If you're like me and lack the emotional complexity required to love, you're tired of orbs and soft, plump lips, and you just want to exist in the presence of cool people, which are sadly a social construct invented by Japan to sell more manga and a...
A/N: This is a dream I had after looking at a lot of birds. I wrote this in one sitting and I'm not fuckign proofreading it
No bird was meant to be anything but wild. Blessed with fearsome strength and godlike majesty; from birth, a harpy eagle's destiny is decided to silently watch over Central America's rainforests like an ancient ghost. Humanity always watched the grey angel with a pathological curiosity, and so when they found her nest, her child became only one of the many broken creatures in wicker cages lining the dark mud-brick hut of an ancient birdcatcher.
In a distant past, a primeval genius woke to a most dreadful sound: miles away could be heard a struggling grackle; beak forced closed, talons bound with ropes, left only with wings to cry to the unresponsive mother of the valley. Kars abandoned any motives to work and set off into the night to rescue the creature. He ceased his silent leaping from the trees as he spotted his target. The bird stuck its head out of one of the spaces in the basket; Kars gave a nod, and the creature instantly relaxed. He followed the poachers back to a hut on the outskirts of a local city, which rang with the voices of animals whose spirits had not yet burnt out. Kars' blood boiled at the sound, but he progressed through his anger. He knocked on the wall beside the entrance. A sleepy human answered, and Kars' fist immediately penetrated its bare chest. He considered eating, but concluded the creature was too foul to absorb. The sound of bones obstructing caught the attention of the other poacher, who ran straight into his death. Kars released the animals basket by basket, returning them to their respective habitats as best he could as he struggled to move at mortal speed so as not to harm the little things. At last, he returned to the hut to free the last captive: an awkward looking fuzzy grey bird with a serious face and the blackest eyes he'd ever seen. He initially thought her a wet owl, but upon closer inspection, she was a fledgling raptor of some sort. The wretched thing drooped from her perch against the wall of her filthy basket, squished against the tiny enclosure and barely responsive to Kars' attempts to communicate. He ripped the cage open and scooped her up; she would need his help to survive.
He took her to a nearby spring and gently rubbed away the mud and feces caked to her downy feathers. The neotropical midnight sky reflected in her big black eyes, and Kars found himself in loving awe of the earth and her children. He dried her in his cowl and held her to his breast to warm her as he headed back to rip chunks out of her captors' corpses. He'd had to crush the flesh and force feed her before she began to eat on her own; but once she did, she nearly ate a handful, and made her first squawk as she cried for water. Kars chuckled to himself. Already, she was lively again. A mother bird could take it from there if he told her what to do, and so he set off to find one.
Trees to rocks to brush to burrows, Kars searched with every cool Pilaf Guy ability he possessed; but still, no mama. Who knew it would be so difficult to find a bird like the one in his arms? Sunrise was moments away, and there were still no mama eagles to take her. He had to get home soon, but he couldn't just leave her; she'd be eaten or captured again. As much as he hated it, he had to keep her until he could next search for a mother.
+×+×skippity doo da, skippity ay; ur dad lesbian, ur mom gay×+×+
Kars returned to his KarsKave with a sigh as he parted the hanging moss in the entryway. "What's that..?" Esidisi asked, nodding toward the lump Kars was holding. "Bird." Esidisi scowled. "Why a filthy little bird?" "You don't understand her potential, Esidisi," Kars said calmly. Before he could reply, he left the main chamber of the KarsKave and ventured into his KarsKompartment (which was really cool and had a stream running through it and shit).
He sat the bird down on a mossy rock and cupped some water from the stream. She scooped it up in her beak, lifting her head up to swallow before going back down for more. This repeated another three times before Kars dropped the water to the ground with concern. "You can only hold so much, fledgling. Don't overload your poor kidneys." She EE-EEH'd at him, and he only petted her fuzzy little head before she bit the wiggly thing. "EE," she screeched adamantly as if to say 'I'M HUNGRY AS FUCK, MA.' Kars only huffed in amusement. "Your last meal must go through first. You could get sick," he spoke through a series of clicks, whistles, and high pitched chirps. "I'm going to die and there's no more food! I'm gonna starve! I can feel my stomach collapsing!" she squeaked frantically. Kars sighed. He had been speaking the dialect of the Golden Eagle and not generic Osprey. "There's plenty of food; you're simply sustaining damage from undernourishment. If I overload you, your body will go into shock. Just put your trust in me and you won't die." The bird gradually calmed down. "I'm too weak to hop and too young and downy to fly. I don't have a choice but to trust you." "Indeed. I'm glad you're lucid enough to notice that." He stood up. "...And I'm hoping I can trust you to stay put." "Oh, alright. Allow me to just deactivate my telekinetic abilities." Kars gave her a bitter look, but she kept staring right up at him with her defiant, fluffy little bird face.
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Years went by, additional Pillar Men were added, and (Y/N) was a fully grown harpy eagle at twenty years old, far older than expected.
One night, Esidisi, Wamuu, (Y/N) and Santana had gathered in the main hall of the temple, chattering to one another about human encounters and old tales. "So this human, this 'Olmec', he calls himself, tries to hit me with his atlatl. Not only was the tip dull, but his throw was weak. He boasted how my feathers would make a fine headdress not two seconds before I ripped his face from his head!" the bird cackled. Wamuu smiled. "You speak of these fights as though they have substance. Neither of you truly valued the battle." "I'm with Wham," said Esidisi, "there's no fun in fighting one human. They're so... flimsy." "Unfortunately, I am weak. Old, and with talons as my only weapon." A voice from the hallway chimed in. "That's not entirely true, (Y/N)," said Kars, "The others can hardly rival your quick tongue. Even the pride of the last of our people stood no chance against any group you were paired with." She clicked with contentment. "Perhaps then, but not today, master Kars. I'm too weak to even fly over the valley anymore. I'll be dead before long." Her words caught Kars off guard. Had it really been so long? She was still an infant to him, and yet she was dying of old age. "You're wrong, little one. You will live to see our new world. All of you shall stand beside me on that day." With that, he bolted out of the room, leaving the group confused. "You're dying, (Y/N)?" Santana asked nervously. "Not if our master has anything to say about it."
And so, Kars sculpted a little bird-shaped mask.
As the claws retracted, (Y/N) fell limp on her back like a ragdoll. Blood poured from her skull, and Esidisi could already feel her body running cold. For several minutes, they all waited for her to resurrect, but the only sign of life was her muscles' refusal to release. She was gone.
Suddenly, she shot up with a mighty screech and a wing-beat so strong the Pillar Men were staggered. She continued to flap until the sheer force cracked the ancient walls. The others returned to their activities, unimpressed, but Kars stayed, swelling with pride while his baby bird unleashed her true potential. She circled the skies before swooping down and barrelling right into his chest for a very rough hug. She nuzzled into his mane, clicking fondly as he stroked her massive wings. "I love you, master Kars," was all he could make out of her excited gibberish. He smiled. He knew he didn't have to say it for her to understand.
