Part III
May
Tino walked the town enjoying the sights and smells of spring and peacefulness of the time alone. Lukas and Emil returned again last month after another long winter without his brothers. At least, this time when they came home, they didn't attack Mathias and Berwald. Tino chuckled lightly at last year's memory.
Mathias drove Tino and Berwald crazy though this year with his constant pestering. He continued to ask when Lukas and Emil were coming back home or for something to do. It was not fun to be cooped up with a giant, bored dog, especially with Berwald's temper when it came to Mathias. But Tino couldn't blame the Giant Pyrenees. After all, if Berwald had left for an entire season, Tino would go crazy too. Mathias was heads over heels for Lukas. He'd do anything that hawk told him to.
Speaking of Berwald, he and Tino have gotten even closer since last year. They were definitely what you'd consider – Tino blushes hard at the thought – lovers. In fact, Berwald hardly ever let Tino out of his sight. He constantly wants to be near the cat and shower him with affection. Which, to be honest, Tino loves and finds adorable. But sometimes a cat needs his space, like now. He managed to convince Berwald to let him explore a bit on his own. Mathias said Tino has Berwald "whipped like a house pet" whatever that means.
Lukas still doesn't like how close Berwald was to Tino, but after seeing how happy Tino was around him, Lukas backed off a bit. It still didn't stop him from trying to get in between them. (Tino thought it might have something to do with jealously, but there's no way he'd ever say that to him).
Mathias was not the only one who anxiously waited for the hawks' return. Whenever Tino would go to the river (or some body of water for that matter), Xiao would come up and ask about Emil. Emil still complains constantly about that fish, even now, and Xiao continues to annoy/tease/flirt with him. It was really cute actually, well, in Tino's opinion at least.
Tino looked up at the fancy homes of the humans. He had only been to this part of the city once before. He must've been further in his thoughts than he realized. Tino continued to stroll around taking in the new sights. There were lots of fences and no alleyways, so there weren't many places for Tino go unless he jumped onto and over the fences.
He was walking underneath a large tree near the lake when a small bird landed in front of him. He must be either a really brave bird or a really stupid one for landing in front of one of its natural predators. Tino, not one for killing birds considering his own family, just stared at it and tilted his head in confusion.
The robin watched him for a moment before speaking.
"Are you Tino?"
Tino blinked in surprise. "Yes! Do you know me?"
The bird nodded. "Yes, from Lukas and Emil."
Tino was confused for a moment and then he realized, "You must be Arthur!"
"That's right."
Tino smiled. He had heard a lot about the robin and his eagle mate from his brothers but hadn't actually met them. Lukas visited Arthur quite a bit in the past year. They had become fast friends (probably due to their similar choices in annoying mates).
"I need to ask you a favour," Arthur continued.
"Okei! Anything! What is it?"
"You see… it's my mother," Arthur started out hesitantly. "She can no longer take care of her nest-"
"Oh no!" Tino gasped. "I'm so sorry! What happened?"
Arthur's worried look morphed into one of annoyance. "She ran off with a bloody chipmunk, that's what. A chipmunk!"
"Oh… sorry." Well, that certainly wasn't what Tino was expecting.
"Well, thank you, but that's not the problem. The thing is, there was still one egg left in the nest."
"Okei…"
"And, well, Alfred and I don't have the proper nest to take care of it at this moment… and I'm afraid Alfred might squish it," he added the last part with a mumble.
"So," Arthur continued on. "I was wondering if you could take care of it for me. Lukas mentioned you talking about kittens at one point, so I didn't think you would mind. Unless, of course, you do…"
"No!" Tino reassured the robin quickly. "No, it's fine. I will take care of… the egg."
"Oh thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me! I was worried that I'd actually have to raise my sibling, but I knew you and your… uh… family had a large nest. Thank you again Tino!"
Tino laughed awkwardly. "It's fine, really. So where is this egg?"
Arthur looked up and simply said, "Nest."
"Oh."
"Don't worry, the nest isn't that high."
"Right…"
Tino stepped back from the tree a bit and gauged the distance of the lowest branches. Luckily, the tree had large limbs near the ground and what looked like some simple jumps up to the nest. Tino started with a run and climbed nimbly up the tree. Branch after branch he jumped and Arthur flew next to him. Finally, he reached the nest.
