Somewhere on a different mountain.
Francis and Arthur were standing in a creek, fishing, when Mr. Puffin flew down and landed on Arthur's shoulder. The sudden appearance of the bid startled Francis and caused him to drop the fish he just caught. "Oh crap my fish!" said Francis. "It's from Lukas and his flock," said Arthur, recognizing the bird.
"Does he need your help with another spell?" asked Francis, his brown, white, and blue feathers trailing in the water. "If you would be quiet for a half second I could hear what he's trying to say!" said Arthur, ignoring Francis. Francis rolled his eyes and went back to his fishing.
Arthur's eyes widened as he listened to the bird and fluttered his wings, splashing Francis. "Sacre bleu! Would you watch your feathers? I'm all wet!" said Francis, flapping his wings to get the moisture off of them. "T-The boys," stuttered Arthur. Francis looked at him, slightly confused. "What boys? The nordics? Nothing happened to them, right?"
Arthur shook his head, still for the most part frozen in place. "T-Two fledglings that went missing fiftty years ago returned. T-They're looking for their old flock," Arthur somehow managed to say in his shock. Francis turned to face his friend. "What?!"
Mr. Puffin rolled his eyes and squaked at Francis. His eyes widened and he put a hand to his mouth. "Y-You think it's our boys?" he asked. Arthur numbly nodded, his light grey wings dragging in the creek. "I-I can't believe it. I tried so hard to find them. I thought they were dead. After all those years…" trailed Arthur. Francis put a hand on his shoulder.
"Mon cher, you're getting too ahead of yourself. They might not even be our boys. I don't want you to get your hopes up and be disappointed," he said. Arthur nodded. "I suppose you're right...but I still want to go see these fledglings. I-I don't want to risk losing them again if they really are ours," he said. Francis nodded.
"Do you think they aged at all all these years?" asked Arthur. Francis gave him a sad smile. "I hope not. They were so cute before they left. But if they are our boys and they did age, we'll love them despite it, oui?" said Francis.
Arthur nodded and sighed. "We better finish fishing and prepare for the trip. I want to get there in the morning. I'll bring the feather with us. Maybe my tracking spell will finally work if we're closer," he said. Francis smiled and nodded, stretching out his wings. "Race you back to the nest?" he asked. Arthur rolled his eyes but stretched his own wings and raced him back.
The next day
Matthew woke up the next day to a mouthful of feathers. Wrinking his nose, he spat them out, aware that his brother has let him use his wings as a blanket. Alfred mumbled something in his sleep, shifting the wing that was over Matthew. Mattie sighed and did his best to wiggle out from other the wing without waking up his twin.
Berwald, Emil, and Mathias were already up. "Morning Matthew! How'd you sleep?" whispered Mathias. "Good, thank you," he said, noticing that they were eating some fruits he's never seen before. They passed him some. "These only grow on the mountains," explained Mathias when he asked.
Matthew noticed that they kept glancing at Tino and Lukas. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned. "Tino and Lukas aren't really morning people," said Mathias. "What do you mean? I'm sure it's not too bad," said Matthew. "One time Mathias forgot to make the coffee for them before they woke up. They nearly mauled him so it's pretty bad," said Emil, taking a sip of said coffee.
"We 've to wake 'em up soon," said Berwald. Mathias and Emil froze. "Can't we let them sleep in?" asked Mathias. Berwald shook his head. "Gilbert will be 'ere soon," he said. Mathias pointed at Emil. "Have him do it. Lukas can never hit his little bror," said Mathias. Emil glared at him. "No." Mathias gave him a puppy-dog look. "Please Emil." Emil sighed.
"I'll do it but you owe me," he said, standing up and walking over to his brother. They all turned to watch, Emil glared at them once more before shaking Lukas's shoulder. "B-Big Brother? Bror, it's time to wake up," he said, his face turning a bit red. Lukas groaned. "Go away," he growled.
"Please Big Brother?" said Emil, purposely not looking at the grinning Mathias. Lukas mumbled something and slowly sat up, stretching his wings. "Fine. Where's my coffee?" asked Lukas. Emil immediately handed him a cup and backed away quickly, turning to Tino. He made a face and ruffled some of his feathers.
