Chapter Text
It wasn't raining tonight. That fact alone made him chitter to himself quietly, ‘yes!’ It was always rough sleeping outside when the weather was rough. He had definitely done it before, but it wasn't the best night's sleep he’s ever had. Then again, sleeping in a tree was never the best sleeping arrangement.
He didn't mind that much though. It calmed his Avian instincts to be so high up whether he was unconscious or not. It was one of the first things he realized after leaving his home colony. Being high up made him feel all warm and fuzzy so he tended to stick to the trees or flying.
He sighed, shifting slightly on the large branch he had settled on for the night. Sometimes being a smaller Avian had its benefits. He had his arms pulled around his head acting as a pillow as he laid fully lengthwise down the branch. The bark hurt a bit, but his loose clothes covered him up pretty well. Along with that, he kept his wings wrapped around himself, which made sure he was nice and warm.
And calm. He felt so calm here. This forest was so calm at night. Out of the many forests he had traversed in the last few months, for some reason this one was the most serene at night. The stars shined brighter, the wind kissed his hair and the animals either stayed away or cuddled up to keep him warm. That is to say, he liked this forest the most. He's definitely stayed here the longest.
This particular tree is near a clearing, it's large, full and bushy with lots of cover, long branches that supported his weight plenty. There was a deer trail just below that he had seen a few animals travel through earlier in the day. He had spent most of the day lounging here as it was the tallest tree had seen in this forest. Typically, he had moved on to different forests or trees to sleep in daily, but something about this forest and this tree made him want to stay for a while.
With his eyes closed he listened to the sounds of nature. The hums of bugs under the brush and the coo of the birds snuggled together in their nests for the night. He felt like them, snuggled around himself high up in a tree, comfortable, warm and safe.
He felt himself start to drift off. Relaxing further, his wings limp and spilling around off the branch reaching toward the ground. He thinks of tomorrow. He found a babbling brook a few wing beats away and he wanted to explore it more. His book said that mermaids lived near running water! He's very excited to possibly meet one.
Then he heard it, right before his consciousness finally waned. A rustle of bushes and snapping of twigs. Confused, he raises his head, blinking his eyes open and turning toward the noise currently interrupting his sleep. He had to lean over the bough to see though the leaves better.
The bushes ruffle, indication of something pushing through. Lo and behold, he watches as two Avianoid creatures walk through holding hands. How strange. How interesting! Sleep foregone, he quietly pulls his wings in, pushing himself against the trunk of the tree hiding himself from view further while in turn making his view of them easier.
The two were speaking to each other in a language he didn't understand. He had been around here long enough to know that this was the native language of this area. But he had no way of learning, not that he often came into contact with these creatures. He thinks he flew over a village colony a few weeks ago though! He wasn't close enough to really hear or see them though. Maybe they weren't speaking in a language native to around here…
Looking at them closer, he saw neither of them had wings, which was very curious to him. His breath hitched when he saw that. That must be so sad! Not having wings…these two looked like Avians yet, no wings. He couldn't imagine not having wings. Of course he knew there were creatures out there that didn't have any, like mermaids or vampires but he had never actually met anyone without wings so he assumed those kinds of creatures were much rarer. So these poor people must have lost them somehow. He tilted his head to the side in sadness for them.
After making it through the bush, they both paused pushing the debris off their clothes. They seemed to be laughing while speaking. Smiling at each other while helping straighten their clothes for each other. At least they were still happy in life without wings. He pulled his head back up indicating happiness and pride for them.
One was tall, with dark hair and nice looking clothes. He was wearing pants too which he knew only men wore here. Which was very odd to him seeing as dresses were the main garment for Avians. But it's a different world out here! He's trying to learn. Not all colonies had lived the same way he did! Then again his learning was only through observation, not actual teachers. Maybe all colonies were the same…he hoped not.
The other person was shorter. They were wearing a dress and had long brown hair tied behind their head. Ah! A woman! Maybe! They were dressed in deep green and had shiny metals weaved into their hair.
The taller one leaned down and kissed the shorter one. He cooed to himself, ‘how cute,’ they must be mates! When he was back at the colony, years ago, there was a boy he had kissed before. They weren't so far as to be considered mates, especially since they weren't supposed to be dating anyways, but he liked him a lot. He had to break up with his boyfriend when they got kicked out of the colony though. He never knew what they had done to warrant getting kicked out, but he never saw them again.
