Survival of the Fittest

Only Larry knows the intricate details of those first few months out of the Cage. But what I do know is that knowing neither here nor there, he bravely made his way across middle America, battling winds and temperatures unfit for a young green parrot. He scavenged for nuts and berries and learned to like the taste of larvae. He even found he possessed a certain knack for using his beak to extract all the good juicy grubs hiding in the trees.

And of course he made friends along the way, for Larry was a very friendly parrot and generally happy. He learned from the Ravens how to stay away from the feline species. He learned from the Hummingbirds how to find the sweetest nectar. And he and the Mockingbirds would carry on into all hours of the night playing the mimicking game, though none could seem to quite get his favorite whistle just the way he did it. Sometimes they'd fly away annoyed calling down to him, "Why can't you just sing like a normal bird? Why must you always screech?"

He liked all the friends he met along the way, but he never truly felt like he fit in. He was always the outsider. The green one. The one who liked to screech instead of sing. So he kept flying. Knowing that one day, he would find Home. And when he found Home, he would find his song.