🌟 The Caged Bird 🌟 [Rebooted Reader Insert]

part 2: the remaining days...

5 days since 'relocating'

From that day, the rest of your incubation was spent under the care of these new entities. And admittedly, while you're not completely fond of the silence that you'd occasionally be left in, you've become accustomed to this new semi-silent setting.

And during this time, you've come to learn a lot about your current circumstances.

Well... not overly much, but just enough.

For one, you're now being kept in a new nest owned by the male, whom is referred to as Steven. And it was him who was tending to your egg, often rotating it every so often and making sure the bedding around it was comfortably warm. He even gave you little nicknames like "little buddy" and "bud." He seemed very fond of you already. In fact, no sooner than he started calling you those nicknames, he started talking with you much more frequently; either about his day or just events that had occurred to him.

Occasionally, the female he'd call Connie would come around, often with new information about what "breed of bird" you could be. Other than that, she'd come around to just check on you, to make sure you were still warm and alive.

Needless to say, you've quickly grown very fond of them both. Steven's enthusiasm and excitement for you had almost perfectly matched your birth father's, while Connie, even with her visits being scarce, she seemed to care very much for your well-being, and was the one to inform Steven on how to properly tend to an egg, much like your birth mother had.

However, whenever he and Connie were together, the discussions they'd often have would always drift as to what "breed" you could be, and to what you could hatch into. They'd throw around ideas and offered up suggestions as to what bird it might belong to.

At first, you found it amusing, listening to them list off funny sounding names like Tinamou or Emu, but it became so frequent that it became boring.

It was at this point you'd zone out and drift back to a sleep-like state, as you've long since grown bored of their assumptions.

And today would be no different, as Steven had mentioned today that Connie had uncovered a new "idea" to you.

At least it was what you'd assume. But you didn't think much on the matter as you felt yourself get enveloped into a comforting warmth...
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"Here, buddy! Fresh from the dryer." Steven delicately wrapped the (color) egg in a warmed blanket, and adjusting the lamp so it wouldn't cause overheating. "Hope this isn't too much for ya..."

There was a knock at the door, to which Steven perked up, turning head towards the direction of the source. "Be right back."

Heading down the stairs to the front door, he's greeted to the sight of a dark-skinned girl with short hair peering back at him with a warm, if a little tentative smile on her face. She waved shyly with one hand, while holding a notably thick looking book in the other. "Hey Steven!"

At once, Steven straightened up and quickly made his way to the door, opening it. "Hey Connie!" He gestured for her to come in, to which she graciously obliges. "How's the egg doing?" Connie asked, instinctively following Steven to his room.

"I think it's doing well!" He motioned to the hand basket set up on his dresser, to the well wrapped egg. "It's starting to move around now!"

Connie walked up to it, looking over it with uneasy eyes. Steven caught this, and his expression softened into a look of concern. "What's up? Did you find any clues as to what it could be?"

"Uhm... yeah." She uttered, as she stared pensively at the egg, trying hard to search for anything; any specific traits that stuck out, anything that looked at least similar to any bird she's researched... but no.

No bird egg she's searched up had such a vibrantly shiny (color) shell, nor did it have shiny (color) scales decorating it.

Part of her knew that this theory she had come up with was a far cry from logical, but at this point it was the only conclusion she had left in this case.

She could only hope he'd understand.

"Connie?" Steven's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She drew in a deep breath and sat down on the side of his bed.

"Thing is... I... don't think it's a bird."

Steven's brow furrowed, surprised at the claim. "What do you mean?"

Connie winced. "I mean... It doesn't match any of the birds I've looked up. No reptiles either. No bird or reptile is even capable of laying an egg that looks like that."

Steven opened his mouth to question her further, she shows him her latest book she's acquired.

It was an old looking book, with a golden text stamped across the cover. Squinting, Steven read the title out loud;

Bestiary of mythical creatures

Furrowing his brow, he glanced back up at Connie, who had a sheepish expression.

"No normal bird, maybe..."

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For those who aren't familiar with it:

Bestiary- a descriptive on various real or mythical kinds of animals, especially a medieval work with a moralizing tone.