It Happened Once In A Dream to Been There Done That, Eagle One had left the Nest (Parks and Rec Reference)

Francis frowned when a slight tingle go through him as someone far away tried to make a connection with him. "Francy-Pants we have a slight anomaly going on here. Alfred has made a prison break and is now trying to get to his village with Ivan's sisters in tow," said Gilbert, deciding to skip greeting him. Francis's eyes widened. "Is he alright? How do you know? Is it safe? Why did he leave?!" he asked, ignoring Arthur's look of concern directed toward him as his panic spiked.

"Relax Froggy. He's fine. He thinks he found away to get the pendant off before it's too late. He's going back to his old village to ask the shaman there to remove it since he thinks it would take too long for the Kirklands to figure out a way to do it," explained the Prussian. Francis shook his head. "Non! He should have stayed put! What if his shaman is after his wings as well? It's too risky and we don't know how twisted Ivan's sister might be after all they went through!" he says.

"I have the Nordic flock keeping tabs on them in case of anything. They're supposed to stay hidden until they know for sure that it's safe for Alfred and the girls to be there. Don't worry about it Francis. Matthew is safe and soon Alfred will be too. All we have to worry about after that is getting the wings and taking down this shaman before he can hurt anyone else. There will be a need for a change in plans but that can be easily handled," said Gilbert.

"What's the change in plans?" asked Francis. Gilbert sighed. "Try to see if you can intersect Ivan on your way to the house. Have him figure out whether or not the shaman is suspicious. See if there's a way of doing finding that out first. If he isn't supicious, try to make it look like you're there to get Alfred and use that as a distraction to get to the wings and take him out. Also, you don't have to worry about any prisoners being harmed from what Alfred says. So no need to hold back," said Gilbert.

"You wish for us to work with Ivan?...I suppose we can do that if it's to end all of this. What do we do if he realizes that Alfred and the girls are gone?" asked Francis. Gilbert sighed. "Two things. The best case scenario is that he treats it like the past escapes where he doesn't do anything crazy but tries to punish Ivan or try to capture someone else. In that scenario, we'd have Ivan on our side and we'd be able to catch the shaman off guard," said the Prussian.

"And the worse case scenario mon ami?" asked the Frenchman warily. "The worst case scenario is that he finds out that Alfred is gone with the girls and that he either suspects that they're up to something or that there's a bigger plan going on. In that case, we can't be sure how he'd react or if he'd try to do something crazy. He'll become completely unpredictable...unless Ivan can give you guys an idea of what he might do," said Gilbert.

Francis sighed. "So at this point in time….Ivan may be our best bet on ending that man's reign of terror. How are we supposed to find him? What if we can't convince him that his sisters are safe or that he should help us? There's no telling what so many years of being used and threatened will do to him. He might not even be able to help us the way we need him too," said Francis.

Gilbert rubbed his temples. "Listen Francy-Pants, that's quitter talk. I'm sure Alfred and the girls wouldn't have left if he wasn't out doing some chore for the shaman. If you want, I can start up search parties for him. I'm just not sure how well he'd respond to a whole flock stopping him and trying to convince him to do something. We at least got to try. If not….we can regroup or try to think of a different idea," he said.

Francis contemplated this before nodding. "Oui. You're right. You scramble the troops. I'll inform the others. What do you want us to do until then?" he asked. "Go on stand-by and await further information. If you want to keep going until you reached the area where the house is located, that's fine as long as you guys don't get discovered. Don't do anything drastic until I can give you a better idea of what's going on," said Gilbert.

Francis affirmed this before opening his eyes and finding that all of his friends was staring at him in concern, especially Arthur. "What is it? Did something happen to Matthew? Don't tell me it was something that happened to the twins," he said, panicked. Francis shook his head. "Non mon ami. Just a...change in plans. It turns out that Alfred couldn't stay put much longer. He's headed to his old village in hopes of getting a friendly shaman to undo the pendant's magic before it gets too late," he said.

Emerald eyes narrowed in frustration. "So what do we do now? I'm sure you and Gilbert weren't connected all that time just for a friendly chat," he said. Francis nodded. "We have a new plan, but for it we need Ivan. We're going to use him to find out whether the shaman is supcious that we're coming and of Alfred's escape. If he is suspicious, Ivan could help us figure out how to go about the situation," he said.

