"Mr. Red!"
Red rolled his eyes and looked up with a bored expression.
"*sigh* Yes...your honor...I can hear you...no need to shout...you're wasting perfectly good oxygen that the rest of us can use." he said with a sarcastic tone.
Judge Peckingpah growled under his breath slightly with a hand to the bridge of his beak before he continued to speak.
"Would you to care to explain what happened THIS time?" he asked, already annoyed.
Red gave a small chuckle as he leaned back in his chair.
"Well you see...funny story actually, you'll get a kick out of this. I was walking down the street, minding my own business, when I saw this guy...COMPLETELY obvious player mind you...showing off his 'strength' and 'natural hotness'-his words not mind- to a couple girls. And because your honor, it isn't illegal to have free thought...I called him out for what a shallow dude he was. He got annoyed, so I got annoyed. Then he decided it would be appropriate for me to 'take back my word' I think he said? I didn't of course, because I would NEVER EVER take back something that's true..."
Judge Peckingpah looked bored instantly.
"Uh huh..."
"...so I didn't take anything back and I told him that maybe if he didn't work so hard at being so 'cool' I wouldn't have to even ACKNOWLEDGE him. He didn't like that and asked me if I was as tough as my mouth was and shoved me a little before sayin and I quote 'Bet those EYEBROWS of yours are stronger than your fists you little turd. Quit messin with my groove or the guts you have to even SPEAK to me will be my new punching bag'...so I punched him."
Judge Peckingpah stared at him.
Red's face dropped.
"Fine...I punched him SEVERAL times..."
More staring.
Red began to feel annoyed.
"FINE! I kicked him a bit too."
A raised eyebrow.
Red growled.
"I gave him a black eye and roughed him up a bit before making him slap himself with his own hand."
Judge Peckingpah nodded.
"That sounds about right...Mr. Red? Don't you realize the severity of your response?"
Red grimaced.
"HE started it!"
Judge Peckingpah glared.
"But YOU FINISHED it! The law exists for a reason! If he was tryin to start a fight you should've gone to someone of higher AUTHORITY to take care of it."
Red rolled his eyes.
"I don't need donut lovin bluebirds to fight my battles thank you."
Judge Peckingpah sighed.
"Mr. Red...I've TRIED to be patient with you I REALLY have...especially with what happened with the eggs a few months back...but you REALLY need to get this anger problem under control. It's been MONTHS since you started the classes with Matilda and with every step forward you take several steps back. Mr. Red...something NEEDS to change and soon. Your anger is getting out of hand!"
Red glared.
" OH! So if I'm vocal about my opinions I'm suddenly a bad guy! In case you haven't noticed, it's gonna take more than a few MONTHS to change what was brought on by YEARS of torment!" Red shouted, rage in his eyes.
Judge Peckingpah glared.
"Mr. Red..."
Red growled.
"No...YOU don't decide when and how I change! I'll admit...the classes HAVE helped...but I won't change completely overnight! My personal opinions and feelings are NOT controlled by an inch tall owl who wouldn't understand EMOTION if it came and bit him in the birdbutt! So if you'll EXCUSE ME! I'M GOING TO LEAVE BEFORE I REALLY DO SOMETHING TO MAKE YOU COMPLAIN YOU NO GOOD SON OF A...A... UGH!"
And with that, Red slammed open the door to the Judge's office and slammed it behind him, the force he used to close it knocking down every single thing on the walls of the office.
Judge Peckingpah sighed and put his face in his hands in frustration.
"Mr. Red...I'm sorry..."
Outside
Chuck and Bomb looked up instantly when they saw the front gates of the Judge's office slam open, Red seen with the most angry look on his face they've seen in a long time.
"Red! What happened in there? We thought you were gonna get arrested or something!" Chuck said quickly when they ran to meet him, concern in his voice.
Red rolled his eyes with a grimace.
"He'd LIKE THAT wouldn't he?" he said harshly as he punched a trashcan over, his eyes still focused ahead of him.
Bomb gulped slightly as he and Chuck rushed to keep up with their friend.
"What the heck happened?" Bomb tried.
Red rolled his eyes.