Tino swatted Emil's hand away with a growl. Lukas scowled. "Tino, you know better than to hit Emil," he said in a low voice. Tino stirred and sat up. "He knows better than to mess with my feathers," he growled. Matthew blinked. Tino was usually so cheerful but this body-snatcher seemed rearing for a fight.
Berwald silently handed Tino some coffee. Tino sipped it and sat next to Lukas, both of them sitting in the darkest part of the cave glaring at everyone. Matthew got up and walked over to Alfred. "Alfred, time to get up," he said. Alfred swatted him away with a wing. Matthew rolled his eyes and stuck a cold hand on his back between his wings.
Alfred yelped and sat up, his wings shooting out and pushing Mattie away. "Again dude? That's the third time this week!" he said. Matthew crossed his arms. "Gilbert should be coming any minute. Hurry up and get some breakfast before he gets here," he said. Alfred made a face at his twin but did as he asked.
When everyone was a little bit more awake and less ready to kill each other, ahem, Tino and Lukas, Lukas stretched his wings. "Matthew, don't leave the cave without one of us near you. There'll be a lot of avians coming who don't know you're not a human. Make sure one of us is with you so we can intervene before something happens. Alfred, you shouldn't stray too far away either. You're still a stranger to them as well." Both twins nodded.
After everyone was finished with breakfast, Berwald and Emil left to do some hunting to prepare for the amount of guests the flock was expecting. Alfred sat down next to Matthew, stretching out his wings.
"What you up to?" asked his twin, trying to stay out of the way of the others. Alfred looked over his wings. "Preening my wings...I don't want anyone thinking I don't take care of them," he said. Matthew smiled a little, feeling a bit better that his brother seemed nervous about all of this too.
Alfred's fingers fluttered among the feathers on his wings, expertly readjusting the feathers. "Need some help?" asked Matthew. Alfred nodded and stretched out his other wing so his brother could help. Matthew smiled sadly as he fixed his brother's feathers. He didn't mind helping his brother preen, it's something he has always loved doing as a kid since he didn't have his own feathers. He just wished he hadn't lost his wings.
Alfred gave his brother a hesitant smile. "I'm sorry you had to tell them...You're not holding me back or what ever it is you're thinking. I don't want to be in a flock if you're not in it bro," he said, reading his twin's mind. Matthew smiled, careful with the feathers near the small scars on Al's wings. "I just don't want to always be dragging you down," he said quietly.
Alfred put a hand on his shoulder. "Dude, you don't drag me down. If anything, you keep me from being any stupider than I already am, and that's saying something," he said, grinning. Mattie grinned back. "That's for sure," he said, ducking as a wing attempted to hit him.
Alfred grinned and went back to preening. Matthew finished up the wing and took a step back as Alfred quickly shook out his wings. "Thanks Mattie," he said. Matthew nodded and turned as he heard chirping. The yellow canary, Gilbird, flew in with an albino with shockingly white wings and red eyes fly in.
"The awesome me is here! Mathias, I brought more of the mead my brother makes with me. Where are the fledglings?" he asked. He looked around and saw Matthew, freezing. Then his wings shot out. Gilbird, sensing his owner's sudden tension, flew around Matthew's head, pecking him.
Matthew tried to gently push the bird away, not wanting to hurt it. Alfred frowned and quickly jumped in front of Gilbert from the small perch he and Mattie were on. Gilbert blinked and looked back and forth between the twins. "You two are brothers?" he asked. Alfred nodded. "Mind calling off your bird dude?" asked Alfred.
Gilbert whistled and the bird came back. "Sorry about that. Gilbird is quick to defend his awesome owner," he said. Lukas rolled his eyes, not moving to greet Gilbert. Mathias jumped down. "You have mead?" he asked excitedly. Gilbert held up a skin sack. "Yep! Who are these two losers?" he asked.
"This is Alfred and Mattie. They're the two looking for their flock," said Tino happily. Mattie carefully climbed down from the perch before jumping down when it was safe. Gilbert raised an eyebrow. "Is he a loser human or did he just lose his wings?" he asked. Mattie froze while Alfred tensed up.
