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"What has gotten into you?" Alex laughed as she reached for me. I pulled away, backing myself against the rear wall of my cage. She pulled her hand back and cocked her head. "Why are you running?"

I couldn't say anything, and my body acted on fear alone. I had the urge to scream but resisted. My chest rose and fell quickly, and my left wing slightly unfolded as if I was about to try and fly. Alex looked at me, confused. Taking a step back, she brought her hands to her face.

"Oh my god, it happened again, didn't it?" she yelped. Alex ran to one of the cabinets and rummaged through the drawers. Pulling out a small mirror, she gazed at her new eyes. "No, no, no!" Her eyes closed tightly, and her hands clenched.

I watched helplessly, still reeling from the fear her gaze filled me with. I tried to fight through the instinctual fear, stepping closer to the cage door. Alex used the table to let herself down to the floor, and her tail fanned as she practically fell onto the ground. I didn't want to leave her this time, not again.

I pushed the door open with my beak and looked at the drop to the floor. It was approximately a four-foot fall to the floor. My towel had fallen down there, although I didn't think that would help. Glancing at Alex, I could see the feathers spreading further along her face. I couldn’t delay any longer. I hopped down from my cage and tried to land on my feet. When I made contact with the towel-covered floor, my legs collapsed, causing me to fall onto my chest. I expected to have hurt my wing, but to my surprise, the bandaged wing never touched the ground. Carefully climbing back onto my feet, I had avoided any injury.

I tried to run as quickly as my clawed feet could on the tile floor. I nearly slid into Alex when I did reach her. Alex held her eyes shut and pointed her head upwards. Her hand rested on my back, scratching at my neck. She was quiet, but I did not know how to help her. I leaned my right side against her leg, and we sat quietly together.

Alex didn't end up leaving for the night. After her incident, she helped me back into the cage and slept on one of the reclining chairs up front. I struggled to sleep, not knowing if she was alright. Once the sun began to rise, I heard Elizabeth arrive. There was an initial commotion, but it quieted down. I could only assume it was about Alex's eyes, but I feared it was about more changes.

"Good morning, Lyall," Elizabeth greeted me happily. "Big day today."

Even as tired as I was, I could tell what she meant. My heart rate climbed as the thought of being able to use my wing once again rushed through my head. I didn't want to show how overly excited and equally nervous I was, so I gave a light nod.

"If you don't mind, Alex will be joining us for this."

She must know about how I reacted to Alex's changes. I'm still unsure why I was so afraid. Something inside gave me an immense sense of fear, fear worse than I had ever felt before. I gave Elizabeth a nod, even though I was still unsure.

She waved at the door, and Alex came in carefully. Her bright yellow eyes contrasted against the skin and feathers of her face. While not paralyzed by fear, I still felt uneasy when she looked at me. I gave her a nod to reassure her, but she only responded with a partial smile. Elizabeth quickly offered her gloved hand and carried me to the imaging room.

Elizabeth placed me on the plastic-topped table and brought the lights down. Although I was usually calm for a hawk, the lights were supposed to help with non-hybrids. She started with the routine X-rays from my side. After taking multiples at different angles, she seemed pleased with the results. She removed a slender pair of scissors from her pocket and placed them on the table beside me.

"Everything looks great from what I can see, but I'm going to need you to cooperate for the next one," Elizabeth said, reaching for my right wing.

At first, I hesitated, but I allowed her to touch me. Once she had a soft hold of my wing, she brought the scissors to my bandage and cut one of the strands. Immediately my wing fell into her hand, where she carefully began to unwrap it. I expected this to hurt, but instead, I couldn't help but feel the need to preen. The feathers held under the bandage had not been taken care of in weeks. When she let go of my wing, it drooped lower than my other wing. I brought it up to my side where it should rest, and it felt unreal.

"The next few will need to be of your wing stretched out. I figure you can probably help us." Elizabeth started reaching for my right wing, but I carefully unfolded it before she could touch it.

Slowly, I outstretched the tired wing, my feathers sliding into place as I reached my full wingspan. While holding them both out, I glanced at my wings and felt giddy. I was closer to being healed and closer to going home. I let out an excited chirp and gave my wings a curious flap. I could feel the air pushed by them as I stepped back to catch myself. I pulled both to my side and flicked them, making sure my feathers fell comfortably in place.

"Feels good, right?" Alex said, finally smiling. I responded with another excited chirp.

"Let's take this X-ray, and you can admire your wings afterward." Elizabeth sat the scissors down and reached her hand around me. "Hold your right wing out as far as you can and hold it still." She laid me onto my stomach and held the tip of my wing.

After a click from the machine, Elizabeth continued to hold my wing as she took several more images. Once she let go, I quickly began preening my long overdue feathers while she and Alex looked at the results.