Stuck in his memory he almost missed when the two started to walk away. He tweeted, ‘Wait!’ , reaching for a branch higher up, he wanted to get a better look. Not looking where he placed his hand, he accidentally jammed his palm directly onto a previously broken branch, stabbing his hand. With a jump and a small twitter, ‘ow damn’, he pulled back his hand, he was bleeding now. Great. He closed his hand, pulling it closer to himself with a small coo, ‘it’s okay. Just a small cut.’ He can fix it in the morning when there's more light out.
Looking up from his hand, he expected to see the couple gone. Slipping in between the dense trees and into the dark of the forest leaving him to sleep the night away like normal.
What he wasn't expecting when he looked up was to lock eyes with the tall man, who was staring directly at him from the ground. His eyes were piercing, as if they were looking through him, into him. Even in the dark he could see that they were a rich, deep red in color. He froze, they both did.
He couldn't move, hoping that maybe the man was looking through him. Maybe he had heard him coo and thought he was just a bird. He could see how his language sounded like the birds sometimes. He held his breath, feeling his heart in his throat.
He heard them speak to each other, hoping that they couldn't see him and were deciding to leave. He lifted his foot slowly from the branch, releasing his claws in preparation to shoot into the air. Turning his head to the sky, he started looking through the canopy, scanning for a clear path into the open air. Looking away from the man was a mistake.
Suddenly, he heard a shout from one of them. Snapping his head back to them with wide eyes, he was blinded. Bright lights flashed in front of his face. He squawked loudly, ‘what the fuck !’, shutting his eyes tightly he jumped back trying to get away. Sadly, in a tree there weren't many places to go. Especially when you weren't looking where you were going.
He felt his claws slip away from the bough, along with the rest of himself as well. In a panic, he flared his wings out trying to catch some air to flee. That seemed to be the wrong moves as immediately he felt his wing collide with a limb, causing immense pain to flare throughout his whole body. He felt feathers get torn as he pinballed his way down the tree, landing on his ankle with a deafening ‘crack!’
He fell onto the ground with a piercing screech of pain. As much as he wanted to curl up into a ball, he knew he was in danger. He pulled himself up scooting his back up against the tree he had just fallen from. He was breathing erratically, he felt his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He pushed further in the tree, putting distance between himself and what he now realized was his will-be murderers.
He should have just left as soon as he saw other creatures in the forest. He forgot how dangerous the world can be. There was a reason that he had trained so hard and a reason he had survived alone out here for so long. He wasn't a very nice bird.
He saw them try and get closer to him, their hands shown in a placating manner. Yeah right! He had seen that before. Trying to get his guard down so they can hurt him more. Oldest trick in the book. They had tried that on him once back at the colony, and he fell for it. It won't ever work again. He hissed, low in his throat. Warning them not to come any closer.
It seemed to work, as the tallest paused. His eyes widening taking in his crippled form. He's seeing his weaknesses! He tries to shimmy his way up the tree, willing himself to stand. He wasn't a quitter! Sure his vision was getting blurry, but that was very much something he could deal with alone and away from here.
When he finally stood up he reached into his sleeves slowly. Both the creatures were looking between him and each other, as if debating what to do. Waiting, he planned his escape for a time when they were looking at each other and not him. He could get a head start on them and book it out of here.
Sadly, the shorter one started to walk toward him speaking. He couldn't understand him, and he tweeted as much to him, ‘I can’t understand you dickhead!’ But they kept walking toward him. That is not what he said!
Dropping the throwing knives he had in his sleeves, he gets ready to throw them with deadly aim. Unfortunately, not only was his vision wavering, so was his ability to stand. Throwing them anyway as a last effort, he collapsed back onto the ground.
He hisses and coos sadly, ‘go away! Please! I just got out here!’ He tries to lift his head but everything is so heavy. No no no! He's stronger than this! He can't just give up. He feels pain come in waves through his body as his consciousness finally gives way. The last thing he sees is the shorter leans down brushing his hair from his face rather gently. He closes his eyes against his own will, and the last thing he hears is a voice he doesn't recognize.
“It's okay. You're safe.” He doesn't believe them, but he doesn't have a choice, and he loses awareness.
***
Somehow Scar had convinced him to take a midnight stroll through the woods. It wasn't the first time he had somehow been persuaded to take dangerous walks in the woods. He was starting to get the feeling he was maybe a little weak willed for his boyfriend. Then again, said boyfriend did control all of this forest, so maybe not so dangerous as long as he's here.
“It's a nice night out. Breezy.” Scar said, turning his face into the wind. His hair billows slightly behind him.
