“First Flight”, Emerald Xu ‘24

First Flightby Emerald Xu she/her, ‘24

e Sacara Mountains are home to the wingfolk who live atop the cliffs, people with grand bird wings who soar the skies like passerines. Across a meadow nestled in the crease of a cliffside, yellow grass bows down in waves to the blowing wind. e sky is a melting pot of warm hues, sunset casting a golden glow over the eld. Faint clouds dot the otherwise clear sky. e light lands on two gures making their way through the foliage. A man with hair as e light lands on two gures making their way through the foliage. A man with hair as golden as the sun, smiling as a boy darts ahead laughing, brown curls bouncing up and down as he runs. e man shifts to face the cliffs, revealing a set of muscular feathered wings, dark as the night sky, magni cent in length. e young boy grasps the man’s hand, spreading open his own set of wings. Together they stand at the edge, taking in the view as the mountains reach up to bite the Together they stand at the edge, taking in the view as the mountains reach up to bite the heavens. A skein of geese soar past on their feathered wings, cries echoing off of the landscape. e man turns to the boy, hand settling on his shoulder. “Tobias, do you know why I brought you to these mountains today?” he says with a smile. Tobias shakes his head. “You’ve never taken me this far before!” he exclaims, eyes gleaming with wonder. e man turns to face the sun, squinting at the light. “I brought you out here because I will teach you the most important thing you need to learn as a wingfolk.” His wings shift on his back before they are ung open, ripping out of their closed position and stretching out to lengths greater than his arms. His feathers utter in the wind, long hair billowing behind. e man lifted his chin and let his arms ing out, ngers outstretched. “Today I will teach you how to soar the skies with the geese, trace the clouds with your hands, brush the air that brings us life,” he declares, a grin spreading across his face. “I will teach you how to y.”