THINGS from my Word Doc.

#2- Caged Bird

Grian didn't really preen his wings. This was widely acknowledged as a fact.

Grian didn't really chirp or trill or coo. This was also a 'fact'.

Grian is also sleeping on the floor of the hermit's community nest, having fallen asleep earlier during Truth or Dare. Now, it was dark out, and Mumbo was finally noticing the fact that Grian's wings were terribly cluttered, like he hadn't preened them in eternity.

" Hey guys, have you seen Grian's wings? They're so.. dirty? Unpreened?"

People directed their attention to the youngest hermit's wings, the large parrot limbs partially stretched out. Grian himself is just lying on his stomach, wearing his normal cozy little sweater. His wings were dirty, covered in dust & sticks..

" Well, we should fix that!"
It was Pearl, who moved closer to one of Grian's wings, tugging on a feather.

That was how Mumbo, Scar & Pearl ended up slowly sifting through Grian's feathers, quickly learning that he was extremely noisy. Every bit of dead feather & debris removed got a happy chirp or trill. Everyone agreed, Grian making bird noises was absolutely adorable.

~

Grian could feel the amazing, familiar magic of someone preening his wings. Xeyla must've decided to visit him before dinner, which he was thankful for. Nothing, nothing was better than the magic of Xeyla preening and her little giggles as he made bird noises.

He could hear the little giggles, meaning he'd definitely done something right. It wasn't hard, but the other day when Grian had tried to escape, and his feathers had been clipped...

He really, really didn't want to anger them. ( they could do much, much worse than breaking his wing 'accidently')

Oh, god...

~

Mumbo had just been arranging the feathers on the base of Grian's wings when he must've pulled or tugged on one to hard because suddenly, the wings are folded.

Also, the wings are now purple.

WHAT??
Mumbo recoiled, staring wide-eyed at Scar & Pearl, who had a similar reaction. Everyone noticed the sudden movement & the lack of conversation from the previously chatty hermits.

" what the hell? Why-"

Tango expressed his confusion, staring – like everyone- as the half-asleep Grian tentatively opened his wings. Mumbo watched him spread out the shimmery lilac wings onto his lap, giving a questioning chirp when Mumbo didn't continue preening.

Now, he could see why Grian had reacted harshly. Overlapping with his lilac wings were mangled parrot wings, small as a chick's. There were various scars lining the little roots of said wings, each telling a different & treacherous story.

It looks like he once had magically combined the wings, which made sense as to why Mumbo touching his roots triggered their split.

Grian let out another, more timid, fearful warble. It was another question, just different this time. A, ' what did I do?' warble, not a ' whyd you stop smh '

Grian blearily raised his head, trying to see what was happening... Mumbo panicked, gently pushing his head back down. Grian didn't resist, and Mumbo got right back to preening.

This time, everyone started recovering, and it seemed like Grian was making a harder effort to chirp and coo. It wasn't unnatural, it was just more.

Also, Pearl wasn't preening anymore. She was just staring at the wings, before shifting and starting to gently shake Grian...

~

So, Grian hadn't done something wrong. Xeyla was still preening him, meaning she'd just got distracted for a second. Ok, good.

Something was shaking. It was probably Xeyla, moving, but it was getting really, really annoying. He just wanted to sink back into the wonderful feeling of being preened.

The shaking thing didn't agree.

Slowly raising his head, Grian opens an eye halfway. It's Pearl. Pearl? Wait, did Xeyla realize how horrible it was alone?

Oh my god, it's Pearl!

" Pearl! Ohmygod, welcome to the terrarium!"
She stares at him, still in his sleepy preening haze, and frowns.

" The terrarium...?"

" Yes! Isn't Xeyla in here? You know, the big Watcher?"

Pearl looks dumbfounded. Grian sighs.

" Remember the end fight? Right, so, when we all got teleported to different worlds, I had to set up some protective boundaries over each because, you know, flight risk server being tormented by demented deity's things. Anyway, the layer on my world was significantly weaker, so the Watchers managed to break it & kidnap me, if you remember.

Anyway, they gave me another pair of wings – basically made me half watcher so I could exist in the Void- and I'm basically like a pet to them. Or, you are too now, since you're here! Oh, yeah, by the way, the Watchers can't understand our language- only chirps and such."

Pearl just started at him, blankly. Really, does she not remember he was an admin?

" .. why did you have a flightrisk server?"

It was X, but Grian, believing he was in the terrarium with only Pearl, thought his sister had spoke.

" Pearl, how do you not remember?"

He carefully directed some magic to manifesting his admin wings, revealing the pure white owly wings. They were splotched at the bottom with a metallic color that changed colors from your direction.

Also, this was the exact way retired Prime admin's wings appeared.

WHAT???