"Well, Lyall, it looks like you're good regarding X-rays, but there is still work to be done." Elizabeth held her hand down and carried me back to my usual room. "You haven't used your wings in weeks. You are probably going to be rough when it comes to flying. That's where Eli comes in, if you want his help."

She placed me on the table and pulled up a chair. Alex stayed in the room but remained against the wall, her arms crossed. I know Elizabeth wanted to talk, but I couldn't help but stare at my freed wing. I couldn't sit still out of excitement.

"We can work on getting you flying again, but I think it's in your best interest to work with Eli some. He can not only help you get flying again, but also hunting." Elizabeth seemed slightly irritated when I didn't immediately respond. "I know Alex didn't care for him, so I'm going to assume you didn't like him either, but I think he should help you."

Alex shook her head slightly. "I think we can do it just as well. He's a natural predator. He'll pick up on hunting again."

I didn't care for Eli, and he seemed off to me, but at the same time, my first year outside was rough. I don't know if it would be the same, but I didn't want to live in the same pain again, especially with winter coming in the next few months. Having trouble finding food is what led me to this position to begin with.

"Well, he should at least work with Eli on hunting. I don't care if you get him flying. He needs to be ready to fend for himself," Elizabeth barked back. "Last thing I want to do is send him out to starve."

Alex didn't say anything in response. Instead, she looked at the floor and kept her arms crossed. Something must have struck a nerve between Alex and Elizabeth. While I couldn't help but show my excitement, it felt wrong with their fighting going on. I held my wings tight to my sides, still trying to get used to the proper folded position of my right wing.

Alex dropped her arms to her side and moved quickly toward me. "I guess I'll take him out and try and work with him," she said.

"Right now?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Well, I don't know." Her voice sounded put out with Elizabeth. "Eli doesn't seem like the right person to work with him. I can do just as-"

Elizabeth interrupted Alex as her voice started to climb. "Alex, this isn't up for discussion. If this were a crow or a small bird, it would be one thing. But this is a bird that relies on its hunting ability. If he can't do it, he isn't going to survive."

"He was fine before. Why is it an issue now?" Alex fitted the glove to her hand. "He was able to hunt then; he can hunt now."

When Alex held her hand to me, I hesitated. She looked confused at me when I didn't immediately join her. She glanced at me and shook her arm slightly, but I stood still. I didn't want to get involved with their argument, but quickly realized I couldn't avoid it.

"You don't think I can do it?" The owl was surprised when I refused to move.

This was yet another time I wished I could speak. I didn't want to take either side of the argument. When Alex offered her hand again, I placed one talon on the glove—waiting only a moment before placing the other. Alex held her arm close to her chest and started to walk away.

"Please think about what's best for him. He trusts you the most," Elizabeth said in a plea.

Alex carried me to her car and carefully placed me in the front passenger seat. I lay against the backrest. This time, I could stabilize myself a little better now that I had both wings uncovered. Alex walked around and got behind the wheel. She immediately gave the steering wheel a slight hit with her closed hand. Upon her hand hitting, she grunted and started the car.

The drive was quiet for the first few miles. Noticing the silence, Alex turned on the radio. That was the first time I had heard music in a while. Maybe it had just been a long time, but I couldn't recognize any of the songs playing. Alex hummed along to one of the songs while tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. Her mood seemed to lighten as she hummed to the tune.

I didn't expect anywhere else, but I was still happy to see the familiar house as Alex parked the car. After she picked me up, we walked in and were greeted by Rylie and Wes.

"Oh hey! Didn't know you two were joining us," Rylie quickly walked over to Alex. "And wait a moment, is that two wings I see?"

"Elizabeth removed the bandage this morning. Finally healed up again," Alex replied, turning her hand so Rylie could get a better look.

"Another step closer, yeah?" Wes said before carrying a tray to the kitchen.

While looking around the room, I could also see Matthias and Shelby sitting off to the side. They both watched from a distance and seemed at least partially interested. Alex sat me on the couch and continued talking with Rylie on the other end. I watched from my spot and waited in case I was to be asked anything, but the two chattered away.

Through all of this, I understood how it must have been for Jeremy. Being unable to communicate easily made it hard to be a part of anything, but it also seemed like things were different too. The more time I spent at the house, the more it felt different than it was. Before, it felt like we were a family, but now coming back, I felt like I was a guest of the family. Watching as Alex spoke with all of the others, I couldn't help but feel like it was her family.

Shelby approached Alex to ask her a question before both got up and left the room with one another. This left Rylie and I alone on the couches. Rylie was looking around with as much of a smile as she could muster. She kept up this look until she looked at me. Her head cocked, and she moved to sit next to me.

"You feeling alright?" she asked.

I gave a quick nod and kept looking forward. I felt almost disappointed for some reason. I couldn't put my talon on it, but I thought maybe I expected this to go differently. I guess I just expected everything to be how it was before the change.

"Oh, don't give me that. I've been around ya long enough to know something is up." Rylie spoke in a calm but joking manner. "Is it going home?"

