Fairgame AUs

Bird AU

It was a late summer day in Patch. Clover had been visiting his parents due to some...complications at work. As he strolled through the woods, he heard a caw from behind. As he turned, a black bird with beady red eyes glared back at him. He stepped towards it, but the bird began flapping its wings, attempting to scare him away. Clover chuckled as he raised a hand to the bird. The bird cawed again, lightly pecking Clover's fingers.

"Well aren't you a social thing," Clover said as he stroked the bird's head with two fingers.

Then, another bird landed next to it, pecking harshly at Clover's hand. He quickly withdrew his hand. This bird was slightly bigger than the first.

The smaller bird turned to the bigger one and cawed at it, slightly pecking at its body. The bigger squawked back, flapping its large wings at the smaller.

This went on for several minutes, the bigger bird winning. As it beat its wings, it nipped at the smaller's body, clipping its wings. The smaller hopped back, tucking its clipped wing into its body. Clover jumped in, scooping up the smaller bird and scooting away. The birds squawked at the sudden movement, but neither made a move to stop him. Clover glared at the larger bird as it stared blankly back. It tilted it's head, looked down at the smaller bird, then back to Clover. Lifting its wings, it squawked and flew off. Clover sighed as he looked down at the smaller bird.

"Hmm..." he carefully turned the bird around, studying it. Upon realization, he gasped. "So you're a crow, huh?" A smile made its way to his face as he held the bird tighter. He lifted its wing carefully before it was yanked back.

"Looks like you can't fly..." he then looked around before walking back towards his home.

~~~

His house was quaint. Only his parents lived there, but it was Clover's home. The place he grew up. He occasionally visited when he had some spare time from Atlas and the military. The house had floral patterns engraved into the sides of the walls, a nice garden in back, a flower bed on each side of the path to the front door. As he walked in, he could smell the scent of freshly baked bread, his mother's bread. The bread itself was made normally, but she liked to sprinkle different types of flavors in it.

"Hi honey! Back already?" His mother called from the kitchen. Her long brunette hair was pulled into a small bun, her bangs stuck to her forehead from sweat. Her golden eyes met his teal.

"I guess I am," Clover said as he walked into the kitchen. Holding the little bird close.

"What's that in your arms?" His mother asked as she approached.

"I found it on my walk. Its wing is hurt, so I wanted to nurse it back to health." He answered as he smiled sheepishly. The bird's head shot up, glaring at the woman. It cawed as it raised its uninjured wing.

"Well aren't you a cute little thing." She reached her hand out slowly, stroking its head with two fingers.

~~~

Clover explained what had happened to his mother as she laid down a few blankets for the bird to lay on. Floral designs covered both sides of all of them.

"That's awful. I wonder if it was the bigger bird's territory."

"I don't know. This little guy was there first. So, I'm not sure."

"Hm, well, I'll leave you to it."

"Thanks, mom."

"Of course, dear."

~~~

Throughout the course of the week, the bird's wing had healed, but it didn't want to leave yet.