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“ It's all yours, “ Rang in Parrot's ears insistently. He remembers it in a brightened sense, just as if it were yesterday. A somber expression on the face of a lightly tanned man, eyes averted in shame- maybe from shock or embarrassment.
His heart weighed his emotions. Selfish. cruel, even. That's how he'd always seen himself.
The one time he tried to be kind was to a cause that was already lost- the faint scent of gunpowder and something burnt lingered in the air as his attempts' aftermath, choking his senses mercilessly.
The remaining contents of a shattered and waning spyglass had already long been lost; a fact all too well.
With the shifting of memory and guilt, his own mind betrays the very body it lives in. It envelops sleep with the waning feeling of grief in an ungrateful way.
Parrot's body tossed and turned in the assortment of quilts and blankets, his brows knitted close together. Bars of stress stretched across green and yellow appendages; the once flourishing chroma dulled down from anxiety and other factors.
Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, close to spilling from the eyes that watched one of many significant deaths. That came to a halt when a violent and harsh nudge startled him, earning a panicked mix of what was most likely a screech and something unknown.
Sweat beads down his forehead and cheek, rolling down in small, barely noticeable droplets. It wasn't the first time something so bothersome had happened, having been pestered by fellow fledglings long before. This unfamiliarity was something else.
An unfamiliarity with being shaken awake, that is.
Parrot rubbed his eyes, a frown making itself apparent by spreading across his lips. He hadn't been sleeping well for the past few weeks, a somnolent truth that he'd bury deep into his chest, shrouding it with the wreckage of a death he knew all too well.
“ You're only now just waking up ? It's wayy too late for you to be asleep, “ A voice playfully scolded, to which the green and yellow macaw replied with an exhausted grumble.
Shaking his head in annoyance, a pair of exhausted eyes found themselves staring at the door. “ .. Did you.. Break in.. ? “ Parrot wouldn't be surprised if the person [ or entity, he wouldn't judge if it was neither. ] had looked around before disturbing him.
The base wasn't very secure to begin with, being so easy to find and all that; It was surprising upon finding that the area had been left untouched, minus a few dirty shoeprints that littered the floor.
Even if attention wasn't directed to the intruder, familiarity seemed to seep through his mind; Parrot remembers the indentations carefully molded into the cheeks of a canine- both in flesh and teeth. Maybe he had come back to mend the trust that was tainted.
Those who live beyond the veil cannot return to the world, let alone feel for what they once yearned for. He knew of this, and still chose to silently believe that such a stubborn soul would come back.
Parrot still chose to believe. Even as he looked up at Spoke in horror, disgust churned in his stomach. The ends of the latter’s mouth creased under the donned skin, folding uncomfortably under the weight of death.
He tries to play along with Spoke, teeth gritted through smiles as his mind omits any detail that he had gotten wrong. Maybe playing pretend for long enough would help him somehow- help with an apology that would never reach the ears.
“ .. Wifies has dimples. “ Parrot blurted out, what was left of the avian’s patience had finally run out. “ Can you atleast try next time.. ? “ His vocals scraped against the throat, rough at the thought of tolerating anymore of this nonsense. “ Try harder.. The next time you do something like this. “
Feathers; Stained in the crimson shade of his own wake. The back of his hand cursed Parrot for such a mess, drying in an uncomfortable, thin clump of stress. That’s just how birds worked.
Spoke turned his head away from the mess of tears, face scrunched up at the thought of such a unique substance touching his own face. He isn’t going to look at a tear-stained man.
“ .. You seriously can’t take a joke, Parrot. “ Was what the latter mumbled out. Another conversation that he’d take for granted. Maybe Spoke will regret his word of choice,
Maybe he won’t.
—
Skin peeled and frayed, some other parts completely missing from the shapeshifter’s body. This wasn’t intentional in terms of an outcome, yes, but did he have it coming ?
Ofcourse.
Did he want such an intense fist fight to happen to his skin, let alone body ?
No. Not really.
“ God.. Parrot’s definitely not over that guy. “ Spoke muttered to himself, limping to a nearby tree to soothe his battered body. [ And also his mind. ]
Just when he thinks he’s safe, a person- or parrot- barges out from his house, eyes frantic and blazing with anger. The tears from earlier have stained his face, making Spoke shudder in disgust. Ew.
His eyes scanned around the area, landing on the battered man’s body with a sharp, narrow eye. “ You. “
Slowly turning his head over to him, Spoke’s body seemed tense. “ .. Hey. “
“ Yeah. hey “ Parrot replied, walking over with his fists balled. His wings, which only worsened in condition by the minute, ruffled up in a fit of anger.
What happened to jokes being funny ?? The avian thinks to himself, pace growing faster once the latter takes the hint.
They break out into a chase that lasts atleast an hour and a half. Consistenting of Parrot yelling out Spoke’s name, and the aforementioned man squeaking in a fear that he didn’t know was even possible to feel.
Atleast he knows not to mess with his dead friends, now.