Chapter 2 – Red
A/N: Thank you for all the reviews!
This is the same chapter from before, but I fixed a couple of things in it.
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This is crazy. Stella thought while hiding behind a bush, watching the red bird's house from a safe distance. Sneaking back to the forbidden place without her friends noticing was a lot harder than Stella had thought, but now after she pulled it off she began regretting her decision.
What was she thinking? Why was she back here after what happened?
But Stella already knew why and groaned. It was her own curiosity and desire for answers that brought her here. She wanted to learn more about the red bird, she wanted to talk him. Maybe if she explained herself better to him then he won't attack her this time.
Suddenly, she heard the sound of wood chopping coming from behind the house. Curious, Stella quietly made her way there and peeked around the corner to find the red bird chopping wood on the tree stump with his axe.
Stella watched him for a moment and tried to get closer only to step on a small log she didn't see and fall on her back with a loud yelp.
"Ow!" she muttered, wincing slightly.
"Who's there?" there was the sound of footsteps for a moment and then the red bird was standing right before her.
"You again? Haven't you learned anything from last time?" he asked, glaring down at her.
"W-Wait, I just came to talk," Stella tried to reason.
"Yeah, I'm sure you are." He said sarcastically.
Scowling in irritation, Stella quickly stood up and glared back at him. "Look, I know what we did yesterday was wrong and I'm sorry, okay? We should've listened and never came here, but that doesn't mean you're off the hook. You burned my friend!" she said accusingly.
The red bird flinched and looked down at his feet with the same look of guilt from before. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anybody. Is...she okay?"
Stella was taken aback by the concern and shame in his voice. "She's fine, don't worry." She answered, unsure of what else to say. "Look, how about we start over. My name is Stella. What's your name?"
"I'm Red,"
Stella blinked at the odd name, but then smiled at him. "Well, nice to meet you Red-" She said and then something wet fall on her. The two looked up to see dark clouds covering the sky. They both could tell it was going to rain soon.
The pink bird panicked. She had been so focused on getting here that she didn't notice the weather changing. "I-I gotta go," she said before turning around to leave.
"Wait!"
Stella looked back to Red. "What is it?"
"The village is half an hour from here. You won't make it there before the rain falls down." He stated and Stella grimaced, knowing he was right.
"Then what am I supposed to do?" she asked helplessly.
"You could come inside my house…if you want." He finished awkwardly.
Stella was surprised by the offer and thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Okay, thanks."
Wasting no time, Red led her inside his house and closed the door behind them. Stella could only stare in awe at everything she saw. There were sculptures, small statues and many other crafts all over the house.
Stella turned to Red. "Did you make all of these?"
"I have a lot of free time," he shrugged.
"They're amazing, Red." She said breathlessly as she held a wooden bird statute.
Red blinked at the praise and looked away, unsure of what to say to her. No one complimented his work before. "You really think so?" he asked.
Stella raised an eyebrow in puzzlement and nodded. "Yeah, I do."
Red looked flustered for a moment before composing himself again. "Thanks,"
The two had stayed silent after that. Red grabbed a knife and began carving a piece of wood while Stella watched the rain drops hitting against the window.
"Ouch!" Red suddenly yelped.
Stella looked back to see Red holding out his hand and she could see a cut on his palm. She quickly went to check on him. "Are you okay?" she asked in concern.
"I'll be fine, it's just a small cut." He said.
"No, we gotta treat that. Where's the first aid kit?" she asked firmly.
"On top of that shelf," Red said.
Stella immediately went to grab it and came back to him, pulling him down to treat his injury.
"You need to be more careful," Stella said as she wrapped his hand with bandages.
Red snorted. "Said the girl who went to the forbidden parts of the forest with her friends to look for a supposedly psychotic bird."
Stella rolled her eyes. "Fine, you got me there." She said and finished bandaging his hand. It was then she noticed how warm Red's hand was. It was a lot warmer than hers. Was he always like this or did it have something to do with the fire had made yesterday?
"Um…are you gonna let go of my hand or…." Red said awkwardly, snapping her from her musings. She quickly let go of his hand.
"Sorry," she muttered sheepishly.
"You're really weird," he noted.
"So are you," she replied, punching his shoulder playfully.
Red sighed and then noticed how cold it was getting. "Wait here, I'm gonna make us something warm to drink." He said as he lead her to a table before making his way to the kitchen.
While she waited for him, Stella gazed around the house. It looked like a cozy place to live in, but also a little…lonely.
Now that she thought about it, there were a lot of things about Red that she didn't consider. How did he feel about living alone here? Why did the birds in the village think so badly of him? He had been nothing, but nice to her so far.
"Here you go," Red said as he placed a mug in front of her before sitting down with his own.
"Thanks," she stuttered and took a sip from her drink.
She then watched Red and tried comparing the bird in front of her with the one she expected to find, a hideous bird with a scar on his face and a cold look in his eyes.
Red noticed her silence and frowned. "What's wrong? You don't like it?"
Stella quickly shook her head. "No, no. It's really good."
Red raised an eye brow, but didn't say anything.
"You know, Red. You're a lot different from what they made you out to be." She said suddenly.
"Huh?"
"I mean, in all those stories and rumors I heard they always made you look like a bad guy. I thought so too." She said guiltily. They even used him as an excuse to keep kids away from the forest. "But now I see you're actually a nice guy." She quickly added.
Red stared at her wide eyed for a moment before rubbing the back of his head sheepishly "Thanks, Stella," he then glanced down at his mug with a distant look in his eyes. "But you weren't completely wrong though."
Stella looked up at him in surprise. "What?"
"I may not be evil, but I am dangerous to be around." He stated seriously.
Stella's eyes widen. "Red, don't say that!"
"Look, you saw what I did back there yesterday. When I get angry I can't control myself and I end up hurting people. I shouldn't even be talking to you right now." He explained impatiently.
Stella frowned. "There's gotta be a way to fix this."
"Well I tried, for a long time, but nothing really worked." Red stated and stood up from his chair. "Look Stella, It's been great talking to you, but now you have to leave. And don't come back."
Stella wanted to protest at this, but stopped when she saw the look of finality he was giving her.
"Fine, I'll go." she said in defeat.
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The pink bird slowly made her way out of the house once the rain stopped.
She looked back to Red who was standing in doorway with a troubled expression on his face.
Stella gave him sad smile and waved at him. Red blinked in surprise before smiling a little and waved back at her.
With that, she turned around and began her trek back to the village. As she walked down the forest path, Stella glanced back to see the small white house disappear in the trees, for what could be the last time.
The pink bird sighed dejectedly and felt her eyes glaze over. How could she just give up? How could she just leave someone she could consider a friend behind like that?
There has to has to be a way for me to help him, there has to be- and that's when an idea hit her.
Without a second thought, Stella hurried back to the village.
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A/N: Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think of this with a review!