All Notes & Disclaimers are established at the bottom.

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The Claw of Mind


Far away, on one planet, in one small continent, there was a war going on. A war of multiple bird species fighting each other for international security. There were bombs, gunshots, and so much fire going off for days, weeks, and months. It was a tough battle for everybody, but they all fought for the sake of their families from tyrants. Yet no one enjoyed it, not even a pair of (newly wedded) military macaws that were no longer on the battlefield. Far away from it, they were together near the borders of a jungle and were sleeping in each other's wings, feeling at peace until…

BOOM!

A massive bomb went off. It was loud enough to make one of the macaws, a female, wake up and scream, "Ah! What? What?" It disturbed her and the male macaw next to her. She was shaking, and the male woke up too saying, "Huh? Oh! Phoebe, Phoebe, calm down, calm down!" The male took her shoulders and made her settle down. "Gerold?" She said to her friend, saying his name, and he replied "Yes. It's okay."

Phoebe stopped moving, but began to cry and said, "Oh Gerold." And then hugged him tightly, sobbing like a little kid. Gerold felt like doing the same thing, but wanted to comfort her and had his wings around her which made him blush.

"It's okay, I'm here." Gerold softly said.

"I know. I'm sorry. I-I-I just don't know how much more of this I can take. We've been lost for two days, deserted the camp, and-and this stupid war is still going on."

"It's alright. I don't blame you for feeling this way. All this crap is too scary. I wanted to fight but-" Then Gerold stopped speaking when he saw a remnant of the bomb. A massive orange cloud launched from the ground and into the air. Phoebe looked too and became mesmerized by its beauty. That cloud was a sign of there being one side of the fight that had the advantage. The other side didn't. Then suddenly, from Phoebe and Gerold's side, it felt like it was raining. But it seemed a little smelly and weird.

When Gerold pointed his wing up to it, he saw what it was.

"What is this?" Phoebe asked, feeling a little shaky again.

"Don't worry, it's just mud. That's raining all over us and ruining our clothes. Come on, let's find some shel…Ow!" Gerold tried to get up but felt his right leg burst with pain.

"Gerold, no! No, don't stand up."

"I know, I know. Ouch. Can't believe I forgot about that."

"Yes, whether it's been two days or not, your leg isn't going to automatically heal after that shot you took."

"Won't argue with that."

"Let me help you."

Phoebe's nursing instincts came in, and she brought out a small raft from her first-aid package, for her husband to use. She kept him and herself quiet as she made the raft good enough for him to lay on, and once it was properly made, Phoebe gently lifted Gerold onto it.

"You okay?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah." Gerold groaned. "Still in pain, but I'll live."

"Good. Now hold still. Because I doubt this little ride will be a smooth one."

Phoebe then used a rope to carry the raft and drag her husband through the grounds. She walked through the inside of the jungle, where they had shade from the rain of mud, and Gerold did his best not to react to any sudden pains he felt. He and his spouse didn't feel pleased with the position they were in, but knew that it was necessary, and that it was better than what the other birds were going through.

Gerold was an actual macaw soldier in the military, where his kind's side of the planet tried to fight off every other species in the world to prevent future invasions. For international security. Gerold only joined because he cared about protecting his family and wanted to earn enough money for him and his spouse, Phoebe, to have a good life after the war. Phoebe worked as an assistant nurse, and was very good at her job, but never liked any of the violence, and only joined with Gerold so she could have an excuse to stay close to him. But Gerold recognized how much she disliked the war, and noticed how corrupt their leaders were, just like the leaders of the other armies, so he wanted to desert the army with his wife.

Then one day in the battle, he took a bullet to the leg, and it was harmful enough to make him stop fighting. It was also good enough to give him a discharge, though his leaders didn't approve of it. So, a few of the soldiers (with real sanity left) helped him and Phoebe escape the camp so they could leave for a safer place before attempting to return home.

Two days later, they were stuck in their current position. Even though they were safe from the war, and it seemed no one sent out a search party for them, Gerold and Phoebe could tell that the fight was still going on. So they comforted each other anyway they could before approaching one new spot, deep in the jungle.

"Gerold, look." Phoebe pointed.

Gerold questioned, "What? Is that a cave?"

"Yep. Maybe we can rest here a little easier. Are you okay with that?"

"Sure." He said and let her continue to drag him before he said, "How deep do you think this goes?"