It was a shabby looking thing, not very well taken care of. Tino instantly felt bad for the egg that had to live there. Good thing it was leaving with him. The pretty blue egg was small – no bigger than his paw. Tino felt his heart swell looking at it and knew that he would protect it no matter what.
Arthur landed next to him on the nest and looked sadly around.
"Mother really let this place go. And it used to be so lovely," Arthur said.
Tino just nodded only half paying attention as he studied the egg. How can he carry the egg safely all the way back to his own nest? Well, it was kind of small, so maybe he could carry it in his mouth…? It would stay warm that way after all.
Tino bent down to gently pick up the egg with his mouth when Arthur screeched, "What the bloody fuck are you doing!?"
"Don't worry," Tino tried to reassure Arthur. "I was just going to carry it to the nest with my mouth. I figured it would probably be the easiest way for me."
Arthur hesitated for a few moments before finally nodding and saying, "Alright then. You may continue."
Tino gently picked up the egg with his mouth. It was a bit uncomfortable but he only needed to carry it until he got back to the nest. It was slower going down the tree than going up it. He wanted to make sure the egg was still alright after each jump.
He reached the ground and exchanged goodbyes with Arthur before running back home. Tino avoided the streets crowded with humans and the alleys that had other animals in it. He didn't stop running until he safely reached the abandoned building with the nest, even if his jaw was hurting due to the awkwardness of holding the egg in his mouth.
He stopped at the doorway listening for his family. When he heard nothing, Tino quietly made his way up to the second floor where the nest was. The room was empty and nobody seemed to be home. That was good. Tino had no idea how they'd react and he wasn't about to give up on the poor thing.
Tino set the egg in the middle of the large nest of blankets. The nest was a bit deformed now that the five of them live here. Emil and Tino still sleep in the nest together but part of the nest's wall had been knocked down and squashed by Berwald so he can curl around Tino. Mathias usually slept next to the nest on the opposite side from Berwald and Lukas slept on Mathias. He claimed that he created a nest in Mathias' fur so he should sleep there, which ends up freaking Mathias out. The next day Mathias usually comes back wet after taking a bath in the river. Apparently, he doesn't like the idea of a nest in his fur.
Tino curled his body around the egg. After all, eggs need heat, right? Tino stared it, unsure of what to do next. He had to keep it obviously, because he already told Arthur he would. But he had no idea how to raise a bird! Sure he could ask Lukas or Emil but what if they didn't want to help? What if they didn't want another bird in the nest? Lukas might turn mean and territorial to it like he did to Mathias and Berwald when they first met. Plus, what if Mathias eats it? And Berwald… oh god.
What if he didn't want a kitten/puppy/chick of some kind? After all, he really never gave Tino an answer the first time, and when Tino asked him again when they were alone, all Berwald said was, "We're no' tha same species." Plus, an egg wasn't really something a dog or a cat would have experience in raising.
The cat stared at the egg trying to figure out what he should do now. He could feel his options dwindling the longer he thought about it.
Well, one thing's for sure, whether the others like it or not, Tino will raise this bird. He could feel the determination within him swell.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Tino purred softly to the egg against his side. But what should he do when the others come back? Surely, they will return soon.
~.~.~.~.~
They did return soon. Much sooner than Tino was expecting. Luckily, he had heard Mathias even though they were still pretty far away from the building. It gave Tino just barely enough time to hide the egg before Lukas and Emil flew in.
"Hello, Tino," Lukas said. "How was your walk?" He landed in front of Tino.
Just act natural, Tino tried to tell himself. "Oh, it was good! Pretty boring though. Nothing happened! Hahaha…"
Lukas raised an eyebrow. Sometimes he worried for his brother and wondered if he ever fell out of the nest when he was younger. Oh wait. He did. Emil dropped him. Scared the shit out of Lukas too. Luckily the kitten moved. Tino just shook it off and started waddling away again. He was an adorable kitten…
"Oh god," groaned Emil. He and Tino were watching Lukas stare off into the distance chuckling lightly. "He's doing it again."
"What's that?" Tino asked.
"He's going into the past, probably laughing at some embarrassing memory. Apparently, you do that when you're a parent and after your children leave the nest."
"Oh," Tino said not really understanding but he glanced back to the corner where he placed the egg anyway. Guess he'll find out soon enough.
