Samantha knew what it meant to be small. Not just in stature, but in spirit, in her own home. She was Whimper Alice's younger sister, and being second-born meant she'd missed out on whatever gift their mother bestowed upon elder daughters. Everything revolved around Whimper, leaving Samantha feeling like an outsider, a ghost in their lonely house in the Old Province woods.
She was tireless, an assiduous girl, her hands transforming anything she touched into something beautiful, something that should have brought a smile to anyone's face. Yet, her efforts were always overlooked, her work invisible. It shattered her heart, every single time. With only two children in that quiet, isolated home, she had no one to share her silent woes.
By twelve, Samantha had reached her breaking point. One day, with her parents gone, she wandered aimlessly, deeper and deeper into the hushed woods. That's when she found it: a creature with wings, lying injured amidst the fallen leaves. Kindness had been a stranger to her, never offered by her parents, not even by her big sister. So she chose a different path. She wouldn't be like them. Tentatively, she approached the colossal bird, determined to help, even though she hadn't the faintest idea how.
She crushed leaves, their green juice staining her fingers, and gently rubbed the makeshift salve into a raw wound beneath the creature's wing. Then, with the meagre food she'd brought, she fed it. Unsure what else to do, she simply sat beside it, offering what little warmth her small body could provide. Darkness soon embraced the woods, pulling Samantha into an unbidden sleep, her worries mercifully silenced, if only for a night. As she slept, the creature watched.
It was magnificent. A falcon, yes, but enormous—as large as an ostrich. Its feathers glowed a vibrant yellow, its beak and legs a delicate pink. A creature of breathtaking beauty, perhaps that's why Samantha's innate kindness had blossomed in its presence.
Dawn painted the eastern horizon with a massive orange sun, and Samantha stirred, roused by the waking chorus of nearby birds. Cold and hungry, she winced. But then she noticed: the creature she'd tended last night was gone. For a moment, her hunger and chill vanished, replaced by a sudden worry.
Her concern melted into awe when the creature reappeared, a large bag clutched in its massive beak. It dropped the bag before her and nodded. Samantha's dry lips cracked into a wide smile as she peered inside. Food. Not just any food, but a feast she'd never once been given by her own parents: baked chicken, glistening red and oily, making her salivate, alongside two large loaves of bread and a skin of fresh water. She ate with fervent abandon, smacking her lips with every bite. All the while, the majestic creature simply watched.
She wished for a larger stomach, enough to devour the entire chicken. But her small body could only manage a single thigh and a loaf of bread.
"Thank you," she murmured, nodding her sincere gratitude. "No one has ever been this good to me."
"No one has been good to me either," the creature responded, its voice surprisingly gentle. "That makes the two of us." It seemed to smile. Samantha felt no shock. She lived with freaks; there was little left to surprise her.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, reaching out to touch the soft yellow feathers of its left wing. "Who hurt you?"
"I wasn't actually hurt," the creature replied, its gaze piercing. "I was lurking in the woods, waiting for something, when I felt your distress from afar. I decided to fake my injury to see if you were kind enough to help. You did help; you passed the test."
Samantha laughed, a sound so genuine it surprised her. It made her small, beautiful face radiant under the piercing orange rays of the rising sun. Even the rugged blue dress she wore couldn't diminish her inherent beauty and purity.
"What is your name, friend?" Being called a friend seemed to delight the creature; it flapped its wings excitedly.
"My name is Ongo. I am a descendant of magical falcons from Truetown Province."
"Truetown is a week's ride from here on horseback," Samantha said, her cute face etched with concern. "What brings you to the woods of Old Province?"
"For me, that is just a few minutes' flight," Ongo corrected. "Do you know, it only takes me exactly eighteen minutes to fly from Soliny to Sanga?" Samantha's hand flew to cover her mouth in shock. Soliny was the northernmost province of the Mega Kingdom, Sanga the southernmost. A journey that took almost a month by horse.
"Yes," Ongo nodded, a knowing smile playing on its beak. "It looks like Samantha is escaping from home. Would you like to go with me?"
Samantha nodded, her heart pounding. Ongo lowered itself, and she climbed innocently onto its back. As they soared into the sky, she heaved a heavy sigh of relief. She didn't care where she was going. All that mattered was that she was free, at last. To celebrate, she even tried to eat the rest of the meal Ongo had brought her.