Birdtalia
[Stay tuned after the short story for an important message]
Warnings: Child death, twisted thinking and a really ugly bird creature. Alternate universe where everyone has wings.
Contains: brotherly Gilbert and Ludwig and I guess Germania… if you squint.
It was an ugly thing to look at. Leather like skin, pale as death, lips rough and dry, eyes the color of spilt blood, and hair ebony black, laying in stringy strands over its face and shoulders. It's nose was beaklike, giving it just as much of a bird like appearance as the black feathers attached to its wing like arms, talon like hands at the ends of those arms matching the talon like feet. It didn't move much as it crouched in the cover of the branches, watching. The only movement was in its eyes as it watched, and the slow rise and fall of its chest. It would wait. As long as it needed to it would wait.
The creature held an egg in its lap, wing like arms wrapped around its knees as it hugged it close. Its precious egg, its precious child. The shell was black, speckled in flecks of white. Within it the creature could hear the soft sounds of its young. The small thumping as it knocked against the shell, trying to get comfortable in its tight confines. The soft vocalized sound that came from the egg every so often made the red eyes look down at it. Only a few times did the creature, nuzzle it affectionately, giving its own soft chirp back. The talon hand ran the soft underside of its palm against the shiny black surface in pride. It was nothing like those bright blue eggs in the nest it watched. Those bright weak egg-chicks. The only things that separated its young from survival. But that would change. As soon as those bright feathered birdies left the nest for long enough. Only for a few moments. It was all that was needed.
"Listen, listen, egg-child. Hatch healthy, hatch strong. But when do hatch, destroy those pretty blue egg-chicks. If they hatch before, push them from nest. Survive, survive. This is what must do to survive." The thing said, its voice like tumbling stones.
Since the egg had been laid, the creature would say this. Instill it into its unhatched young. For it was the only way they could survive. It could not care for its young; none could but other bird races. Often this one would watch the pretty winged creatures that could. It hated them. They could care for their young, keep them in a warm nest, a pretty nest, while it could not. It simply did not have the instinct to know how to even build a nest of twigs and grass, sometimes tucking a few precious feathers as bedding in. so unlike the nest made of brambles and animal hide it slept in. But these birdies were weaker than it. They relied on interaction between each other, gentle interaction more often than not. Vocalization, touches and standing near. So unlike the violent screeching and fights to show who was stronger in its world. The fact that it was able to trick these birdies time after time, egg after egg, was all it needed to think about to get over its jealousy. If these birdies were superior, how come it was able to put its own egg-child in the nest and have it hatch… only to push the others out so that it could be the one to grow strong? A few times it would watch in absolute glee as others of its kind would cause absolute havoc as its nature would make it fight with the calm birdies. Those egg-children would usually be chased out once they grew up and proved that they were not what they had been masquerading about as.
Intelligent, it was mostly not. But patient it was. When the mother and father of the nest left for just a moment, to deal with an invading predator, it flew in. It hopped a bit around the nest, head swinging about to make sure it wasn't seen. No one saw. Carefully it placed its warm egg in the middle of the clutch of even warmer eggs. They were smaller than the egg, warmer too. But that would matter very little. An egg was an egg, even to those birdies. If they did notice a difference, they didn't show. The thing again rubbed the egg shell with its palm, leaning close.
"Listen, listen, egg-child. Hatch healthy, hatch strong. But when do hatch, destroy those pretty blue egg-chicks. If they hatch before, push them from nest. Survive, survive. This is what must do to survive." It repeated.
The infant inside the egg chirped in response. It heard. It knew. The thing almost grinned to itself and flew off. Another successful invasion. Not long after the rightful owners of the nest returned. These beings did not look like the ugly creature that had placed the egg within their nest. They had a more human appearance. Soft golden blond colored hair, sapphire blue eyes, and large white wings that were attached to their backs, not their arms. Their hands looked more like hands, their toughened claws able to retract and extend when needed. They also wore soft cotton clothing over their bodies. Their elegant movements and clear speech set them apart from the other creature even further. They were more civilized.
