Well, This is my second story, but I think I like it the best. Edit: I just barely edited a couple big things, as per iamthedave's review. I greatly appreciate his reviews, and hope the changes fixed the problems. Only re-read if you really want to, but I would really appreciate input on the new part. Please tell me anything that seems wrong, unnecessary, or just sounds funny. I appreciate all reviews, and will eventually make the corrections to my story. Also, if you review my stuff, I have a tendancy to review yours too (wink wink).

Chapter 1

Eric raced along the shoreline, trying not to be late. He knew today was going to be the day the flock would come, he could just feel it. Today was going to be a great day. He climbed the rise of ground that led to a flat grassy knoll where he could set up his telescope. It was just a cheap one, but it would serve his purpose. He set up the tripod and screwed it on.

From his previous research, Eric knew they would be coming from the north, and that they would be flying quite high. He turned his telescope to the north, and sat down to wait. He constantly scanned the sky, looking for the tell-tale wisp of shadow that signaled the flock’s arrival. He was lucky: the sky was practically cloudless. That meant that he would be able to see them when they were still twenty or so minutes away.

He sat for a good half an hour before his mind began wandering. He wished he had brought a chair to sit on, and maybe a snack. He sat back and his eyes drifted from the sky to the sea. It was beautiful in the morning, with the early sun shining from behind him and glinting off the water. The wind was calm, and the waves made a soothing rhythm against the beach. Pretty soon, Eric fell asleep, soothed by the sounds of nature.

Eric woke with a start, not sure of where he was, and surprised that he fell asleep. He remembered why he was there after a minute, and started scanning the sky to see if there was any sign that he had missed the flock. He saw nothing but the morning scenery, still calm and serene. He turned north again, and saw it. A small shadow on the crystal blue sky. He hadn’t missed it. They had finally come.

Eric scrambled to his telescope, and knocked it over on accident. He hastily picked it up and tried to right it as fast as possible, so he could get all the time he could to look at the flock. He got it upright and looked through the eyepiece at the shadow. They were flying very high, for all he could discern with his cheap magnification was a slightly more distinct shadow.

Grabbing the telescope, Eric rushed up the slanting ground toward the highest point he could see, the cliff edge. He ignored the long drop from the cliff-top to the water and his proximity to the edge in his excitement. He set up again and tried to focus better on the flock. They were coming quite slowly because they were so far away. He was starting to get impatient.

He watched the shadow come closer for a minute, and focused his telescope on the flock once more. He could discern individuals in the mass now. They flew in a complicated V pattern with one, male it looked like, at the head and two long tails for the V. Occasionally along the tails, little legs would branch off into the interior of the V, giving it more of a triangular look. As it came closer, Eric could see that the interior of the flight pattern consisted of older males and females, and children. The outside of the V had all the strong, young males and some females. Near the head were some older males in flowing robes. They were all carrying a bundle, either close to them or dangling on ropes.

The flock was very near now and was starting its decent towards the Isle Anja. This was as close as the flock ever got to the island Eric lived on, Harvenii. Eric moved his telescope so he could look at the outside line of flyers. He got a focus on one of them, a female, halfway along the east side of the V. As he was looking at her, she looked at him, and Eric’s heart seemed to stop. There was no way she could see that far, but she was looking directly at him with crystal eyes. He tried to move, but was frozen in place, staring into the telescope at the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. While he was thus frozen, another female nudged the one looking at him, she broke contact and he could move once more.

Eric pulled away from the telescope when she left the view and leaned back. That sight of the flock was his lifelong ambition, as much as a nineteen-year-old could have a lifelong ambition and fulfill it so easily. His father never seemed to believe in the flock that passed the island, despite such evidence as a sighting by his own son. His father claimed they were just a fairy tale and that disgrace would come from pursuing such “fantasies of flyers in the sky.” Indeed most of the people on the island seemed more inclined to ignore the flocks existence, but Eric could not understand why. They were fascinating, and after his encounter with the female, he began to believe they were much more than just fantasies or flyers. He didn’t know if they had a specific name, but he called them Angels.

Eric turned to move his telescope to get a better view, if he could, of the flock as it began to slowly descend. The tripod got stuck, and Eric cursed it for being disobedient. He got to his feet to fix the inanimate object and focus of his anger, when he lost his footing on the cliff and fell.

Eric fell backwards into the empty air, but he lurched forwards, hoping to regain balance. He could feel it though. His center of gravity was over the cliff edge now. His breath caught in his throat as his foot slipped off of the rock. He was falling face first now. He could see the ocean below him. It was low tide and the sharp and jagged rocks stabbed through the waves like serrated knives. He strained toward the cliff and managed to grab a hold of the top with one hand.