He just hummed in agreement, he wasn't really looking out into the forest. There were nicer things to look at in these woods. Like the nymph currently holding his hand, leading him further and further into the darkly shrouded woodland.
A normal person would probably find this very frightening. A beautiful, magical creature leading them deeper and deeper into a densely packed forest, of which the creature had almost full conscious and unconscious control over. But he wasn't scared. In fact, he was much more fond than anything else. He had been reading his book when his nymph pulled him outside, bare feet and plain night clothes.
He trusted Scar to not let anything hurt their feet while walking. Willing the dangers to leave them be for the night.
“You know, we could have also done this during the day. When there's no chance of mobs and when you can actually see.” He says, as his nymph continues to pull him along. He scoffs, tugging them both under some bushes.
“As if I’d ever let mobs in here. And I can see plenty,” He looks into his eyes with a sly smirk that looks so lovely on his face. “Just not with my eyes.” Pulling them through to the other side of the shrubbery, he pauses to run his hand through his hair, catching any leaves or twigs that may be stuck in there.
He watched on with a smile tugging at his mustached lip. He reaches over helping his love rearrange his clothes. His nymph lifted his head smiling at him, returning the favor with a giggle. He felt his heart melt staring into his emerald green eyes. He couldn't help himself as he leaned over, placing a gentle kiss upon his lips.
He could hear a bird up in a tree coo and the bugs buzzing under the brush. It really was a lovely night to go for a walk. His nymph’s forest was always beautiful, but it was even more of a beauty when walking beside him.
He pulled back with a smile, seeing the blissed look on his nymphs face. Slowly he pulled his nymphs hand to continue along the forest floor. They giggled to each other, walking hand in hand, intent on meandering until they'd find their way home. He had trust that the forest would lead them home safely eventually.
But something made him cease his steps abruptly. His nymphs pulled on his arm, not expecting the sudden stop. He turned his head to look at him with questioning eyes. But one look in his eyes and he understood his reason to stop.
His eyes had turned to a much deeper shade of red, indicating that he could smell blood. Now, this is a forest which means several hundred animals live here. And normally smelling blood just happened sometimes. Life has its cycles. But it's nighttime. Everyone should be asleep. Or at least the forest itself should be protecting the life around, warning Scar when things are amiss.
Yet here he is, smelling the blood of a creature, in their woods, and judging by Scars serious look, they didn't even know someone was here. Suddenly their bubbly date turned weighty as he lifted his head to sniff the wind. Letting go of his nymphs hand he spins around on his heel following the scent up into a tree that they had passed.
Whatever he was expecting, it certainly wasn't this. Following the trunk up and up until he caught the eyes of an Avian, holding their hand close to their chest quietly cooing to themself. His nymph tries to follow his eye line, but with his lack of night vision, he can't see.
But he saw. The poor thing looks up from their hand to him and startles greatly. They freeze, going still and holding their breath. He can practically hear their heart beating out of their chest. They look smaller than the average Avian. Horribly thin too. Ratty clothes hang from their frame, their claws digging into the thick branch they were perched on.
“What do you see Mumbo?” His nymph next to him asks, straining to see into the trees.
“Scar, there seems to be an emaciated, injured Avian in your tree.” He spoke calmly.
“What!” He gasps, eyes widening trying to see. “Are they okay?” Getting upset at the lack of light, he thrusts his hand out in front of himself.
“Wait!” Mumbo called, realizing what Scar was about to do. But it was too late as Scar called upon his fairy lights to illuminate the forest surrounding them. He watched with shock as the poor Avians scrabbled back, misplacing his clawed foot and slamming down the tree squealing the whole way down.
The sound pieced through the air, causing him to cover his ears with a grimace. The lights retreated as Scar realized what he had done.
“Oh no! I’m so sorry!” He gasped as he tried to walk over to the bird. Mumbo too started to walk cautiously, removing his hands from his ears to show them to the Avian in case they were scared.
But both stopped their motions when they hissed darkly, which wasn't something that Mumbo knew that Avians could even do. Maybe scared was an understatement. He looked over to Scar, who seemed just as confused. Moving slower, Mumbo took a step closer appraising the injured hybrid.
Now that the Avian was out in the open instead of up in a tree, Mumbo realized that they looked bad. Like, really bad. Their ankle definitely looked broken, and their right wing looked stripped of half their feathers, it was bleeding pretty bad. Suddenly, they started to try and stand. That couldn't be good for that ankle, and his nymph certainly thought so.