"He lost his wings Gilbert. Be nice," said Mathias before Alfred could start a fight. Gilbert snorted. "That sucks. So what? Your brother just lugs you everywhere? How did you even lose them?" asked Gilbert. Matthew shifted uncomfortably, looking down."Gilbert, you're not being very nice. You should apologize," said Tino.
"For what?" asked Gilbert, genuinely confused. "I'm too awesome to apologize to these losers. The wingless-wonder should be happy that I called off Gilbird," he said. Alfred grabbed Gilbert by the shirt, his wings stretched out with all the feathers standing on edge.
"Take that back and apologize!" he growled to the albino. Gilbert slightly flapped his wings a couple of times, glaring at the American. "Why should I? I was only asking a question," he said. Alfred glared at the other avian, about to pull his arm back when Tino jumped in.
"Gilbert, that was uncalled for," said Tino, frowning as he got between the two. There was a shuffling sound and they all turned to see a flash of Mattie as he left the cave. Alfred frowned. "Mattie. Mattie!" he called, tucking his wings in. Gilbert frowned at a faint line about five inches long at the edge of Alfred's wings.
"What happened to your wings?" he asked as Alfred started to walk after his brother. Alfred stopped and turned, giving Gilbert a look of disgust. "Hunters. I'm just lucky I got to keep my wings. I guess this flock business was just a stupid idea," he said before turning around and running after Matthew.
Remember that one other mountain? Yeah there.
Arthur and Francis got up early the next morning, a bag packed with food, some magic items of Arthurs, and a feather, ready to go. Francis quickly made the two of them a breakfast to go and handed the bag to Arthur. "Ready mon ami?" he asked. Arthur hesitated. "What if they're disappointed by us?" he asked, brushing one of his wings.
Francis scoffed. "I can assure you they won't be disappointed by moi," he feined, flipping his hair. Arthur scowled. "I'm being serious frog. What if after all this time they forgot about us or they decide they don't want to return with us?" he asked. Francis softened and gently rubbed Arthur's wing.
"Angleterre, I'm sure whatever happens we'll be able to handle it. Don't fret so much. They wouldn't be looking for us if they didn't want to find us," said Francis. Arthur sighed and nodded. "Let's go then. You have the bag?" he asked. Francis nodded and handed it to him before jumping off the ledge of the cliff.
The Dynamic Duo
Matthew did his best to climb down the rocky mountainside quickly but safely. He should have known better. He didn't belong in his brother's world. He was so caught up in the discovery of an entire world he didn't know about that he didn't think about how badly he fit in it. He didn't have wings. He couldn't fly. Even if he did get a flock, he couldn't hunt with them. He couldn't fly with them. He'd always need to be carried around. He'd be nothing but a weak link.
Matthew didn't stop when he heard his brother call after him. He did his best to climb down to the next ledge. Alfred flew down and landed at the ledge above him. "Mattie, that guy was a jerk. I'm sorry he said those things," he said, fluttering his wings the way he usually did when he got nervous.
Mattie was quiet and continued climbing down. He wasn't mad at his brother but he was still upset. The last thing he wanted to do was lash out at his brother for no reason. "Mattie, please talk to me. You know I hate it when you give me the cold shoulder," said his brother with a pout.
The Canadian swallowed. "I-I was stupid. I didn't think any of this through. Even if we get a flock, I'll just be the weak link o-or even more of an outcast than I was in the village," he said. Alfred swooped down suddenly, grabbing his brother's arms and flying back up. Matthew sputtered and struggled a little.
"Alfred, I'm not going back," he said. Alfred landed down at the next ledge. "We're not going back to the mountain. We're going to the village," he said. "B-But-" Alfred cut him off. "Dude, you're my twin. Lukas even said we were bonded. I'm not going anywhere without you. It wouldn't be the same. We've stuck by each other all these years, I don't mind giving up being around jerks if it means I get to keep my brother," he said.
Matthew blinked and felt his eyes well up. He jumped forward and gave his brother a bear hug. "You're the best Alfred. I love you," he said. Alfred grinned and hugged him back. "I know you do. C'mon. We best get flying. I don't want to end up having to fly home when it's dark. Greg and Angie are going to kill us when we get back," he said, referring to their adopted parents.
