Book One: Lost and Found: An Angry Birds Fanfic

Chapter Five: Draven

"W-w-we were s-s-s-so cl-cl-l-lose!" Mudbeard chatters angrily as he shivers under a blanket.
I'm sure you were.
I'm leaning against a wall, easily keeping my balance while the boats rocks back and forth as I sharpen my knives.
I stand in the shadows, far away from any of the four doors that are on each wall, which are bright with a beige color and paintings of a bunch islands.
Ew, bright colors.
"Well, we did find Crimson," Ross pipes up.
I feel my heart skip a beat when he says her name, but I push away everything that I feel.
Keep it cool, Draven.
"But..." his voice soon fades.
Oh no.
"But what?" I ask, not looking at him.
"We lost her. A wave crashed into the boat and she fell in the ocean."
I feel my heart start to break. Memories fill my head when I hear him say her name, but I push it all away before it could take over me.
"Hm," I grunt to cover up how I actually feel, not saying anymore as I continue sharpening my knives.
No bird or pig says anything for what seems like hours before Mudbeard breaks it by sneezing.
"Bless you," I growl.
"An-y-y w-w-a-a-ays," Mudbeard continues to chatter, ignoring my politeness. "W-we s-still n-n-need t-to g-get t-t-to Bird Is-l-land."
"Woah, woah, woah, hold up, pause, back up, rewind," I exclaim as I stop sharpening my knives and look at him. "We?"
"What?" He asks carelessly.
"You," I point to him. "Told me," I point to myself. "That you would let me go and give me the money I asked for, which is a small sum, after I showed you the way to Poldras Island," I state as I glare at him. "Nothing more, nothing less. Now, give me my money, and I'll be on my way."
His chattering stops as he coldly grins.
"Oh, we're not gonna let you go that easy."
He snaps his fingers.
Minion pigs come in through all four doors and surround me.
"You know, you're weren't ever really a part of my plan, no, my father's plan, but considering how intelligent you are," Mudbeard contemplates as he gets up. "You'd be a huge help to fulfill that... desire." He snaps his fingers as he says desire.
"I don't want to help you anymore," I growl lowly.
I just want Crimson.
But she's probably dead now.
Plucking pigs.
"Well, this isn't your choice," Mudbeard informs me as pigs grab my wings, pulling my knives from me. One pig kicks the back of my legs, causing me to fall on my knees.
"Gahhh!" I gasp. My wings are now pinned behind me as Mudbeard stands before me, crown and dark purple cape on. I look up at him in total anger.
"I told you already, I'm not helping you anymore," I say through gritted teeth.
Heck, I wasn't even given a choice! I was forced to do this.
All for the money.
Okay, more like bribed...
But still, now I'm being forced to do this.
"Oh no, you will be helping me," he smirks darkly.
"We have a deal!" I yell at him, getting as close to him as I possible can.
I knew I shouldn't have trusted this swine- filled, bacon- headed idiot.
"We did", Mudbeard reminds me.
I look down at wooden floor that's under me.
"You will help me whether you like it or not, and if needed, I'll make another deal with you. Another deal that is far better than the last one," he tries to convince me.
"You're not even giving me a choice!" I scream at the pig as soon as I look back up at him.
No, no I can't.
"If you join me to fulfill my father's ambitions and desires, I'll give you enough money to last you your entire life," he presses on.
My entire life.
Draven, don't listen to him you idiot!
This is exactly how I lost Crimson. I was more in love with money than I was with her. For the love birds, I lost the only person who believes in me.
Well, she used to believe in me. But she walked out of my life, gone just like that.
But money, it could get me stuff to make me happy, things that could make me successful and make life easier.
No, Draven! You asked for a small amount for this exact reason! Give it up!
I think Mudbeard notices my struggling because he asks me a question that made me really think.
"What if I told you I can get Crimson back to you?"
Everything stops.
Draven, you idiot! Don't listen to him. He's bribing you. You can look for Crimson yourself.
But I don't know where to start searching.
I look back up at Mudbeard.
"Make me a small deal for now," I finally answer.
Mudbeard raises an eyebrow.
"Yes, what is it?" He asks patiently.
"Give me tonight to think about your offer, and I'll let you know of my decision first thing tomorrow morning," I respond.
Mudbeard took a few seconds to take the small offer into consideration.