"I don't know. But, by the looks of it, it feels like the safest place in the world."

"Usually I trust your judgement, and I'll admit even now I'm not doubting it. This place looks cozy, and seems quiet."

"All the more reason for us to take refuge here." Phoebe sighed and rested Gerold down. "Do you feel okay?"

"A little. I'm good right now, thanks to you that is."

"Aw, thanks. Hmm." All she did next was stare at him and knelt next to him. Gerold stared at her too, but his smile was rather weak as his cheeks were becoming very red.

Then he turned his head away a little, which surprised his wife.

"Gerold, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing's wrong. I just…uh…I just…" He stuttered a little, and when Phoebe realized what it was, she smiled more slowly and rested herself close to him before giving him a big kiss to the cheek.

Gerold froze, and just looked at his spouse giggling after that kiss.

She said, "You know, for someone who has the courage of a soldier, and actually is one, you are so cute when you stutter."

"Hmm." Gerold sighed, and then giggled too. "Okay, maybe I am. Though it's hard not to stutter when my dear is too beautiful to be with."

"Do you really think so?"

"Definitely."

"And…do you think…that we will be able to find a way out of here and go home?"

"I have faith that we will. And it's something that I know you have too. We both know how corrupt this stupid war is, and I know…that it's not worth fighting anymore. The only thing that does matter to me right now is protecting my Phoebe from any harm. You mean the world to me, sweetie."

"Oh honey. You do too, and…hmm…when we get home, I'm hoping that not only will our time at home be fantastic, but also our lives after that. We will finally be able to live together in a home, sleep in a better room, have so many romantic times during the day and night, and…maybe have a family."

"A family? Hmm…maybe. Anything's possible. I just hope that when it comes to that, our kids won't mind having a father with a busted leg."

Phoebe giggled again, "Oh Gerold. I think they'll love you no matter what. Almost as much as I already do." Phoebe closed her eyes, and kissed her spouse very sweetly. Gerold blushed again but kissed her back.

"I love you." They both said in their minds, and continued enjoying their kiss still before resting in each other's wings and going to sleep.

"Goodnight, Gerold."

"Goodnight, Phoebe."

Then…the next morning, the two were still asleep together and didn't even notice the sunlight beaming from the outside of the cave. It was very luminous, and everything around the lovebirds was nothing but quiet and peaceful.

A few hours later from the sunrise, Gerold was still asleep, but slowly woke up and felt that something important wasn't in his wings.

"Huh?" He groaned, and the important thing was actually his wife. "Huh? Phoebe? Phoebe, where are you?"

"I'm over here." Phoebe called out. "Let me get to you." It sounded a little faded but clear, and when she came to him, Gerold's head felt extremely heated and red all over, because his wife was in a new dress. It was all brown, and the sleeves and shoulders were almost golden.

"Phoebe? Wow, what are you…? Um…"

"What am I wearing? Hmhm, do you like it?"

"Y-Y-Yeah, of course."

"Because my nurse's outfit got dirty, I decided to make myself this while you were asleep. It kinda makes me look like a princess. But what do you think, sweetie? Do I look cute?"

"Cute?" Gerold continued blushing. "I don't think cute begins to cover it."

"Aww, thanks, honey. And hey, how about to help you out, let me bring you to what I discovered in the cave earlier. Hang on." She grabbed the harness and gently dragged her husband to the other end of the cave. He didn't feel any pain that time, and was curious to see what Phoebe was trying to show him, because the ride took over two minutes. Then when they arrived, it became a big surprise for Gerold. The other end of the cave turned out to be an enormous room filled with so much space, stalagmites, sparkles all over the wall that looked like diamonds, and on the surface…was a massive pool, and a waterfall.

"Whoa." Gerold said.

"I know. Amazing, right?"

"Yeah. W-When did you find this?"

"About an hour before I heard you call me. I found this spot when I was trying to look for a private spot to make this new dress for myself. Plus, I think right now it would be a good place to clean your wound."

"Okay then." Gerold moved a little, still not feeling any pain, and had Phoebe slowly move him to the edge of the pool, and used the water to clean his leg. She took good care of it, and made Gerold feel totally relaxed until she was done, and put on a much cleaner cast.

"Thanks, sweetie." Gerold said.

Phoebe kissed his cheek and replied, "You're welcome." Then she sighed. "I'll admit, I was terrified with everything that was going on yesterday, but now I feel a whole lot better. Thanks to you, Gerold."

