Chapter Text
Rei loved listening to the sweet melodies the warblers sang throughout the day.
He would slither his way beneath the bushes, hiding away from sight to avoid the birds from noticing his presence. Rei knew his kind were natural predators to these small songbirds, so it was best if he never approached them. The last time he did, the songbirds immediately flew away, their gentle song turning to screeches of terror.
Today was no different than his usual routine as Rei closed his eyes in bliss, feeling his body relax as he listened to his favorite songbird.
Everyday in the spring, there was a songbird that sounded different from how the rest sang.
Rei memorized the melodies of others, and they usually followed a pattern depending on what their song message was. But, this specific songbird’s casual chirps melted Rei’s heart from the moment he heard it. Even if the rhythm was similar to others, it felt special.
The birdie would always be in the same place, perched up high on the oak tree. Its small round body would sit on a branch, fluffy yellow feathers swaying with the wind as it sang carefree.
Rei thought that these songbirds were similar to dandelions. The bright yellow color of the birds litter the forest like the small flowers each spring. Yet as time goes by, those birds will eventually leave with the wind, just like dandelion seeds getting blown away by the slightest breeze.
Though right now, the warblers are to remain in the forest as they spread their melodies like spring fairies.
It was a pitiful sounding plea, but Rei wished he could also sing.
He heard the tiny warblers find their fated-one by song, wooing the other into attraction. It was romantic, compared to how snakes find their lover via scent.
Rei let out a dull sigh, knowing his wishes could never be granted.
While listening to the lovely songbird that was up high in the tree and out of reach, Rei was lulled into slumber on the ground, far from the little birdie.
One day, he was listening to the special birdie, closing his eyes in the shade.
But suddenly, the sweet melodies were interrupted by a shrill call from a different bird:
A predator bird.
Rei’s eyes shot open and he lifted his head, immediately looking for the warbler.
To his horror, the branch that it was sitting on was empty; yellow feathers slowly falling and littering the ground beneath the canopy.
He slithered hastily around the tree, looking for the yellow puffball to no avail. Dread set into his bones and he desperately continued to search, using the scent of the birdie.
After what seemed like forever, he finally spotted the warbler under a bush. He stilled, holding his breath as he maintained distance between it.
The bird was thankfully still alive, its small chest rising and falling in rhythm. But, a small pool of blood spread from underneath one of its wings, dyeing the bright feathers ruby red.
Rei wanted to help, but fear overtook him.
What if the bird gets more injured if he approaches it? Will it try and flee, causing more harm to its wing?
Even if he reached it, will the little birdie he’s grown attached to die in the palms of his hands?
Rei didn’t want to see the warbler die in his grasp.
He pleaded with the Gods above, wishing the bird would live. This wish was far more attainable than his pitiful dream to sing, and he was sure the Gods would pay attention to him this time.
As he begged desperately, the bird moved its head, turning in Rei’s direction.
The snake stared, mesmerized by the dark grey color that gazed back. Rather than being fearful, the bird blinked at him slowly as if observing Rei.
Then, it made a pitiful chirp, its eyes falling closed as it surrendered to its consciousness.
Although Rei didn’t understand a word of bird language, the message was thoroughly conveyed to him.
Help me.
Warmth filled Rei’s stomach, the feeling pushing him forward as he disregarded his previous uncertainty. He approached the warbler quickly, morphing into his human hybrid form.
Rei reached down and cradled the bird in his hands, its small body as big as his palms. He hurried to his cave, making sure the birdie was still breathing.
Once back, he tended to the warbler to the best of his abilities.
After giving the bird a small bath to get rid of any contaminants, he smashed his extra medicinal herbs up into a green paste and applied it carefully on the bird’s wing. Tearing off a cloth from an extra garment, he wrapped it gently around the wound.
Throughout the procedure, the bird didn’t wake. The only sign of life was its shallow breaths. Rei didn’t know what else to do after dressing its wounds, deciding to quietly watch the bird all night just in case it awoke.
When morning came, Rei blinked slowly at the sun rays that crept into the cave. He then glanced at the wounded bird, wondering if it would heal faster basking in warmth. The yellow feathers definitely suited the brightness rather than the dreary darkness inside his cave.
After deciding it would help with the bird’s recovery, Rei cradled the small bundle of cloth holding the warbler and walked to the nearest place where the sunlight touched, gently placing it down.
Right when the sunlight hit the bird’s feathers, the little one moved slightly.
