*Smells like burnt chicken…

*Uh... yes? Don't tell me you've never seen a bird preen before!

*Now, I don't go out of my way to preen just anyone! You should feel honored!

Pet (preen) the vessel

Ok so...this wasn't the worst feeling, it was actually pretty nice...But-

"Couldn't sleep?"

"Midnight snack...? Without me!?"

"Looks like we're both night owls."

"Go back to bed."

"Smoke break? This late?"

"Looks like we'll both be tired as shit in the morning."

"Not sleeping is my thing actually,"

"Don't tell me we both had nightmares."

"Honey, it's late."

"I woke up and you weren't there."

"Sleepover where no one sleeps, imagine."

"I can stay the night if you want."

"You'll have serious bags under your eyes at this rate."

"It is peaceful this late....isn't it?"

"Wanna put on a movie and hope we doze off?"

"We gonna start an insomnia club?"

"Please try to get some rest."

"Don't make me tell you what time it is."

"Let me guess....rough night?"

"Look, I found some sheep we can count."

"Let's try decaf coffee right now..."

"Might as well do something fun if neither of us are sleeping."

"Worrying all night isn't going to help you."

"We could try cuddling? It helps me sleep."

"Sleep or no sleep....same bullshit tomorrow."

"Wonder if anywhere delivers at this hour..."

"Take out??? Oh a food coma- you're a genius."

"The stars are lovely, aren't they?"

"I have sleep meds, but clearly they didn't work."

"Dream of anything?"

"Being tired and unable to sleep....now that's some bullshit."

"Warm milk and cookies- could be worth a try?"

"Maybe you'd sleep better if you stop doomscrolling."

"You can tell me if something is wrong....but if not... I'm fine just hanging out in the dark."

INTRODUCTIONS CAME AND WENT AS quickly as Flower King’s closure. Uprooted in the most literal sense and seated meticulously in the school’s closet, resettlement tugs his heartstrings. Blue’s guilty of hiding his fatigue and woes, but revealing them is unfathomable. The part he plays in this ensemble has no room for error. Many rely on his performance, himself included. Were he to wilt, the others would follow. That tragedy mustn’t manifest.

AND YET IN THE CASTLE he perches, condemned until Ralsei has the time to inspect his “sprained” ankle. What a laugh without humor. He is without fault, the incident was incidental. Nothing plagues him physically, only psychologically, and no cure exists for that. What marginally improves his tragicomedy act is a new, interesting face. Right away Blue knows this is a Lightner.

This was okay! he thought, for the bluebird wasn't alone in his impatient agony.

To his right sat a stunning individual, practically glowing in his radiance. His smile in the face of woe could only be described as infectious, yet for a fellow actor like Berdly, there was something off about it in a way he couldn't quite put a finger on. The boy grins in response, at least happy to see someone take note of his presence.

*Salutations, o' fellow blue-hued compatriot! I am Berdly! A dashing knight in glow-in-the-dark armor!

*I may be here due to unforeseen unfortunate circumstances, but I shall not allow any minor injury to keep me from my duties.

HE  WOKE  UP.

it  wasn't  something  she'd  been  thinking  about.  not  really.  noelle  has  had  too  many  things  on  her  mind,  lately,  and  it's  horrible  to  say  it,  but  berdly  has  not  been  one  of  the  top  five.  god,  it's  terrible,  and  noelle  knows  it.  of  course  she  does.  he  doesn't  deserve  that  from  her  -  he  deserves  a  good  friend,  a  best  friend  rushing  to  see  him  first  chance  she  gets,  not  .  .  .

.  .  .  well,  not  this.  noelle  walks  through  the  doors  of  the  hospital  the  afternoon  after  kris-

her  eyes  slide  across  the  empty  waiting  room  in  front  of  her.  she  twists  two  fingers  around  the  ring  finger  of  her  left  hand  as  if  twisting  a  ring  that  is  not  there.  there  is  a  dull  throbbing  pinch  where  the  thorn  dug  its  way  in.  it  hurts  when  she  presses  on  it.  she  keeps  doing  so.  the  receptionist  looks  at  her,  and  noelle  looks  back.

“  hey,  hun,  ”  she  says,  warmly.  “  he's  gonna  be  able  to  go  tomorrow.  ”

noelle  blinks,  taking  a  long  moment  to  realize  she  means  noelle's  father.  right  -  dad  will  be  at  the  festival.  good.  that's  good.  she'll  have  the  chance  to  say  goodbye.

“  i'm  here  for  berdly,  actually,  ”  she  says,  voice  feeling  far  away.  the  receptionist  pauses,  then  nods.

“  second  room.  ”  she  knows.  she  looks  at  the  door  with  nothing  but  guilt  every  time  she  walks  by.

noelle  strides  into  the  hallway  with  hooves  clicking  on  the  floor.  it  sounds  like  her  mother's  gait.  she  swallows,  coming  to  a  stop  in  front  of  the  door.  she  hesitates  for  just  a  moment,  in  front  of  the  door,  before  taking  a  deep  breath.  he  deserves  to  know  what's  going  on.  she  opens  the  door.

he's  not  dead.  it's  a  hollow  relief,  though,  to  see  him  awake.  noelle  closes  the  door  behind  her,  hesitating  there  in  the  threshold.

So cold.

An icy grip clutches his SOUL. Holds it tight, refusing to let go. Every breath he takes leaves a chill from his beak, and every minute he clings to life, his consciousness falls deeper into the abyss. Yet he continues to persist. To what end? Not even he had an answer. All he remembers was a sheet of white and every molecule in his body turning to ice.

Would death have been a kinder fate?

As he begins to awaken from his nightmare, frostbitten wings lay numb in the hospital bed. First thing he sees is more white. This time, from the sterile ceiling. He inhales deep. An agonizing pain fills his lungs. The boy cringes as a frosty mist escapes from an exhale. Hard to breathe... hard to move... hard to notice he was even awake at all.

Yet the deer did. The one he so desperately wanted to protect. Was she... okay? He couldn't see her... He couldn't see anything. His gaze remains affixed to the florescent light, as if wondering when the Angel would take him away from this place. Yet... what remained him tethered to this mortal coil was the soft voice of his visitor.

*N... No... elle...

the bluebird croaked,