I had joined a new clan, surrounded by unfamiliar people and customs. At first, the idea seemed absurd. But in the end, I realized that I had nothing to lose. And when I saw how the master cared for Kai, my doubts began to fade.

Even though they weren't related by blood, the bond between them was like that of a father and son. It was something that I admired greatly. My time as a slave had taught me many things, one of which was how to judge a person's character by their actions and words.

No one could hide their true nature forever. If something was amiss, time would reveal it. And so, the next day, the master began to train Kai and me together. Our training grew more intense with each passing day.

The more I got to know the people of the ninja clan, the more my trust in them grew. Even though I was an outsider, they treated me with kindness and respect.

Our master was like a father to us. He took care of us and shared his wisdom with us. He pushed us to become better and stronger with each passing day. One day, as part of our training, we went hunting.

We expected to track our prey in the usual way, but the footprints on the ground were scattered in multiple directions. We asked our master for permission to split up and search for the prey on our own. He agreed and so Kai headed east while I went south.

As I headed south, the footprints on the ground grew more numerous. But despite the abundance of tracks, the silence around me was eerie. I expected to hear some noise nearby, but there was nothing. It was as if the world had gone completely still.

After a short while, I came across a large rock that had tumbled down onto the path. It looked as though it had been dislodged and had come crashing down. But the real surprise was what I found beneath it.

Trapped under the rock was a winged girl about my age. She had enormous wings sprouting from her back, unlike anything I had ever seen before. Her left wing was pinned beneath the rock and she couldn't move. She looked like she was unconscious.

I approached her slowly and cautiously. As I drew near, she suddenly opened her eyes and tried to scramble away from me in fear. I raised my hands in a calming gesture and spoke to her in a gentle voice.

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"Hey," I said. "Be careful. Are you okay?"

The girl continued to tremble and try to move away from me. I kept talking to her, trying to reassure her.

"Your wing is hurt," I said. "Try not to move too much. I'll help you."

The girl finally calmed down a little. She looked up at me with pleading eyes and whispered one last thing before she fainted again.

"Help me, please," she said.

The rock was far too heavy for me to lift on my own. I looked around for something that could help me free the girl. I spotted a tree just beyond the rock and used the knife that my master had given me to cut off a sturdy branch.

I wedged the branch into the gap beneath the rock and used it as a lever. With all my strength, I pushed down on the branch and managed to lift the rock just enough to free the girl's wing.

Her wing was badly injured and I knew I couldn't just leave her there. She was still unconscious, so I carefully lifted her onto my back and carried her back to my master.

As I made my way back, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. I turned around and saw a black wolf perched on top of a nearby hill. It howled at us before disappearing into the wilderness. I didn't have time to dwell on it though. My main concern was getting the girl to safety.

When we reached my master, he brought her inside and summoned the medics to tend to her wounds. They bandaged her up and laid her down to rest.

Nothing happened for several hours, but finally the girl stirred. She sat up, her wounds neatly bandaged, and looked around in confusion.

"Where am I?" she asked. "Who are you?"

My master handed her a bowl of soup to help her regain her strength. "Don't worry," he said soothingly. "You're safe now. Drink this. You've lost a lot of blood."

It was clear that the girl was famished. Despite the heat of the soup, she drank it down without hesitation. As she ate, my master asked her a few questions.

"What is your name?" he asked.

"My name is Karina," she replied. "I am a descendant of the winged ones."

Kai looked surprised. "The winged ones?" he said. "I thought they were a race of angels."

My master shook his head. "People often call the winged ones angelic because they have healing powers and resemble angels," he explained. "But their true name is the winged ones."

He turned back to Karina. "How did you hurt your wing?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said. "The last thing I remember is flying through a storm. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck a rock and it fell on me."

"I see," my master said.

Karina looked around the room again. "So how did I get here?" she asked.

My master gestured towards me. "One of my students rescued you," he said. "We brought you here so that our medics could tend to your wounds."

"I don't know what to say," Karina said, her voice filled with gratitude. "Thank you."

"It's no trouble at all," my master replied kindly. "You can stay here until your wing has healed. Then we'll help you get back home."

"Thank you again," Karina said.

"For now, just rest," my master said.