"Mr. Pecking-PAIN-IN-THE-BIRDBUTT trying to decide on how to control my 'issues'! He was talkin to me like I was mentally SICK or somethin! I KNOW I'm messed up, but at least I'm TRYING! He keeps talkin like it's somethin that can easily be fixed but it CAN'T! And that REALLY ticks me off!" Red raged slightly, not bothering to lower his voice as they walked.
"Red...we know you're upset but...aren't you being a LIIIIITTLE dramatic?" Chuck gulped.
Red huffed.
"Dramatic? Dramatic dramatic dramatic...HA HA! You think THIS is dramatic? No no no...DRAMATIC would be me lunging at him for even so much as SPEAKING to me. DRAMATIC would be me destroying everything in his office. DRAMATIC would be me being WAY more intense than I'm being right now. I'm NOT being DRAMATIC! I'm just ANGRY! REALLY ANGRY! I'm ALLOWED to be angry aren't I?!"
Chuck gulped.
"Okay okay...I see your point..." he said meekly.
Red growled as he began to storm off. Chuck made a move to go after him, but he felt himself be pulled back by Bomb.
"Yeah...let's not tempt the beast little amigo. Let's just let him cool off." Bomb suggested.
Chuck sighed.
"But he hasn't gotten THIS upset in MONTHS Bomb! He must be REALLY hurt by what happened in there! He NEEDS us!"
Bomb looked down at his friend with a sad look.
"What Red needs right now is some time alone to think. Remember the kind of bird he is? He's a loner! It took him over a month for him to accept us as friends! Much less let us set foot in his house! He's been alone most of his life and he likes his privacy. Right now, he needs space. Once he cools down, we can try talking to him again...okay?"
Chuck grimaced, but nodded. This was the best he was gonna get.
"So what do you say we go on a walk until things smooth over?"
Chuck nodded again before walking with Bomb toward the forest, not at all realizing they were going the same direction Red just went.
In The Forest
After walking about a mile into the forest, Red finally allowed his posture to drop as he let out a slow sigh.
"Ugh...can't believe I let myself snap AGAIN!" he cursed to himself with a facepalm.
Sure, he didn't take back anything he said to the judge, but the way he spoke to his friends...
"Stupid stupid STUPID!"
He couldn't stop yelling at himself as he slapped his head several times. After a few moments, he stopped and rubbed his head slightly to ease the pain from his hits.
"*sigh* Way to go Red...you successfully proved Pecking-pain-in-the-birdbutt's point. Good job. Now the only friends you have are worried sick about you and are gonna become clingy and over-the-top like they ALWAYS do when you get back!"
Red kicked a stone slightly as he walked, trying to calm himself down. It didn't help much though. He could still feel a red-hot fury boiling in his chest, threatening to escape and attack anyone who got too close. He knew that if he didn't let off some steam, he'd be like this for the rest of the day. That certainly wouldn't make the situation better.
'Maybe some music will help...at least it will take my mind off of things.' Red thought to himself as he turned on the ipod on his wingband and slid on the pair of headphones connected to it.
He was instantly glad that he had stopped at his house before coming into the forest. A distraction was just what he needed.
His finger brushed against the glassy surface of his ipod as he scrolled through his playlist. Surprisingly, there were a lot of show tunes titles seen rather than heavy metal like most would think. It was Red's guilty little secret. What could he say? He was a sucker for musicals. He just felt instantly at peace when surrounded by the familiar, dramatic music and the over-the-top vocals. It made him feel like his life wasn't that bad because these characters were facing a struggle just as hard- if not harder than his in these stories.
He finally set his eyes on a song from a new musical that had come out recently...Dear Evan Hensen. He had only found the musical recently, and he instantly fell in love with it.
"Alright Evan...don't let me down..." he said softly as he pressed play.
In Another Part Of Forest
"You know...I TRY to be a good friend...I mean...we BOTH have...but I can't help but feel like we're doing something wrong...or...maybe it's just me...but it's been months and it's like he still doesn't trust us! You know what I mean?" Chuck said quickly, his fingers drumming into Bomb's back feathers while he sat on Bomb's back, Bomb using his wings to keep him in place.
