Orchid looked outside the cage with a blank, distant expression, where the humans were giving her mother the final check-over. Sophia stood impatiently on the counter, clearly uncomfortable as the humans stretched out her wings to make sure the feathers were all at a good flying length. They were ensuring that all the wounds had healed, that she wasn't in anymore pain, and that she was healthy. She had been severely dehydrated when she had come in, and starved - now, Sophia was almost back to her old self. Her eyes and feathers were regaining their lustre, and her fierce personality was coming back.
If all was well, Sophia would be out of here by tomorrow - meanwhile, Orchid had almost two weeks left. Sophia was being encouraged to try and fly from one end of the room to another, to check how well she could fly. They wanted to release her as soon as possible, so that she didn't adjust to the life of captivity. Of course Sophia wasn't like that - she'd be glad to be back in the wild, and she would never look back.
Fruit had been placed at different altitudes in the room, and the humans were overlooking how Sophia flew from one place to the next. Sophia personally thought this was ridiculous - she felt so stupid, but she supposed it would get her out of this place sooner. Sophia did her best, flying as swiftly and gracefully as she could with her dodgy right wing feathers. They made the air around her wing feel funny, and her wing wobbled occasionally, but she hid it from the humans. She was usually a near-silent flier, but this unevenness made it a bit more noisy. But that didn't matter - she'd get her quiet flight back in time. Half of her old wing feathers were still in place, the ones the Hyacinths hadn't touched - the new, growing feathers were catching up to the older ones rapidly.
Sophia couldn't wait to get out - see her friends, especially Jewel and Azalea - and be with her beautiful family once more. Away from this place, back in the ravine and that tree she loved, with all the gorgeous flowers and plants along the walls. She wanted to forget everything that had happened in those caves - she couldn't, though. She still remembered the feel of Hyacinth talons around her throat, brutal, crushing, starving her of air until she almost passed out. Scratching, kicking, calling her this name and that, the glow of flame as they burned her feathers. Maybe she'd have the nightmares, but she was free now. The Hyacinths had scattered - Kerja was suspected dead. But then, not all of the Hyacinths had been bad. Sophia hadn't known Mina that well, but she wanted to, after all Roberto had told her. Mina may have sacrificed herself, but that brave Hyacinth hadn't died for nothing - good had ultimately prevailed because of her actions. A remembrance flower for Mina had been planted, and apparently, it was growing beautifully. Sophia made note to pay her respects.
To her relief, the humans were whispering and nodding in approval. Roberto was watching from the top of the cages, overlooking. He hadn't left the room a lot, wanting to stay with his mate and daughter. He was smiling in encouragement, but his mind wasn't just focused on Sophia. There was a sadness present, and Sophia knew why, as Roberto kept glancing down at the cage beneath him. As Sophia flew from place to place, she kept feeling the now-familiar pity and devastation, everytime she saw Orchid, with her bandaged face.
Her little girl had been robbed of half her sight, and Sophia still couldn't believe it. It felt just like a nightmare - she had never imagined this happening. Orchid was so innocent - she had never done anything to harm anyone. She was so brave, attacking a macaw four times her size - Azure had even told her that Orchid had attacked a Harpy eagle, of all things - a Harpy eagle. Orchid in no way deserved this.
Orchid would probably take months to adjust to her new lifestyle, and she would be permanently scarred for life. Orchid's wounds were healing remarkably well and fast - the wounds weren't actually as deep as anticipated, and instead of all, only one would leave a scar. Between one and two inches in length, the scar would be thin, going across her eye socket. The humans kept taking her away to change the dressing and to make sure the wounds were healing, and everything was coming back positive - they were confident she would adjust. But still...
Finally, the humans had reached an agreement. One moved forward with gloves, to try and get Sophia back into the cage, but Sophia flew straight in, not wanting to be caught and put in there. The door was closed again, but not locked - afterall, the humans didn't think she would be able to open it herself, and she would soon be taken upstairs for a final check before release. The moment they left, however, Roberto rushed down to the cage, and began examining the bolt. Remembering how it had been closed, he lifted it with his beak, and pushed it to the left. The door swung open, and as it did, Sophia ran out, wings outstretched. Roberto scooped Sophia into his wings, and they nuzzled beaks, a symbol of affection. "I can't believe it! I'll be out soon!" Her dark blue eyes sparkled for the first time in a long time - Roberto hadn't seen that spark since he had rescued her from that prison of a tribe home. But then the sparkle disappeared as she remembered. Their spirits fell flat as they turned, seeing their miserable daughter.
Looking worriedly at Roberto, Sophia freed herself of his wings and went to the wires, looking inside. Her heart broke everytime she saw Orchid, with the bandage covering half her face. "Oh, sweetie... we'll be back everyday until you're out, okay?" Orchid looked up, with a dull expression.
"Yeah... sure." She replied, flatly. Sophia looked back at Roberto, stricken. She wanted to get out into the wild more than ever, but at the same time, she didn't want to leave Orchid.
"Baby, I'm sorry for what's happened. We're going to help you through this -" Roberto began, but Orchid then looked up, to glare at him. Roberto was so surprised he took an actual step back.
"Don't start treating me like some stupid kid. I can look after myself." She muttered. Sophia and Roberto would've scolded her for her attitude, but couldn't bring themselves to. Instead, they sighed, and sat down on the edge of the counter. But then there was a gentle tap on the door - too light to be human.