"Yeah, but I don't know why he's doing it though. It's not like we've even left!"
"You were so much cuter back then," Lukas told Emil, breaking out of his trance. "Can't you go back to being that adorably chubby chick?"
"I wasn't chubby!" Emil huffed.
"I think mother overfed you…"
"What's going on?" Mathias asked coming up to the floor with Berwald right behind him. As soon as the black lab saw Tino he rushed over and started to inspect him for any injuries. Tino couldn't look at him though. He felt too guilty for hiding the egg, but he knew he had to.
"Nothing," Lukas and Emil replied at the same time.
Mathias ignored them and continued, "Was Lukas doing one of his weird stare-y things?"
"It's not a 'weird stare-y thing', I was just simply thinking of better times," Lukas huffed.
"Right…"
"It is too kind of weird," said Emil.
"Hey!" cried Mathias. "We should have kids Luke! That way you won't have to do that thingy again!"
"Oh hell no," Lukas said. "They'd be as stupid as you."
Mathias whined. "No they wouldn't!"
Tino giggled lightly as Berwald licked him. Berwald's kisses always made him feel better.
"God, get a room!" cried Emil at the two and looking away embarrassed at his brother's behavior.
3 Days Later
Tino had somehow managed to keep the others from finding out about the egg. He constantly wanted to watch and protect it but he knew that he'd easily be spotted if he kept hanging around some random corner of the room. Luckily, he claimed he hadn't been feeling well lately and the others would leave him alone to "rest." Well, for the most part.
Berwald was particularly hard to get rid of. He was extremely loyal and constantly wanted to watch over Tino. The cat loved him for it, but he very well couldn't watch the egg if Berwald was right there. So, Tino managed to convince him to leave. Of course, he didn't listen every time, but at least Tino got some privacy part of the time.
Tino laid down next to the egg trying to keep it warm. Whenever Tino couldn't be with the egg, he would pile the extra blankets on top of it so it could retain the heat. Tino felt guilty about doing this but it was the only way to keep the others from being suspicious.
To be honest, Tino was extremely worried. He had no idea if the egg was staying warm enough, especially when Tino couldn't be near it. Plus, how would the bird get out? Would Tino have to help it? Probably. After all, the egg shell is pretty hard. But when would Tino know it's ready? And how did it even get food in there? It must be hungry.
"Hei little guy," Tino whispered to the egg. "Warn me when you want out, okei? Then I can help you. I can be really strong even though I'm kind of small. But you're small too, so maybe you're stronger than you look. Just like your papa." Tino blushed slightly at the words. It only made sense though. Tino was caring and watching over the egg so he had to be its papa now. Tino smiled and curled it closer to his stomach, purring affectionately.
"Tino?" came Berwald's voice causing Tino to jump up in shock. He didn't even hear the large dog come into the building! He had no time to hide the egg! He quickly positioned his body in front of it just as Berwald came into the room.
Berwald looked around confused for a moment before he spotted his mate hiding in a corner. His tail wagged as he went over to the cat.
"There ya are," Berwald said. "Wha' are ya doin' over here?"
"Nothing!" Tino said hastily.
"Are ya… feelin' better?"
"What do you m- I mean, no! I still feel… um, sick," Tino said, inwardly cringing at how stupid that sounded.
Berwald furrowed his eyebrows in worry. "Then we shoul' ge' ya back to tha nest."
"No, no, no! Actually, I feel a bit dizzy… I think I should stay right here."
Berwald's concern skyrocketed. Dizziness? That definitely wasn't good. "Yer dizzy? Then we definitely shoul' ge' ya back."
The cat took the defensive and stood up as Berwald took a few steps toward Tino.
"Tino?" Berwald faltered in his steps.
"Berwald, I'm sorry, but please don't come any closer," Tino said lowly.
Berwald recognized when someone was getting protective over their territory. The only thing he didn't understand was why Tino was doing it to him. This was everyone's nest after all – everyone's home. But why was Tino protecting that corner? Against Berwald of all animals? They were mates, they were supposed to trust and share with each other.
Berwald felt hurt and confused, but he backed down anyway. He didn't want to cause trouble with his mate. Sure, if it came to a fight, the cat could hold his own, but Berwald didn't want to ever hurt Tino. He didn't think he could live with himself if he did. He took a step back and slowly went to a crouch. He honestly hated being submissive, but for Tino, he'd do anything.
