It hit me? There's a hole in my wing. I'm bleeding, there's blood. Oww, that really hurts!

*Twish*

What! It's still after me? But I can't see it! Where is it? Where where? I don't see a thin-

*Twis-thut*

Suffered 32 Piercing Damage Suffered Minor Bleeding

"Cinders! Cinders! Cinders!" I scream in pain, diving towards the trees in a blaze.

It's inside me! It's dangling from my side! I've been stabbed! Something hit me!

*twoosh*

*twoosh*

*Twish*

"The forest!" I screech, descending.

Suffered 2 Falling Damage Suffered 3 Falling Damage Suffered 6 Falling Damage

Sharp twigs and sturdy branches whip across the front of my body as I bolt past them, cutting and bruising the fragile skin underneath. Most of the branches barring my way snap under my weight, however not all, others are more resilient, and instead threaten to snap my wings when I fail to twist them out of the way in time. But still, I power through the lashings towards the safety of the trees.

Suffered 2 Falling Damage Suffered 2 Blood Loss Suffered 5 Falling Damage Suffered 1 Falling Damage Suffered 13 Falling Damage

"Gah" I gasp, wincing as a unseen, wooden limb smacks into the nape of my neck, hard, sending me careening downwards like a rock.

My next sight is that of dirt. Dirt is also my next sensation, and taste, as I slam into the mushy earth.

Suffered 9 Falling Damage Suffered 8 Piercing Damage

"OWWWWWWWWW!" I shriek, as whatever it was that got stabbed into my side is pushed deeper into the wound by the fall. "Arghhh! Ow, oww oww oww OWW!"

Suffered 3 Blood Loss

I spit out a clump of soil and painfully roll onto back to look at the long brown stick hanging out of my torso, just under my left wing. An arrow. Half of the shaft is glistening with my own blood and more is seeping from the deep wound. I can feel how deep it is. The arrowhead is completely buried in my flesh, and it hurts! It must of cut one of my ribs!

"I've been shot!" I cry in disbelief.

Suffered 2 Blood Loss

Why?! Why! Why would someone shoot me? What have I done?! Who was it?! Who did it! Who shot me!? I'll rip them apart! They almost hit me so many times! I could've died! What if they'd hit me once more, huh?! I'd be dead, nothing but ash! How could this happen to me!

"Bellows!" I shout in anger, sending a ball of flame to combust in the canopy.

SOMEONE SHOT ME!

"Bellows! Bellows! Bellows!" I squall furiously, sending more fire towards the green ceiling, and only stopping because a few dry leaves and small twigs actually catch fire.

Suffered 2 Blood Loss

I got bashed by the trees so much! And now there's a very sharp stick inside me! What am I supposed to do about that?! It hurts. It feels wrong. I've been skewered! There's extra weight on my left side and it feels wrong. It will be impossible to move like this. Do I need to pull it out? Will that hurt even more? I don't want to. I know it will. I'm scared to move because I can feel the sharp metal cutting inside me.

Suffered 2 Blood Loss

I lay there in the dirt for a couple of minutes, seething, my chest rising and falling rapidly, surrounded by a small mound of upturned mush. My thoughts are that of fury. Someone shot an arrow at me, lots of arrows. There's an arrow stuck in my chest and there's even a hole all the way through my wing. And the worst part is, I don't know who, or what, did it! I didn't see who was shooting, I didn't even see the arrows! I'll never be able to get revenge!

Suffered 1 Blood Loss

I raise my right wing and look at it, the wing that got shot. There's an oval-shaped hole past my elbow towards the tip of my wing, it's not very large, about the size of my talon, but it is very noticable! The air blowing through it feels wrong. And that feeling of wrongness is doubled especially because wings are designed specifically not to let wind pass through. But it's not half as bad as the arrow that's still inside me! The pain of both of these wounds aren't even in the same universe! By comparison, my wing has no pain at all!

Suffered 1 Blood Loss

My wing is ok! My side is... is... it's not ok! It's still bleeding for golly goshes's sake! Not even my wing is bleeding anymore, it stopped already! It must be because of the arrow. I need to take it out. I need to. I can't keep laying here, I don't know if I'm safe yet and I've already been here for too long.

But, I don't want to. I really, really, don't want to. It's not even in a good position to reach! The shaft is facing away from my face, and it's not very close to my feet either, so I'm not sure if I can use my talons to pull it. I might need to bend over and use my beak. Which will hurt.

Suffered 1 Blood Loss

Ahh, but do I need to do it? Can't I just wait for my body to push it out naturally if I let it heal? How long will that take? An hour, maybe two? I'm not sure, but my wing seems to be healing pretty fast already... could I wait an hour? What if whoever shot me saw me exposed on the ground like this? I wouldn't stand a chance! I think I need to pull it out.

"HrrrrrrrrrrrgGGHH" I hum through a gritted beak, as I stretch my neck over my belly.

Suffered 3 Slashing Damage Suffered 2 Slashing Damage Suffered 3 Blood Loss Suffered 2 Piercing Damage

After torturous bending and shuffling, my beak eventually clamps around the blood-red shaft of the embedded arrow. Instantly, electricity zaps along my ribs and up to my neck, causing tears of agony roll down my face. It's too much pain. How could I possibly rip it out? It will hurt even more if I move. More than anything.

Suffered 2 Blood Loss

I rip the arrow out.

Suffered 14 Slashing Damage

I would've screamed, if not for the arrow in my beak. Instead, a twisted sigh escapes my mouth, followed by more tears. It did hurt. Even more than being crushed in the jaws of a Rattling Worm. But it was a quick pain. Extreme for a second, then just, bad afterwards

I gaze into the sky partially obscured by leaves with unfocused eyes, still biting down on the arrow, too afraid to let go. I lay for a while, until strange, green arms reach up from behind my head and rouse me into thought.

Oh golly. I cried so much that the plants are trying to grow over me.

Frowning, I look at the wound under my left wing to assess the damage. And yep, it's bigger than before. It looks as if a rib exploded outwards, or if a Shaggy Fluff gave me a big, nasty bite, but at least I can tell that the flesh underneath is healing properly, no longer stopped by the sharp arrowhead. Pulling the arrow out was the correct choice... probably, I hope. In a few hours I'll be as peachy as a parrot! But it still hurts terribly.

Suffered 1 Blood Loss

"Ow, ow ow ow" I grumble as I flop onto my stomach then to my feet.

Suffered 2 Blood Loss

What should I do now? I still need to find Bartlon, and now I need to find whoever attacked me so I can rip the fluff out of them, but that might be impossible if I can't circle in the sky without becoming someone's target practice! Even on the ground, I don't feel entirely safe. They might be after me on foot, heading to my position, closing in, watching me, they could be anywhere! They may be hiding behind a tree...

Yup. I'm scared. If I get shot again, I will die, and dying is the worst. I need to make a move before it's too lat-

"THERE!" a crazed voice howls in triumph behind me, freezing me stiff with fear.

"HA! FOUND YOU!"