Hello! So this is my first ever story. I like to write and I thought that I should put out my stories for other people to enjoy as well. I don't promise that this will be beautifully written, and I don't know how often I'll update, but I hope you have a good read! :)

Thump! Thump! Thump!

I slowly open my eyes and awaken by the sounds of heavy footsteps. All I can see is black and I feel cold metal against my skin. I try to wrap my arms around my body to warm up as I listen to the footsteps coming closer. I grope around in the darkness to find my tattered old blanket when soon enough, a door opens quickly and the tremendously bright lights are turned on. I swiftly find my blanket and cover my head with it to shield my eyes from burning. The footsteps come even closer, and then I hear the locks of my cage being messed with.

"It's time for breakfast Matthew. Stop being foolish and take that blanket off your face!" I follow instructions and I look up at the Professor. He opens the door of my cage after turning his key and he places a tray of some not so appetizing food on the floor in front of me. When he's finished delivering my meal he locks the door back up and walks away towards a flight of stairs. "I'll be back soon."

Once he's gone, I crawl over towards the plate and examine it. A bowl of cornmeal and old vegetables with a glass of water to the side. I was really hoping for some fruit today, but I guess I'll have to do without it. I grab the bowl and tilt it over my mouth to eat.

This is how I've lived my whole life, in a giant birdcage kept away in a dark cold basement the Professor calls his laboratory. I'm one of his science experiments, along with my twin brother Alfred. The Professor created us in his lab a long time ago, about 22 years ago if I'm correct, but it's hard to keep a concept of time down here. He created us to give us wings. I think he wanted to revolutionize a new way of evolving humans through science, at least, that's what he told me. I myself have a pair of huge black wings that really just get in the way most of the time. Alfred, however, was a failed experiment. The Professor got rid of him, but I still miss him.

All I've ever known is this lab. In here the Professor runs tests on me daily and collects data on me. I don't know why he keeps me away like this though. He says he wants to change the world like this, but he hides me away and won't let anyone else know. What's the point of all this then? I couldn't say.

As I mindlessly finish up my meal, I put the dishes near the front of the cage and walk over to the little flat pillow I keep in the corner. There, I sit down cross-legged on the pillow and start to preen my feathers. I spread out my wings and I bring my hand up to my mouth. I spit out oil on to my hands, that ability given to me by the Professor, and I rub it on my feathers. I move them around and arrange them for optimal flight. The Professor doesn't let me out to fly very often, but the days that he does are my favorite.

As I finish up with that, the Professor returns.

"Ah, good! You've finished eating!" He exclaims with a smile, "Now we can begin." The Professor is a short fat man with a balding head and small beady eyes. He wears just anything he can find, not a typical lab coat, and he has a deep, unsettling voice. He opens my cage so I can receive my daily tests. I walk over to the hospital bed he placed next to his large desk where he keeps his equipment and I hop on. I have my blood drawn, the Professor examines my wings thoroughly, he takes my blood pressure, and I have to pee in a cup, which is my least favorite part.

"Now Matthew," the Professor tells me, "I need you to fly for me right now." I look at him with a puzzled expression. He's never made that request before while we were inside the lad. Doesn't he know there's not enough space in here to do that?

"I can't do that," I tell him, "I need to be outside to fly." At that he turns to look me in the eyes and I can see he is getting angry. When the Professor is angry, he is violent, and I don't want to get beat today, but there is no way I can fly in this small area with how big my wings are. They're longer than my arm span!

"I told you to do something Matthew," he says in a slow, low tone of voice.

"But why?" I question him, "You've never had me do that before."

"Matthew!" he yells as he slams his hands on the table. "Do it!"

I am afraid of him now, so I'll have to try. There's no wind in here and the ceiling is so close to my head, but nonetheless, I open my wings and thrust them to fly.

Bang! I hit my head hard on the ceiling and fall down onto the ground. I don't understand why I'm being told to do this. This is a strange habit of the Professor's. At random times he'll tell me to do something, and when I can't do it and he doesn't get any results to write down, it usually ends badly. As I watch the Professor pick up a glass beaker and stomp over to me, I know that I should expect some pain.

"I need you to fly Matthew!" He screams at the top of his lungs, lifting the glass, "Are you going to be a failure like your pathetic brother?" I hate it when he talks about Alfred like that, and I begin to cry. This man has stripped away any of my dignity and left me a sobbing mess.

"I'm not a failure!" I proclaim. "Please don't hit me! I'll try again!" Even though I know it's useless, I stand up, lift myself to fly, and crash my head again. I feel a piercing headache forming and I fall back to the ground. At this point I accept my fate as I have so many times before as I feel glass shatter over my face. It burns where I know I'm cut and I can see some blood drip on the ground. I crawl into a ball and wrap my wings around myself as the Professor kicks me hard. I scream in pain and try to escape, but I feel this has become routine by now.

"Failure!" I hear the Professor yell as he delivers more blows. "Useless! Worthless! Mistake!"

Just as I think I'm going to pass out, I hear sirens outside. I'm confused as to what's happening, and I start to hear a ruckus upstairs. The Professor starts to panic, and he runs away from me and leaves on the floor covered in blood and glass. As my vision darkens and I can hear yelling and commotion above me, I lose my thoughts and fall asleep.

Author's Note

So I hope you liked my story. Not much happened here, but I hope to add more fun stuff in the later chapters. And yes, I do intend to make this Prucan, because that's my favorite. I'll probably post this on Archive of Our Own as well if you want to check it out there. Well then, goodbye!