Banjo-Whooie?! (A Banjo-Kazooie Origin story/ IN PROGRESS/ UNDER EDITING 😁)

Tooie

A bird in a tree? Not so surprising. Except that it was a Breegull and Breegulls didn't live in trees. Their size just didn't allow it. Even so, the awkward position it was in was simply too strange for any bird in a tree. The pained expression on its face signaled to Banjo something more worrisome.

"Hey, are you alright?" Banjo yelled up the bird.

"Ouch!" She sucked in a sharp gasp. "Does it look like it, Fur Face?" The Breegull nodded her head towards her wing, twisted up in the branches that she was hanging from. "I've been stuck here nearly all morning and this really hurts! Can you get me down? Ahh!" The bird winced again, trying her best not to move. She looked like she was trying hard not to cry.

Banjo felt a pang in his heart. He was afraid of falling on his face earlier, but that pain was nothing compared to what this poor bird was going through.

"Of course I'll help you!" He gushed. "But how?" He knit his brows. He knew he had to climb up there, which wouldn't be a problem. He'd been climbing trees since before he could talk. But he couldn't just sling the poor girl over his back, that would cause her more pain than simply leaving her up there! Then it dawned on him. Banjo's eyes found his trusty blue backpack.

"That's it!" He exclaimed, eyes bright.

"What's it?" The Breegull asked.

"This!" He emptied the backpack's contents onto the ground and threaded his right arm through the straps. Next he hopped onto the tree and flew up the tree trunk with just a few quick flicks of his strong arms. In no time he was face to face with the bruised Breegull. Her features were clearer now: her green eyes he could make out easily from the ground (especially bright from the almost-crying), but he could now better see her fire red feathers faded into a golden color, making her look like a traveling sunset. Unfortunately due to her situation, her dazzling feathers were all either dirty or mangled up.

The Breegull jumped back at the sudden arrival of her makeshift hero and his goofy demeanor. She had to position her head a certain way to avoid jabbing her beak into his snout.

"Why did you... Wait, you don't really expect me to get in that, right?" She said, motioning towards the backpack. "It's like half my size!"

"Don't worry, I've stuffed vegetables in here double your size. It can fit just about anything!" Banjo reassured.

The bird wasn't convinced. "But won't I be too heavy?"

"Probably not. You don't seem very heavy. And even if you were, I could handle it. If there's any strength I have, it's strength!"

The bird stared at Banjo, unamused and sore.

Banjo turned pink. "Uh... never mind. Alright, I'm going to lift you up now. Sorry if I cause you any pain, but I'll be gentle."
Banjo assured. He hooked his feet on nearby boughs for leverage and kept a firm grip with both hands on his backpack.

"Ok, ok wait. If this is how we're gonna do it, then I think you should be a little more carefaaaHHH!" Banjo scooped up the bird as quickly and gently as he could. The change in pressure shot a pain like a hot iron ramming through her arm. The bird's eyes went wide and she gasped for air. Banjo winced at her pain, feeling bad immediately. Unfortunately, the Breegull wasn't as empathetic at the moment. She peppered Banjo's cranium with beak stabs, quick in succession.

"That. Nearly. KILLED! ME! I thought I told you to be careful!" She shouted, furious.

This didn't make poor Banjo feel any better. "I'm sorry, but I'm doing my best. This is the only way I can get you down, and it's pretty difficult! Shouting at me is just going to make me do worse, so please be nicer!"

The mouthy Breegull looked more embarrassed than in pain now from the bear's plea, but after a moment of staring at her feet she simply replied, "Fine."

"Thank you. Now, do you think you can untangle your wing from those branches?"

She looked over at her "wing." It was throbbing and thrumming with pain, but what choice did she have?

"Um, maybe. Just give me a second here..." she took a steadying breath and gingerly reached across her body to her left wing and started pulling and prying branches away. She tried to keep herself quiet, but the pain was simply too much. Fire shot through her arm each time something moved, and each time she winced or cried out Banjo felt more and more like throwing up. He could barely handle stubbing his toe... This girl was grin and bearing it through a twisted wing without hardly a tear. When she finally freed her wing, she gently moved it into the backpack with the rest of her.

"Alright, I'm finished." she said, taking deep breaths.

"You're doing great, Miss...uh?" Banjo lingered off, signaling for the bird to fill in the blank.

"Kazooie." She answered, nursing her wing.

"Kazooie." Banjo repeated. "You sure are tough. Can you keep it going for the way down?"

"I guess we'll see." Kazooie peered down from the backpack Banjo was now carefully placing on his back, counting about 9 yards from the ground. A large gulp tumbled down her throat. Had this bear really scaled this tree that fast?

"Alright, here we go! Hold on tight, Kazooie!" Startled, she tucked down into the backpack and tried to trust this dumb, but really nice buffoon now responsible for her life. Banjo positioned himself back around the tree trunk and started the long trek
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