Harpy Family (V1)

	You feel the wind brush across your face gently as you wake up to the soft chirping of birds outside. Then suddenly, you hear the soft flutter of wings. With that you shoot up out of bed. There is no way you are going to miss this. You quickly dress and head out of the room, almost running into your oldest daughter.
	“Dad! Watch it! You almost hit me!” she says, crossing her wings over her body. “What are you in such a hurry for?”
	“Didn't you hear that flapping? Maybe it's—”
	“Nope. Sorry. Those were the twins outside. Sorry dad.”
	You let out a long sigh before walking slowly out the door and into the hall with your oldest daughter close behind you.
	You enter the living room and see your wife sitting down, watching your youngest daughter flap her hardest to raise herself off of the ground. She has already learned how to walk, but has not mastered flight yet. You watch as she wobbles around on her talons, and strains to flap as hard as she can.
	“You can do it Kana! Concentrate! Do just like mom does!” You hear your wife Sydney say. It has been seventeen years since you two got married, and she has not changed a bit. She has been full of energy and supportive of everyone she meets since you met her. You round the corner and see her stretching her wings out and gently flapping them, instructing her youngest hatchling. “Mama!” Kana says on the ground, stretching upwards to try and make herself get a little higher.
	“I told you,” You hear your oldest daughter, Leena, say, “It won't happen soon. I mean. I was almost two when I started hovering.  Then I built up enough strength to fly. I know you are heartbroken you missed my first fly and the twins too, but it's alright. I don't hold anything against you dad.”
	Those words make you feel a little better, but they still hurt. Missing Leena's first fly was heartbreaking. You had seen other families experience the first with their children, but with harpies, things are a bit different. Walking is not the same to them as flying. In fact, the only time you ever see anyone walk in your family is when they are in the house or in certain buildings. After missing Leena's first fly, you swore that the next children you had you would not miss there's. Then you had the twins. The financial strain of them made you have to work more hours, and thus, made you miss their first fly as well. You were not going to miss Kana's first fly for sure.
	“Thank you Leena. You off to see your friends today?” You say as you let her by into the living room.
	“Sure am. They said we are going to see a movie with some guys from school. They are from our class too! So maybe...” she gets a little quiet and starts mumbling.
	“Leena? What was that?”
	“Maybe Chris will be in the group. They didn't really tell me much.”
	“Ah. I understand. Well, if he is, make sure to try your best to impress him alright? He sounds like a pretty good guy.”
	“Wha? How do you know dad?”
	“Doing the laundry has its perks. And you always forgetting to empty your pockets brings me with hundreds of notes and loose change.” You give a little chuckle and smile.
	“DAD! How could you!? That's my personal information! I'm leaving and I'll be back after the movie! YOU JERK!” And with that, you see her spread her wings and rocket up to the open room of the living room, which most of your family uses as the entrance.
	“You know,” your wife says, moving over to you, with little Kana waddling behind her, “You could have said that I gave you the only note I found.”
	You move over and kiss her forehead. “I'm not gonna do that. Dad has to be the bad guy sometimes right?”
	“Geez. Your a butt sometimes,” she says, wrapping one of her wings around you and kissing you. “It's still just as cute as ever.”
	“Papa! Up!” Little Kana says as she spreads her wings, waiting to be hoisted onto your side.
	“Do you have anything to do today Sydney?” You say as you put Kana on your shoulders, letting her flap as much as she wants.
	“Not really. I was just going to practice with Kana until you woke up. The girls have nothing planned for us this weekend. Why?” She said quizzically.
	“Why don't we go somewhere? While Leena is away we can go to the zoo or something. I bet the twins would enjoy that.”
	She puts her 'hands' on her hips, thinking. “Sure. That does sound nice. Want me to call them in so we can get ready? I bet they got dirty somehow.”
	“You're right. Me and Kana will go get the car ready. Are you flying there?”
	“I'll follow you. It has been a while since I got to stretch my wings properly.”
	“Being cooped up in here isn't good for you is it?”
	She lets out a little laugh. “As long as I'm with you I'll be fine. Besides, I can go fly whenever you wake up on the weekends. I just haven't done it in a while.” With a kiss on the cheek for both you a Kana, you see your wife zip out of the room and hear her yell for the twins to come in. A few moments later. Two little girls, both in the same outfits, stand in front of you, saluting.
	“Nikki, reporting in!”
	“Mikki, reporting in!”