Arthur clenched his eyes shut and ran a hand through messy hair. "And if he refuses to help? He isn't the most reliable ally in all of this. Alfred may think he's innocent in all of this but he's too naive and young to properly decide that. What if Ivan tries to trade all of us to get his wings back?" he said. Francis made a face at him. "How is he going to take down eight avians, four of them magic users, on his own?" he asked.

Arthur sighed. "Fine. We go with this plan but we have some safety measures put in place. Lets get to a clearing near the house, not too close however, and strategize," he said. Antonio frowned a little. "You really think this is a good idea, amigo? Even when he had his wings, Ivan was un poco loco…." he said. "Aye, I agree. Whose idea is all of this?" mumbled Allistair. Francis sighed. "It was Gilbert's plan. Do any of you have a better idea?" he asked.

The others went silent. "Well...If it's Gilbert's plan, it's gonna be a hard one to beat. I'm sure it's the best plan we got right about now unless you lot have been plotting without telling any of the rest of us about it," said Reiley. The rest muttered in agreement. "I think I have a few potions or spells we might be able to use in case something happens. And if this shaman has magic too….I want to do a little bit of research to figure out what kind and how powerful it might be," said Rhys. The rest grumbled in agreement and kept flying

Back at the flock's head quarters….

Sylvia raised and eyebrow and gave her mate an impressed look as he dropped his cocky facade and took on a more commanding and serious disposition. Gilbert had immediately taken over and started contacting the other flocks to help start searching. Tino had helped, jumping in by contacting some flock called the Baltic Trio. Mathias and Sylvia were to keep watch, though Sylvia had contacted a few of her own friends to ask them to keep an eye out for Ivan.

On top of keeping an eye out for any possible hunters or, if Gilbert miscalculated, Ivan, Sylvia was keeping a close eye on her brother. Matthew was starting to look a bit pale and she could see dark rings of bruises under his eye, highlighting a couple of bags under his eyes as well. She frowned at him. "Matthew. We can take care of things from here. Alfie will be fine. Get some rest," she said. Gilbert nodded as well. "There isn't much you can really do or help us with right now Mattie," he muttered.

Matthew shook his head. "Non. What if something happens? Besides...according to the spell, I'll end up feeling sick no matter what. I'm fine. I don't even feel all that sick...just tired," said Matthew, trying to make it seem as if he was feeling better than he really was. In reality, he was a crumb away from getting sick and it was an uphill battle as it was to try to keep his eyes open or keep himself upright.

Sylvia sniffed. "Liar," she huffed. Matthew blinked and raised an eyebrow at his sister. "What?" he asked. "You're lying. And not very well. I'm guessing that Alfred was the one who did all the lying for the two of you growing up. Besides, you're not hiding how tired and stomach sick you feel. That, and we're bonded now Mathieu. I know you're feeling awful. You're not really helping yourself by keeping it secret...or trying to at least," she said.

Matthew huffed. "You sound like Al. He's always teasing me for not being the best liar," he muttered. Gilbert opened his eyes from where he was sitting near the two, trying to contact his cousin Basch. "So on top of gaining two older brothers in addition to your twin, you gained an annoy younger sister," he said with a smirk. Sylvia made a face at her mate. "And an even more annoying brother in law," she retorted. Gilbert just chuckled and pulled her over so he could ruffle her hair, making her scowl.

Matthew found him smirking a bit as well despite himself. "So what's everyone status right now?" he asked quietly. Gilbert looked up from where he had Syliva pinned to his side, the two having gotten into a tickle fight the minute Gilbert ruffled her hair a second time. Sylvia used the time to wiggle out of the hold. Gilbert blinked before smirking at her and turning toward Matthew, stretching pale wings out so he could adjust a coupled feathers.

"Francis and the others have been made aware of the situation and will be finding a place to stop and set up a temporary base until we can find Ivan. Until then, we will keep trying to think of a back up plan for if Ivan doesn't show up or want to help us. While we're waiting for Ivan, they'll also try to come up with a plan for if Ivan ends up being unreliable or a possible traitor," said Gilbert.