“Hey hey hey it's okay! Don’t stand, that isn’t good!” He kept walking toward the bird slowly.
Suddenly the Avian tweeted at them angrily, thoroughly confusing the two. Why aren't they speaking Common? They twittered and tweeted at them in a string of whistles and clicks that neither of them understood.
“Do you speak Common, mate?” He asks, tilting his head frowning.
The Avian was wavering now, swaying from side to side and leaning more and more weight onto the tree behind themself. They suddenly threw their arm out, throwing something out from their sleeve as they finally lost the fight with gravity and falling onto the ground with an ‘oof!’ At both his and his nymphs feet was a throwing knife wedged deeply into the ground. He stumbles back, not having been expecting some kind of attack. Especially something so dangerous from someone so injured and small.
Whipping his head around to his nymph, he swallows thickly. Maybe this Avian wasn't as harmless as he originally thought. His nymph seemed to have different reservations though as he continued to walk up to them. He kept his voice low and calming while crouching down by the small Avian hybrid.
They try to lift their head, still spitting in the Avian language. He watches as his nymph raises his hand to his own lips then to his ears. He speaks lowly in a language he knows isn't one he has ever spoken before. Slowly the Avian stops fighting, closing their eyes and losing their battle with consciousness.
His nymphs looks up to him from the ground with sad eyes as he combs through the Avians' sandy blonde hair.
“He got hurt in my forest Mumbo…I feel so bad.” He says, tears gathering in his eyes.
“It's okay darling, he will be okay.” He speaks nervously. Obviously, he knows his nymph enough to know that he's going to want to bring the stranger home to fix them up. But also, the Avian did just throw knives at them out of nowhere.
But Scar looked so sad. His nymph looked at him with such round, glassy eyes he can't help but forgo his misgivings. He's sure that he could protect Scar if the Avian becomes dangerous. Hes sure that his lovely nymph can protect himself too.
So, he kneels next to Scar, gently pulling the small Avian into his arms. They were very light, which is to be expected of a species with hollow bones, but something felt off here. They felt very light. Like in an unhealthy way.
They both stood up as his nymph fretted over the person in his arms.
“I can give them some healing potions and they will be okay but Mumbo,” He breathed out softly, he lifted his eyes to stare into Mumbo’s, “I had to use a translation spell. They don't speak Common at all. And they thought we were trying to kill them. Practically begged me not to.” He stretched out his hand, willing the forest to clear a path directly back to their manor. It made the hour walk into a one minute one. Did it make sense logically? No. But Mumbo learned to ignore how his nymphs magic worked a long, long time ago.
Stepping into their house they made a beeline to the guest bedroom where Mumbo set down their impromptu visitor. Scar disappeared further into the house to gather a few things he'd need for some healing spells and potions.
Mumbo kept his eyes on the Avian lying on the bed feeling a bit useless. He didn't know much about Avians. Sure he had met several, but he had never really looked into how they lived. There were some things that everyone knew, like they typically lived in flocks of a few hundred or that they rarely ever left said flocks on their own or how within those flocks their wings tended to look similar.
Racking his brain he can't for the life of him remember seeing any flock in the area with the wing pattern this Avian had. Pure, unmarred, snow-white, with royal purple feathers breaking up the milky wings seemingly randomly. He's never seen a bird with wings like these before.
Sadly, one of the wings was very much so not so pristine looking. Half the feathers look stripped, along with half the primaries. Even with Scars potions and spells, this bird won't be flying for a while until they grow back naturally. Such as the use of magic: it can't fix everything, sadly.
Scar comes barreling back into the room juggling so many items he runs to help the nymph set them down without dropping them. With a small ‘thanks’ and a peck on the cheek, he gets to work on the Avian. Pouring some healing potion onto their wing to stop the bleeding and promote the growth of new feathers.
Then he moves on to the ankle with a grimace. Even he can see it's going to need to be reset after the bird tries to stand on it. Scar looks over to him silently asking for his help, which he graciously gives. Grabbing the ankle and pulling into place as his nymph wraps it in place with bandages soaked in healing potion and stuffed with healing herbs between the rolls.
Grabbing a towel and wetting it in the basin he had brought in, Scar begins to clean some of the blood off their skin looking for any more injuries. And other than a few cuts and scrapes, which he promptly heals with a few of his weaker salves, the Avian seems to have only gotten those major injuries. Whether the bird should be lucky or not, Mumbo doesn't know. But he does know that as Scar begins cleaning up the mess of first aid supplies he had brought into the room, its going to be a long night.