Two Feathers Floating

Another partially finished story... i'll get to it eventually... i think... until then...

One cloudy afternoon, a little sparrow named Violet was preparing her nest for the rains to come. She had built her humble home nestled within the big tree in anticipation of a rainy season. Violet's nest was a small home, cosy and warm. She decided to get some extra nuts and berries before began raining. Violet has been flying for a few minutes when she saw him. He was holding on tightly to a nearby branch – was he hurt? His eyes were closed, his magnificent red feathers ruffled, his wound exposed. For minute Violet hesitated, should she help this exotic bird she had never seen before? Before she could answer her own inhibitions, big heavy drops of water began splashing down from the sky. The red bird opened his eyes, panicked. Violet watched him as he tried to fly, his left wing struggling against the heaviness of the raindrops.

“Follow me, this way!” she chirped. He saw her, and with no other choice, followed. A few painful moments later Violet and the red bird arrived at her humble home. It was dry, safe, and with food. The red bird collapsed into a corner, his chest gasping for breath, his eyes tight shut. Soon it was pouring around them, big drops of water pounding the leaves above. They heard the wind howling as it wrestled through the many trees in the forest. But all was quiet in Violet's house. The red bird had fallen asleep from exhaustion, and Violet decided it best that she attend to his wounds before getting some rest herself. She was careful not to wake him as she covered his wounded wing with some warm, dry leaves. With that, Violet lay on her pillow and fell asleep.

Sometime during the dark hours of the night, Violet awoke, and heard Mrs. Grey hooting. Mrs. Grey had lived a few branches away for many years now, and some nights Violet would hear the calming sound of her hoot. Violet decided it would be a good idea to get Mrs. Grey's advice. So she left the sleeping red bird and set out to see Mrs. Grey, hoping that she would be able to tell her what kind of bird he was...

“Well hello Violet! You're up late today!” hooted Mrs. Grey.

Violet told Mrs. Grey about the wounded red bird sleeping in her nest. She looked concerned. Mrs. Grey said it would be best if she be careful until they knew exactly what kind of bird he was. Soon the little sparrow and the motherly owl tiptoed into the nest, and found him sleeping soundly.

“He's a Cardinal,” whispered Mrs. Grey. Violet listened intently. A Cardinal, she had never seen one of those before. “Well be careful Violet, these fancy birds aren't too kind to little plain sparrows.” Violet found this hard to believe, how could such a beautiful creature be unkind.