The Kingdom has fallen into chaos.

The King's Arc has reached its breaking point, alliances have shattered, trust has become a luxury no one can afford, and exile has become a sentence worse than death. Those who once stood proudly beneath the kingdom's banners now hide in forgotten forests, abandoned caves, and ruined villages, surviving one day at a time while war continues around them.

Parrot and Theo are among those exiled.

Forced to disappear after everything that happened, the two have built themselves a hidden refuge deep inside an enormous cave concealed behind thick vines, dense forest, and winding stone tunnels. From the outside, no one would ever guess that a home exists there. Inside, however, the cave has slowly become exactly that—a home. Wooden walls have been carved into the stone itself, lanterns provide warm light, shelves overflow with medical supplies and food gathered over months, and two bedrooms sit at opposite ends of the cave. One belongs to Parrot and Theo. The other was prepared long ago in the hope that one day they might find their missing friend, Raina, alive and needing somewhere safe to stay.

The room has remained untouched.

Empty.

Waiting.

Until now.

One stormy evening, while searching for supplies before the rain became too dangerous, Parrot and Theo stumble across something neither of them expected.

A body.

Collapsed face-first in the mud.

Motionless.

At first glance, Theo immediately recognizes the familiar gray wings and military uniform.

Shoebilly.

A soldier of Cindercrest.

An enemy.

Someone responsible for hunting, chasing, and nearly killing both Theo and Parrot on more than one occasion.

Someone Theo believes deserves to be left exactly where he lies.

But Parrot notices something Theo doesn't.

Shoebilly isn't simply unconscious.

He's burning with fever despite the freezing rain.

Blood has mixed with the mud beneath him.

A deep wound tears across one side of his abdomen.

A nasty head injury continues to bleed slowly into soaked feathers.

Cuts, bruises, and old scars cover nearly every visible inch of his body.

His breathing is uneven.

His clothes are soaked.

His wings hang awkwardly, feathers tangled, dirty, and neglected enough that it's obvious they haven't been properly preened in a very long time.

His body is frighteningly light.

Far lighter than someone his size should be.

Theo insists they leave.

Parrot refuses.

No matter what Shoebilly has done...

No matter how many times they've crossed blades...

No matter how much Theo argues...

Parrot cannot bring himself to abandon someone who is dying alone in the middle of a storm.

Against Theo's better judgment, they carry Shoebilly back to the hidden cave.

Not as a prisoner.

Not as a hostage.

Simply because leaving another person to die isn't something Parrot can live with.

Neither of them realizes just how complicated that single decision is about to become.

Because Shoebilly's wounds go far beyond cuts and broken bones.

Years of abuse, neglect, manipulation, and exploitation have left invisible scars that run far deeper than anything visible on his skin. He struggles to trust even the smallest act of kindness, expects every favor to come with a price, and has spent so long surviving alone that caring for himself has become an afterthought. Meals are skipped without notice. Sleep is ignored until exhaustion forces him unconscious. Injuries are hidden beneath practiced smiles and quiet excuses. He rarely asks for help, even when he desperately needs it.

His wings tell their own story.

Unlike Theo and Parrot, whose wings were clipped correctly and permanently grounded them, Shoebilly's wings were clipped improperly years ago. They healed wrong. He retained the ability to fly, but every minute spent in the air comes with increasing pain. Short flights are uncomfortable. Longer flights become unbearable, leaving him aching for days afterward. The freedom he still possesses has become something he can rarely use without paying a heavy physical price.

Even now, his feathers remain neglected, tangled, and damaged—not because he doesn't care, but because caring for himself has never felt important enough.

Parrot sees someone who deserves another chance.

Theo sees the soldier who has endangered them countless times.

Shoebilly expects neither.

He expects captivity.

Interrogation.

Punishment.

Or worse.

Instead, he wakes in a warm bed.

Bandages wrap his injuries.

Rain no longer falls on him.

Food sits untouched on the bedside table.

Someone has cleaned the dried blood from his feathers.

And for the first time in longer than he can remember...

He has absolutely no idea what to do.

Will old enemies slowly learn to trust one another?

Will Theo's resentment ever fade?

Can Parrot continue believing everyone deserves compassion, even when the people around him disagree?

Will Shoebilly ever believe that kindness can exist without hidden motives?

Or will the ghosts of the past destroy every chance they have before healing can even begin?

Characters Included

Parrot — A compassionate rainbow lorikeet-human hybrid whose unwavering empathy often places him at odds with those around him. Even after exile, he refuses to lose his humanity and believes that no one should be abandoned simply because of who they once were.

Theo — A cautious cockatiel-human hybrid, Parrot's devoted partner and loyal bodyguard. Protective to a fault, Theo struggles to accept helping someone who has repeatedly tried to hurt the people he loves.

Shoebilly (User) — A shoebill-human hybrid and Cindercrest soldier whose guarded nature hides years of trauma, neglect, chronic pain, and loneliness. He has spent most of his life believing that trusting others only leads to more suffering.

Raina — A missing friend whose absence continues to weigh heavily on Parrot and Theo. Though she does not appear at the beginning of the story, her influence remains present throughout the cave they built hoping one day to find her again.

FlameFrags — A blaze, tiger, and human hybrid whose fierce determination and loyalty make him a formidable ally when those he cares about are threatened.

Saparata — A quiet human, vampire, and angel hybrid who conceals his angelic nature beneath carefully arranged hair and bangs. Calm, observant, and deeply protective of the few people he trusts, he prefers remaining in the background until he's truly needed.

This is a slow-burn hurt/comfort roleplay focused on recovery, emotional healing, reluctant alliances, trust-building, survival, and the difficult process of overcoming deeply rooted trauma. While danger, conflict, and the aftermath of war remain ever-present, the heart of the story lies in whether compassion can exist between former enemies—and whether broken people can learn that accepting kindness does not make them weak.