Chapter Text
It was late into spring, with the morning dew still shining on the grass. A gentle breeze had caught wind, and ruffled his hair, sending strands into his face. He moved his own hand up, moving the strands out of his face.
“I never got the chance to say this but, thank you for being my friend.” His voice was sincere, as he looked at the other man through his brownish-green bangs.
They both were smiling, wide grins in the soft sunlight. The man who had thanked the other, was known as Parrot. The other, Wifies. Parrot had held out a spyglass, extending his arm to Wifies. His vibrant wings fluttered behind him for a moment before settling. Parrot moved a hand to his own hair, pushing aside some of his messy bangs, letting him better see his friend.
“Hold onto it, it’s my prized spyglass. It means a lot to me bro. If something happens to you, that spyglass is gone.” Parrot added, loosening his grip on the spyglass as Wifies accepted the gift.
“Spyglass? Your prized spyglass?” He teased in response, laughing softly.
“Yes! It is. Okay?” Parrot chuckled, his hand returning to his side as he watched Wifies pull the spyglass to his chest, holding it carefully.
“Alright. I’ll hold onto your ‘prized possession,” he replied, as their soft laughter began to die down. Parrot’s gaze drifted back to the sky, watching as a pair of birds flew. How he loved seeing birds free.
Oh. That was just a memory, a memory of his friend. Before Wifies had faked his death. At this moment he lies in his bed, a tired expression on his face as he stares up at the ceiling. This ‘paradise,’ what Wifies calls it, is a prison. The perfect prison, made to keep him in and everything else out. 5 artificial fake biomes, with layers of obsidian keeping him in. He has a hate for it. His reminiscing was interrupted by a voice.
“Parrot, stop sulking. Be happy that you're safe.”
Almost immediately, Parrot turned his head around, his gaze met by a watchful pair of eyes. “You’re kidding me.” he scoffed, moving to lean back on his elbows. “You fake your death, kill my friends, put me in this prison and expect me to be happy?” Wifies just stared back at him, that same observant expression on his face as he sat in a chair across from the bed.
“The people who you call your friends almost get you killed. Multiple times, Parrot.” Wifies replied, his expression unchanging.
“So are you saying you would almost get me killed?” Parrot spoke, the same tired expression on his face. He wasn’t lying, there have been situations where Wifies almost got him killed before, or it seemed that way.
I’m lucky to even still have feathers on my wings, considering what he’s done to me and my friends.
“You know what I mean. You’re safe now.” He replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. The winged avian watched the other man’s red pupils. Parrot knew he was safe. He knew this prison could keep him in, and everything out, that was the purpose of it. But he wanted to be free, as a bird with wings does.
“Would you rather be safe or free?” Parrot asked after a few seconds, as he moved to sit up in his bed.
Wifies didn’t respond. His gaze darkened before he moved to stand. Parrot backed up on his bed, accidentally bumping his head lightly against the bedframe. His wings- which used to be colors that were vibrant, now dull as he hasn’t been taking care of them lately- were furled up uncomfortably against his back. The other man stepped toward the bed, his white fingers curling on the bottom of the frame of the bed, as his shadow loomed over Parrot in the already dim room.
“Don’t ask me that when you know nothing about being free. You’ve only ever been held back by others.” he uttered, looking down at Parrot. As he soon saw Wifies stepping backwards, he let out a breath he didn’t even realize he was holding in. Parrot couldn’t even respond, his words stuck in his throat.
He’s not… so wrong about that.
Parrot knew he was right. But being here doesn’t make him any more free than he was outside of this prison. He watched as the other man turned around, and began to walk out the room, and Parrot let out a soft sigh. Seeing that Wifies had walked out, he calmed down, taking a few deep breaths to try and soothe himself and leaning back against the bedframe. It doesn’t help to stay in bed all day either, he knows that. So he moved off his bed, and stood up, beginning to walk toward the doorway. He has to make sure Wifies doesn’t see him.
Maybe I can try and fly out of here.
He turns his head to the side, moving a hand to his wings, before lifting it. Parrot’s hands trace his once vibrant feathers. He’s never seen them this dull and gray. Is this what happens to a bird in a cage? He used to take pride in his vibrant feathers, and took care of them well, taking delight in seeing the hues of blue, red and even green in his wings when he would fly. But now it’s nothing like that, and they’re soiled and bland, and he can’t even fly without having to worry about Wifies chasing him down. Parrot sighs to himself, letting go of his wing.
Parrot knows Wifies's intentions. But he can’t stand it anymore, he needs to leave.
It wouldn’t hurt to try.
Parrot doesn’t want to be too hopeful, but it seems that Wifies is gone. He steps out into the hallway, his avian talons clicking quietly against the white tile. Seeing an opportunity, he bound forward, and began to run toward what he vaguely remembered as an entrance outside. The wind began to catch in his hair as he exited outside. The sun was high, as it was the evening where the sun began to slowly go down. It was amazing to get fresh air again, and to see the white clouds against the blueish sky after sitting in bed for days now.
He felt free. And it was too good to be true. It was when he ran out and spread his once colorful wings to fly, when he was roughly tugged down.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
And in a split second he was on the ground, looking up at what seemed to be Wifies. His wrist was being gripped by the other taller man as he loomed over him. His heart dropped to his stomach.
I was so close.
“I-I…” Parrot was at a loss for words. Wifies began to move a hand to drag him, moving him by his arm. Parrot could only look back at the now orange painted sky.
