’m not even going to ask,” she said finally with disgruntled sigh.

She looked to his chest. She could see the bruising covering what skin was reviled. Dropping to her knees beside him she leaned closer to get a better look. She placed her hands on either side of where he had unbuttoned the top of his shirt. Quickly and swiftly she pulled, popping a few buttons and tearing open the rest of it. She pushed the fabric from his shoulder to get a better look.

“Oh yeah, my name’s Danica. I’m here to help” she spoke suddenly as if it was an after-thought. The rain was still falling lightly. She brushed the water dripping over her face out of her eyes. She pulled her bag closer to her side with one hand. She began to lightly prod him with the other. “I don’t know what happened to you, but you’ve got some serious bruising, possibly some broken ribs.” She pulled herself closer to him, placing a hand on each side of his ribcage.

[CLAY DAWSON]

Clay's dark eyes shot up immediately as the present person showed herself; there was a pause in which he contemplated exactly what this looked like to her. He was going to have to come up with a story, and fast, before those damn 'what happened' words came out her mouth... which they invariably would, knowing human curiosity. They couldn't just let things be. Her assurance that she wasn't going to ask came as a bit of a surprise, though, and he raised both eyesbrows in a 'seriously?' motion, still painted raggedly in pain. Well, at least she wasn't drilling him for answers or trying to finish him off.

Quite the opposite, apparently. As she ripped his shirt open, sending a couple buttons flying and tearing some of the fabric, he grunted--he liked that shirt--but bit back any complaints as she began examining him. At first he wasn't sure how to deal with that, as she apparently had no qualms at all about touching a man she'd just met (well, met, in a sense) but he shifted a bit uncomfortably and then moreso just in plain pain when she propped at his tenderized torso.

He gave her a bit of an odd look when she introduced herself, but couldn't help the reflexive social politesse that had been drilled into him at such a young age. Military habit, he supposed. "Thank you, miss," he answered a bit raggedly, voice rough. "Feels like it," he added in response, watching her hands a bit worriedly. He was thinking fast, trying to come up with something. "You didn't see a--nevermind, you're going to think I'm crazy," he sighed, cutting himself off. "Are you a doctor or a paramedic or something...? Tch--ah, fuck..."

[DANICA VALENTINE]

Danica caught the expression on the man’s face. It occurred to her that her reaction wasn’t quite what anyone would expect from someone in her situation. To be honest strange circumstances were starting to become the norm for Danica, a fact that she was very quickly starting to resent. Regardless panic had gotten her nowhere in any of these events. To her it was perfectly logical to just ignore the strangeness of the situation until she had more information. Information she could be sure wouldn’t be some sort of lie or excuse. In the mean time she was just going to do what any decent human with medical knowledge would do, and just shut up and try to help.

Ignoring the pained expression in the man’s face, she continued to feel around for any breaks or fractures. “I didn’t see anything,” she responded without looking up from his torso. She exhaled a short laugh and shook her head. “You’re lying in the middle of the woods, bruised and scratched up, how could I possibly think anything you have to say is crazy.”

He continued to speak as her fingers trailed along his ribs. “Uhh,” she said bringing her eyes back to his face. “I’m a vet actually.” She felt him twitch under her fingers and give a pained sound. Her eyes dropped back down to his body, feeling an obvious fracture in his ribs. She sighed a little turning to dig through her bag. Her initial hope was that she would be able to just slap a Band-Aid on him and send him on his way, but now she knew it wasn’t going to be the case. She pulled a tensor bandage from her bag and turned back to him. “Alright, you’re going to have to take your shirt off.” It was more a command than a request. She began to push the already half destroyed shirt from his shoulders.

“You’ve got some damaged ribs and serious bruising,” she explained as she began to pull the bandage around his torso. “The most I can do is wrap you up so you don’t move too much and damage yourself further.” Her jaw was clenched as she continued to wrap the stranger’s ribs. Somehow she considered that the strange man laying in the middle of the forest might not have a place around here to stay. Her gaze drifted up to his face again as she finished with his bandages. “Can you walk? I can either take you to a hospital, or back to my place. It’s going to be a while before you’re ready to head out on your own again.” The words had come from Danica’s mouth before she had even realized it. She wasn’t normally in the habit of inviting strange men into her home, at least for not any extended period of time. Until she had more knowledge on this one however, the safest place for them both might be where she could keep an eye on him. “I can keep an eye on you until you’re ready to be on your way.”

[CLAY DAWSON]

A vet?

"Figures," he muttered, more to himself than anything; if anyone was going to patch him up, it'd be a vet and not a human doctor or paramedic. After all, this was obviously Animal Rescue and he was a big injured raptor in need of medical attention. He tried to remember the last time he'd been hurt this bad; he remembered a fellow soldier picking shrapnel out of his shoulder after a roadside bomb incident, and nursing a brutal bruise under his collarbone from landing impact after getting knocked over by it. This was similar. Just American weapons at fault this time, and someone with actual medical training.