Sylvia gave him a concerned look. "But mon chou...If our current plan is to work, the one where we pretend to go after Alfred, we'd need to do that at most within the hour. The shaman might find out Alfred is gone after for sure and if that happens, we may lose our element of surprise. He'd be more likely to go on guard after realizing Alfred, who has a flock and friends, was able to get away along with Ivan's sisters," she said.

Gilbert sighed. "We'll come up with a back up plan for if that happens. I'm sure Ivan would be able to help us with that if that' ends up happening," he said. Sylvia shook her head, frowning. "Non. You got to remember, Ivan's sisters were the only thing he had to keep Ivan in line. With them gone, he won't be able to trust Ivan, especially if he ends up getting paranoid or suspicious of him," said Sylvia.

Gilbert blinked and started swearing. "You're right. Okay, I'm going to tell the other flocks to take flight and actually actively search for him. Heck, maybe Tino and I should fly out and see if he's nearby," said Gilbert. Sylvia frowned. "Non. If anyone goes its Tino and Mathias. Your eyesight is terrible and I know you're still sore. That, and you are our main connection to the other flocks," she said.

Gilbert sighed before finally nodding. "Fine. I'll get ahold of everyone real quick," he said before sitting back down in the corner and concentrating. Sylvia and Matthew both sighed, leaning back agains the stone wall. Hopefully Ivan was found soon...before they ran out of time and out of rational ideas.

Shoot first and ask questions later territory

Lili hummed as she skipped down to the clearing. She was so excited because her flowers were finally in bloom and she could bring a handful of the daisies to her brother to make flowerchains. "Lili, be careful. Gilbert just called and said to keep an eye out on Ivan. The head of the old Russian flock? If you see him, run away and get me as soon as possible. Also, don't bring home another injured squirrel. We're running out of places to put the animals you rescue," said her big brother Basch via their bond.

"Yes Big Brother. Can I still bring home the daisies to make flower chains?" she asked. She could almost hear her brother's sigh. "Yes but be sure you're back in time for brunch. I don't want you to eat your meal cold," he huffed. She smiled. "I will brother! I'll be sure to bring enough flowers so that we could both make daisy crowns!" she said. "...Fine. But don't bring me the pink daisies," he sighed.

Lilli sent him an affirmative before cutting off the bond, finally reaching her favorite clearing. For some reason, this clearing had the most variety in daisy colors, which she loved for when she was making daisy chains and crowns. Perhaps when she was done, she would even make a crown for Roderich as well. And of course, she had to make a nice red crown for Gilbert and a blue one for Ludwig for when they got back with their mission.

Having decided that she could make the other's crowns here and go back to the nest to make her and her brother's crowns, with Basch's help of course. Maybe, if she was out here too long to make all the crowns, she could convince Basch to help her make the others' as well. She'd have to show him how to do it, again, of course, but she was sure that he'd be willing to help her do so.

She started humming as she picked the daisies and got started on a bright yellow flower crown. It was when she was nearly done with the flower crown that Lili heard something in the nearby forest. Lili turned and spotted a man, who was trying to hide himself in a tree but was much too tall and intimidating to do so properly. He had a heavy coat on along with a scarf despite the warmer springtime weather.

The man was huddled up on a branch, taking a sip of some sort of flat metal can. She could vaguely remember this man. What was his name again? She thought back to where she may have met him but couldn't think of it. Lili set aside the crown and walked over to the man. "Gutentag. Are you lost sir?" she asked. The man jumped before looking down at her and smiling. "Nyet, I'm just resting. I've had a long walk," he said.

Lili's eyes widened as she finally remembered who he was before smiling back at him. "You're Mister Ivan, ja? Your sisters have been looking for you. Mein brother has more information but said there's a flock out looking for you to help you find them," she said nicely. Ivan's eyes widened and he jumped down from the tree, slipping the flask into his coat pocket. "Is that true friend? My sisters are free and safe?" he asked. She nodded.

"Can I please go talk to your brother? I'd like to see them as soon as possible," said Ivan nicely. Lili nodded, picking up the flower chain and the flowers she has picked so far. "What is that little one?" he asked, pointing at the bright crown of daisies. "A flower chain I was making for my flock. I wasn't sure who to make it for but I think you should have it. They would look nice with your eyes. Could you please bend down so I can put it on you?" she asked happily, holding up the flower crown.