"I dunno dude...maybe he's just a private bird...and there ain't nothin more to it than that."
Chuck sighed.
"Maybe you're right...maybe he's jus-"
"I've learned to slam on the break...before I even turn the key...before I make the mistake...before I lead with the worst of me. Give them no reason to stare. No slipping up if you slip away. So I've got nothing to share...no I've got nothing to sa-ay..."
The two birds instantly went silent when the faint sound of singing filled the air.
"Bomb...do you hear that?" Chuck asked in a whisper, his eyes straying all around them.
Bomb slowly nodded as he did the same.
"Step out step OUT of the sun if you keep getting burned. Step out step OUT of the sun because you've learned...because you've LEAAAARNED! On the outside always looking in will I...ever be more than I've always been? 'Cuz I'm tap tap tappin on the glass. I'm WAVING through a windo-ow I...try to speak but nobody can hear so I...wait around for an answer to appear while I'm watch watch watchin people pass. I'm WAVING through a windo-ow-ow-ow-ow. Can anybody see...is anybody WAVING...back at me?"
Bomb's eyes widened when he picked up the direction the singing was coming from.
"I think it's coming from that way!" he said, pointing in the direction.
Chuck nodded slightly with a smile.
"They're really good! Let's go see who it is!" Chuck said before he took off running, Bomb racing to catch up.
With Red
Red snapped slightly to the beat before jumping into the next verse, a smile coming to his face.
"We start with stars in our EYES! We start believin that WE BELONG!"
He did a quick side step before doing a turn, his eyes closed as he got more into the song.
"But every sun doesn't RI-ISE! And no one tells you where YOU WENT WRO-O-O-O-ONG!"
Red felt his feet tap slightly. He couldn't help but grin. This was working! All of his anger was fading away!
"Step out step OUT of the sun if you keep getting burned! Step out step OUT of the sun because you've learned...beCAUSE you've LEAR-EAR-EARNED..."
In the Bushes
"Alright...I think this is it!" Chuck whispered before pushing the bushes aside slightly, his eyes widening at what he and Bomb saw...
It was Red! Singing and dancing! RED! Singing...and DANCING!
"Woa..." Bomb breathed, shock not leaving his face.
They watched as Red grabbed a stick off the ground and used it like a microphone, pure happiness on his face.
"ON the outside always looking in will I...EVER be more than I've always been? 'Cuz I'm tap tap TAPPIN on the glass! I'm WAVING through a wind-ow-ow I-I-I...try to speak but nobody can hear so I...WAIT AROUND for an ANSWER to APPEAR while I'm watch watch WATCHIN people PASS! I'm WAVING through a WINDOW-OW-OW-OW-OW! Can anybody see? Is anybody WAVIN!"
Red suddenly brought the stick close to his chest, looking dramatic and somber.
"When you're falling in a forest...and there's nobody around...do you EVER really crash or even make a sound...When you're falling in a forest...and there's nobody around...do you ever really crash or even make a sound..."
Chuck found himself unable to look away as Red did his "private" performance. They had heard Red sing before...but NEVER like this! His voice was filled with so much passion...so much happiness...and BOY did it sound good! Chuck felt like he was listening to an angel. And with the blissful, happy look on Red's face...Chuck knew that if he could...he could watch forever.
Bomb felt the weight on the bush shift slightly, causing his eyes to train to Chuck. He saw an entranced look on his friend's face, his eyes focused only on Red as his mouth hung open slightly. His yellow cheeks were slowly turning pink the more he watched, letting Bomb know instantly what was happening, and the idea of it made him grin.
"-When you're FALLIN in a forest and there's NOBODY around! Do you EVER really CRASH or even make a sound? Did I EVEN make a sound? Did I EVEN make a sound? IT'S LIKE I NEVER MADE A SOUND! Will I ever make a sound?"
Red breathed out slowly before grinning as he slid across the clearing with the "microphone" held dramatically above his mouth, his voice heard clearly throughout the forest as he began the last verse.