"Alright, but remember, you don't actually have a choice," he reminds me.
"Yeah, yeah I know," I grumble as I look away into whatever shadows there are.
"Ross, you and a few pigs take him back to a cage in the cell," Mudbeard orders Ross.
Wait, cage?
I internally start freaking out.
No, not not again. Not like on that prison island.
I can't go back in a cage.
"Yes sir," Ross salutes the king.
The pigs that are pinning my wings behind me temporarily let go of my wings, only to take out cuffs and place them around my wrists.
I sigh.
Well, there's no point in freaking out anymore.
Too late to do anything.
"Let's go! Get a move on!" A large pig orders me as he pulls me up to my feet.
As I turn around, I hear Mudbeard laughing hysterically.
What have I gotten myself into?
I look down at my feet, not knowing what to do as I'm escorted back into the darkness of my past.
                                   • • •
Pigs laugh as they turn around and slam the door to the cell, leaving me locked up here in a cage.
I'm back where I started... yay.
I sigh as I sit down, despite the anxiety that's pounding inside of me as I remember being trapped here before.
What now? I don't want the money but I have no choice.
I can't go back to my past. I can't go back to money meaning more to me than the birds around me. It's how I lost myself.
It's how I lost Crimson.
It's all my fault that she's gone.
I put my head in my wings, feeling tears come to my eyes. I haven't cried since Crimson left me. Memories flood my head. Memories of her and me, lying in the grass next to each other, looking up at the stars and talking about our troubles. The small, meaningful talks. I remember being woken up at five in the morning by her for military training. I remember the first time I felt my heart skip a beat when I looked into her hazel eyes. The moment was so mesmerizing. The way her feathers were being blown by the light wind, her soft smile, her eyes reflecting the sunset. I remember the words tumbling out of my mouth.
"I love you."
"You do?" She asked in a surprised tone.
"Why are you surprised?" I asked nervously.
She looked down.
"I just, uh, well, umm, well, I just don't  understand how any bird could love a bird like me... I don't understand how you could love me," she stuttered as she rocked back and forth on her feet.
I took her by the shoulders, but she continued to look the ground.
"Crimson," I started. "I've never met a bird like you. Never. Never have I ever met any bird more excited for training than you. Never have I met any bird that loves to crack jokes like you." I paused. "Never have I ever met any bird as beautiful and understanding as you."
She looked up at me with tear filled eyes and a small smile.
"Is that how you actually feel?" She asked.
"It's so much more than what I feel," I respond as I smile at her. Her smile just grew as she threw her wings around me. I hug her back.
"Well, since you told me how you feel, maybe I should do the same in return," she giggles as she pulls back from me. My wings are still wrapped around her waist.
I cocked my head to one side, but I smile, "Okay, I'm listening." But she didn't say anything. She pulled me close and she kissed me. And that was the night of our first kiss. March First.
I smile.
March First.
That's in one week.
It was always so cute when she looked down and rocked back forth on her feet. Her laugh fills my ears. But so does her crying and yelling. Almost a year passed until that night happened.
"So, that's what you wanted this whole time? Money?" She cried. "I thought you loved me!"
"Crimson, please just hear me out," I begged her.
"No excuse is good enough to convince me why you would do that," she turned away as she tears streamed down her face.
I looked down in utter shame.
"You're right, I shouldn't have done that, I knew I shouldn't have," I tried to apologize.
"Apologizing isn't gonna bring the dead back to life!" She snapped as she kept her back turned towards me.
I was about to respond, but she just kept blowing up on me.
"If you knew you shouldn't have stolen money, if you knew that being a hit man to destroy villages and islands wasn't a good way to earn money, then why did you do that?" She whispered in a shaky voice.
"I- i just, well, I" I stuttered. But I knew it wasn't any use. "I don't know."
She turned around and looked at me and I felt myself break down inside.
"You destroyed entire islands, you destroyed families and lives just for your own gain, I don't think I can love a bird like that," she whispered as continued to cry. Then, she walked to the door. She looked at me one last time before she walked out of that door.
Out of my life.
Now here I am, sitting in the dark. Alone. Lost.
Confused.
Stressed.
I miss Crimson so much, I miss her hugs, I miss her comforting words, I miss her kisses.
I miss all of her.
I continue to cry as I hug my knees, trying not to freak out from the anxiety and pain of my past.
Crimson, I'm so sorry.