The slow motion was over. Eric was hanging on for dear life. He had slammed into the rock after grabbing a hold of the cliff, knocking the breath out of him and loosening his grip. Little pieces of rock that he knocked loose fell as Eric watched them. They fell for what seemed an eternity. Eric’s mind dropped its protective barrier that had been numbing events and Eric began to panic. He had just begun! He couldn’t die now! The rock under his hand was crumbly, and he knew it could give out at any second. His breath came faster now. Something in the back of his mind said he would hyperventilate, but his panic blocked it before he could process it properly. He waited until he had stopped swinging and tried to get his other hand on the cliff. His heart almost stopped when his shift in weight made his hand slip a little. He stopped moving and hung there, helpless. Eric knew he couldn’t save himself and started calling for help.

His calls were in vain, and Eric knew it, for no one went near the beach at this time in the year, probably trying to blatantly avoid the facts of the existence of the flock, he thought ironically. His mind was rejecting it. He couldn’t accept that no one would be coming; that he was going to die. He had lost all feeling in the tips of his fingers that were holding onto the cliff and his shoulder hurt immensely. It felt like he was going to dislocate it. Regret set in next. Eric wasn’t sure why it didn’t come earlier. He began to think of all that he wanted to do with his life, that would end the moment his grip failed. He would never be able to convince everyone he was right about the Angels.

Suddenly Eric felt a hand on his and a grip around his wrist, pulling upward. He looked up to see who had heard his call for help and froze. Once again, he was held by a pair of blue crystals that pierced him to the middle of his soul. She didn’t make a noise, but continued to pull him upward. She strained with his weight and closed her eyes for a brief moment. That was enough to break Eric’s immobilization, and he began to grab at the cliff with his free hand. He got a good hand on the top of the cliff and pulled himself to safety.

Once up, he looked at her, trying not to catch himself in her eyes again. She wore no shoes and had a skirt that slanted from her left to right and a top that went over her right shoulder and under her left arm. Eric suddenly became very self-conscious of his slightly dirty jeans and white tank top that he favored. He wasn’t wearing any shoes because it was summer, and his light brown hair was unbrushed in his rush to see the flock. Her hair was strawberry-brown, cut so that it flared out. Her wings were so white, they seemed to shine in the sunlight. Finally he tried to look at her face, but it was a mistake, for as soon as he had done so, she moved and their eyes collided once again.

She kept their eyes locked, as if she knew the effect they had on Eric, and stood up, spreading her wings. She spoke then in a voice that was filled with caring and longing, that rang like magic to Eric, who, frozen and barely on the cliff, longed to be able to answer, “I am glad you are safe, but it is forbidden for Humans and Angels to meet, so I must go and face the consequences of my actions.” She smiled and winked at him as she turned, “I am glad to have helped one who rebels against the old tradition of separation, but I have to go. You should never tell anyone that we met.” With that, she broke contact and flew off in a gust of wind and dust.

Able to move, Eric scrambled away from the edge of the cliff and turned to watch her leave. She was flying slowly, as if she was dreading returning to the Flock to ‘face the consequences.’ He wondered why it was forbidden and who forbid it in the first place. She was nearing the flock when Eric noticed the flock wasn’t moving! They were waiting for her to return. He grabbed his telescope and aimed it at her. He saw several young males, about her age, fly out to her and escort her to the head of the flying triangle. Most of the flock were hovering worriedly, as if someone would shoot them down for staying still. Some of the children had difficulty hovering, and so they flew in wide circles with their bundles.

When she reached the head, an older male flew out to her. He said something, she tried to respond, and one of the escorts cut her off. The old one said something more, and the escorts took her to the back of the triangle. The flock moved, and continued flying to the island. It was becoming hard to discern features with Eric’s cheap telescope, but she looked like she didn’t regret what she did, despite hanging her head. She seemed like she was only pretending to look ashamed for the benefit of the escorts.

Eric strained to keep a good focus on her as she left, but this time he was careful not to come close to the edge of the cliff. He was looking at her eyes, and when she wasn’t looking at him, he was still able to move. They were as if someone had found perfectly round, blue crystals, and put them in her eyes. They caught the rising sun just as the sea did, making it look like they were glowing. She glanced his direction again, catching him in her eyes, freezing him to the spot. She looked away almost immediately, but to Eric, it seemed like forever.