[AW] Cheep Cheep!

[Annabeth]

Wet, soggy earth squelched with each step Annabeth took in the flooded fields. Her pale lavender-pink nares lowered to sniff inquisitively at the ground. A soft, worried frown furrowed between her eyes at the strained and weakened roots of the plants. Forced to remain in the hospital during the heavy rainfall that accompanied her arrival, Anna had no idea the damage was this bad. The swamp had weathered the storm better since, well, it was always soggy and wet there. Plus, Anna had a feeling that someone, or something, made sure the hospital remained intact. Though it was difficult for her to be sure since she was incredibly weak and emaciated at that time.

Doggedly, Anna continued to trudge along and take stock of the damage. The healers had released her reluctantly, and gave strict orders to only walk a little ways. She wasn't quite sure how far away she was now... but that couldn't be helped. Anna blushed guiltily, though there was no one around to upbraid her. Surely she wouldn't get into too much trouble... Perhaps she should attempt to wipe off some of the muck before returning to the hospital. Though that wouldn't hide the softly heaving breaths she took, or the obvious sheen of sweat that lingered despite the cool temperatures.

Clearly, Anna had over exerted herself, but did that stop her? No, it rather did not.

Spotting a scrubby bush, Anna's ears perked and she made her way towards it. Here the ground was more solid thanks to the slightly more complex roots. Carefully, she poked and prodded. Propping up stems here, and trimming dead or irreparable branches there. She hummed while she worked and after several minutes passed, realized that someone was accompanying her. Anna peered into the depths of the bush and was surprised to spot a crooked nest where the warbling came from. Gently she extracted the cradle and looked with some consternation at a pair of incredibly indignant, fledgling birds.

"Cheep!"

Anna blinked. The nestling on the right blinked back.

"Cheep, cheep!" It demanded reproachfully.

"I'm terribly sorry I didn't mean to disturb you... only, where are your parents?" Anna inquired, tilting her head worriedly. The rain had stopped quite some time ago and while one nestling seemed perfectly happy to engage in conversation, the second seemed quite lethargic. 

"Cheep!"

Anna sighed at the fledgling and fretfully began to consider the pair. Every couple of years her family would find baby birds without their parents. Usually they were good for the crops, so they would raise and release them when they were ready. Anna thought she knew just about every bird in the region, but these ones were wholly new to her. What did they eat? How old were they? Were their parents truly gone? While she thought, she carefully set the nest on a nearby rock, the only thing that wasn't damp, and covered it with a scrap of cloth. Perhaps if she waited for just a moment the parents would appear...

@Asterion