SPECIMEN LOG: The Glass Tweedler

[knux400]

~~~SPECIMEN LOG~~~
0502 "The Glass Tweedler"
[CW: Reproduction (plantlike/asexual), Death]
Entry 2- Disability and Dispute

Day 147: Two more pods have opened, each revealing another baby tweedler. One left through the window, but the other seems to be taking a much longer time for its wings to unfold.

Day 149: One more pod opened today and the tweedler inside left through the window. The other tweedler remains grounded.

Day 150: To avoid confusion, nicknames have been assigned to the two tweedlers currently in observation. The adult tweedler nesting in our research center has been named "Fortune". The juvenile tweedler that currently remains grounded for unknown reasons has been named "Lucky".

Day 151: Lucky was captured in a plastic cup and brought into the lab for analysis. Upon comparison with sketches of Fortune taken at a younger age, Lucky's left wing appears to be deformed. The fine crystal fibers that make up the lower portion of the wing seem fused together, and the wing seems to fold up backwards, resting along the chest instead of along the side. It seems that Lucky is unable to fly due to this condition.

Day 152: Lucky has been moved to an enclosed area on a table. Despite being unable to fly, it has developed a sort of shuffle it can use to move along the ground.

Day 154: The last pod opened today and the tweedler inside left uneventfully. The plant is growing healthily otherwise, with no change in any flowers apart from the ones Fortune touched or emerged from.

Day 157: Fortune has taken an interest in Lucky's enclosure, occasionally hovering near it. Lucky seems to be moving around its area less and less, often sleeping for the majority of the day.

Day 159: Fortune frequently visits Lucky's enclosure now, landing next to Lucky. Fortune will gently touch its beak to Lucky's, and an energy discharge has been detected similar to that of a sting.

Day 163: Lucky's overall energy level has increased. Though it still cannot fly, it frequently explores its enclosure, shuffling around to inspect various objects. Another tweedler has been spotted flying in through the window, briefly observing the area before leaving again.

Day 168: Additional shred-detecting equipment shows that Fortune is 'feeding' Lucky, storing extra shreds within its own body and transferring a portion of them to Lucky. It seems that without the ability to fly, Lucky is unable to gather as many shreds from the air. Engineers are developing a mechanism to release shreds in a controlled manner that can be used to feed Lucky should something happen to Fortune.

Day 175: The new tweedler visited again, and deposited shred energy into one of the remaining flowers in our plant. Fortune was away at the time, and it did not interact with Lucky.

Day 180: Lucky's growth is slowing as it seems to be approaching maturity. Its wing shows no sign of healing on its own.

Day 186: The new tweedler attempted to visit the plant again, but was met by Fortune. The two let out a loud series of high-pitched warbles as they flew through the air, aggressively maneuvering around one another. Several shred discharges were observed between the two. After approximately 5 minutes of combat, the new tweedler left. Fortune appears mildly injured, with hairline cracks forming in various places on its body.

Day 189: Fortune has taken notice of the flower visited by the intruder, and deposited shred energy into it. Closer analysis shows that Fortune is 'overwriting' the pre-existing energy and replacing it with its own. In between visits with Lucky, Fortune has taken to orbiting around the lab making loud warbles.

Day 193: Fortune is no longer leaving the immediate area outside the lab. It seems very concerned with defending its territory.

Day 198: The intruder appeared again today, and fought a short-lived battle with Fortune before leaving again. Fortune appears unharmed this time.

Day 206: Lucky has developed a healthy relationship with our staff, and seems eager to interact with them when given the chance. Several desk items have been left in its enclosure for it to play with.

Day 213: The engineering team has finalized the feeding mechanism, and it has been installed in Lucky's enclosure. Despite Lucky now being able to feed themselves, Fortune still visits it daily.

Day 221: The intruder appeared again last night when all the staff had gone home. Security footage of the following events was discovered this morning.

01:53 AM: The intruder flies in through the open window and begins inspecting the room.
01:54 AM: Lucky shifts in its enclosure, making a small shuffling sound. The intruder goes to investigate.
01:55 AM: The intruder begins attacking Lucky, both tweedlers making loud warbles.
01:57 AM: The commotion wakes Fortune, who flies in to defend Lucky.
01:59 AM: Fortune and the intruder leave Lucky's enclosure, their fight transitioning to the main area.
02:06 AM: The intruder crashes into a wall, shattering its head and right wing. Fortune falls to the floor in a barely-controlled flutter. It seems heavily injured.
02:08 AM: Lucky can be seen shuffling towards the wall of its enclosure. Fortune has not moved since its abrupt landing.
02:11 AM: Lucky shuffles against the wall, eventually reaching the top. It flops onto the table and continues towards Fortune's position on the floor.
02:12 AM: Lucky shuffles off the edge of the table and lands on the floor, managing to slow its descent slightly with its good wing. It continues towards Fortune.
02:14 AM: Lucky reaches Fortune and begins 'feeding' them.
02:17 AM: Fortune seems to be awake again. Lucky continues to feed them.
02:24 AM: Both tweedlers shuffle their way into Fortune's nest, where they sleep for the rest of the night.

The intruder's corpse was found on the floor nearby. Its body was a dull grey color as opposed to the bright iridescent color of a living tweedler. The crystal was now hard, brittle, and unmoving, frozen in the position the tweedler had taken upon its death. Fortune and Lucky were found curled up together in Fortune's nest. Fortune had several cracks on their body, with some bits of crystal on their wings missing. Lucky's body had chipped in the spot where it landed, but was otherwise unscathed. Researchers attempted to retrieve Lucky to move them back to their enclosure, but Lucky promptly awoke and stung their hand. The two were allowed to remain in Fortune's nest to recover.