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It's been... about a few weeks since they were trapped there. Since his wings were clipped. So far, Parrot's managed to go unnoticed by anyone, having kept his wings tightly against his back at all times.
Many have asked why he doesn't just fly out, and he's managed to play it off by just saying he knows he won't get far without the guards catching up to Parrot with their rockets and elytras. It's a believable lie, if it can even be considered one, yet a few are suspicious. Wifies especially has been asking questions, knowing Parrot the best from everyone else.
They've just managed to get out with the help of Wemmbu bringing items and Ken's prison-breaking knowledge.
Wemmbu had brought elytras for everyone.. except for Parrot, trusting he could fly on his own wings. He can't. One by one, Parrot watches everybody take flight, until it's just him and Wifies, the latter looking at him expectantly.
"Are we go-" The dark haired one starts, only to be interrupted by the avian. "Let's walk instead... My wings hurt." Parrot half snaps, pulling his wings tighter against his back as he starts walking. ...That's it? That's the only thing he came up with?
With an eyebrow raise —which gets ignored— Wifies follows his best friend, slightly suspicious, yet quiet about it.
The walk is long, and eventually, they set to rest in a small cave they lit up and killed the monsters. They don't have much, but this is better than nothing. Wifies sets out to kill some sheep for wool and meat while Parrot stays at the cave, staring off into space until Wifies returns, snapping him out of his daze.
"Bro, are you good? You've been spacing off the whole time." His question is almost careful, like it would break Parrot, as he sits down next to the avian. Parrot manages to have a whole war with himself in just a few seconds, unsure whether he should tell Wifies or not, but before he has the chance to, the dog points his wings out.
"When's the last time you've preened your wings, dude?" It's a simple question, yet it causes Parrot's shame to skyrocket, reaching levels he didn't know were possible as he sinks in on himself with a cold "why do you care?" as he hopes that if he pulls his wings back tight enough, they'd disappear.
"Because you're complaining about them hurting when they're in this condition? No wonder you can't fly." A way to twist the knife, huh? Parrot almost flinches at Wifies' that, the dog's words hitting like a bucket of ice-water. "I mean, I get not having time in there, but damn. They're basically gray. You look depressed." How nice. Not only is he ashamed about the fact that his wings got clipped but also about the fact that they aren't preened.
With a few, cautious steps, Wifies approaches Parrot, like approaching a hurt animal. The dog bows his head slightly as a quiet "may I," standing there until he gets an answer. Parrot thinks for a moment and finally decides to just stretch his wings instead of speaking, finding it easier to just let his friend see the condition they're in rather than explaining it.
Wifies' ears flatten on top of his head, tail no longer wagging, as he just stares at the short, dull feathers, once so beautiful. The sight of the messy, less colorful feathers makes the scene even worse, as if Parrot lost all the life he had in him with every cut feather. With a small shake of his head, he pulls himself out of thought, which Parrot notices. "They're not that bad... are they?" The doubt in his voice is clear as day, eyes focused on everything but Wifies.
"When did.. this happen?" Is all Wifies answers, taking a few more steps towards his friend. "They got clipped by the guards." "That's why you wanted to walk?" The answer to that is obvious, which is exactly why Parrot doesn't answer. Instead, he just looks down at Wifies' feet as he approaches and takes a seat behind him.
With gentle hands, the dog tests the waters, placing a careful hand on the small of his back, just between his wings. He gently slides his hand down, just a few inches, but enough to get the message across. Parrot subconsciously leans into the touch, head dipping down as a silent go ahead.
With that, Wifies moves on to actually preening his friend's wings, starting from the top of the wings, carefully smoothing out each misaligned feather, teasing apart clumped feathers, and dusting the dirt off of each feather. With surprising gentleness, he works through the first area, slightly hesitant as he moves onto more sensitive areas.
Parrot just sits through it quietly, the feeling of someone else preening those wings so gently nicer than he thought. As Wifies moves onto the underside of his wing, he can't help the shiver that runs through him, face heating up from embarrassment as he mutters an apology. Wifies' gentleness is not helping at all with how sensitive Parrot is, and he just keeps embarrassing himself more and more with his stupid reactions. At one point, the avian almost hit Wifies in the face with his wing, all because of a reflex from it tickling slightly.
When his eyes start feeling heavier, he's not sure whether to be embarrassed or grateful. Parrot hasn't slept properly in weeks, plus having walked the whole day. He's exhausted. The sun had set about half an hour ago, and having his wings preened is not helping. The dog isn't even halfway done with his other wing, but he can't complain. His preened wing now feels cleaner and smoother, with every feather finally settled into place. But god. Falling asleep would be so, so embarrassing...
It'll probably take at least 45 minutes for Wifies to finish, and it's not looking good for Parrot. He's barely keeping himself from leaning against his friend as he feels the steady pace of the hands working on his wings, soft, warm, gentle. There's also the steady thump of Wifies' tail hitting the ground, not uneven enough to bother Parrot. He could just let himself fall asleep, but one can allow himself to only be so vulnerable with someone else. But those soothing hands, relieving all stress from his wings... It'd be the best sleep he's had and will have in a while.
Wifies' concentration doesn't waver once, completely focused on making sure his friend is comfortable with his own wings. He doesn't even realize as the hours pass, and by the time he's finished, Parrot's completely relaxed, breathing steadily, head slumped forward- Is he sleeping?
Wifies then notices a few things. 1, the sun has set. Probably a while ago. 2, his tail is thumping against the ground at an embarrassing pace. 3, Parrot's asleep, leaning against him, and he hasn't even crafted the beds yet... He could take the risk of waking up the avian, and craft the beds. But then again... He hasn't seen his friend this relaxed in a while... Wifies decides to just take one for the team, slightly fixes Parrot's position so his back and shoulders won't hurt too much in the morning, settles against the cave wall for the night, and dozes off himself.