Trico crooned lowly, fluttering his wings and scattering feathers onto the ground beneath him. He sniffed, tilting his head towards the leaves of the tall trees that surrounded him. The boy. His boy. Trico couldn't actually smell him, but he knew the child was close.

The creature was traveling by foot, trodding down well-worn forest paths and stepping easily over fallen trunks. It was a bit peculiar to see him walking. His kind wasn't suited for long distances on foot. They were built for agile, quick, intense attacks that left their opponent reeling.

Flying would have made more sense. He would have been able to cover much more ground, far more quickly, and wouldn't have been restricted by the environment around him.

However, something held him back.

From the bushes, a small trill pierced the air. Then, suddenly, a beast erupted out of the fauna, wings flapping, tail waving, bouncing about in a careless fashion. Trico let out a short rumble, and the other beast immediately calmed down… for a short time.

This was Trico's daughter. She was young, younger than he had been when he'd first met the boy. She was shorter than he was, her feathers downier, horns and wings smaller. Her feathers took on a much brighter hue, especially when she stood next to her father. The pup was boisterous, playful, and energetic, something that Trico would normally be happy to oblige in. Now, however, time was of the essence. He had to get to the human.

After he and the child had been separated, Trico had reluctantly returned to the Nest. Injured, exhausted, and scarred, he spent many days sleeping. When he'd awoken, he found another beast of his kind sitting beside him.

It was the one who'd consistently attacked the boy and himself during their adventure. At first, he was wary, sharply remembering the wounds she'd inflicted on him. However, after breaking free of the armor's influence, she was far more agreeable, and quite apologetic.

They'd gotten along well after that, and Trico had enjoyed her company. He had never been able to form a lasting relationship with another creature, besides the boy.

They explored the Nest together, leaping grandly and fearlessly from stone tower to stone tower, playing on tall spires and dancing on precarious ledges.

Before too long, she had borne a child. Full of bright-eyed curiosity, the pup had to be closely monitored, or else she was bound to walk straight off a cliff.

At first, Trico was a bit confused- and almost afraid- of the pup. His species weren't natural born parents, so it certainly took some learning on both of their parts. Soon, they all grew used to each other, and the adults had great fun teaching their child the ways of the Nest.

Weeks passed, and suddenly, Trico's mate passed away.

An illness had taken her, one that made her feathers rot and her eyes lose their shine. Her claws crumbled, beak softened, limbs weakened. Before long, she wasn't able to stand. Trico and the pup attempted to care for her, but there was nothing they could do. Eventually, she passed quietly.

Did Trico miss her? Vaguely. Distantly, in the way that animals did. He knew he had enjoyed his time with her, but he certainly didn't pine for it.

Besides, he had a child to take care of.

She was batting at a butterfly now, squeaking excitedly as it tried to get away from her. Gently, Trico thwapped her with his tail, distracting her, and allowing her prey to escape. In retaliation, she nipped at the tail, growling playfully.

With a snort, the elder creature began to move off once more, the younger following obediently.

They'd been following the stone warriors for days now, ever since the mirror had alerted Trico. He'd felt it once, before they'd started their journey, his tail twitching involuntarily. Then, once more, just today. The tip of his tail had sparked, and then fizzled out. Ever since getting part of his tail ripped off, it was incapable of firing the deadly lightning it had possessed. The mirror, however, still exercised some form of power over him.

It had to be the boy. He possessed the mirror. This logic was simple, but it stood out in Trico's mind. The boy owned the mirror, and the mirror directed him.

And he missed his boy.

Directly, almost in the way that humans did. He did, indeed, pine for their time together. He wanted the child back, to play, to relax, and to adventure with him.

It wasn't all emotional, though. Part of it was instinctive. Trico knew that he and the boy worked very well together. They had survived, and they had conquered the Nest. Every animal has a desire to be the best, and to provide the best possible future for their offspring. The human's intelligence and spirit was the most sure-fire way to secure that.

So, he and his child had set out to find the human.

After the stone warriors had lost a good portion of their air force, they had been working diligently on a way to escape the Nest. Previously, air travel had been the only way in or out. Trico and the boy had caused a mass death of many creatures of his kind, weakening the warriors' force exponentially. Still, they were not an army to take lightly.

For months, they labored, cutting a tunnel through one of the gigantic walls of the Nest. Trico and his family had avoided them as much as they were able to. They'd done an excellent job. The warriors weren't even aware of their existence.

A loud rumbling of footsteps had announced the tunnel's completion. From a secret, hidden perch, Trico and the pup had watched the army go by, heading outwards, to an unknown destination.