I shook my head without thinking. But maybe she was right? Perhaps it was that now I would be going home.

"Is it that trainer character that Alex was tellin' me about?"

I shook my head again.

Rylie laughed lightly, "We can play twenty questions if you want, or you can give me some hints."

I shrugged and looked at the falcon. Although her eyes were a bird's like Alex's, hers didn't give me the same fear. Maybe I had just known Rylie for so much longer; I couldn't tell. Before I could think much more about it, Daniel interrupted us.

"Lyall! You came back. Took you long enough." Daniel said, taking a seat on the couch. Daniel had a few differences from the last time I had seen him. Most notable was his lack of a shirt. Instead, his entire torso was covered in white and green iridescent feathers. Some of the feathers were creeping further down his arms as well. The color of the skin covering his feet had darkened to a gray color. They still resembled human feet in shape, but the skin was much rougher.

"Hey Anna, why don't you see if Nash is still in the kitchen?" Rylie said to Daniel.

"No problem, peregrine,"  Daniel said back sarcastically.

Rylie laughed as he walked away. "Only works if it's a first name!" Rylie looked back at me before speaking, "His changes keep coming, but at least he's happier now. I still don't fully get the kid, but he doesn't seem phased with how far along he is."

Nash came running out to find Rylie, but his eyes flicked wide when he saw me on the couch. "Oh, hello, Lyall! I heard about your wing. Wonderful that it healed up as well as it did."

Nash's bright red feathers puffed up as he sat back on the couch. His head tilted back, and he closed his eyes.

"Hey! You can't be napping now; you're supposed to take Matthias later," Rylie said while brushing her wing against him.

"I know, I know. Just resting my eyes a little."

Rylie spoke quietly and leaned closer to me, "Matti tried to take a bus once. But after an incident with the driver, Nash had to taxi him around. He's a nice guy, but his voice can make him sound angry when he isn't."

Glancing over to the cockatoo and shrike, they both were chatting quietly. Shelby did most of the talking, and Matthias gave quick yes and no motions. On occasion, I could see his beak move, but his raspy voice looked as though it was bothersome.

"Shelby knew Matthias before her changes started. They weren’t friends per se, but they knew of each other. But nowadays, you would have thought they had always been friends." Rylie crossed her scaled legs and balled up one of her talons. "Shelby talked him into living here after a falling out with his roommate. He couldn't work and couldn't help with rent. But his changes did slow down once he moved here. It was probably the stress getting to him."

Matthias did appear to be very far along in his changes. His head had the classic stripe of a shrike, but his eyes still retained their human coloration. He's so far along, but still retains the first thing I lost. Meanwhile, Shelby appeared to be at just the beginning of her changes.

"It's not unlike the group we had while you were here. We don't have a hawk, but Matthias is close enough." She laughed as best as she could. "I miss the others sometimes—our angsty little toucan and quiet 'fisher. But I know you're alright, so I have that going for me."

I wondered what became of Benji and Jeremy. Damien was in the spotlight for a while after his changes finished. He was credited as the last hope for that species or, better yet, his species. After Benji's changes, I hadn't heard anything more about him, only that he was living in what could be considered paradise. Jeremy did make it to the golf course. If I could have done one thing differently, I would have wanted to be there when he finished. But he probably would have thought the same for me.

The Bird House was my family, and as much as I wanted to relive my past days here, things had changed. I wasn't Lyall the hybrid dealing with the same problems as them. I am Lyall the hawk, who already went through everything they were dealing with. I felt like an outsider because I was no longer in the same boat as them.

"When are you going back?" Nash asked.

Caught off guard, I glanced at Nash, his head leaning back against the seat. I darted my head to Rylie, who was watching intently. I shrugged.

"Are you planning on going back?"

I hesitated before giving a nod in agreement.

"Or are you wanting to stay and live at the rehab?"

I wanted to shake my head in disagreement, but I couldn't say no. But if I did stay, I could still be around my friends. Even though I didn't know the new folks, I still had Alex, Rylie, Nash, and Westin. I could stay and be around my Mom and family, but I would also be abandoning my life as a hawk. Even if it isn't the same as humans, I still had a family out there. Would I leave her to live what little of my old life still existed?

My mind raced, and I didn't know what I wanted. My old life wasn't the same, but I had the opportunity to be with my family again. But, my new life out there is what I was made for and what I was good at. The stress came on fast, and I began to feel cold. Dizzy, I struggled to keep my balance and quickly opened up my wings for stability. Then, the feeling from before washed over me. I felt like I was falling back, resting on a soft surface. I tried to fight my way out of it, but my mind slowed, and a calm came over me.

I closed my eyes in the darkness and tucked my wings to my sides. I laid my head back against the soft nothingness. I took deep breaths, each slower than the previous.

I wasn't worried.

I wasn't afraid.

I was only resting my eyes for a moment.