CRASH

"Oh, fuck!"

Blue and black feathers flew from the heap that had just fallen from the sky. He should have known better than to trust the branches in this boreal forest. None were nearly strong enough to hold the several hundred pound beast that was now sprawled on the ground, nursing its aches.

"Should of known. I'm not a kid anymore," the feathered feline muttered to itself in a surprising soft voice for its otherwise fearsome appearance. Taking a pause from its ministrations the winged hybrid looked about and saw nothing but the bleak and cold forest before it. He sighed deeply.

Stories had said it was here. The Coalition of the Condemned. One of the supposedly nicer groups of the area. He was lucky to have found the islands, given that all he had was a story and direction. Perhaps these weren't the Coalition islands? With one great inhale that theory seemed unlikely. Someone, or rather a group of someones lived here.

PLEXUS "LEX" KINGSFORD

Thinking it would be some time before anyone found him Laertes was surprised by the very sudden appearance of the large domestic feline. His brain raced to catch up. 'Hurt?' the words washed over the blue heap of feathers. Taking a moment to lower his heart-rate Laertes slowly opened his wings which with some luck were not injured, though a few feathers were missing or out of place and a dull throb of pain was noted in a joint or two.

"I believe I'm okay. Thank you," Laertes spoke, his voice gentle and slow. A bit embarrassed now that someone had witnessed his crash landing the hybrid oriented himself upright, licking a paw and slicking back his ruffled mane. Now that he wasn't in some liquid puddle he began noticing certain things, namely the enormous beak atop the fellow feline which was indeed not a true beak. Part of Laertes ached at the familiarity in a black beak, memories of family overriding the strangers features. It was the blank goggles that brought him out of his mind once more.

"I'm Laertes. Is this by chance the Coalition of the Condemned?" the query came much more smoothly then his previous statement, a slight birdlike tilt of his head made in question. The masked felines presence, and the fact that he hadn't been attacked yet made him all the more certain that he had indeed found the right place. A new home, if he was lucky.

That was easy. Yes, very easy. Almost too easy, the voice in the back of his head said. Nevertheless the lion-hearted followed, every step taking him further away from his past. He wondered if soon he'd forget the faces of his family. If he'd regret leaving. If their faces would ever not be superimposed upon that of this medic. It hurt to think of, but Laertes had hope that their place in his heart would be filled. Though, the rather blunt words of Plexus made him second guess himself. All the same, he would try.

"Thank you, Plexus. I won't soon forget today" memories seeped into his voice, kind and likely far too much for the stranger. Then again, Plexus was no longer a stranger. He was kin.