The mother was instantly checking over her eggs. She had been gone only a moment but that moment could have changed the temperature or one of the eggs could have gone missing. The black egg in the middle instantly caught her eye. She looked it over, knowing instantly that it was not hers. Her eyes swept over her other eggs, counting. Four. Plus one. None of hers were missing, which was a blessing. Yet how could she explain a sudden fifth? The fact that another had been near her nest, near her babies… it made her shiver in fright and agitation. She looked up to her mate, who was in his normal perch not far from the nest in their great tree. His eyes were searching the area but saw no threat. The mother turned her soft gaze back to the eggs. She'd never had this happen before. She'd heard stories though. Of other bird creatures who often left their eggs in other nests when they couldn't care for them.
Carefully she picked up the egg and cradled it. She couldn't imagine giving up any of her eggs. Sure, this was only her second set of eggs in her entire lifetime. She ran her fingers along the smooth surface of the egg. It was a very pretty egg, she thought to herself. A little too cool for her liking. Suddenly she heard a small tapping from inside the egg. She lifted it to her ear, the soft downy feathers that grew around the slightly pointed ear delicately touching the egg. She could hear nervous clicking and chirping. The little infant inside couldn't understand why its mother wasn't speaking to it. It had always answered.
The mother cooed back and instantly the little egg was filled with sounds as the infant inside happily answered. It wasn't the same voice but the infant liked this voice far better. The mother smiled and placed the egg back in its spot in the middle of the clutch. Then she carefully lay down around the eggs, her body curling around them the best she could. The small space she couldn't curl around she put her arm around, the other going to gently fuss over the eggs. Finally a great white wing enclosed over top of them, locking in her body heat to help the eggs.
The mother giggled to herself as the black egg kept up its chatter. None of her eggs made this much noise. This one was full of energy even before it would hatch. A few of her own chicks answered it even. It was a curious thing that she would accept it so easily. Perhaps it was because she was already attached that made the situation ever so cruel.
It was a week before the eggs showed signs of hatching. The mother kept near them at all times, happily cooing as her eggs made more and more sounds to signal their arrival. None as much as the black egg. It was already shaking, soft cracking filling the air as the infant inside started chipping at the hard eggshell, the special egg-claws going to work much like an egg-tooth would on a simple bird. Slowly, chips of the egg came off, littering the nest with black shards. The mother watched, ready to help if needed, listening to the little cries and grunts of the hard working chick. It rocked so hard that the egg rolled out of the group of eggs, ending up on its side as the infant came out. The mother couldn't help but feel a little fear at the thing.
It was tangled and damp, its black feathers clumped together on its arms… oh… but where was its wings? The mother put a hand to her mouth as she saw the feathers were attached to the arms, the hands were talon in appearance. The chick uncurled itself, rocking back on its rear. Wide red eyes looked up and blinked at the creature above. White hair was already formed on its head… his head, she corrected herself. It was a little boy. The little chick gave a peep, holding out its arms toward what it had identified as its mother. She didn't hesitate. Ugly it was it was still an egg-child that hatched in her nest. She would care for it. Besides, all hatchlings looked ugly. This one wouldn't stay that frightening. The mother held the little infant, cooing in delight.
The mother held the giggling boy up as her mate flew into the nest to look.
"Look! Oh look! Isn't he wonderful! Our first of the hatching!" the mother said, her accent thick.
The father looked a little hesitant to be even near it, let alone allow his mate to touch it. But he could already tell the mother was attached. Even if he wasn't sure what it was. He took it into his arms, smiling as he saw how instantly the infant took to him as well. Energetic… and rather loud… but he'd accept him as his. He leaned back as the infant tried to grab hold of his long hair. He gave him a stern look. However, instead of being scolded, the child laughed at it.
"Hm. Rebellious. If you say so, my wife. What is his name?" the father said.
The mother took the infant back, having cleared out his eggshell already to the edge of the nest. She sat him down in the spot where his egg had been. Red eyes looked around at the little blue eggs curiously. Little blue eggs…
"Gilbert. His name is Gilbert." The mother said happily.