Mattie pulled away, smiling and wiping his eyes. "Yeah. Especially since we skimped out on helping them with the market today. And the village elder is going to punish us if he finds out we went up the mountain." Alfred rolled his eyes. "I'm sure we can find away to talk ourselves out of it. It wouldn't be the first time," he said, wrapping an arm under Matthew's.
Matthew smiled. "That's true. Just don't exhaust yourself flying us home okay?" he said. Alfred rolled his eyes. "Maybe if you didn't eat so many pancakes I wouldn't get so tired," he joked. Matthew poked him in the rib. "Ready?" asked Al. Mattie nodded and Al picked him up and jumped off the ledge before taking off.
The Black Sheep and the Frog
After a half an hour, Arthur and Francis were finally able to spot the nordic's little niche from the sky. Francis glanced at Arthur. "Nervous?" he asked. Arthur scoffed. "Of course not. We can't even be sure they're ours," he said before tucking in his wings for a dive. Francis rolled his eyes and pulled his wings in as well.
"I just hope Matthew is as sweet as he was when he was little," said Francis. Arthur nodded. "I hope Alfred isn't as rambuncious though. He gave me enough heartattacks to last a lifetime," said Arthur. Francis smiled knowing Arthur missed that.
The two avians landed on the edge of the ledge, tucking in their wings. "How do I look?" asked Francis, double checking the wings he had preened that morning in preparation for the twins Arthur crossed his arms. "Like a flying frog. Can we please go in now?" asked Arthur. Francis sighed and nodded.
As they entered the little alcove, they found Gilbet getting scolded by a very angry Tino and Mathias. "That was the least awesome thing you could have possibly done," said Mathias, crossing his arms. Gilbert gasped in shock and Gilbird forgot to flap his wings for a second, dipping a little before catching himself.
"He wasn't doing anything to hurt you Gilbert. All of that was uncalled for," said Tino, scolding him with a finger. Arthur cleared his throat, having looked around and not finding any avians there other than the nordics and Gilbert. "We got your message. Where's the fledglings Lukas?" asked Arthur.
The nordics froze and Gilbert looked between them and the pair that entered, his eyes suddenly widening in shock and fear. "What's wrong Gilbert? You look a bit upset," said Francis nicely to one of his long time friends. "Schibe," he repeated about five times angrily.
Arthur blinked and looked at Lukas. "What's going on here? Did something happen to the fledglings?" he asked. Lukas shuffled, crossing his arms. "They left," he said bluntly. "They left?!" asked Francis and Arthur. "Did they already find their flocks or something?" asked Arthur.
Lukas glared at Gilbert. "This idiot here hurt one of the twins' feelings and caused the two of them to leave," he said. Arthur swallowed. "Twins you say?" he asked. Berwald. "Alfred and Matthew is what they said their names were," said Tino hesitantly. Francis rushed forward and grabbed Gilbert by the shirt collar.
"Qu'avez-vous fait avec mon bébé oiseaux ? Qu'est-ce que tu as fait? (What have you done with my baby birds? What did you do?)" he asked angrily, shaking Gilbert. Gilbert swallowed. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know," he said. Arthur put a hand on Francis's shoulder. Reluctantly, the Frenchman let go of the Prussian. Satisfied, Arthur turned around and sucker-punched Gilbert, leaving the albino doubled over and gasping for air.
"What did he do to our boys? Which direction did they fly in?" asked Arthur, his wings stretched out. The nordics hesitated. "Well about that…" trailed Mathias. "Matt d'sn't have wings," said Berwald. Arthur covered his mouth while Francis gasped. "L-Lost his wings? H-How did the bloody hell that happen?" asked Arthur.
"Alfred mentioned something about hunters. Gilbert was nice enough to tease Matthew about it," said Emil. Both Arthur and Francis shot the albino a look to kill. "Maybe you can catch up with them. They're headed to a nearby village that way. They left less than fifteen minutes ago and Alfred has to carry Matthew. You could catch up if you left now," said Tino.
Arthur and Francis were both at the ledge with wings out before Tino could finish speaking. "Thank you," said Arthur over his shoulder before taking off and speeding in the dirrection Tino had indicated, Francis close behind.
Don't feel too bad about Gilbert...he kinda had it coming. I'll try to make him seem like less of a jerk later on...if I feel like it. Hoped you guys liked it. Your reviews are so sweet!