A smile spread across Rei’s face, and he finally felt a sense of relief.
Rei made it part of his schedule to allow the bird to bask in sunlight often. To ensure no predator would come by, he always sat next to the bird on the edge of the cave’s darkness.
Rei's supplies depleted quickly from taking care of the bird and he ended up gathering berries and herbs a few days a week from the forest. One day, Rei was out for his usual supply run for the birdie, traversing through the thickets in his humanoid form for easier harvesting.
Because the bird still seemed to remain unconscious, Rei did his best to keep the birdie nourished with mashed up berries as it healed. To be honest, he didn’t know what kind of berries the bird preferred. But, he watched other warblers eat from various bushes so he decided gathering a variety of fruit wouldn’t hurt.
While moving through clustered bushes, Rei suddenly winced, feeling sharp twigs slice at his arms. Beads of red began to form on the shallow cut and he stared at the wound, thinking of his birdie back home.
Even though Rei was doing his best, his efforts felt inadequate.
What if the warbler’s wing won’t ever function normally again?
Rei knew wings were crucial for survival, so he felt his heart drop every time he thought his spring fairy would now succumb to predators because of its inability to flee.
To take his mind off of the horrific thought, he hastily gathered enough berries and herbs. Then, he went back home hurriedly, not wanting to leave the little bird alone.
Rei stumbled into his cave with his arms full. He expected to see the warbler still asleep in its bed of blankets.
But this time, he was greeted with a small peep.
The birdie was sitting up, looking in Rei’s direction as it cocked its head to the side. It chirped another note, this time louder.
Rei stood at the entrance frozen, feeling a few berries escape his grasp. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he gulped and asked hesitantly, “...How are you feeling?”
The bird hopped out of its makeshift bed, clumsily tripping and smacking its head on the table.
Rei rushed towards the animal, haphazardly dropping his harvest on the table. He gently eased the bird up with a finger, letting out a breath seeing its injured wing wasn’t caught in the fall. “Um…”
The yellow poof-ball pretended nothing happened and skipped over to the berries, pecking at one and happily tweeting at the taste.
Rei smiled, awkwardly picking up the herbs and making his way to his medical setup. He sat down, grinding the herbs with a mortar and pestle. The bitter smell always caused his nose to scrunch, but he endured it for the sake of making a paste for the bird’s injury.
Seeing Rei working hard, the bird continued eating the berries quietly so as to not disturb the snake. Though, its watchful eyes never left the predator.
When Rei finished his task, he stood up and went over to the now satiated birdie while holding the mortar full of green goop. With one glance at the concoction, the bird hopped backwards once and cocked its head to the side in question. Rei almost had a heart attack from the cuteness as he set the mortar down on the table.
“Little One,” Rei said cautiously, “This paste is medicine for your injury.” He looked pointedly to the bandaged wrapped wing. “Will you allow me to tend to your wound with it?”
The spring fairy blinked at him with round grey eyes. Then, it tapped the table with its foot.
Rei was troubled. “The paste isn’t poison, I promise.” He put his hand on his heart. “Truely.”
Trilling a few notes, the bird tapped its foot again and shook its head.
Rei furrowed his brows, “Little O–”
Another tap sounded, interrupting Rei. This time, the bird hopped insistently while tweeting.
After a moment's thought, Rei's lips twitched. “...If you dislike being called ‘Little One’, what do you prefer?”
Sitting down satisfactorily after getting its message across, the bird chirped.
However, Rei still had no idea what the warbler wanted from him. He knelt down, eye to eye with the small birdie on the table. “Unfortunately, I don’t speak bird.” Thinking to himself, he spoke with his ears tinted red. “This may seem…odd, but in my eyes you are similar to a dandelion…so…” He gulped. “How about Tanpopo…?”
This time, the bird twittered happily as if approving of the name.
Visibly relaxing, Rei smiled. “Then, Tanpopo, will you let me take care of your wing?”
Unfurling its injured wing from its body, Tanpopo peeped in invitation.
Tanpopo was an interesting bird.
It accompanied Rei wherever he went, wanting to sit on his shoulder or head. Obviously because of the warbler’s injury, the bird would communicate where it wanted to be by tapping or pecking Rei.
Over the next week, Tanpopo’s existence became routine.
One morning, Rei woke up as usual to quiet melodies coming from the makeshift bed. He turned his body to look in the bird’s direction, unconsciously smiling when he spotted Tanpopo’s yellow head peeking above the fabric.
He waited until the song ended before saying quietly, “Good morning.”