"No problem."

Phoebe smiled again and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hmm." She sighed again. "Do you think…when we leave this continent, and after we have our honeymoon, our new home can be a house in a place like this?"

"You mean like…maybe a cabin in the woods?"

"Yeah. A place like that. A place of our very own where we won't have to worry about anything that the world can attempt to throw at us. Do you want that?"

"Hm. Well, when you put it like that I say that would sound nice. After everything we've seen in this war, all the fighting and lunatic corruption, I feel like getting away from the world would be fantastic. Especially if it means doing it with you."

"Thanks." Phoebe smiled and hugged Gerold tightly before he said, "And you know something?"

"What?"

"Seeing what we're in right now. Us, alone in a cave, and talking about our future…it makes me think about this old story my parents used to tell me."

"Really? What was it about?"

"Well, it wasn't any different from this."

A long time ago, there was this pair of two birds that loved each other. They cared for each other so much. So much, that they were willing to join in a war just to stay together. A war that they knew seemed wrong, but necessary to protect their families. But eventually, with all the violence they've seen, they decided to escape. They deserted their army and ran off into the woods. They were lost there, and did everything they could to escape the violence. And the ride wasn't pleasant. The heat, lack of civilization, and everything. There were times where they wanted to go back, just so that way they could gain support. But knew that things would be worse for them if they returned to the leaders that would possibly punish them for their desertion. So they just kept on going since they remembered that they still had each other. And finally, they were able to reach a large beach, and noticed something heading towards them. A boat. They signaled the boat, and convinced the rider to help them get home. From there, the two were able to reach their home land, enjoy their new married life, and always remembered something they liked to call "The Claw of Mind", which meant that they used their talons to cross their hearts and promise to always remember their love for each other, and their faith that things would always end well.

"And they lived happily ever after because of it?" Phoebe asked.

"Yep." Gerold said with a good smile, feeling prideful for telling a good story.

"I like that story. Hehe, although, did your parents really tell you that, or did you make it all up just now?"

"Um…I will neither deny nor confirm the facts of that idea."

"Hehe. Well, either way, do you believe we will be alright?"

"Uh huh."

"That no one's going to find us and force us back into the front?"

"Yep."

"And that we will find a boat to bring us home?"

"I believe that we will be fine, and if we don't…then at least we have each other. And since we've been married for a month, I think we still try to make this place our home."

"Hmm." Phoebe smiled dearly at Gerold. "Well, if it does come to that, then I'm glad to be here with you."

"Same here. I love you, Phoebe."

"I love you too, Gerold. Let's stay together forever."

The two lovebirds smiled, and gave each other the best hug and kiss as the cave began to illuminate more colors than before, and whether the pair would go home or stay in the jungle, they knew they would be together without any problems.


Notes & Disclaimers:

This was inspired by Rio, Blue Sky IP.

The Flying Stories are my IP.

The characters in this chapter were inspired by the characters from "Hey Arnold," Nickelodeon IP.

This chapter was inspired by a scene from the movie "Overboard."

• "Phoebe" and "Gerold": They were inspired by the characters from Hey Arnold, so for this, you can imagine the actual characters starring in the form of military macaws.

Here's some more outdated notes from 2019:

"So, what do you guys think? Will they go home or make the jungle their home? Either way, I'm not going to make a continuum to this short story any time soon, and Gerold and Phoebe are already married, so it won't be a problem.

"After this, comes the next chapter to my summary story on Wattpad, The Gang Stories. I hope you guys would like to read that. And speaking of which, I want to thank StormKnight089 for being the first Wattpad Author to leave a comment to my story. I appreciate that, buddy, and hope you'll enjoy making your stories expand. Also, while I said YES you could use Fanfiction Island for your story, I didn't establish you using my OC, Garrett, so to be more clear now, you can use him too. If you want to know about his personality and biography, know that I will eventually make a DeviantART post to that, so you can look at that. Or, since I did ask for you to make your idea un-canon to my stories of Fanfiction Island, you can make up what you want for Garrett. Just not too much, haha.

"Anyway, I hope everyone's been able to have a fun week, especially with the comeback of a certain king returning to theaters in a new image. Because I'm sure looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

"Now I say, see ya in TWO WEEKS (after Wattpad next week)!"

So far, I've barely worked over my stories on that site, and don't know how long ago it was since I read anything from there. But I know I can still read from there and here.