	The two begin smiling widely after they do this. Nikki is the 'older' of the two twins because she hatched first. However, they are both almost ten years old. Her short blonde twintailed hair seems a bit disheveled, and her wings look a little dirty. Mikki on the other hand has short and straight black hair, and her wings are shimmering somehow, and you can see little specks of dirt all in her feathers and hair.
	“Mikki, quit playing in the neighbors pond. Nikki, stop throwing dirt at your sister,” you say in a stern voice, while Kana points at each of them and makes a mean face to them.
	“Awe. How'd you know?” Nikki said, puffing her cheeks a little.
	“Told you! You got in trouble!” Mikki says laughingly.
	“You are in trouble too Mikki. Don't think you are getting out of this.” Kana points again as you speak.
	“Whaaa!? Why? All I was doing was... Was...” she looks down at the ground, and digs a small hole in the wood floor with her talon.
	“Playing in the water? That's what I thought. You girls go get cleaned. We are taking a little trip.”
	“What!? Where!? Are we going somewhere cool!?” (Nikki)
	“Yeah yeah! Like... Like the beach? Or.... Ummm...” (Mikki)
	“We are going to the zoo! It'll be awesome!”
	The two girls stare blankly at you, waiting for a punchline to this horrible joke. When one doesn't come, they give you a small smile, hesitantly.
	“Y-yeah! I'll go get ready. I'll try to hurry dad!”
	“Wait for me Mikki!”
	The two run off to their room and get ready. You hear another something land in front of you and see your wife, her long brown hair a bit rustled by the wind and her flying around. You also see her midriff as well as some of her legs. “Mama!” Kana says, flapping wildly.
	Sydney fixes her hair as best she can, and flaps her wings gently. “Good job Kana. Keep it up!”
	You giggle along with your wife as you put Kana down, letting her walk around and flap a little.
	“You should go get changed Sydney. You're gonna be flying for a while,” you say, fixing her shirt and pants for her.
	You see her blush a little, and see her bright blue eyes glisten in the bright sunlight. You look her over slowly, remembering just how amazing she looks. Her light brown feathered arms look brilliant, and give off a bit of radiance in the sunlight. Her feathers compliment her slightly tanned skin well, giving her a slightly darker tone. From what you could see before, her body is still the same as when you met her. A slightly raised chest, a flat and toned stomach, a brilliant set of taloned legs, and a very plump butt.
	You shake yourself out of your drooling stupor, and look at your wife. “Come on, you know you want to fly a little more than just to the zoo right? You can get a head start and I'll call you when we get close.”
	She rushes you with a feathery hug and a barrage of kisses all over your face. “You are the best husband in the world! I promise I'll meet you there within a minute of the call. I'll fly close to the zoo if I arrive earlier than you.”
	“I'll pack you a change of clothes for when you get there. Or do you want to walk around in your 'flight suit?'”
	She giggles. “Just bring me a cardigan or something. I'll be fine in my shorts and top!” With a peck on the cheek she is back in your bedroom, singing a little as she goes through her clothes to find her old flying outfit; a set of short shorts and a tank top with a tube top underneath.
	The twins make their way out in their own attire; Mikki wearing a black skirt with knee high socks, and a short sleeved band t-shirt. She also has a little ribbon in her hair, tying her short ponytail back. Nikki comes out in a blue t-shirt with a rainbow on it, along with a pair of khaki shorts.
	“You two girls ready for the zoo?” You say with delight.
	The two look at each other, shrug for a moment, and then smile at you.
	“I call shotgun!” Mikki says, sticking her tongue out at Nikki, and runs off to the car.
	“No fair!” Nikki says as she chases after her, giggling.
	“Papa! Go?” Kana says, still flapping and walking around.
	You pick her up gently and nod. “Yup. We are going to see some animals! It's gonna be fun!”
	“Like... Giraffe? Heepo? And... Teegar?” She says, quizzically.
	“Yup! We'll get to see em all!”
	Kana becomes really excited, and hurries you out the door. Before you lock up, you put Kana in the car, and head back inside. “Honey, we are heading out. You almost ready to leave?”
	With that said, you hear a crash and a 'dammit I'll pick it up later,' from your wife and see her stumble out the door, still situating her top, and giving you a flash in the process. After finishing getting dressed, she waves you bye and locks the door behind you. She then flies to the top of the roof and locks the top door as well before flying down and bolting off in the direction of the zoo.
	The drive is fairly uneventful. You all sing songs in the car by the famous idol group GYG, and a few other popular songs by other groups and artists. You see your wife fly by a few times, much to the awe of everyone in the car. The twins comment on how pretty she is, and Kana keeps practicing so she can fly with her soon. You arrive at the zoo in about 15 minutes, and meet your wife there. You hand her the thin cardigan you were told to get and pay for the tickets. You head into the zoo.