Tanpopo hopped out of the bed and looked in Rei’s direction. It tweeted, tapping its foot in greeting.
Rei eyed the bandage on its wing and immediately got up to start working on the herbal paste. He went to his set-up, sitting on the mat as he ground the herbs diligently.
Chirp.
Rei looked up, the bird sitting on the edge of the table watching him. The bird was more energetic nowadays, but this meant Rei had to keep a closer eye on it.
“...Be careful.” Rei warned, “We don’t want you to injure both of your wings.”
Rei didn’t know if birds were capable, but he swore the little bird rolled its eyes. Then, it let out a string of chitters, ruffling its feathers.
“Even after spending a significant amount of time together, I still can’t speak bird.” Rei replied with a small smile, tending to his paste again.
“How about now?” A warm voice asked.
“Mhm, loud and clear.” Rei hummed absentmindedly and continued mashing.
Then, he froze.
His head slowly moved up, meeting eyes with the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen.
The young man had flax blonde hair that reached his shoulders, curling at the ends. Strands of hair framed his handsome face, emphasizing his grey eyes. He wore a plain beige kimono with his feet bare as they swung carefree, hanging off the table's edge.
Gold colored wings protruded from his back, one of them with a large gash sliced through. It leaked blood, and Rei immediately shot up.
“Your wing!”
The man turned to the injury. “Ah~ whoops.”
Rei wanted to help, but he awkwardly placed the mortar filled with paste on the table next to the man, grabbing bandages to put beside it. He then scurried back, far from him.
The man stared at him. “Y’know,” He said leisurely with a voice Rei found attractive. “I think you’re funny.”
Rei blinked. “Huh?”
“You seemed fine tending to my wound before, why’re you awkward now?” The corner of his lips quirked upwards, “Or, do you prefer my warbler form?”
Rei shook his head vigorously. “I don’t…prefer anything.”
“Then,” The blonde grinned, “Come over and help me, please~”
“Are you sure?” Rei asked hesitantly. Now that the bird was now able to clearly communicate with him, Rei felt nervous. It felt like he was interacting with someone new, not to mention the fact that this change of appearance was a stark reminder of their respective roles in nature.
“If I wasn’t, why would I say it?” The bird's grin somewhat softened.
Rei finally obliged, coming close and beginning to treat the wound. It was easier to tend to the cut since it was larger, but that meant there was more blood. He frowned, doing his best to be careful.
The bird watched him, tilting his head. “Hey, what should I call you?”
“Rei,” The snake replied, feeling happy the birdie cared enough to ask. Then, Rei questioned him tentatively, “Is Tanpopo truly your name?”
“Noooope~ I’m Kaoru.” The beautiful blonde nudged Rei’s figure with his foot. “Your little nickname for me was cute, so I didn’t bother trying to correct you. Besides, I don’t know how I’d get you to understand ‘Kaoru’.”
“Ah…” Rei blushed. “I apologize.”
“Nah, it’s no big deal.” Kaoru smiled. “But, even if you didn’t get my name until now, I’ll still be in your care for now~”
“Hm?” Rei finished wrapping the last bandage, looking a bit lost.
“What?” Kaoru blinked, “Aren’t you gonna take care of me until I’m better?”
Rei paused before nodding stiffly, “...of course.”
Kaoru narrowed his eyes. “You hesitated.”
“I did not.” Rei denied, looking away.
“Were you gonna kick me out after this~?” Kaoru sighed dramatically, “So mean~~” He didn’t seem offended in the slightest. One could say he liked seeing Rei’s reactions. Afterall, Kaoru has never met a snake as amusing as Rei.
Rei finally looked at Kaoru again. “I thought you would want to leave.” He admitted. “I don’t see a reason why you’d want to stay any longer with a predator.”
“I see.” Kaoru hummed in acknowledgement. “But, even if you devour me, it’s my fault isn’t it?” He nudged his foot against Rei’s leg again, “I bet I’ll be pretty tasty though.”
Rei looked at him aghast, “Should you really be joking about that?”
“Why not?” Kaoru tilted his head innocently. “Don’t you think I look yummy?”
Rei’s face flushed red, looking away while clearing his throat.
A moment of silence went by before Rei spoke again.
“Sure,” He forced out, gulping. Rei hurriedly stepped away from the bird and began cleaning his medicinal setup.
Looking smug, Kaoru began whistling happily.
Rei enjoyed the little tune as he tidied up, unable to suppress a smile.