Banded

Nita was worrying her wings off. It was already morning and her son hasn't come back from hunting the previous night. One of the Elders said to just leave Ocarion up for dead, she refused the very concept that he might be. That Elder was Daia, the chief Elder. She was short-tempered and impatient, But Nimyar, the fastidious one, told Nita to just calm down and Ocarion might come back. But she did have some doubts. Ocarion might've been killed by owls or captured by the Humans, Nimyar had said to her. Again, Nita denied it. With a heart filled with hope, she went out and looked for him.

His mind's eye hazed, Ocarion found that he was on the ground and the Humans were gone. There was a searing twinge shooting through his left forearm. He instantly looked at it. Banded. A big, jet-black band was holding on as tightly as a tick. He quickly got his bearings and, with effort, climbed up the tree. It was a lot harder with this cursed band.
"Admetus! Alonzo! Where are you?" he shouted.
Ocarion flew in the direction of that big Poisonwood tree that safely housed his colony. He covered his band with a leaf so he'd have an excuse. He'd say that he wasn't paying attention and crashed into a thorn bush. Then he would have to explain why there weren't any more cuts, gashes, or lacerations on him. With that, he thought up a scenario that he could actually explain. He would say that he wasn't paying attention that well and cut himself on a single thorn form a thorn bush. Yeah, that sounded that sounded okay to tell his mother. But what if she was to tilt up the leaf only to see his band?
The Poisonwood was in sight now. His leaf was falling off, so he came down to roost on a nearby maple tree. Ocarion obviously roosted on the opposite side so no one could see him or his band. He took off the leaf and found a new, live one to put on.
"Ocarion, no..."
He turned to see his mother.

Back at their home roost, he told about everything that happened with him and his friends. He could tell his mother was very irate about this whole situation, she was also a little apprehensive. Ocarion felt a tear or two slide down his face and seep into his sweaty fur as he explained it cautiously.
"Ocarion," Nita interrupted, "We have to report this to the Elders."
He didn't want to, in fear of being driven out.
"What if they decide to kick me out? Would you really do that to me?"
"I'm not sure; they might just spare you because of your father."
Ocarion felt a mixture of pride and shame as him and his mother all the way up to the top of the Poisonwood. All the other Tallwings were staring at him in shock. He pointed out his friends, or were they really friends? Alonzo had to turn away in shame and Admetus stared at him in awe and almost admiration of Ocarion. When they got up to the Elders' roost, Daia saw his band instantly.
"This is an OUTRAGE!" she fumed.
"Uhh, Daia I can explain-" She interrupted Ocarion.
"Three questions: How!? Why!? Where!?"

"Well, me and Alonzo and Admetus were just having fun, and we were chased by an owl and-"
"HOW did this chase happen?"
"We were playing a game, and, ran into an owl,"
"Who got too close to the owl?"
He didn't want to say it, but he had to.
"It...It was me."
Ocarion's mother nearly fainted. He regretted saying it.
"Go on, go on."
He explained it in even more detail as when he told it to his mom. He told of the human machine, and how he had hit his head on tried to escape, how the hand squeezed him as it pulled him out of the tree. He told her where he woke up after the banding happened, how his friends left him for their own lives.
"Please. Daia, spare my relationship with this colony and don't banish me, please, I beg of you!" He was tearing up. Daia had a wrinkle in her face that told him that she was trying to fight the internal argument on what she was to do with him. She turned to the other three Elders and started talking quietly. Ocarion couldn't hear them. Nimyar then turned and said something that lifted a ton of burdens, yet put on a few more tons.
"You may stay, but there is one major downfall. You must face discrimination. This colony thinks very emotionally of these bands. We fear them, and whoever has on will have great trouble."
He didn't know what was coming his way.