With no hesitation or planning, the two beasts trailed along.

And now, they were on the road.

As they were walking, a sound echoed through the forest. Both creatures heard it at the same time, radar ears perking, head swiveling. All was silent, all was still. Trico hardly breathed, and his pup, frightened and wary of her father's reaction, did the same.

They listened, and focused, shaking out of their plodding, traveling mode. More and more sounds were brought to light.

The clank of stone, the outcry of men, the scuffling of a battle.

With no warning, Trico broke into a sprint, leaving the other behind with a confused squawk.

The fighting raged. All around him, men and women were yelling in victory and pain, courageously throwing themselves into the fray.

He could feel proud later. For now, he needed to help them.

The man dashed towards a stone warrior, growling a fierce battle cry. He dove, smashing himself into the warrior's waist, and bringing them both to the ground. Leaping up, he wrestled with the thing, grabbing its spear and snatching it.

Now he had a weapon. A much more sturdy weapon than the wooden spears his village had to offer.

The stone man beneath him was flailing, trying to get up, trying to grasp and tear at his skin. How did he stop them? There was a way, he knew there was a way…

A memory alighted inside of him, and he scrabbled at the warrior's head, fighting for a good grip. Once he got it, the man planted his feet, and pulled as hard as he could. It took some work, but eventually, the thing's head popped off.

Immediately, it went limp, rock arms flopping back onto the ground, the light and life flickering out of it.

He allowed himself a triumphant moment, holding the head aloft.

"Pull off their heads!" he shouted, hoping his people would hear him over the din. "Pull off the heads, yank them off!"

Thankfully, those closest to him heard, and changed their tactics.

Still, however, they seemed to be outmatched. Soldiers were appearing everywhere, pouring out of the bushes and replacing their felled allies.

Something else. There had to be something else. He was the only one that had faced these warriors in the past. His people were looking at him to help them, to use his expertise to win this battle.

There was no time for thinking. A woman was screaming out, caught by one of the enemy. It held her shoulder roughly, keeping her in place while aiming carefully with its spear, ready to impale her skull.

The man ran, adrenaline rushing through his veins. Holding his spear horizontally, he rammed the soldier with it, bowling the thing over. They were, he had discovered, not quite as sturdy as they looked. Their balance certainly left something to be desired.

The next few minutes were lost to the man. He fought, and fought, and fought. Almost mindlessly, he charged the stone soldiers, fighting tooth and nail to defend his kind.

It wasn't enough.

Bit by bit, the humans were being pushed back, more and more of them falling to the merciless hand of the stone men.

Humans got tired, where rock did not.

The villagers were getting exhausted, and while they still fought valiantly, their bodies were weary.

The man wasn't immune to it, either. He stumbled and fell, picking himself back up, even though he found it much more agreeable to stay put.

Finally, it was over. The humans were huddled together in a small group, the strongest on the outside, spears and other weapons pointed out. Stone warriors surrounded them on all sides, steadily growing closer despite the efforts to keep them away.

As the man backed up, he ran into another villager. Something clattered against his back.

The mirror?

The mirror!

Desperately, he pulled it out, fumbling in his panic. Holding it like a shield, he pointed it at the stone warriors. The bright green circle illuminated the armor, resembling a crosshair.

The armor stopped. It twitched. It jerked. It collapsed in on itself, and reverted back into a crouched pose.

This was good. But it wasn't enough. As soon as he moved the mirror, that armor would return to a battle ready state. And besides, there were far too many stone warriors for him to illuminate.

He'd failed. They'd failed. The mirror had failed.

Tears ran down his face and into his beard, but he paid them no mind. The soldiers were getting closer and closer now, almost within arms' reach. It would be over soon. Fruitlessly, he kept the mirror pointed at the crouched armor, as if it would do any good.

In fact, it did do some good.

Another rumbling could be heard across the clearing. The man's heart sank. More reinforcements for the warriors?

He didn't need to wonder long.

Suddenly, the bushes exploded outwards, tree branches snapping off as two gigantic creatures leaped into the clearing. They destroyed the foliage around them with their size and speed, though they didn't seem to care too much.

The elder planted his feet firmly, eyes glowing a hostile red. He flapped his wings, hunched down, and roared a mighty roar, one that shook the ground itself. His daughter, behind him, mimicked the gesture, tail thrashing.

Both soldiers and humans stopped what they were doing, stilling and quieting. The entire battlefield grew silent for a split second, as the sudden appearance of two new combatants sank in.

Only one man spoke, lowering his mirror.

"…Trico?"