My eyes opened as I sucked in a lungful of amniotic fluid. I immediately tried to cough it out, but the odd thing on the front of my face made it difficult. That, combined with the constant influx of new fluid into my lungs caused fear and panic to set in.

I tried to scream for help... But nothing came out. I tried to move my arms... But they didn't move like I thought they would. For starters, I didn't seem to have an elbow, hands, or any fingers. I could move my shoulders fairly easily, though only in a few directions. I could move my toes... Of which, I apparently had four; three facing forward and one poking out from where my heel should be.

That's when the memories clicked.

"Oh... I almost forgot. I'm a bird, now." I wanted to slap myself for forgetting the deal with the voice, but as I currently lacked hands, I decided to give myself a pass.

"So... Am I like, in an egg?" My head bumped against something soft, but with a solid surface beneath it.

"Seems that way."

The lack of oxygen was starting to get to me. I could feel my lungs tensing under the pressure, and my head was beginning to hurt.

Could birds even get headaches?

...

Yes, I decided they— or, at least I could.

I took a page out of an old documentary I watched while I was in the hospital and used the semi-hard thing on the front of my face to peck at the soft membrane separating me from the hard outer shell of the egg.

".......!"

I briefly registered the sound of a muffled voice coming from outside the egg... But I had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment... Like breathing. Which, as I've been told repeatedly, is a rather important item on a growing kid's to-do list.

Pulling my head back until it bumped against the opposite side of the egg, I swung it forward with all the strength I could muster. I heard the outer shell crack through the liquid. I swung my head again and another, though much louder, crack was my reward. I pulled my head back a third time and broke through with a triumphant cough of glee!

Well, I say triumphant... But it was more along the lines of weak and pitiful.

"Aww~" A warm, feminine voice cooed from above me. "Looks like he tuckered himself out."

"As well he should be!" A much more masculine voice replied. "The lazy boy is two days behind his siblings!"

"Oh, hush dear!" The feminine voice scolded. "I told you he'd come out on his own time, and he did."

"Aye..." The masculine voice sighed. "That ya did. Still, what took him so long? I was beginning ta think the egg was a dud."

"You should have more faith in your chicklings, Tahir. You'll live longer that way."

"Okay... I'm kinda scared of the lady."

I slowly reopened my eyes and looked at what I presumed to be 'mom' and 'dad'... And I honestly had no idea which was which.

One of the two was a fairly large bird, maybe two feet tall? With pitch-black feathers, long, strong-looking legs, deep black eyes, and a single feather standing proud on top of their head.

The other bird was much smaller and much— much more colorful. It was half the size of the first and had bright green feathers that enveloped its tiny body like a plush robe, short, stick-like legs, and dark-red eyes that seemed to stare menacingly at me.

Until the bigger bird gave it a thwack with its wing.

"Enough with the glaring, ya brightly-colored buffoon! Can't you see he's frightened!?" The feminine voice said from... The large bird's beak.

"Bah!" The little bird scoffed. "If he's scared of a little 'glaring'," The bird emphasized sarcastically. "Then we might as well throw him from the nest now."

"I'll throw you from the nest, first." Mom said casually.

"Oh yeah, and how'd ya plan to do that? I can fly, ye flightless heifer."

Suddenly, and without warning, mom struck out with one of her legs and slammed the bottom of her foot into dad's chest. Though she was careful to avoid sticking one of her sharp talons into the much smaller bird, I could tell it hurt him... It also knocked his tiny butt over the edge of the nest and presumably into a freefall towards the ground.

"Then fly!"She yelled over the side of the nest.

"Now, sweetie. Let's get you cleaned up and dried, shall we? You look absolutely pitiful all wet like that." She cooed at me.

"O—" I coughed up some fluid. "Okay." I stood up on pitifully weak legs and flopped out of the nest.

"Aww~ Poor thing... Hungry?" She asked as she leaned over me.

"I guess so."

"As I suspected!" She said cheerfully.

She tilted her head back and made a wretched gaging sound.

"Oh... Oh no..."

"On second thought," I began. "Maybe I'm not so hungry, after all."

"Nonsense." Another wretched gagging sound. "All growing chicks must eat."

"No, really, I'm fine." I protested while trying to stand up. Failing that, I started using my damp, weak, and extremely small wings to push myself across the nest... Though to all the world it probably looked like I was having a stroke, I swear I was doing it on purpose.

Until I felt a foot on my back.

"You'll eat or I'll force it down your throat, young man." She cooed at me.

I tucked my beak into my chest and hid it as best I could.

"No!"

I felt her foot prodding at my side. I quickly tried to tuck my wings into my side, but they just wouldn't listen to me! It was like trying to throw a baseball after laying on your arm for twelve hours.

She managed to get one of her toes underneath my stomach, then she pushed me over with a huff.

"There's always one."

She placed her foot on my stomach and leaned over me.

"Open."

I kept my beak shut.

"O—Pen~" She cooed.

I refused.

Quick as a flash, she lightly stamped on my stomach. My beak opened with a gasp of air leaving my lungs, and she vomited right. inside. my mouth.

I gagged, I coughed, I sputtered, I cursed this nameless bird in every language I'd ever known.

"Has it popped yet?" She asked in a curious tone.

"Popped?" I kept my beak closed in case she had any more 'food' for me.

And that... Is when things got really weird.

Congratulations! You have earned your first evolution point!

"I've earned a what now?"

Name Rage Current diet Fruits, nuts, seeds Current evolution style Flightless Avian Current senses Basic Avian Current movement style Flightless Avian

Evolution Points 1/1 Possible Evolution Options

Weak—> Mild wings— 15 points

Weak—> Mild Legs— 10 points

Normal Vision—> Hunter's vision— 12 points

Blunt Talons—> Basic Talons— 5 points

Change diet: Basic—> Carnivore— 15 points

Change diet: Basic—> Omnivore— 25 points

Size Change Tiny—> Small— 20 points

Size change Tiny—> Diminutive— 10 points

"Ah! There it is!" Mom exclaimed as she seemed to stare at the thing floating in front of my face.

"You can see it?"

"Sure can." She agreed. "Now, are you going to just lay there all day or are you going to come meet your siblings?"

"Honestly, I rather just—"

"Eat again?"

"No!" I yelled. "I mean... No, thanks. I'm full."

"You sure?"

"Definitely."

"Okay, well, let me know if you change your mind." She replied. She gave a little hop and landed on the branch holding up the nest.

"Well?" She asked after a moment.

"Coming." I sighed as I slowly climbed to my feet while using the edge of the nest to keep my balance. Once I was standing to my complete and imposing height of... About five inches. I stumbled after my mother.

And promptly fell flat on my beak.

"Remind me... Why did I pick the bird, again?"

"Going for a bit of a laydown, are you?"

"No..." I fought my way to my feet. "I thought I saw something shiny" I sarcastically replied as I toddled over to her.

I could already tell that this was going to take some getting used to.