Flying Without Wings

Audrey knew the moment she saw Marvillo writhing in pain that is was Bastian who was truly being tortured. She had carried him with all the strength she had left to a little place she knew off Church Street. The veterinary hospice she was heading to was one she had been to many times before with her own Angha. The vet had a sign staked into the ground on the over grown lawn reading Veterinary for the Unusual Pet. The building was very old and starting to fall apart, like a lot of the buildings in Cullen, most passers-by laughed at the sign thinking it was an archaic vet that once healed frogs, lizards or perhaps a tarantula. It was ancient, but certainly was not closed. The building was created using the blackest stone and had high ceilings and stunning ornate windows. Blood red stained glass glowed in the setting sun and the front door swung loosely in the breeze.

A little girl with two black pigtails and big blue eyes came running out of the front door holding a fat great tabby cat that looked as petrified as she did. The girl ran straight into Audrey. Her big eyes rested on Marvillo’s leathery black wings that were flapping about and her mouth fell wide open, revealing a gap toothed cave. Her hand reached out trembling and touched on of his twitching wings. Marvillo let out a sigh at her touch and relaxed, just for a moment. Audrey looked down into the little girls pooling eyes. Her black head jilted up and she stared into Audrey’s emeralds for a few seconds then ran off down the overgrown path, the fat tabby’s tale bouncing along from under her arm. Audrey stood dazed for a few moments before continuing to click and clack up the path, her mind lingering on the little girls face until she reached the building. Audrey burst through the front door and ignored the plain looking women behind the front desk.

“Do you have an appointment?!” she drawled as Audrey wiggled by the front desk, but Audrey just ignored her. She didn’t need an appointment, she needed Edgar. The eyes of the other patients in the waiting from, both humans and pets, followed Audrey as she stormed through the surgery with Marvillo whimpering in her arms. Every now and again he would give a little yelp of pain which could only mean Bastian or Beatrice were yelping in pain too. Audrey pushed through a heavy steel door reading “basement” and trotted down the spiraling staircase she had been down many times before. Her Mary Janes clicked and clacked along the cold stone floor and Marvillo’s twitching began to slow. This didn’t calm Audrey though, she didn’t know whether he was stopping because the pain was easing or because he was in too much pain. “Edgar’” Audrey shouted, her husky voice bouncing off the narrow grey walls. The walls were lined with pictures and paintings of Angha’s. She stopped and stared at a picture of herself and Zenasia with Mavis. Audrey would have been about seven when she got Mavis. The small black and white photo could barely contain Audrey’s dark curls and Zenasia’s light. She smiled at her own happy face, Edgar was in the photo too. We looked like he was already passed 70 and had one hand on Audrey’s head and the other was on Zenasia’s. “Edgar” she shouted again. Edgar had always been the oldest man she had ever known yet he showed no signs of ageing. His ears and nose were just as big, his eye brows just as pushy and his bright white hair still stood on end no matter what he did to it. He had deep smile creases surrounding his thin mouth and furrow lines across his brow that were just as detailed. He had a kind face and a harsh voice. Audrey had always adored him, even as a little girl.

“Audrey?” I deep cracking voice sounded from behind the glass door at the end of the corridor. Audrey started to run towards the voice. Marvillo’s little warm body had gone very limp in her arms and he was getting heavier and heavier. Edgar swung the door open his eyes were wide as Audrey ran through. “Who is this? Who is this?” he said pushing everything off a silver stainless steel bed then laying down a fresh sheet. “Put him here.” Audrey carefully lay Marvillo down, her great bosom was rising and falling.

“This is the Angha that makes up the three.” Audrey breathed clutching her tinkling chest.

“Who” Edgar said listening to Marvillo’s heart. Audrey looked at him.

“This is the Angha, this is Marvillo.” Edgar's eyes widened even more and he ripped the stethoscope out of his ears. “Where are they? Who is hurt?” he stammered shinning a torch into each of Marvillo’s big lifeless eyes.

“Bastian is the one in trouble, he has been taken by Kent, Dr Salem’s son, Bea has gone to find him.” Audrey said her voice steely with anger.

“Gosh I have missed a lot playing vet having I.” Edgar said rubbing his tan neck. “They shouldn’t be together, it’s not safe.” Marvillo gave a sharp cry of pain and flipped right off the trundle table.

“Careful” Audrey cried picking the black mass off the floor, she remembered when Edgar had dropped her own poor Mavis, he was always a bit of a klutz.

“Do you know what’s happening to the boy? Is it violence is he being punched, or cut, or hung? Maybe drowned, or shocked or poisoned? Shot?” Edgar asked running his hand over Marvillo feeling for broken bones.

“I can’t say for sure, but knowing Kent it will be violence and probably poison.” Audrey’s green eyes darkened and she hoped Bear would make it to the pub soon. She looked down at Marvillo and gave a scream. “Not poison” her hand was stained red from picking up Marvillo. “This only just appeared, he wasn’t bleeding before.” She cried.

“The poison I can fix, the beating I can ease but not heal.” Edgar said reaching for his cabinets and pulling out brightly colored bottles labelled with golden painted numbers. He dropped the fragile bottles onto the table and they rolled around Marvillo like pastel skittles. He drew a large syringe and poked it into a pond green bottle, then a fairly floss pink, a sky blue then a butter yellow, he drew different amounts from each vile. The medicines swirled in the syringe, they didn’t mix, they kept their own color and swirled around each other - like oil and water. The pastel rainbow exploded when Edgar plunged it into Marvillo’s stomach, after it was empty he set about mending the wound. He found a deep cut on Marvillo’s torso, cleaned it and filled it with a purple glue. “The glue will stop the bleeding and that potion shouldn’t take long.” He croaked roughly patting Marvillo’s snout and gathering the scattered bottles. Audrey trusted Edgar but she held her breathe and starred at the limp pup. Edgar stowed his vials and looked at the large wooden watch on his right wrist. 38 more seconds and he should feel better,” he nodded, “fancy some tea?” Moving away from the table put the kettle on not waiting for Audrey to reply. Was Edgar losing his marbles Audrey thought looking into his golden yellow eyes. “Still love rooibos?” he asked and scooped a vanilla scented pile of sticks and leaves into a large teapot. Audrey’s eyes didn’t more from Marvillo but she nodded. Marvillo’s long black tail began to twitch along the table, next his white paws stretched out and his leathery wings started to jump about. Finally he blinked open his eyes and let out a long loud sigh. “Ahh 36 seconds I’m losing my touch.” Edgar said disappointed staring at his watch, “or maybe this watch is slow.” Audrey let out a relieved laugh as Marvillo stumbled to his feet and took in big greedy breathes of air. Her jumped and flew a few times off the table, evidently testing his wings. “How far away is this Bastian?” Edgar asked calmly sipping his black tea.

“He is at the Woodeared Inn.” Audrey sat down and grabbed her own steaming cup.

“Ahh I know the place well.” Edgar said nodding. They quickly finished their tea and Edgar reached for a black fedora. “It will be faster for us to drive then for him to fly, so let’s go.”