“Do you really think I’d be that stupid to leave you alone?” Wifies asked, looking back at Parrot for a moment before his gaze fixed back onto the entrance. The sun began to slowly fade past the horizon, painting the sky a burnt orange color, unlike a few moments ago.
This was bad.
“No.” the avian replied, moving to rise up to his own feet, stumbling. Parrot moved a hand to his wings, attempting to wipe any dirt on his dully colored feathers. They already look bad and it doesn’t hurt to try and remove dust. His wrist was still being gripped as he was dragged, and he’d almost tripped a few times. He was dragged into a room, near the village biome? Parrot couldn’t tell but at the same time, his mind was everywhere right now.
He was pushed onto a chair when he felt the grip on his wrist was now gone, and Wifies was standing in front of him. His heart was pounding, he swore he could hear the sound up in his ears.
“Do not get up from that chair.” he commanded Parrot, turning his back away from him, facing a table where the avian could not see what was on it. In response Parrot only nodded, his gaze fixed on the back of the man’s hoodie.
“When I do this, I am trying to protect you, Parrot.”
Do what?
Questions were flying through his mind, but he took no time to try and voice them out. He couldn’t help but stare, watching Wifies. When the other man turned around, he was holding a pair of… shears?
Shears.
Birds. They can fly in the sky, free without a care. When a bird has its wings clipped, it no longer has that freedom. A bird keeper does this when they want to prevent their pet from flying off. Everyone knows this, and no bird would like to have their wings clipped. And Parrot, sure, he is an avian but he has the wings and talons to call himself a ‘bird.’
“Wifies?” Parrot mumbled as he felt Wifies’s hand pull on his wing.
Wifies lifted the appendage, spreading it so he could get a better grip on his feathers. Parrot could see him lifting the shears to his wings and that's when it clicked in his mind.
No. He wouldn’t do this, right? He wishes he was right.
“Wifies! D-don’t do this!” He stuttered, squirming in his grip. “You know how much I care about my wings! Please bro!” He added, stammering on. But his attempts to stop him would soon be futile.
“Keep still, or you’ll bleed,” he replied coldly.
Then, at the second he heard the metal snip his stomach dropped. Multiple grayish feathers fell to the floor, and his head turned in the direction of where they were clipped. On the tile laid pale colored quills, and when he looked to his wings his main covert was clipped. He slowly turned his gaze back to Wifies, seeing his cold expression. Parrot was on the verge of tears, but he quickly stopped himself as there’s no point in crying on spilled milk- or in this case clipped feathers.
“Why would you do that?” He mumbled, quickly moving to try and stand but he was held down by his shoulders. It doesn’t help that Wifies is taller than him, and stronger, so he can’t even try to resist him.
Parrot wanted to scream, cry, run, hit something- someone, but that would only get him hurt more. Parrot knew that one of his wings were already cut, and because of that if he did try to fly he couldn’t fly right because his wings were uneven. There was no point in resisting, so he let up, sitting back in the chair.
Wifies then moved a hand to his other wing, moving the sharp shears to the main base of his feathers, cutting it with a snip. The other dully colored plumage fell to the floor, slowly falling in the air to then meet the cold tile.
“You’re awful.” Parrot mumbled, feeling defeated. He couldn’t look directly into his eyes, feeling that same observant piercing gaze on him.
“You know how much I love flying.” he added, his gaze fixed on the floor.
“Well. You heard me, it was to keep you safe. You tried to fly away.” Wifies had said, taking a step backwards away from Parrot.
“I was safe before you clipped my wings.” He replied under his breath, closing his eyes.
As he closed his eyes he imagined that he was with Theo or Spepticle or Nufuli. Gosh, how he missed them so much. Parrot guesses that this is his life now, living in memories. Even if the memories are of dead people and his friends that have probably already forgotten him, he thinks.
He still has that… spyglass. The one he was supposed to throw out, but he kept secretly. It was so dumb, but it meant much to him. As he said before it was his ‘prized spyglass’ with sentimental value. He recalls Wifies mocking him for it.
“Wifies, why did you do it?” Parrot asked, his eyes still closed as he slowly began to return to the present.
“Hm?”
“Why did you fake your own death?” He repeated, opening his eyes to then look up at Wifies from the chair.
“To keep you-” Wifies was cut off.
“What? Safe? Or to just keep me?” He asserted, a dark expression on his face. Knowing Wifies wouldn’t reply he scoffed and sat back in his chair, posture improper. “I don’t know why you would do this. Why would you do this to me, to us? To our friendship?” His wings folded against the back of the chair uncomfortably as he leaned back, accepting that he couldn’t fly anymore. “I don’t know why I still say ‘friendship’ considering what you’ve done to me.” he added in a mumbling voice.
Wifies’s expression faltered for a mere second, before he visibly took a breath. “I’ll let you be.” WIfies then spoke, turning to walk. Parrot watched him, his eyes not leaving the other man’s back as he exited the room.
Parrot blinked a few times as his eyelids began to grow heavy.
No. I can’t sleep. Can’t let my guard down.
Parrot’s breath began to still, his eyes closing as he fell victim to sleep. He hasn’t slept in a long time, and has been trying to preserve himself by staying in bed. So much for that.
He can’t help himself, falling asleep. It’s the least he can do. His expression looks so innocent as he rests, even if it’s in some wooden uncomfortable chair. Do I feel bad about his wings? A bit, but it’s for the better. He’ll be much safer now.
He’s so hopeful he’ll escape… he’s so hopeful it hurts.
But I guess all he can do is hope.