it was a beautiful , clear night , she remembered it vividly .
she remembered seeing the moon and stars , and the feeling of the cool evening air on her bare skin . it would have been a lovely night to stargaze , had she not been falling from the heavens .
falling . . yes , she was falling . . but why ? oh . she remembered now . she was banished . and her wings . . they wouldn't move . not anymore . and not ever again . to make sure she could never go home .
she turned her head ever so slightly , expecting to see her stark white feathers fluttering in the wind - only to find that they had turned a deep , dark black . this was really happening , wasn't it ? she was really a fallen one now , wasn't she ? the realization snapped her out of her shock .
it was such a long way to fall , it would have been better if she had remained unaware of the ground that grew closer and closer to her once limp body . it was going to hurt like nothing she had ever experienced , and she knew it . how do you brace for something you've never felt ?
the ground grew closer .
she turned her body in the air , back to the earth as she began to beg for her brothers and sisters to help her , screamed words fading into nothing , the air swallowing the sound as it left her lips . if they answered , she couldn't hear them . they were so far away now . she couldn't even feel their presence .
the ground grew closer .
would this kill her ? surely not - that would be .much too cruel , right ? and , to kill her so soon ? it wouldn't be much of a punishment if she died right away . this didn't bring her any comfort .
the ground was here now .
she didn't have the words to describe the pure agony she felt unpon impact . death , she realized , would have been kinder , as then she wouldn't have had to feel each and every part of her mangled , broken body .
beautiful , golden blood pooled around her as she slipped into unconsciousness , her last thought a prayer that she would wake up , back in the heavens , back with her brothers and sisters . that this pain was her punishment , and she would never again disobey orders .
as she woke up in a bed , surround by humans , she realized this was only the beginning .
