Free write

Phillip

Phillip the finch shifted himself in his perch. He scanned the muddy ground, searching for small bugs or worms that had been driven out of the ground due to the torrential rainfall that had occurred the previous night. The sun was just starting to poke it's head over the horizon, and Phillip knew he had little time before the other finches began their hunt. He had woken up extra early today to hunt as he knew the ground would be rich with prey. He then spotted a tiny earthworm wriggling in the weeds directly below him. Wasting no time, he leaped from his perch and swooped down towards the earth. He landed on the ground with a thud, and snatched the worm up just in time as it tried to squirm it's way back to the ground. The worm wiggled in uncontrolled spasms as Phillip held it in his beak. Just then, the morning rush started. Birds of all sizes began waking up and flying down to the lower branches, and the silent morning soon became a cacophony of chirps, squeaks and squawks. "Nice catch there Phil!" Phillip trotted around, showing his worm off to the growing crowd of animals in the trees. Phillip noticed a couple of birds descend from the lower branches. As they got closer, Phillip realized that it was Jonathan and his lackeys. Jonathan landed gracefully on the ground next to Phillip. "Got yourself a nice worm Phil?" "Yeah" "looks like you had to wake up pretty early to get that one." "Yeah" "It'd be a shame if someone stole it." "Jonathan, please, go get your own worm, there's plenty more out there." Jonathan stepped closer. "Listen you little runt. The way I see it, if you can't defend your catch, then you don't deserve to have it in the first place." The other birds, sensing the tension in the air, began to gather around Phillip and Jonathan, all of them, flying to the ground, and forming a big circle around the two finches. "Well, are we gonna get to see a good fight or what?" Yelled one impatient cardinal from the crowd. "Jonathan, I don't wanna do this today," Phillip pleaded.  Jonathan stood there for a moment, pondering this idea, and then finally said. "Alright Phil. Looks like you worked hard enough for that worm. You keep it. I won't fight you today." The crowd groaned, most of them hoping for a fight. Fights always got birds excited. Phil breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to cut through the crowd to get to his nest. Just as he was about to escape to his nest, he felt an explosion of pain in his lower tailbone as he was rocketed into the crowd. He got up wearily, his tailbone aching, and was pushed into the circle by a couple of grackels. "Never let your guard down, short stack," Said Jonathan as he lunged at Phillip. Phillip avoided the attack, and Jonathan flew right past him and sprawled out onto the muddy soil. Phillip turned around and was about to leap off the ground to fly, but Jonathan clamped his beak around Phillips leg and pulled him towards the earth. Phillip tried to raise his wing to protect his face, but Jonathan stamped it down and dug his claws into Phillips wing. Phillip cried out, but Jonathan did not relent. Instead, he began pulling Phillips feathers out with his beak. Phillip tried to get out of his hold, but Jonathan's talons were sturdy. He struggled and struggled, but the worm tumbled from his beak onto the ground, still wriggling wildly. Jonathan's attacks finally subsided, and he grabbed the worm from the ground in triumph. "Thanks for the worm, kid," he said as he and his friends took off to enjoy their meal up in the treetops. As the crowed began to disperse, Phillip felt wings grab him around the stomach and pull him up. "C'mon Phil, you gotta get up." Phillip looked up to see that his savior was his best friend Kyle, a Mockingbird from the eastern grove who had been Phillip's rock for that past 3 months.