Tino saw the gesture and relaxed a bit. He felt horrible for reacting the way he did, but he needed to protect the egg. He saw the hurt in Berwald's eyes, but Tino didn't know what to do. He was so conflicted! Why was this so hard!?
Berwald, seeing the confliction flash across Tino's face, quietly said, "Tino… ya can trus' me ya know. I love ya."
Tino gave small, jerky nod and took a deep breath. "I… I didn't want you t-to… to be mad…"
"Why woul' I be mad?" Berwald asked furrowing his eyebrows.
Tino didn't respond but looked at the ground instead.
"Tino," Berwald repeated. "Why would I be mad?"
"Because," Tino said shakily. "I know you didn't want…"
"Want wha'?"
"Want kittens," Tino finally sighed. Berwald looked surprised. He certainly wasn't expecting that answer. But then Tino moved out of the way.
Inside a small nest of blankets, was the smallest, baby blue egg Berwald has ever seen. It was smaller than Berwald's paw and so fragile looking, and most certainly wasn't a kitten.
Berwald felt his heart flutter as he asked Tino quietly, "Is tha'…?"
"An egg," Tino finished when Berwald couldn't, looking at the egg fondly. Then he turned to the larger dog with a nervous glance, trying to gauge his reaction.
"So beautiful…" Berwald breathed, not taking his eyes off of the egg for a second, and Tino felt like the weight of the world has been lifted off of his shoulders.
"Isn't it?"
Berwald wanted to get closer, but he didn't want to incur the wrath of its mother (Tino). He glanced uncertainly at Tino for permission, and Tino just smiled back at him. Then the dog crawled on his belly slowly toward the egg, as if standing up to his full height would scare it away.
When he got to the nest, he sniffed the egg. He could smell Tino's scent and the old blankets on it, along with the faint scent of a bird. He gave it a small lick, showing affection, and Tino went up to Berwald and laid against his side.
"Tell m' abou' it," Berwald asked Tino quietly, licking the top of the cat's head.
"Well, Arthur asked me to take care of it a few days ago. It's one of Arthur's siblings, abandoned by its mother. Aside from that, I don't know much more. I know that it needs heat but that's about it," Tino confessed, now finally realizing how little he actually knows.
"That's no' alo'," Berwald said.
"I know," Tino sighed.
"So heat huh?" Berwald looked at the egg concernedly. He got up, already greatly missing the warmth and comfort of Tino against his side, and went over to the egg. He laid down next to it, careful not to accidentally squash it.
Tino wanted to laugh at the sight of the tiny bright blue egg against the large, black dog. Berwald actually looked kind of ridiculous next to it.
"Um, Berwald?" Tino said trying not to laugh but failing miserably. "Maybe I should lay next to it?"
Berwald looked down at the egg then back to Tino who was giggling. He blushed slightly and sighed, "Ja… that'd probably bes'…" He reluctantly got up.
Tino laughed and went over to the egg. He snuggled around it, imagining that the egg was probably happy to have his warmth back. Then Berwald wrapped his body around Tino's.
Tino sighed happily. His family was complete, and he couldn't ask for more than what he had right next to him. This was perfection.
Unbeknownst to Tino, Berwald was thinking the exact same thing.
"Ya know, we shoul' really tell Lukas an' Emil… they coul' help," Berwald said after a while.
Tino sighed. "I know. But let's wait for a bit… I really don't to ruin this."
Berwald hummed in agreement and licked his mate's ears. He really couldn't argue with that.
Later That Day
Berwald and Tino hadn't realized they fell asleep like that, curled around each other and the egg. They were just lucky no one walked in on them.
Berwald yawned and looked around sleepily. His heart fluttered when he noticed Tino still sleeping peacefully by his side with the cute little egg. He licked Tino affectionately on the top of his head, and Tino purred in his sleep.
Finally, Tino woke up after noticing his head was really wet. He felt Berwald's large tongue on his head and giggled.
"Stop that!" he chastised lightly.
"Good mornin'," Berwald chuckled quietly in response.
"Morning?" Tino repeated looking towards the hole in the wall. "I think you mean afternoon."
