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The sun was a strange sight after three days of nothing but rain. The rolling gray clouds had finally drifted away, giving mercy to the poor, soaked bird kids out on the run. They'd taken shelter over night in a shallow cave, formed by rock structures and tree roots. They were dirty, hungry, and scared. Sleep was hard to find, but that was nothing new to Flick.

He was already awake, sitting by the mouth of their pitiful shelter, watching the sun creep up into the sky. It was so surreal...seeing it like this. Not through a window, not surrounded by desert...just...free. 

[i]But for how long?[/i] His inner pessimist nagged. Flick pushed that thought aside. He turned his head to glance over at his shoulder, peering at the shabby group of rag tag kids snoozing behind him. He wouldn't, [i]couldn't[/i], let those monsters get their hands on them again. 

He stood and walked out into the cool morning to start picking up fallen nuts from a nearby tree. They'd been living on raw nuts, berries, and whatever they could catch for the last few days, and the lack of nutrition was starting to get to them. A quick scouting trip last night revealed that they were close to a large city. Flick debated whether the prospect of potential food was worth the risk. They had to eat, but the idea of being surrounded by strangers, threats lurking anywhere, make him dread the idea.

They'd been through a lot over the past few days, from start to finish.

[i]Flick was curled up in his cage, half way asleep, half awake. The sound of rain and thunder penetrated the walls, even this deep into the facility. The others were sleeping quietly, waiting for a new day and new tests to begin. The door to their storage room unlocked, and Flick cracked his eyes open. It was a bit too early for testing, wasn't it? 

A person dressed in a large, black hoodie and sweat pants walked in. They wore a ski mask, hiding their face. Flick sat up immediately, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end at the sight of a potential threat. The person made a beeline for his cage. He glared at them, his gleaming eyes making contact with theirs. The he could hear them fiddling with the lock on his cage. The door swung open. He recoiled, expecting to be grabbed. Instead, a key landed on the floor in front of him.

"What are you waiting for? GO!" The voice was modified; robotic almost. Flick looked up. A trap? But then, just as sudden as they had come, the mysterious person fled. Flick didn't waste another second. He burst from his cage, grabbing the key, and began going around and releasing everyone else. They needed to get out of here, fast. [/i]