He had to get to him.
He didn't know why, didn't even know how he knew, but he knew. He had to get to him, had to find him, had to be with him. He traveled across the world, over the deserts, across rivers and lakes, through the forests, following the silent pull in the back of his mind.
'This way,' it said.
'Find me,' it chanted.
So he had to.
And he did.
The bars of rock were strong, but that wasn't a problem because he could reach through them. His nails were long, but that was okay because he knew, he could feel it, he wouldn't hurt him.
He had made it. He was with him, and everything was alright now. Taking his hand, looking down into those bright gold, curious and fascinated eyes, he knew everything was alright now.
He played with him, bouncing around the cage, just out of reach and back again. He sat for long hours with him, allowing himself to be touched and pet and explored. He spoke to him, even though they didn't speak the same language, just to have the experience of a conversation. And when the sun fell to the earth and darkness came, he sang a song for him to fall asleep to.
Maybe he should have thought about it on the way here, but the need to get here had been too strong. The flight was hard and his body was weak. He hadn't eaten a good meal in what felt like forever and now he'd gone and spent the entire day playing instead of hunting.
He'd take a short nap outside the rock bars, and then he would hunt. Just a short nap, and then they could spend tomorrow together, too.
~.~.~
The idea came when another author pointed out that the bird's feathers were the same color as Sanzo and Konzen's hair.