Tick Tock Goes The Clock p4

         Tick and Hera were running in the woods, soon being followed by soldiers of the royal armada. He tried to spot a place to hide when something caught his eye and he suddenly stopped. Grabbing her arm, Tick led her in a new direction. They ran into a small clearing where they fell into a small tunnel leading to an underground den. The opening closed after them as if it was a trap door.

         Before they could say anything, a voice in the darkness told them to be quiet. For a few moments it was silent but then they could feel the ground shaking. Tick could hear the soldiers marching above. After a while the marching stopped and they took a minute to relax. A match was lit, lighting the small den. Revealing a kenku like Tick but bigger. The larger kenku puts the match in a lanturn hanging from the top of the hole.

"Who are you?" Asked Hera.
"Name's Digger." He said with an Australian accent.
         Tick couldn't stop staring, he hasn't seen another Kenku since he was young. Being surrounded by other species his entire life, he didn't know what he was supposed to be or how he was supposed to act. His mind was racing, entranced by the larger male. Hera snapped him out of this trance-like state by nudging him.
"-Oh! Uh, I'm Tick and this is Hera. We didn't mean to drop in but..we were being chased. and-" Tick said before being interrupted.
"It's fine, stay and rest. I was about to venture to the nearest market for food so feel free to stay."

         Tick looked at Hera for a moment then they both looked back to Digger and nodded. A few minutes pass by before Tick decides to speak.
"He...he's like me. But, better? I don't know, I couldn't think. That was weird. We'll wait for him to return, eat and then move on." Tick said.

         Hera nodded and they sat in silence for a while before Digger returned with a bag of food, giving some to the visiters. After sharing their appreciation, they climbed out of the whole and began to venture back into the forest, on the hunt for a safe place. But as they continued, Tick never stopped thinking about the other Kenku. Wondering why he acted so anxiously.