In The Trees

The loud squawk of friendship

(I think it's time for a time skip so it has been a week in it. Also there is a blood warning at the end)

   I wake up again to the loud squawk of friendship, as I have everyday. I tiredly poke Grace's beak as though it were a button on my alarm

"Boop! Now you have to let me sleep for like ten more minutes" I say and sink back into my pillow. Grace, who was still slightly confused about my finger hitting her beak, squawks again and flaps her good wing,

"Fine, I'm up," I say and sit up, "Why are you so cruel to me, huh?" I ask and stroke her head, to which she seems to calm down a bit. I get up and get the sweatshirt on my arm, as I do everyday. I then bring Grace to her perch and feed her a small portion of fish, that I spent an entire day catching and cooking. Where our bread was, there was now fish. I walk over to my small garden that I spent most days working on, 

"We haven't gotten any rain yet, Grace. Maybe it will rain soon. I should start preparing," With each day, it has gotten lonelier and lonelier. Starting conversations with Grace or myself helped me feel less isolated. My phone finally died a couple of days ago, and I charged it back up the next day, but I don't want to bother Canada more than I already have. I take my water bottle and very carefully water my tomatoes and carrots. I look over at Grace, who is flapping her good wing again,

"I feel like you're trying to tell me something," I say and get closer to her, then it hits me, "oh! It's been a week! you should be able to fly!" I quickly jump forward and begin to unwrap the bandages. Midway through, I realize I might lose my little amount of company and I sigh,

"Are you going to leave me?" I slow down my unwrapping, scared that I would lose my only companion. Grace squawks, but I'm not sure what the answer is. I finish unwrapping and Grace flies away, faltering just a little bit. I sigh and sit down where I was standing. I hold the bandage up to my face, feeling Grace's warmth.

"I knew this would happen eventually. It was bound to, it's nature." I stand up and grab a bottle of beer. I only had two left. I drink the beer and walk around aimlessly, trying to figure out what to do. I look around my camp, that was really coming along. I had my rations tied up from bears, my tent in the corner of the clearing, and my garden next to the tent, and Grace's perch was across from the garden. 

"Oh, Grace's perch. I guess it's really just a branch now," I take one more swig of beer and move on. I look at the fireplace in the middle of the camp. It could use more wood. I stare into the forest that looks more eerie and forsaken than ever. I grab the machete Canada packed for me, tie an emergency knife to my ankle in my boot, and I head into woods to look for wood. I find some twigs on the ground, and pick them up as I go.

"Nothing can go wrong" I mutter to myself. I get an armful of sticks and head back. I lay the sticks down and grab my MP3 player. The silence is unnerving. I miss the random noises Grace would make already. I make a log house fireplace thing that I remember from my boy scout days. 

 "I need to try to think on bright side. I get to sleep in later?" I sigh. I'll even miss the annoying way she wakes me up every morning at the butt crack of dawn. I have lost everyone. I am alone. I shouldn't have gotten attached. It's my own fault. Why am I wallowing in my own self pity anyway? I stand up to find something to do. 

   Not being able to find anything, I grab the walkie talkie Canada gave me. I think he mentioned over text that it reaches out 30 miles. I close my eyes and hope I am in range. I turn it on and hear static. I press the talk button,

"Hello? Canada? Can you hear me?" I let go of the button and wait for a second, overflowed with hopefulness.

"America, you are supposed to say over, don't you know anything about wallkie talkies? Over" Canada says, his voice staticky. I sigh and laugh,