Berwald grunted but made no effort to move. They stayed like that for a little longer, enjoying the other's company and watching over the egg.
Finally, Tino sighed. "What should I do, Berwald?"
"Fer wha'?"
"About the egg. I know I should tell Lukas and Emil, but I also don't want to."
"Why?"
"Because," Tino started but paused. There were so many little reasons, but none of them were that important. They were all just silly, little concerns. "I don't know… I guess because I want to get the chance to raise a kitten on my own, y'know? I want to raise them and teach them and watch them grow."
Berwald gave Tino a confused look. "Bu' ya still will. Ya can teach 'em an' watch 'em. Ya will still be tha mother. But Tino, it's no' a kitten. It's a chick. We nee' Lukas' and Emil's help. We coul' seriously mess somethin' up."
"I know… it's just that- wait, did you just call me the mother?"
Berwald blushed. He hadn't meant for that to slip out.
Tino just continued on since Berwald didn't respond, "If anything, I should be the papa, since I'm male and all."
"Yer tha one who was protectin' tha nes' and yer keepin' tha egg warm…"
Tino opened his mouth to protest but he couldn't think of anything to say, so he mumbled "Shut up" half-heartedly and tapped Berwald's nose lightly with his paw. He giggled when Berwald sneezed in response.
"Well," Tino said reluctantly getting up. "I guess we should break the news huh?"
Together, Berwald and Tino worked to pile a blanket on top of the egg. They weren't sure how long it could be without heat, but they didn't want to take that chance just in case. They went outside and found Lukas chasing around Mathias. Emil was just watching them from his perch. Mathias must've said something to tick off the older hawk, which was unsurprising really.
"Oh, hey, Tino. You feeling better?" Emil asked when he noticed the pair walk out of the building.
Tino hesitated and gave Berwald a small glance. "Yeah… actually, we need to talk to you and Lukas."
"Oh, why's that?"
"Just bring Lukas down here please."
Emil rolled his eyes. "Fine… but I'm not an owl."
Tino narrowed his eyes. "You've been watching human television again, haven't you?"
"So? What about it?" Emil said defensively.
"You know Lukas doesn't like you doing that."
"What he doesn't know won't hurt him!" he said as he took off towards Lukas who was still flying in the air after Mathias.
Tino looked at Berwald nervously.
"You'll do fine," he said encouraging with his best smile. Tino gave a half-hearted smile back. He sorely wished he had Berwald's confidence. The only thing running through his head was Lukas' and Emil's reactions when they first met Berwald and Mathias. It took them forever to warm up to the dogs. But they were different - they were adults. He couldn't put that sort of strain on a baby!
Lukas and Emil landed in front of Tino with Mathias close behind them. Lukas immediately looked over Tino closely for anything wrong and even sent a small glare in Berwald's direction, which was ignored.
"What's wrong Tino? Everything alright? What happened?" Lukas asked quickly.
"Everything's alright, Lukas," Tino sighed. His brother was way too overbearing sometimes. He gave a quick look to Berwald who gave an encouraging nod.
"Lukas, Emil, Mathias," Tino addressed. "We have something to tell you…"
Mathias laughed loudly, interrupting whatever Tino was going to say next. "Don't tell me you're knocked up! Way to go Waldy! Didn't even think it was possible!" Berwald gave a warning growl and Tino looked away with a blush.
"Well… not exactly…" Tino said softly, not really denying Mathias' claims.
Several things happened at once. Mathias stopped laughing and choked on his own spit. Berwald gave a fond look to Tino, calming down immediately. Emil looked extremely disgusted at the pair, probably thinking something completely wrong and perverted and missing the entire point. Lukas… Lukas' expression was unreadable. A mix between furious, annoyance (at Mathias), disturbance, and confusion… so much confusion.
"What… what do you mean…?" Lukas broke the silence first, asking quietly.
Tino couldn't look his brother in the eyes. "Um… well… I… er… I…" Oh, he couldn't do this! He couldn't tell them! How will he even be able to say it? Lukas will hate him forever and Emil will never talk to him again and Mathias… well who cares? But Lukas will hate him! No, he's gotta do this… he can do this!
"Berwald and I have a baby!" he suddenly blurted out loudly. For a long moment, no one said anything – no one even breathed. And then-
"What the fuck? I'm an uncle? Since when?" Surprisingly, this came from Emil.