"ON the OUTSIDE always looking IN will I...EVER BE MORE THAN I'VE ALWAYS BEEN?! 'Cuz I'm tap tap TAPPIN on the GLASS! I'M WAVING THROUGH A WIND-OW-OW I-I-I...TRY TO SPEAK but NOBODY can HEAR so I...WAIT AROUND for an ANSWER to APPEA-EAR while I'm watch watch WATCHIN people PASS! I'M WAVING THROUGH A WINDOW-OW-OW-OW-OW! Can anybody see? Is ANYBODY WAVING...back at me? IIIIS anybody waving? WAVING! WAVING! WOA-OA...Oh-oh-oh-ohhhhhh..."
Red let out a deep breath after finishing the last note, his chest heaving slightly from how loud he was.
"Phew...alright...THAT was pretty good..." he said softly to himself as he removed the headphones, his eyes widening when a new sound filled the air.
The sound of...clapping?
He turned around in shock to see Chuck and Bomb walking into the clearing, both of them clapping with awed looks on their faces.
Red instantly let out a shocked gasp, his voice heard to be pitched slightly from embarrassment.
Normally he'd he angry at them for eavesdropping. But right now...he was too self-conscious to even move.
"G-Guys? Um...h-how long were you standing there?" he managed to say, a nervous smile coming to his face.
"Since the second chorus. Though we were able to hear the beginning from the other side of the forest." Bomb commented, chuckling slightly.
Red instantly facepalmed.
"Oh PLUCK my life! I can't believe I was that LOUD!" he managed to gasp, panic setting in.
Chuck instantly felt confused.
"Red...why are you so embarrassed?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Why am I so embarrassed? Because you guys HEARD ME! UGH! It's so STUPID! I'm ALREADY a horrible singer and now you guys and who knows who else heard me! UGH! Pluck pluck PLUCK!"
Chuck and Bomb watched as Red paced slightly, shocked that he was so embarrassed by something like this.
"Stupid? Horrible? Red...that was AMAZING!"
Red's eyes widened as he stopped pacing. He quickly turned around in shock, Chuck seen to be smiling slightly.
"I mean..we heard you when we were improving that song for Mighty Eagle but...NEVER like this! I never knew you could SOUND like that! You sounded like a completely different person! In a good way! You were COMPLETELY in your element Red! You should be on BIRDWAY!" Chuck gushed, his tail feathers wagging the way they did when he was excited.
Red couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"But...I wasn't even trying! This was just me trying to focus my anger so I wouldn't break things..." he finally said.
Bomb walked over with a slight laugh.
"Buddy...if that's how you sound naturally...imagine how you'd sound if you were properly prepared with something."
Red looked at his friends in shock.
"Y-You're joking right?"
"Why would we joke about something like that? We've NEVER seen you that happy before! You were actually smiling Red! REALLY smiling! And you were REALLY into it! I mean...it was like you were finally letting that angry mask of yours down! It felt like we were seeing a hidden side of you. A smile...looks really good on you Red." Chuck said, pink barely dusting his cheeks as he smiled shyly.
Red stared at Chuck with a surprised look.
"You...really think so?" he finally breathed, the surprised look refusing to leave.
Chuck nodded slightly.
"Yeah...I do."
Red finally allowed himself to smile back, his posture relaxing.
"Well...thanks. It's...been awhile since I heard someone say that."
Chuck grinned slightly before hugging Red tightly, Red's eyes widening at the sudden gesture.
Bomb couldn't hold back a silent "aww" as he shipped his two friends in the background. How could he not? It was so precious...
Red's smile turned into a frown as he gently separated himself from Chuck.
"Alright enough of that. You're both still in trouble for eavesdropping." Red said with a slight glare, a teasing glint in his eyes seen.
Chuck pouted.
"Party pooper."
Red laughed before messing up Chuck's head feathers.
"Look who's talkin!" he said with a grin.
Chuck rolled his eyes.
"Oh HARDEE HAR HAR!"
The three shared a laugh as they began to walk back to the village, Bomb soon starting an animated conversation with Red about some Birdway shows, Red soon joining in with enthusiasm. Chuck said a word here and there, but he didn't say much. He was too focused on the red bird next to him.
The songbird that could captivate him without even trying.
And Chuck didn't mind one bit.