Waking up from what might be the most sound sleep I have experienced since I first came to, it is not the early vermilion light of dawn that greets me. Nor is it the cheerful tunes of wild songbirds, or the chaotic vibrato of countless insects calling out from their hidden world.

Rather instead, flicking with insidious intent mere inches from my face is a long forked tongue, black as the scales of the serpent it belonged to.

With a starling jolt, I recoil instinctively in a spur of self-preservation. After which, I'm graced with a brief flash of mental clarity in regards to one important detail. My talons reach out for purchase and my wings flare out in kind, but it's too little too late. I fall helplessly towards the ground below and collide harshly against a group of thick curled roots. Waves of pain shoot out from my back, but I have little time to worry about that, for deep rumbling growls sound out from beside me. Muddied red fur bristles with pure unbridled malice while her other half coils in on itself like a readied assasin.

Oh SHIT!

SNAP!

Jaws like a steel trap slam shut with terrifying force, only narrowly missing my neck by mere fractions of an inch. She's so close that the heat of her breath can be felt like a hot rush of wind that follows in her wake.

Scrambling away from the vicious creature, I bring a hesitant wing to the spot that still burns unsettlingly hot in stark contrast to the rest of my body. Part of me remains unconvinced that I truly managed to escape from such a near-certain death. Yet here I am, very much alive. Meeting her gaze, there's an unsettling and deadly calm that lurks just beneath the surface, directly opposing the hostile exterior she still has on full display. And at this I come to a harrowing understanding. The reason why is because I didn't dodge her attack. With one single move, she made her warning loud and clear.

A familiar blur of black fur descends down the ancient tree and jumps between the two of us. Then in a strange turn of events, he brushes up close to me, placing himself deliberately in-between the female orothus and I. With raised hackles, he aims guttural growls at her to which she responds in kind.

To say I'm experiencing a whirlwind of emotions right now is an understatement.

As if he were a shepherd and I his charge, he begins to guide me away from the conflict with gentle nudges, all while shielding me from danger. The behavior raises many questions, matters that I can dwell on later. For now he's helping me and that's all that matters.

Slowly the vocal contest of growls comes to an end, but now I find myself dealing with a new dilemma of sorts after we arrive to a safer spot. I'm not sure what I expected from him, but now that we're safe, he doesn't go anywhere, rather he just lays down. Even now, his other half casually tends to his dirty coat while the main head rests on his front paws. His large green eyes stare right up at me while his pointed ears flicker towards the occasional noise that prattles away in the background.

Really?

In response he just blinks.

For now I take my attention away from the ridiculous creature and inspect the clearing.

The entire area is pocked with several craters filled to the brim with muddy water, and littering the ground are the bodies of dead apes sprinkled with all sorts of debris caused by battle and storm alike. Of which splintered wood and fallen branches decorate the forest floor in kind. Despite all this devastation, the entire forest glistens with a sparkling wet sheen, reflecting emerald-tinted light from a rising sun just beyond the canopy. For now, it would seem the storm has passed.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Before I head out to the river to get some fresh food and water, I want to check up on those twins. I never got a good chance to treat them the night before and they were in just as bad shape as Mr. Sunshine right here. Speaking of, this will be easier if they all had names… hm…

Lets call you… Marco, yeah that sounds about right. What do you think about that name?

No response.

Fantastic! I love these one-sided conversations! Whatever, let's go find those twins, yeah?

Only after I start moving does the loaf finally rise from his resting spot, falling into place right beside me on my left side. Together the two of us circle around the clearing until I spot my mark. Huddled closely to one another are the two familiar bundles of light brown fur, and as we approach, a dark green serpent with subtle flecks of yellow rises up from beneath the pile to study us closely. Within seconds, the other head whips around knowing exactly where we're at, and begins to pull back his lips into a snarl.

Seeing him react this way, Marco wastes no time pressing himself close to my side while making himself appear tall in front of the younger looking orothus.

