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The Red Baron looked down at Orange Bird as he laid in the nest. The little bird had gauze wrapped around his head over his black eye to treat the damage. The old bird had already called for a doctor, he was going to be coming around first thing in the morning. Female Red Bird sits in a corner crying as The Red Baron's mate tried her best to comfort her. First his son, now his grandchildren. The future looked bleak, no, the future appeared to be destroyed altogether. Deep down, The Red Baron felt life had already ended and he was going to die without descendents taking his place. This wasn't something he could pick up the pieces from, he and his mate are too old to reproduce, their bodies already broken down. To him, its all over, period.

His sighed as he sat back down in his plush chair, staring into the flames of the fireplace as their tongues liked the vent that leads up to the chimney. Almost every osteoarthritis-inflicted joint was doing their best to cause pain, and they were succeeding. He managed to pop in a pill of Ibuprofen, the third one today, and swallowed it whole. The pills feel like they're no good, nothing more than a failed placebo. He needed better medication, maybe add anti-depressants to the list. The exercise and stretching therapies were becoming less and less affective, and the sudden loss of his son made sure of that.

He just wanted to give up and die already, all the accomplishments he made in his life seemed pointless now. He asked himself why he had to suffer this torment, yet no reply had came to him, yet.

Please, he thought, Just get me through this.

He dropped the Ibuprofen bottle onto the floor, it rolled across the room and stopped once it reached the mud and stick wall. The Red Baron made no attempt to go after it, he was too tired to move anyway.

. . .

Red Bird dreamed of it now, returning back home to his family and things would go back to normal. He held tight to RJ, careful not to crush his fragile body, as he ran across the savanna awhile underneath the stars. "We're almost there RJ," said Red Bird, "We're almost there!"

"Thank god," said RJ, "I feel better already."

"My parents, my parents will know what to do."

"It's been awhile since I'd seen The Red Baron in person, like 40 years I think. Take me to him, take me to him."

Red Bird could see the hut up ahead, the lights were coming out of the windows. They might be still awake, it had only been a couple of hours since sunset so they might be still awake. He rushed towards the hut, just when he reached the door Red Bird tripped and smacked his face hard against the door. "Ow." he grumbled.

. . .

The loud thud made The Red Baron jump, he wondered where it was coming from until he heard the front door beginning to crackle open. He looked over his shoulder and saw Red Bird walking through, once inside he shut the door behind him. The Red Baron's eyes went big, just when he thought his son was lost for good he came back. It took him awhile, since Red Bird wasn't that much of a hurry. Since he was panting, The Red Baron naturally assumed that he was being chased by someone. He summoned up the strength to get out of his chair and joined up with Red Bird.

"Finally," he said, "I'm back home, I-"

He stop short and suddenly collapsed, slumping backwards onto his back as he dropped a bird and a flashlight onto the floor "Son!" he cried, "Holy... Son!"

"Baby!" cried The Red Baron's mate and Female Red Bird in unison as they rushed over to him.

Red Bird responded with a slight snore, The Red Baron was stumped, he never seen any bird fall asleep that fast in his life before. He was even more surprised of who he brought home, a baltimore oriole, like Orange Bird. The small bird brushed himself off as he looked at The Red Baron directly in the eye, "Oi, Red Baron," said the bird, "It's me, RJ. Remember?"

"Who?" he asked, "From where?"

"I'm a war veteran from the first Angry Bird's war," explained RJ, "I served under your command."

The Red Baron tried vaguely tried to remember his old war buddies, eventually he did remember seeing one baltimore oriole in his army. It had a scar on it's side, and RJ had a scar on his side as well. There was no doubt that this was the same bird.

"I never knew your name," said The Red Baron, "It has been so long, I remember you alright. But, how did you find my son?"

"I was foraging in the Swine Forest when I heard a train went by, I looked over and saw your son trapped on board. I managed to jump on board and meet your son for the first time, I knew who he was because the media like to advertise him."

"Why was he on a train?"

"He told me the pigs captured him because he discovered they were capturing and cooking birds in this clearing, apparently his curiosity got the better of him, always so with the youngsters."

It was hard to believe RJ's claim, but The Red Baron trusted him. It has been awhile since he had met with old war buddies, ever since the second Angry Birds war. But never had he reunited with an individual bird, ever. He noticed RJ was wheezing sharply, it sounded wrong and frightening, "Are you okay?" asked The Red Baron.

"No," wheezed RJ, "Me and your son fell from a significant height, I took most of the blow from landing. I broke a rib or two, I think. Your son was also injured."

He turned Red Bird onto his side and revealed a flesh wound, it was dry yet it still needed to be treated. "Red." said his mom.

"Honey," said The Red Baron, "Get the First Aid Kit, we'll patch him up and rest for the night."

The Red Baron's mate fetched the First Aid Kit as The Red Baron and Female Red Bird carried Red Bird to the nest, resting him next to Orange Bird as his mom cleaned and bandaged the wound. Once bandaged, they put a blanket over him as his mate kissed him on the cheek.

"Sir," RJ asked The Red Baron, "Can you find me a doctor?"

"We're already have one coming first thing in the morning," said The Red Baron, "One of Red Bird's friends had been attacked awhile watching his children, he was beat up but okay."

Over at the nest, Orange Bird stir as his remaining eye opened. "What," he muttered, "What about me?"

RJ stopped wheezing when he saw Orange Bird, interestingly enough the two do look similar. "Hey," said Orange Bird, "Are you RJ?"

"Yes," said RJ, "And you are?"

"Orange Bird, I'm your great-grandson. I... I don't know what to say, I never thought I would meet a living ancestor."

"How exactly old are you RJ?" asked The Red Baron.

"I'm 95, I had a mate myself but she's long gone. I had 5 children with her, once they had fledged, I never saw them again."

"You look quite young for a bird your age. I mean, look at me, I look old and I'm in my early sixties."

"I had received the best health care any bird can have, but now I must fend for myself. I hadn't seen any family members since I was thirty, it is great to meet up with a descendent."

"I honestly thought you were dead," said Orange Bird, "My dad told me that you had died from an explosion."

"Almost died actually," said RJ, "See this scar, shrapnel from the explosion did that. I think that was during the first Angry Birds war, maybe that was why I was mostly forgotten. How ironic, I got injured again by an explosion."

"Then you must rest," said The Red Baron's mate, "Or you'll hurt yourself even more."

"I had been through a lot, more so than you could ever imagine."

The Red Baron's mate managed to get RJ into the nest with Orange Bird and Red Bird, seems that the nest is going to be packed tonight. The Red Baron eventually puts out the fire in the fireplace and joined everyone in the nest, once he found a comfortable spot he and all the other birds managed to sleep throughout the night.

TO BE CONTINUED...