Ivan smiled and got down a knee. His smile widened as the small girl put the crown on his head. "There. I think you look very nice with the crown on. I live up that way. Do you think you could fly that far? I know you said you were resting but it isn't too high up. Big Brother doesn't like it when I stray too far from our nest," said Lili. "Da. I think I can make it that far. Did you need help carrying these daisies with you?" he asked.

Basch was sitting on the front porch, cleaning his favorite gun when he heard his little sister happily chattering about flowers to someone. He sighed to himself. Didn't he tell her not to bring home anymore injured squirrels? He supposed that they could start storing the squirrels in Roderich's room...the only problem was that Elizaveta would probably get on his case for picking on Roderich again. Maybe he can convince Lili to sweet talk the Austrian into storing one or two of the squirrels in his room.

He didn't look up as he heard her walk up next to him. Funny. It sounded that she might have set whatever animal, and it must have been a big one, next to her. "Big Brother, we have a guest. Is it okay if I give him a few of our strudels for his trip?" she asked. Basch frowned and turned toward her, jumping when he spotted the Russian outlaw standing on his front porch next to his sister, arms full of various colors of daisies. On top of it all, he was wearing a yellow crown of daisies on his head, something Basch recognized as Lili's handiwork.

Basch could only just stare for a few seconds. To his luck, Ivan didn't notice. Ivan gave Lili a smile. "Where do you want me to put thse flowers little one?" he asked, bending down slightly so he could speak to Lili without towering over her. Lili smiles at him. "I can take those and put them in a kitchen while I get your strudel. Danke Ivan," she said before nearly skipping into the house, humming.

Now that Lili was safely out of the way, Basch jumped up, gun in hand. "You didn't hurt her, did you?" he growled. Ivan tilted her head. "Nyet. Lili is a very sweet girl. She said my sisters escaped. Is that true? I need to find them as soon as possible," said Ivan eagerly. Basch glared at the taller man. "Listen hear. This is my territory and that's my little sister. You hurt either one, and I'll blast you into next week. You understand?" he said.

Ivan grinned. "I like your style. I understand. Besides, your sister is much too sweet to want to hurt her. She makes very pretty flower crowns," said Ivan. Basch huffed but lowered the gun, still not trusting the man enough to set the gun on the table. "Alright. I suppose I can pass on the message. Your sisters are going to meet you in a village that way with a man who helped them escape. The man's flock, however, need your help to bring the shamen down for good," said Basch.

Ivan blinks. "Is that true? That is the good news! How can I help them? Are my sisters okay? You are not doing they lying are you?" he said, a strange aura starting to gather around him the more he spoke. Basch resisted the urge to flinch but was sure to stand his ground. "I'm not lying. I'm only telling you want I know. And as for your sisters, I don't know how well they are. But I assume that they are fine if they're able to fly to a village of humans and if you haven't felt anything through your bond," huffed Basch.

Lili walked in, holding up a wrapped bundle. "I took the liberty of making you a light meal for your trip. I thought you might be too worried about your sisters to want to stay and eat a dinner with you. I hope your sisters are okay," she said sweetly, holding the bundled up to Ivan. Ivan smiled and patted her head. "Thank you so much little one. This is a very sweet gesture. I will be sure to come back with some korzinki to thank you for your help," he said. Lili beamed and quickly adjusted his flower crown.

"I just hope you enjoy the strudels and the cakes I put in there. Would you be coming back to vist mein bruder and I?" she asked sweetly. Ivan smiled, ignoring Basch's glare. "Da, of course little one. I'm sure I can find someone who can inform you and your brother when I can come back," he said, petting her head. Basch was glaring daggers at the Russian, ready to shoot him if anything happens to Lili.

Lili smiled and gave the Russian a quick hug. "Have a safe trip," he said. Ivan pat the top of her head. "Do not be the worried. I will be back and we can have that tea party you spoke of. Perhaps my sisters would enjoy joining the two of us as well along with your brother," said Ivan. Lili smiled. "That sounds like fun," she said. Ivan nodded before walking off in the direction of the other flock.

Sorry for updating later than normal. My internet is crap and the fourth of July was a thing too. Anyways, hope you guys like Ivan's return to the plot, this time as a good guy for once!