The Phases: After Dark

"Uh, you sure this is the right place?" Deada did in fact trust Tom completely that this was the right place, but for some reason she didn't want to go in. Instead she felt a lot like flying for about 10 miles in the opposite direction. Just instinct. She thought to herself. Quite a few of your own kin must've died or shed blood in this place. And, what's more, it's buzzing with humans. Deada looked around. Humans in the corridors, humans behind the desks, humans bringing in more of her injured family, and humans bringing out the ones who were healed but would never be the same again...
"Deada? Deada!" Tom was looking at her in alarm.
"I-I'm fine. It doesn't matter. Lets go in." She blinked, and tried desperately to pull herself together. "It's just... so many humans." To her surprise he didn't look confused or even more alarmed, just sad and understanding. "Well, lets go in." Deada lead the way into the wildlife hospital, ignoring the uneasy feeling in her stomach. She led the way up to the desk, then paused, with no idea what to say. Luckily Tom saved her. 'Er, hey.' He said to the pretty but obviously bored receptionist behind the desk. 'We're here to enquirer about a lost bird. She, uh, escaped from a private zoo. We think she might've flow across the marshes and' Tom swallowed 'Been shot by an illegal bird hunter.'
The receptionist sat up, looking more interested. 'What species?'
'Marsh harrier. Juvenile.'
'With green eyes?'
'Yeah! Is she here?' Tom leaned forward and Deada was filled with a sudden hope.
'Yes, but...' the receptionist looked at Tom gently and Deada was filled with dread 'Her right wing was very badly hurt. Though I can tell you feel strongly for her, it may be best just to let her--'
Deada slammed her fists down on the desk top 'Don't you say that!! Don't you dare!' Now rage was bubbling inside her. And her hands hurt. Tom put a restraining arm on her shoulder. 'Please,' he said to the startled receptionist 'Just let us see her. At least once.' Angry and scared as she was, Deada trusted Tom, and allowed herself to be pushed back off the desk, as quite a number of people were staring at them.
'I-I'll call the head bird keeper to show you to her.' The receptionist stammered, picking up a phone. Deada pressed her fingers to her temples and sighed. She had a feeling they'd be waiting a while.

An hour and a half an hour later, they were finally moving along. Even Tom, who was quite patient by nature, was utterly frustrated. Here they were, waiting for some idiot to turn up and take them to a load of cages where his sister was currently being held captive. His sister. In a cage. Not that there was any way that the humans knew she was his sister. The only way they knew she could be special in anyway was by her green eyes, and the explanation of that was that she'd been 'selectively bred'. Now they were walking infuriatingly slowly with their guide babbling on about nothing in particular down a long corridor with a load of doors on either side, all marked 'Private' or 'Authorized personal only'. Eventually they came to the end of the corridor and were led through a door marked 'Indoor Raptor enclosures and Surgery'. This was it.