The mother held Gilbert to her chest, curling herself around her eggs once again. Worn out from hatching, Gilbert snuggled up to her to nap. It was a foreign feeling, one he liked very much. As his red eyes drowsily closed, he caught sight of the blue eggs before him. The rough voice, one he heard muffled from inside his egg rang through his mind. One of the still soft talons on his feet scraped lightly against a shell as he kicked slightly, unnoticed by his new mother. Get out of my nest…
Gilbert slept very peacefully, cooing every so often as a soft, gentle hand would rub affectionately over his belly. Never before had any of his kind been treated so well by the owners of an invaded nest. His clawed foot hooked on the soft dress and his clawed hand wrapped around a finger, making the mother giggle. She seemed to touch more than the father did but he did touch every so often. A strong hand would brush ever so gently over his soft hair every so often as he too bonded with the hatchling. So it was no surprise that Gilbert woke when there was no touching, no warmth of a cuddled body. He opened his great red eyes and looked around. Both mother and father were away, to where he didn't know. He sat up, looking around. Then his red eyes caught on the blue eggs and a dangerous glint shone through them. He nudged one with his foot, making it rock. Making a little noise, he kicked it harder, sending it rolling. The sides of the nest weren't very high, but the egg was stopped by it all the same. Gilbert could hear the hatching eggs but felt nothing toward them. They must be pushed from the nest. He had to survive.
The first egg tumbled from the nest and it wasn't long before another joined it. Gilbert went about his task, feeling a little smug. He wouldn't share. This was his nest, his survival, his warm embraces and his softly spoken words. Each egg landed so far below, he didn't hear the cracks of the shells or the chicks within dying upon impact. He took a little too long in disposing of the three. He was suddenly aware of loud cracking and loud sounds of distress. He turned clumsily, still not able to move with ease. A chunk of shell fell off of the egg, exposing wet and matted new blond hair. Gilbert felt a panic. One was hatching! The ugly first voice had told him to get rid of them before that happened! He had to push it from the nest! Gilbert scrambled to the shaking egg but froze as a small hand came out.
Gilbert cocked his head as he heard the whimpering sniffles. He was suddenly curious. He reached his soft talon out and poked the hand. He jerked it back as the little hand went searching for what had touched him, probably thinking it to be his mother or father. Gilbert gave the thing a nasty look. There was no way he'd let this thing get in his way of surviving. He began pushing it toward the now crumbling edge of the nest. In his haste, he had damaged the nest's edge, which in turn made it even easier with each egg. But before he was able to get close to the edge, the shell broke just enough for a head to pop out. Gilbert again froze, this time eye to eye. Red met bright blue. The thing looked slightly more attractive than he did but equally a chubby infant. Gilbert cocked his head to the other side. Why… did this thing look like his new mother? He just couldn't understand it. He watched as it wiggled, still trying to pathetically free itself. Was it helpless? He had gotten out just fine yet it had so much trouble. It was stuck. The egg rocked and rocked, until finally it fell onto its side. It gave a pitiful wail, still firmly stuck inside its egg.
Gilbert looked from the egg to the edge. It wasn't far actually… a few pushes would do the job. And it would shut up too…
But for some reason Gilbert used his slightly sharper egg claw to chip a crack into the egg's surface. He watched, wide red eyes trained on the thing as it broke through the weakened shell. He supposed it wasn't so weak after all. It didn't wait for him to do everything for it. It just needed… a little help. Gilbert found himself wanting to help it… him… his little brother… the thought was strange but he began to wonder. If cuddling his mother felt so good… what would cuddling a brother feel like. Gilbert gave a hiss and cracked the egg open more and more. He didn't want to wait. He wanted him out now! He was taking too long!
When his "brother" was free of the egg, Gilbert took a moment to stare at the strange new creature in the nest. It was… pinker than he was. Gilbert's skin was so pale, it was nearly white. And its wings… were pitiful underdeveloped things on his back, no feather to be seen yet. This thing… was a danger to his survival? Gilbert doubted that, even in his child mind he didn't think it could. The new hatchling was already moving in the nest… and it was just as curious of him. It totted over, crawling on hands and knees like a human toddler. Gilbert shuffled back, still wary. He stiffened as the other began to sniffle. He sat down, face scrunching up as he began to cry. Gilbert hissed, not liking the sound at all. He wobbled over, more able to use his legs than the other as he developed slightly faster. He grabbed hold of the wailing infant, wondering if he just squeezed if it would be quiet. To his relief, it did. He found chubby hand grabbing onto him, the other cooing. Gilbert stiffened.