"Hey! Me too! Yeah, when'd this happen?" Mathias asked happily, tail wagging. He came up to Berwald and gave him a playful head-butt. "Way to go, bror!"
Lukas gave Tino a suspicious look and said, "What species?"
"You're so species-ist," Emil said with a roll of his eyes to his brother.
"That's not a word."
"Should be…"
Lukas turned his head back to look at Tino and cock his head as if to say Well?.
"Erm…" Tino glanced at Berwald. "Bird?"
Lukas' and Emil's eyes widened. "Really? Where?" Emil asked.
"How?" Lukas said.
Tino sighed. "It's sort of a long story, but follow me. I'll explain on the way."
A Few Days Later
Emil flew to the northern end of the city. He rarely went this far but today he wanted a bath. He wanted a bath in one those fancy little ponds that the humans make. This water was usually nice and cool and running like a waterfall. Emil liked the feel of that on his feathers. Sometimes the humans will get mad if they see him, thinking he's going to eat their precious tiny birds, but Emil just likes the water. The tiny pond on the white pedestal makes him feel important. And the tiny birds stay away when they see him which means he gets the little pond all to himself. The best part though? No annoying fish.
Ah, this was the life.
A Week and a Half Later (Early June)
Mathias was curled around the egg fast asleep. He was in charge of egg-sitting (but not actually sitting because "we don't want you smashing it with your big, fluffy butt, Mathias!") duty, but that was okay. It was getting close to summer and today was very hot for some odd reason, and Mathias was very, very fluffy. So he stayed indoors in the cool shade, curling around the egg which was keeping warm by just the dog's massive amount of body heat that radiated off of him.
He woke up slightly when he heard a noise that sounded like a soft crack, but almost fell back asleep immediately after due to the silence. That is, until he heard another one.
Mathias went on high alert - a growl building silently in the back of his throat and ears straining for anymore signs of the intruder. Everyone was gone for today. Tino and Berwald went on a date... probably to the Italian place downtown. Lukas wanted to stretch his wings and Emil went fishing... again. He must really like fish. So, Mathias shouldn't be hearing strange noises.
Crack!
Mathias whipped his head from side to side trying to find the source of the noise when movement caught the corner of his eye. The egg... did it just move?
Crack!
Oh! The egg's cracking! No, wait... the egg's hatching. The egg's hatching! The egg's hatching! The egg is- Oh god! The egg is hatching!
Mathias jumped up and started barking. "The egg is hatching! The egg is hatching! What do I do?!" He ran to the large hole in the wall that leads to the outside. "Lukas! Lukas! What do I do?! Tino? Berwald? Emil?!" He whined softly when no reply came. In fact, he didn't hear anyone. Not even the annoying Italian squirrels that live downstream along the river.
The egg cracked again. Mathias whined softly and stared at it from across the room.
"Okay, Mathias, you can do this," he told himself quietly as he got down to his belly, and he slowly crawled forward as if he'd frighten it if he moved too fast. "This is what you've been training for." (not)
"This will be easy. No problem."
He inched forward until he got to the egg...
~.~.~.~.~
~Intermission~
"Y'know, I think today is going to be a good day," Emil said thoughtfully, almost serenely.
"Oh yeah? Like, why's that?" Xiao asked, looking up at the damn sexy hawk who's gotten him in his clutches.
"Because, today's the day I'm finally gonna eat you."
"What?" Xiao blinked and started to squirm slightly in the uncomfortably tight grip. "You're joking right? Emil? Emil?! Emil!"
~.~.~.~.~
The egg cracked and wobbled again. What should Mathias do? Should he help it? Mathias thought about it for a second before deciding that he probably shouldn't. He'd probably end up accidentally squishing it with his massive paw.
He felt pretty useless at the moment though. So, he decided to do what he does best - talk.
"Hej, buddy. Keep goin'! Yer almost there!"...
~.~.~.~.~
~Intermission~
"Berwald, do you even know what they're saying?" Tino asked over his dinner. He was eyeing the two singing humans who were watching them eat in the alleyway.
"No idea," Berwald mumbled with his mouth full of food. "Heard this place was romantic."
"Maybe it is, what do I know? But I just think it's a little creepy having them watch us eat."
Berwald huffed a shrug in silent agreement and then asked, "Ya gonna eat tha'?"