He had to be grateful for that, at least. Well, she wasn't prying yet, either, which was nice. Of course anything he said would sound crazy... What the hell was he doing out here on his own, anyway? It wasn't like he was carrying the supplies for a hike. Sure, they weren't too far from civilization, and it wasn't entirely unlikely that he'd just gone for a walk, but.... he probably should have had more than just street clothes on.He tried to keep his breathing shallow; tasking in air any deeper just hurt, and he knew there had to be something wrong that he couldn't see.

She confirmed his suspicions. The soldier sat up a bit to fully take off his shirt, rolling his arms back; the bruising was obvious and dark, spreading over his shoulder and chest like ink left to run and blot. He let her wrap him up, sighing faintly as he listened, not liking the prospect of being grounded... but the thought of trying to fly in this state alone made him ache unpleasantly. He sat back a bit when she was finished, running a hand over her work for a moment, looking down at it. "I think I can walk," he answered, pushing his back against the tree as he very carefully lifted himself, trying not to lean forward and strain his torso.

"I don't want to be an inconvenience," he said with a wince, looking down at her now. "Is that a doctor's order or can I just walk myself home?"

[DANICA VALENTINE]

Danica gave a small head tilt to the comment. What figures? Was a simple vet simply not good enough? She bit her tongue and let the comment slid. She had been working on not judging people too harshly before she got to know them. She knew how much trouble this guy would be in if she left him here on his own. She couldn’t do that, she wasn’t cruel. If she got any sass from him she wouldn’t hesitate to be less kind however.

She watched him carefully as he rose to his feet, ready to try and catch him if he stumbled. She kept her hand again his side, keeping close to offer any support he needed. She knew she could never hold his weight, but she could help steady him if he faltered. She took a few steps back towards the direction of her car, keeping close by his side. She looked up into his face as he stood at nearly his full height. He was tall and not bad at on the eyes. As she let her eyes slide over him the thought came to her that perhaps having him around for a little while wouldn’t be so bad.

A small smile crossed her lips, for the first time since she had set out that day. She took a step back, gesturing with her hand. “You’re welcome to try,” she said with a smirk. He was being exceptionally polite, something Danica didn’t mind at all. She paused for a moment, sizing him up once more. The last man she had allowed into her house that she didn’t intend on kicking out in the morning was a friend doing her a huge favour. Matteus had been a blessing, so perhaps she owed it to the world to return a good deed.

Crossing her arms and shifting her weight to one leg Danica gave a small chuckle. “Honestly, coming home with me is your best option. You won’t be able to make it far on your own and unless you have someone there who can take care of you…” she allowed her voice to trail off. She stared at him for another moment or two, eyes unblinking. “When you’re feeling better I can give you a lift somewhere, or send you on your way, but for now, yes those are my orders.” She turned on her heel and began walking again, making sure to keep a slow pace so that he might keep up. She was thankful her car wasn’t far, just on the other side of the brush. As she walked the questions she didn’t want to ask began circling in her mind again.

[CLAY DAWSON]

Clay really, honestly didn't want to be an inconvenience; he hated imposing on people or needing things, proud of his self-sufficiency. however, things were presently looking pretty grim for him. Each breath drawn in made his whole torso ache, fractured ribs protesting the motion; he felt sore and broken and he really wanted to lie down and not move anymore. She was probably right... Trying to walk himself home wouldn't turn out so great, and there was no way he could fly with bruises like that on his shoulder.

So he sighed, and dipped his head. "Yes miss."

He tried his best to keep his breathing shallow as he moved forward, following her; at least his legs were fine, having been mostly protected from the fall by being tucked up against him. He'd snapped a few branches with his talons, but his massive musculature in his true form was more than a match for a bunch of flimsy trees.

"I'll..." he managed, having a bit of trouble speaking as he walked. "Cover... any... expenses... on my account..."

[DANICA VALENTINE]

Thoughtful eyes watched him carefully as they walked along. She set the pace slow, knowing how difficult movement must have been for him. She was surprised he had been able to get to his feet at all. Danica tilted her head as he sighed and hung his head slightly. He seemed to have given in to the idea of coming home with her, but still obviously not too thrilled of the idea. She couldn’t blame him. Still, there was little choice to be had in the matter.

Another small smirk came to Danica’s lips. She wasn’t used to being called ‘miss.’ It didn’t bother her though. If that’s the way he preferred to address her, she wasn’t going to stop him. Instead she shook her head and chuckled softly.

As the neared the spot where Danica had parked her car the tree began to thin. It made it easier to walk and Danica picked up her pace some. She could see her car now through the brush. She gave a small nod as he spoke again. “Thank you,” she said after a small pause. “Though, I’m sure there won’t be much expense to cover. Food, and perhaps something to help with the pain, but only if you need it.”

She stopped in front of her old beat up car and turned to look at the man once again. She slipped over to the passenger side door and unlocked it for him. “I’m sorry,” she spoke as she made her way around to the driver’s side. “I don’t think I caught your name.”

Sliding into the driver’s seat, Danica placed the odd metallic feather on the dash in front on her. She stared at it for a moment before starting the engine.