Tiago came into the room, his talons silent on the hard floor. Roberto and Sophia looked down at him, surprised by his unexpected arrival. A white bundle was looped on a vine around his neck, and he looked nervous. "Hi." He greeted Roberto and Sophia, with a respectful nod. They exchanged glances.
"Hey, Tiago." Sophia said, in surprise. "How are you doing?"
"I'm okay... but I know she isn't." He spoke in a low voice, so that Orchid wouldn't hear, but he underestimated her hearing.
"I can hear you, you know." Orchid muttered again. Tiago frowned - she sounded so different. More hostile. I hope this will help her... she's changed so much.
"Look, Orchid, I know I've been gone for almost a week... but it was worth it. I went to Manaus, and I got you something - something to help for your eye." At this, Orchid turned her head to look at him. Tiago flew up to the counter, while Roberto and Sophia looked on, looking at each other hopefully. He then spotted the cage lock; not seeing a key, he flew up to a reminder board, pulling a paper clip free. He began fiddling with the padlock, trying to figure out how paper clips were supposed to open locks. Finally, after some confusion and guessing, the padlock clicked, and fell to the floor. The door slowly swung open, and Orchid stood up. She looked nervously at the open space - she hadn't flown since losing her eye. Tiago landed on the counter, beside Roberto and Sophia, and unlooped the white bundle from around his neck. He beckoned her over.
Orchid lifted her shaking wings, and hesitantly flew the two wingflaps to the counter, landing a little clumsily. She looked up at him, before looking at the white bundle. Tiago reached into it, pulling out three pieces of fabric and lying them neatly on the counter - a light blue, lilac, and a pale, creamy-yellow. Orchid blinked, and looked up at him in bewilderment.
"I tried to find you a glass eye, or something similar... but I couldn't find one." Tiago looked disappointed in himself. "For now... I think this will do it. Bia sewed away the fraying, so it's kinda like a bandana... you could cover the... the problem over and tie it around the back of your head, under your head feathers. It'll hide it from view it over, make you feel less self-conscious." Tiago felt like he was treading on very thin ice - what if Orchid took his gift the wrong way? What if she thinks I don't find her attractive any more? She might think I've only done this so that I won't have to look at the damage. This was Tiago's primary fear. He looked up, expecting her to look offended, but luckily, she didn't look disgusted. Instead, she looked hopeful - and touched to the core. The coldness in her single eye had melted away.
"You... you went all the way to Manaus to get me this?" Orchid asked, in surprise. Tiago nodded.
"Which colour do you want to try first?" He asked, indicating to the three colours. Orchid was silent. Slowly, she indicated to the creamy yellow. Tiago nodded, and picked it up, handing it to her. He, Roberto and Sophia held their breaths, waiting.
Orchid looked at the fabric for a long moment, before turning around so that they wouldn't see her damaged face as she undid the bandage. The bandage fell to the counter, and Orchid winced as the area was exposed. She began examining the bandana. It was incredibly soft, with a slight sheen to it - as she looked closer, she noticed a faint floral pattern, which was the same with the lilac and the blue. She covered her eye and healing wounds with it, flinching slightly as it touched the injuries, but she could get used to it. With this in place, Orchid began tying the ends under her head feathers, at the back of her head. It was a little awkward at first, but finally, she finished a knot.
Slowly, Orchid turned around, blinking with her one eye, at her parents and Tiago. "How do I look?" She asked, her heart thudding. Roberto was looking amazed, his wing clasped over his beak, while Sophia's eyes had turned shiny with tears.
"You look amazing." Said Sophia, softly. Orchid's throat tightened as tears threatened, but she managed to keep them away. She looked around hopefully, searching for something to see her reflection in. She was desperate to see. Tiago then reached back into the white bundle, and extracted a shard - a shard of mirror, the one Carla kept in her room - she didn't mind him borrowing it, for Orchid. He held it up to her, so that she could see for herself. His heart was beating almost as fast as Orchid's, as he waited for her reaction. What if she hated it?
Orchid hesitated briefly, almost scared of what it would look like. She closed her eye. Okay. Be brave. She shook herself, before finally looking into the mirror. She froze, upon seeing it for the first time. It was gone - hidden under a bandana. It covered all the damage, including the eye socket and the forming scars. It ran in an diagonal line, skimming the top of her cheek bone, and reaching to the top of her forehead. Orchid didn't move at first. Then her wings covered her beak. Her eye became glossy with the beginning of tears, and, eventually, a smile was seen through her wing feathers. No one will flinch when they see me... I don't feel... scared of it, anymore. Oh, Tiago.
"Oh, my." She said, simply - it was the true voice of Orchid, the musical one Roberto, Sophia, and Tiago recognized. Orchid let her wings drop, and, without hesitation, ran to Tiago, throwing her wings around him. "You're amazing... thank you." Tiago found himself grinning in relief, as he hugged her back. That's Orchid. Orchid let him go, and then turned to Roberto and Sophia. She hugged them both at the same time, and Roberto and Sophia held their youngest daughter tightly, both smiling in relief first at each other, and then at Tiago. He carried on smiling, and crossed his wings, feeling proud of himself. His trip had been worthwhile - Orchid was happy. It was still a devastating loss, her eye. But the bandana would help - maybe they would find something like a glass eye, but until then, this would do it. Orchid looked over her shoulder, and gave him another smile - of genuine gratitude.