~.~.~.~.~
"C'mon! Keep goin'!" Mathias encouraged, his tail wagging so hard he thought it was going to fly off. The chick flung off another large piece of shell and was rewarded by Mathias barking excitedly.
"That's it, little buddy! That's it! I knew you were going to be as strong as yer Uncle Mathias! Yer doin' great, kiddo!"
He heard a chirp in response and another large crack. Mathias howled...
~.~.~.~.~
~Intermission~
Lukas loved the feeling of wind through his feathers. He didn't get to enjoy it as much anymore what with Mathias being his new roost and, of course, the arrival of the egg.
"Oh, hello, Lukas," a voice said, breaking Lukas out of his trance of bliss. He opened his eyes and saw Arthur flying next to him.
"Hello Arthur," Lukas said and smiled at his friend and neighbor. It's been a very long time since he's seen the robin. "Where's Alfred?"
Arthur didn't respond verbally but looked up and Lukas did as well. Above them was a small, dark blob - most likely Alfred, flying high above them.
"Ah."
"How's the chick?" Arthur asked.
"Chick?" Lukas repeated and shook his head. "Not a chick yet. Still in the egg."
"Really?" Arthur almost stopped flying in his shock. "How long has it been?"
"Just over two weeks," Lukas said proudly, puffing out his majestic feathers.
"Two weeks?! That's much too long! He should've hatched by now!"
Lukas stopped in his path and looked at Arthur quizzically. "Uh, what? No... eggs take almost five weeks to hatch."
"Yes, hawk eggs probably do, not robin eggs."
Lukas felt his body go rigid and cold. "Oh god..."
Then he heard a howl.
~.~.~.~.~
Tino and Berwald looked up at the same time and stared at each other with wide, frightened eyes.
"Did you hear that?" Tino asked with a slight tremble in his voice.
"Ja," Berwald said, narrowing his eyes as his fur stood on end. "Let's go."
~.~.~.~.~
"What was that?" Emil asked, interrupting whatever tirade Xiao had been on.
"What was what?" Xiao huffed. "The sound of, like, my bones creaking in your crushing grip? Probably."
"No, shut up. Did you hear it?"
"Hear what?" I'm a fish, remember? An extremely handsome one, of course."
"It sounded like a... like a howl." Emil's eyes got wide at the implication and he immediately turned around in the opposite direction and took off flying at full speed.
"Emil, where are you, like, taking me? Emil? Emil!? Not again..."
~.~.~.~.~
Lukas got home first but only barely as he was the closest. Tino and Berwald were only seconds behind him though, barreling through the building and running upstairs. Emil flew in last, Xiao gasping in his grip.
They all stopped at the sight that greeting in the attic of the old, abandoned building which held their nest - their home.
Mathias laid around the soft nest, smiling and looking incredibly proud. his tail was thumping happily and loud against the floor. And at the center of the nest...
was a...
scrawny... pink... naked... thing.
"It's sort of..." Tino trailed off, finally breaking the silence.
"Ugly." Xiao supplied unhelpfully from the background where he was flopping around.
"Shut up," Emil hissed.
"I though' it was supposed ta be a bird?" Berwald asked confused with his brow furrowed.
Lukas sighed. "He is. He just doesn't have his feathers yet. Emil, you were the same way when you hatched." Xiao laughed.
"I was?" Emil asked making a face and looking extremely dubious. Lukas turned his head to the side, studying the chick.
"Hm, maybe not. I seem to recall that you were fluffier... and fatter."
"Hey!"
The chick chirruped, hungry.
Tino smiled. "Well he's sort of cute. And his feathers will grow in!"
Mathias got up as Tino and Berwald got closer and surrounded their chick/pup/kitten. Lukas hopped on to Mathias' back and started pruning his ridiculously fluffy fur lovingly. Mathias gave a low growl of approval. "You did good today, Mathias."
"Thanks Lukas."
Tino bopped the chick with his nose. "Hello, Peter. I'm your papa," he cooed softly. They had already decided on the name previously (thankfully). Tino had it narrowed down to about fifty names, but Berwald had finally spoken up and said "I like Peter." And so, the chick was named.
Berwald raised an eyebrow. "Papa? I though' I was papa? Yer Mama."