It was… it was… nice. He liked it. It wasn't bad. It was warm… like mother…
Gilbert didn't want to push this one from the nest and soon, he forgot all about the instructions. It was gone from his mind, as if it had never been given. After all, his mind was still that of a new hatchling, an infant. The violent thoughts no longer existed. Gilbert cuddled around the smaller, warmer hatchling, cooing in response to his brother's cooing. He was a little annoyed as the younger hatchling took hold of his thumb, sticking it into his mouth instead of his own as he fell asleep. Gilbert was nearly there himself when he heard the shriek. Both hatchlings stirred as the gruesome sight beneath the nest was found. A shadow fell over them and Gilbert's eyes opened. He looked up to see two frantic parents. Gilbert wailed as he was picked up by one and his brother by another. He instantly reached for the fussing other hatchling, safe in his mother's arms.
"The nest broke! How could this happen!" his mother wailed.
Neither parent suspected Gilbert. How could they when he was cuddled against their remaining chick? He was just a child, how could he have anything to do with it? The father moved close to the distraught mother, putting an arm around her. Gilbert reached for his brother, now closer. Seeing this, his mother took him in her other arm. Instantly Gilbert latched onto his brother, stilling his crying.
"Come on Lud! It's not hard!"
Blue eyes watched as the black feathered form darted about in the air above the nest. It was a pale thing, that looked very similar to him but with lighter skin and hair, the hair a platinum blond compared to his golden blond and red eyes to his blue ones. In addition, his hands and feet were talons, unable to be retracted as his did, and his wings weren't on his back. His wings were on his arms, black feathers directly attached to the undersides from armpit to wrist. He preferred not to wear a shirt all the same, displaying his scrawnier physique. They were older, appearing to look like nine year old children, though he looked older than his pale sibling. All because he shared food with the other, even going as far as giving him more of his share just to see the other grow strong. Blue eyes looked down over the side of the nest.
"I'm scared, Gilbert! I can't do it!"
Gilbert snickered, his laugh like a rough "kesesesese" sound. He darted toward the nest. He had already mastered flying before his younger brother. He reveled the thought of teaching him how awesome flying was. No one was as awesome as he was, mind you. Why, he already proclaimed himself the best flyer of the whole forest!
"Just look at big brother, Ludwig! See how awesome I am? Just do what I do and you can't fail!" Gilbert said.
Ludwig looked over his shoulder, flexing his large white wings. He wasn't too sure about that. For some reason his brother's wings looked different than his. How could he do what his brother was doing? He glanced to his parents, watching from another branch. They too were giving him encouraging looks and prompts. But they didn't stick in his mind nearly as well as his big brother's. He didn't want to disappoint Gilbert.
"The awesome me will catch you if you fall!" Gilbert called out.
Ludwig nodded and took a deep breath. He began beating his wings and leapt off the side of the nest. He felt air rush past him briefly, making his screw his eyes shut in fear. But he stopped falling, a firm yet gentle grip of taloned feet on his shoulders. He looked up to see Gilbert holding him up. The older hatchling gave him a thumbs up sign, telling the boy that although he wasn't falling; his own wings were doing much of the work. Fisting his hands, Ludwig beat his wings harder until… He felt the talons let go but he didn't fall. He opened his eyes, face lighting up as he realized he was hovering in the air. He looked up to see Gilbert flying around and around above him. Ludwig gave a hard wingbeat and found himself following his brother.
Note from me, the author: Hello! Thank you for reading this strange brainchild of mine! I cannot remember what first inspired his but it may have been Wingtalia or something. I got curious and began researching bird species that invaded the nests of other birds to care for their young. Somehow that led to this story of winged Ludwig and Gilbert! Now for some serious stuff. This may be the last story that will be posted under this collection. Sadly, I have gotten some great feedback but not nearly the amount I had wanted going in. I'm not complaining. I LOVE hearing what people think and I know everyone can be so busy! I myself just graduated college and just got my first job to pay off student loans! But one thing I think may have scared people off was the fact that this is a collection and as such, new readers don't know what they are getting into because the description doesn't give them any hints. So I have decided that I may or may not post one more story on this and instead begin posting them as individual stories. I do have one request that I have been struggling hard with for a year now to finish (it's ridiculous how hard a Yugioh x Hetalia crossover is being! It may be because I have a hard time keeping both Gilbert and Yami in character…). As soon as that is finished and posted, I will most likely begin revising all of these to post separately. After that, I will most likely delete this collection. Thank you all for your time and views. It means the world to me.