	The beautiful day at the zoo is filled with seeing the various animals and getting to roam around, and having your wife stretch her wings as you watch the kids. Kana is the only one you really need to worry about. The twins are having more fun than they anticipated, and there is a strict no flying rule to harpies under the age of eighteen in the zoo. Your wife flies around and does a few flips in the sky, finally getting to stretch her wings a little.
	“Mama? Fly?” Kana says as she tickles your ears with her feathers to get your attention as you look at the panthers.
	“Yup. Mom gets to fly right now. Her wings are hurting a little.”
	She points over to Mikki and Nikki leaning on the railing, staring at the snow tiger.
	“Mikki Nikki, fly?” She says this time.
	“They can't fly right now. They aren't old enough to fly here Kana.”
	“Kana fly?”
	“Do you want to try again?”
	You feel her nod her head swiftly. You move over to a bench and let her down off of your shoulders, letting her stand on the ground. She wobbles a little, gaining her balance, but eventually rights herself. You call your wife down for a moment, just in case this time, might be the time.
	“Mikki, Nikki, come over here for a second please.”
	The twins walk over to you, and see Kana concentrating hard, and begin cheering her on.
	Within a few moments, you see Kana begin flapping, this time in a more controlled way, like how she had seen her sisters and mother do. Slowly but surely, she begins to lift off of the ground, much to the cheers of you and your family, along with a few other onlookers who know what is taking place. A few moments later, she is about as high in the air as your head while you sit on the bench, hovering slowly, but still rising. She doesn't look like she is straining either, which is a good sign. She opens her eyes and looks around her, squealing in delight. Your wife is almost in tears, her winged hands pressed together with joy. The twins are still cheering Kana on as she keeps floating in place. You grab her out of the air and plant a few kisses on her cheeks a forehead while the onlookers congratulate you and clap for her as well.
	“Papa! Kana fly!” she says as you nuzzle her up against your cheek along with your wife on the other side.
	“You did great Kana! I am so proud of you!” you say, fighting back the happy tears that are about to stream down your face.
	The rest of the day is filled with you all having the happiest time a family could have. You all sit down for a nice picnic for lunch, and proceed to finish up your tour of the zoo by six in the afternoon. You arrive back at the house, exhausted. Everyone is. As you all lay around the living room watching television and resting, you decide to order pizza for dinner. After the pizza arrives and everyone has sat down to eat, you hear something hit the top of the roof, near the door. And then you hear something that you had not heard in a while; crying. Sydney jumps at the noise, as do the kids, but then her eyes widen at the sound. You are already out the door by the time she has gotten up from the table.
	You run outside and immediately head up to the roof. Sure enough, you see your daughter, laying on top of the roof, her head in her hands. Crying. Slowly, you move over to her, and she sees you, and scrambles over to you and wraps her arms around you. You pat her back gently, and push her forward a little, so you can look at her. “Calm down, calm down. Let's head inside. We'll talk in mom and dad's room alright?”
	She sniffles and manages a nod before cupping her head in her hands again. You pick her up, like the princess she is and carry her into the house. She is still sobbing with her head in her hands as you walk in. Sydney sits back down and tells the girls to eat and then they can play for a little while. You remember what your wife did to your room, and ask Leena if her room would be better. The sixteen year old harpy agrees, and you head into her room and lay her down on the bed. You sit at the end, waiting for her to compose herself a little. The sniffles begin to die down as she raises herself up and nuzzles on your arm, grabbing it tightly.
	“Dad... My... My feathers... they... They...” She says, and begins crying again.
	“What happened sweetie? What about your feathers?”
	As the words escape your mouth, the pale moonlight illuminates what she means. A large slash has been cut out of her feathers. A straight diagonal line slashes through your daughters feathers, leaving, almost reaching her 'arm.'
	You pull her in tightly, and begin patting her back softly, trying to calm her down. You reassure her they will grow back, but it will take some time. She continues to sob into your chest as you hold her close.
	“Chris... he... He said... He didn't want 'a bird like me.'” she says through her sobs.
	“I'm sorry sweetie. Did he do this to you?”
	The increase in her crying only made it worse.
	After a few more minutes of calming her down, she raises her head, and wipes the tears away. By no means is she over what has happened, but for now, she can compose herself. She sees that half of your shirt is now a different color due to her crying, and giggles a little.