Man I never imagined having someone stand up for you like this would feel so good! But I push aside those fluttery feelings for now and focus my attention on the twin that has yet to raise either of his heads. He's the one I'm more worried about right now. From here I couldn't tell if he was still alive or not. I would need to get closer.

With the imagery of savage fangs closing around my neck still fresh in my mind, I'm hesitant to approach. In this, Marco is remarkably perceptive for being a wild animal, somehow picking up on my distress. His appearance grows even larger, and just like he did earlier this morning, begins to carefully shove me away from the twins. Except he doesn't understand that I want to get closer to help them, but how am I supposed to convey that? Unfortunately it's my fault that I hesitated, and now I have to deal with this guy who thinks he's helping but in reality, he isn't. Well… in fairness he kind of is. Without him here I wouldn't be this emboldened to approach the twins any closer, so I guess I do owe him thanks for that.

Again he tries escorting me away by nudging me further from them, but then I try pushing back harder than he's shoving. Much to my frustration, I might as well be pushing against a brick wall, because Marco doesn't budge an inch.

Seeing as how that failed, I opt for a different strategy. This time I pretend to go along with his plans and move the way he intends me to, giving up some ground to do so. The second he shuffles to fill in the spot I just was, I launch myself to his left and swing around his backside. Only my effort is completely made in vain. As if he somehow divined my plans somehow, he shifts to the left, blocking off my path and cutting off my escape with utter ease.

Seriously!?

Looking down at me is the same black scaled serpent that frightened me out of the tree from this morning. And just like before, his stupid forked tongue flicks in and out of his mouth in quick fashion. While I could be imagining it, I could swear that this arrogant snake was wearing a smug expression, one far more annoying than it has any right being.

While focusing on the green jeweled eyes of my babysitter, I feint to the left to bait out a reaction. Sure enough, Marco commits to the move, and the second he does, I swing to the right and make a break for it.

A frustrated hiss sounds out in protest, but I could care less. With these precious few seconds afforded by my feint, I make a mad dash towards the twins.

The twin had sunken down to a low posture with pinned back ears at this point, but that all changed once he saw me coming his way. Instantly he rises to his feet and meets me head on, and in that moment, I feel a twinge of regret for not thinking my plan through.

With a powerful kick from his hind legs, he hurtles towards me with unexpected speed and extended claws. Quickly I throw a wing up to bat away one of his hastily made swipes, and before the other can reach me, I dive to the right, causing his second claw to swoosh through empty air. I swing wide around his side, not eager to suffer a surprise attack from his scaly backup.

Marco finally reacts by jumping into the fray, grabbing the feisty twin by the scruff of his neck and throwing him onto the ground by using his own momentum against him. Immediately putting his weight advantage to work, he pins him to the ground, but that does little to stop the twin from twisting around and throwing wild swings at his exposed stomach. Marco is hardly deterred by this, and continues to press himself dominantly over the other.

Great job! Keep him like that for a bit longer would you?

While they wrestle it out, I take a closer look at the other twin that had yet to stir this entire time. And the reason why becomes apparent right away. Where there should be the second head that comes out from where his tail is, instead there's a gruesome injury caked with blood and dirt alike. His tail was torn off, and judging by the length of exposed bone and severed muscles, it was done in absolutely brutal fashion. Is he even alive? His eyes are closed and I can't tell if he's breathing or not.

Ignoring the two loud fighters in the background, I place the side of my head against his chest. For a second I don't hear or feel any pulse, but trying another spot just to double check... I hear it. The faintest of heartbeats.

It's the only confirmation I need. Turning his head upwards and forcing his mouth open with my claws, I quickly draw forth the life-saving essence he desperately needs. Beads of shining azure liquid form at the tips of my feathers and carefully I administer the precious medicine so that I don't spill a single drop. Just to be safe, in case the bleeding doesn't stop, I place a tiny droplet onto his open wound. Instantly, the exposed flesh begins to ripple overtop of itself causing me to jump back in astonishment. This stuff never ceases to surprise me…

With my job done, I look up to see if Marco is okay, but instead I find myself staring face to face with the grizzled old chief.