Chapter Text
Five people emerged from the small pod in a single file line, fanning out as they all took in the scenery in front of them. Here, the forest thinned to a few solitary trees, then gave way to gently sloping fields of golden wheat that swayed languidly in the wind, mimicking the flow of an ocean, if the oceans were made of molten gold. The sun was just setting in the west, filtering through the point where the trees stopped and the field started far to the team’s left. It was quiet, apart from the chirp of crickets in the underbrush and a few birds bidding the sun farewell.
The last individual out of the pod, noticeably shorter than the rest, pointed a remote of sorts at the pod and clicked a button. The light around the pod shifted and twisted until it seemed a large rock sat there in the woods instead. The straggler then turned his attention to the same fields his companions were viewing.
“Its really flat here, huh?” He muttered, crossing his arms. A few of the others scowled at him, but the man standing in the middle chuckled, seemingly unwilling to let the youngster’s crude expression of bewilderment ruin his enjoyment of the sunset in front of him.
Three members of the team instantly drew their weapons as the grass in front of them rustled, then paused again for a moment, before a small girl popped out, overalls dusty and a small brown terrier at her heel. The dog growled at the newcomers for a moment, and the man in the middle of the line motioned his hands down at his crewmates. They obeyed, putting their weapons away again, albeit reluctantly.
The girl’s eyes flitted over the line of strangers, taking in their stature – a few inches shorter than the average human – and their fluffy, almost impossibly huge feathered wings sprouting from their backs. She paused for longer on the tall woman standing next to the middle, her wings more fleshy and bare. A couple of the crew members narrowed their eyes at this, the girl’s hesitance seeming to reinforce in their minds the woman’s status as an outsider. But the girl simply finished her observation, then took a few more hesitant steps forward.
The man in the middle adjusted a small device on the collar of his shirt, opening his mouth to speak before the bat-winged women cut in.
“Captain, the treaty-”
“Its ok, lieutenant,” he said with a smile “she’s just a child, no one will take her recollections seriously yet.” At that, he crouched down, beckoning the little girl forward.
“Hey there,” he said softly, as she tottered forward the rest of the way to him, the dog following her still and now sharing her curiosity, quietly sniffing at the captain and his crew. The girl reached her hand up towards the captain’s golden-brown wings, and he lowered one towards her, letting her feel the sleek feathers and soft down.
“Are you an angel, mister?” She blurted out, hazel eyes wide and incredulous.
He let out a hearty chuckle. “Not quite.” His lieutenant crouched down next to him now, and the child shifted over towards her now. One bare wing extended forward, following the captain’s lead, as the child reached up to touch that wonder as well. The tall woman seemed uncertain, but her eyes softened as she watched the little girl.
“What’s your name, little one?” The woman asked.
“Amelia!” She exclaimed proudly. “Who are you?”
“I’m Lillian,” the woman replied.
They were interrupted by excited yipping to the right. The youngest crewmember was playing with the terrier now, throwing a stick for the little dog to fetch.
“Captain, can we keep them?” He asked with a broad grin.
“No, cadet, I’m sure they’re quite happy with their family here.” As if on cue, they heard a woman’s voice in the distance.
“Amelia! Pip! Where did you two run off to this time?” The little girl turned around towards the source of the noise, and the little dog perked his ears up and looked to his girl.
“Go on back to your mother now. It was nice to meet you, Amelia” the captain said to her. She turned back towards them, seeming hesitant to leave.
“Will you come back one day?” She asked, her wide eyes looking imploringly to the lieutenant and then the captain. The two adults exchanged a glance.
“One day, yes, I think some of us shall,” the captain responded, giving the girl a pat on the head. She grinned widely, then spun around with a wave goodbye and ran back to her mother with the little dog sprinting at her heels once more.
The captain straightened up, flexing his wings up and out so they caught and glimmered in the light, and the lieutenant followed suit once more. He turned around to head back to the pod, and the rest of the crew followed.
“Can you really say that, captain? We can’t know that we will be allowed back here anytime soon, much less be making any contact with humans.” Lilian’s voice was laced with concern at what she perceived as a lie to the little girl. The captain just gave her a fond smile and shook his head.
“I have a feeling we will be back here sooner than you expect, Lillian.”