	“Thank you daddy,” you hear her say softly and tenderly. “I'm sorry I got angry with you this morning. I just... wanted this relationship to work. I... I'm sixteen years old and I haven't even gone on a date with a guy yet. I'm just scared that... I might not find that one I'm suppose to be with.” Her soft blue eyes glisten in the moonlight and her long silvery hair and feathers almost seem to shimmer as well. You notice a little blood on the cut arm, and know that it didn't come from her.
	“You hit him didn't you?” you say with a grin.
	“Sure did.”
	“You hit pretty hard for a harpy, just letting you know. Your mom can't punch as hard as you.”
	“Are you saying he didn't deserve it?”
	You plant a little kiss on her forehead and smile at her. “That means he got hurt far worse than what I was going to do.”
	“What do you mean?” She says quizzically.
	“I don't think it stopped at one punch. I'm pretty sure he went home crying harder than you did.”
	She gives you a little laugh and cheers up quite a bit from that. Leena is much stronger than she let on when she was a kid. Your daughter is growing up fast.
	“Let's go get mom for a little bit. We got pizza. You probably had it at the theater, but a little more can't hurt right?”
	“Right.”
	“Alright, I'll go get mom and call the doctor to make an appointment for you so we can check out that arm of yours to make sure we can get your feathers all back in order.” You say as you head out the door.
	“Dad wait!” you hear her say as she stumbles a little getting up. You stop and start to turn around and are met with two winged arms wrapped around your stomach. You feel her squeeze tighter and tighter until she doesn't have much strength left. “Thank you. I... I may not say it enough but... I love you daddy.”
	You turn around and plant another kiss on her forehead, tell her you love her too, and head back to the living room, grabbing a few slices of pizza and Sydney. Mom and daughter have their talk and eat pizza while you call the doctor and schedule Leena's appointment and watch the kids, making sure they don't break anything.
	Kana continues to soar to new heights as she climbs higher and higher in her flight. The twins try to help her with flying backwards and forwards, with great success. You write down the appointment on the calendar and watch television until they come out with Leena's arm held close to her. “The appointment is for tomorrow. So you won't have to worry for too long Leena.” You say as you eat the last of your pizza.
	“Thank you dad.” She says, giving you a small smile and rubs the rest of the tears away.
	After baths and night time routines, it is time to sleep. You tuck the twins in as Sydney finishes up the talk she had with Leena and tucks her in too. You carry the already sleeping Kana into your room and lay down, after turning the lights off. You all snuggle up to one another when you hear something else that startles you; thunder.
	With a loud crack and a flash of light, the thunder rings and the rain begins to pour down.
	With a loud sigh your wife rolls over a little, away from you. “I hope this is enough room for them this time.”
	With the next thunder crack, your door creaks open and three pairs of eyes poke into your room.
	“Snuggle up. Lets get some rest,”  You say as you move over more and Sydney takes Kana to her side. Leena puts her head right into your chest and rests her head on her arm. Tonight she decided to sleep in her pajamas instead of just her underwear as to not set a bad example on the other girls. Nikki has nuzzled up to Kana and Sydney and sprawled her leg over the two of them, as well as one of her wings. You pull her little tank top down and pull her sleeping shorts up before you hear her pass out. Mikki lays a blanket over all of them, and presses her nightgown flat before she gets comfortable and slowly drifts off. As you make yourself a bit more comfortable, Leena reaches up and kisses your cheek.
	“What was that for?” You ask as you kiss her forehead.
	“Mom told me about you getting to see Kana fly for the first time. You looked so happy according to her. I'm glad you got to see it.” She said, in a cheerful voice.
	“I was happy. And I still am. But I am a little sad that my first little bird got her wings clipped by some dumb guy.”
	“Mom said they will grow back, but I am going to need to treat them with some stuff.”
	“That doesn't sound so bad. I hope they come back quickly.”
	“They should. She did say that I need to get enough sleep though to make sure they get enough rest too!” She says, nuzzling up close to you.
	“Oh! We better get to sleep then!” You say with a laugh.
	“Dad?”
	“Yes Leena?”
	“You're the best. Thank you for being the best dad ever.”
	With that, your oldest daughter passes out. You look up to see Sydney smiling at you. The kids are fast asleep, and the storm is simply raining now.
	“She is right.” You wife says, stretching over the kids halfway, “You are the best dad ever.”
	You reach over to meet her and get one last kiss before you two drift off into sleep. This life is one that you could not possibly dreamed up even if you dried. Whatever happens in the future, you know you will be able to handle it. You and your family will continue to grow and you will support them as best you can. After all, you are the best dad, right?