Tino huffed. "I can't be mama, besides you're much prettier." Berwald blushed.
The lab leaned forward and gave the chick a lick and a sniff. "Hello Peter, I'm yer papa. This is yer mama. We love ya very much."
"Berwald!" Tino chastised lightly. "I just said I can't be mama!"
Emil snorted at the two's quiet, and silly, argument. Lukas looked over fondly at his brother and then focused on something past him.
"Good god, Emil," Lukas said, being ever the responsible one and looking at the gasping fish behind the younger hawk. "Take him back. I think he's suffocating."
Emil ruffled his feathers irritated and huffed. "Fine."
"Thank..." Gasp. "You..."
Don't worry, the chick did get fed and Xiao was returned safely to the river... without getting eaten on the way.
Somehow, against Tino's wishes, Peter ended up calling him "Mama" anyway and Berwald "Papa", and Tino still glares at Berwald for that. Mathias is afraid he is getting a bald spot in his fur from where Lukas nests all the time, but Lukas calls him handsome and compliments his fur to alleviate his fears. Emil does get along with Xiao, much to no one's surprise, and they become good friends. (Even more actually, but Emil would never admit it out loud). He even shares the worms he digs up along the river bank with Xiao on occasion.
Peter turns out to be loud, unruly, adventurous and absolutely mischievous as he grows older. Berwald is practically a saint with him and Mathias, with his puppy-like attitude, quickly becomes one of Peter's favorite uncles. Lukas and Emil can actually teach him to properly hunt like a bird this time, although he doesn't have the talons for it. And Tino dotes on him as a mother would (though he's still not "mama"!).
As winter comes, Peter has to leave with his uncles, Lukas and Emil, to fly South due to his natural instinct. Tino and Berwald can't argue with that, but will miss him and their friends/brothers terribly. They're extremely sad when the day comes for the family to be split apart, but they know that they'll return soon. Lukas promises Tino and Berwald that he'll keep Peter, and Emil, safe. Not only that, but they'll also have Arthur and Alfred joining them on the journey South this year. What can be safer than two hawks and an eagle? Mathias whines at being alone again, but Lukas prunes his fur in such a meticulous way that lets Mathias know he is loved and will always be loved.
The reunion come Spring is one of the best days of the entire year.
Emil sat on a tree branch watching curiously towards the ground, wondering how his life had become... this. The rustling of wings and a sudden dip of the branch let Emil know that Lukas had joined him.
"How are you doing, brother?" Lukas asked.
Emil watched as the different species of animals play and romp around the ground underneath them, predator and prey acting like family. Which now also apparently includes a feisty squirrel, Lovino, cursing obscenities and throwing nuts at a laughing turtle, named Antonio.
"Do you ever wonder," Emil started off thoughtfully. "How the hell our lives got to this?"
"What do you mean, brother-dearest?"
"What do I-? Look at them! I mean, what's wrong with this town? There must be something in the water... or the air..."
"What are you going on about this time?"
"Does anyone else see what's wrong here!?"
The end.
A/N
Wow, I am finally done.
It has literally been 4 years since I've done anything with this story and 2 years since I've done anything with Hetalia fanfiction in general. But this has been one of my favorite fics I've written of all time. It has always made me laugh, no matter how crackish it was.
However, I don't know if I'll do much more writing. I still have plenty ideas but I haven't done much of any writing since college. I was actually inspired to finish this fic from an adorable Destiel fic about Dean and Cas being adorable Harry Potter owls called, "Birds of a Feather" by Soupernabturel (you'll need an Ao3 account to read it). It's adorable, can you tell?
This chapter specifically turned out much more differently than I had planned. Originally I had planned it to be like the other 2 with cracky little oneshots, and with snapshots of Peter growing up. Instead it turned out to have a bigger, more serious plotline than the others. I know, Xiao didn't make much of an appearance this time, but just imagine he was there... swimming in the background. lol
Yes, the birdbath scene was random, but it made me laugh. So I decided to keep it.
I hope you all enjoyed this story as much as I have. The ending wrapped up this fic completely, so I can now finally mark it a complete. (And the sentence about the reunion in the wrapped-up ending almost made me shed a tear.)
Thanks for reading!
Oh, and yes, Emil is the only one who's aware of how he and his family/friends act is not natural... in case you missed that at the end lol