Bertie Beretius only takes about 30-60 minutes to make! It is beginner friendly and you can use any color, and size yarn you want! Just know that if you use thinner yarn, your project might be smaller than you expected, and the same applies to bigger sized yarn. And if you are planning to use a different yarn size for this project, use the suggested hook size for that yarn. This pattern is a perfect pattern for markets, since it is a really fun and easy to make. I did not include wings for Bertie in this project. Bertie Beretius's name was given to me by @LunaLou

--Bird Lore--

Bertie Beretius lived in a small forest slightly east of the great western ocean. This forest only covered about 3 acres of land and it was inhabited by mostly birdfolk and scaly creatures. Bertie had never ventured outside of this forest and he had no thought about going to the outside world.
Bertie is a father to two adolescent fledglings. The young female's name is Blossom Beretius and the young male's name is Berry Beretius. Berite's mate was mysteriously found deceased outside of the forest, which therefore, made Bertie believe the outside world was a bad omen. Bertie's children were very curious young birds who were always interested in discovering new things. The time that they spent in that forest made them know the land very well. They were always very agile at tree hopping and maneuvering through the forest. They did have a flight class that they attended but they were not very studious children. They never practiced their flying skills.
Surprisingly, the two children did not wonder what was outside of the forest, they had never even been to the edge of the forest.
One day, while Blossom and Berry were tree hopping near the western side of the forest, they came to a river. Berry had never seen a river before, because there was only one river in that forest. They wondered if they had come close to the edge of the forest. The two stared down at the river from their branch, curiously tilting their heads (as birds do.)
"Where do you reckon we are Berry?" Berry asked. Blossom shrugged and hopped off of her tree branch. She glided clumsily down to the ground. Berry followed. They both hopped toward the river and bent over the water. They saw their reflection shifting and stirring in the water as they observed each other's faces.
"Is this what we look like?" Berry was very confused. He had never actually seen his reflection before. Blossom had only ventured once to this river when she was younger and saw what she looked like. She frightened herself and she quickly ran away.
"Yes, this is us Berry. This is our reflection. We look like this." Berry looked away toward the trees. He looked all around. The edge of the forest was visible in the distance. He pointed at the bright meadow past the trees. "Look Blossom, that is the edge of the forest is it not?" Blossom looked at where Berry was pointing. "Yes Berry it is!"
The two hopped and bounced towards the edge of the forest. A crow cawed at them and flew away. Blossom gave it a dirty look. Berry wondered if the crow was actually warning them.
"Blossom. Bertie warned us about the dangers at the edge of the forest. I wonder if that crow knew about these 'dangers.' I believe we are going to be killed if we venture any further."
Just as Berry was saying this, Bertie swooped down in front of the children with the crow following behind him and Bertie scowled at them. Blossom and Berry were terrified.
"Father! What are you doing here?" Blossom tried to hide her guilt. Bertie stepped forward, and spread his wings to hide the edge of the forest. "Children. This place is not safe for you. You both must head home immediately."
The two children scampered to the Beretius Nest. The crow turned to Bertie.
"Bertie, you must know to let your children explore the outside world. I have been there! I know how astonishing the meadows and sea beyond the forest can be. These children have been cooped up in this forest their entire lives. They must have this experience. Oh they must!"
"Agustus Acornius, you are not to tell me how to raise my kids. You were mauled by possibly the same creature that killed Zinnia. You know how dangerous the world can be."
"Oh please Bertie. That creature is dead now. Besides, if it were to exist. The spirit of Wvudemai would protect them."
"Agustus. Wvudemai is no more. If the creature is dead then so is Wvudemai."
"Whatever you say 'Bertie, the Coward.' Until next time."
Agustus flew away with one flap of his wings. Bertie eyed him as he flew. Bertie then leaped into the air and flew back to his home.
The two children were still near the river. They were hiding in a bush to the right of a fallen tree next to the river. They were secretly eavesdropping on Bertie and Agustus conversation.
"Come on, Berry. We must know if the creature is still alive, and if Wvudemai exists." Berry was unsure of this choice, but he eventually agreed. The two children hopped to the top of the nearest tree and darted to the edge of the forest. A bright light shone through the trees. Even brighter than some clearings that they have come across in their little expeditions in the forest. The meadow that existed beyond the forest was just in talon-distance. The light that reflected off of the meadow blinded the two children. They had never seen anything like this. There was no Bertie to stop them. They were free!
The children leaped through the trees, flipping through the air as they encountered the sweet feeling of the blinding sunlight hitting their feathers. Both Blossom and Berry slowly glided down. Blossom looked to her left, the river that they had seen in the forest led straight to the sea.
"This is the great meadow that we have read in our stories!" Blossom excitedly told Berry.
"I know, Blossom. Look at these beautiful flowers. And the tall grass! It gathers in groups and is even taller than us."
Berry and Blossom rolled in the grass for a while. Flower petals, and grass shoots were flung into the air as they rolled around in the grass. They both finally finished and they looked to the forest. They both knew that once Bertie arrived at the Beretius nest, he would go looking for the children and find that they were not home.
"Blossom, we must go right now. Father would know that we are gone and he would be infuriated with us if we defied his orders not to go to the meadow." Berry looked towards the forest and he had a worried expression.
Blossom agreed to go back home. So the two went back into the forest, it seemed darker than before. The light from the meadow must have adjusted their eyes to fit the bright light that illuminated the meadows. The children realized that they could go wherever they wanted now that they had discovered the meadow that existed beyond the forest. So they jumped on to the nearest tree and started tree hopping. Berry pointed at the canopy of the trees. "Berry, wanna go to the top and see if the light is greater than the meadow there?" Berry nodded.
The children started climbing higher, reaching for the canopy. They burst through the canopies. The light of the sun shone as bright as it did in the meadow. They popped up on separate branches and they met up on the highest branch closest to them.
"Wow this must be what the top of the trees see all day." Berry was stunned at how beautiful the sky was. The sky was a gorgeous cerulean color filled with large puffy clouds that reached all the way to the heavens it seemed like. There were many stars in the sky. In this world, there are so many stars that you can observe them in broad daylight. Some clouds were in the shape of a fern head that furled up before a harvest. The large clouds were the most beautiful color of white mixed in with highlights of gold and pink. The sun shone radiantly, taking up most of the sky as if it were stealing the spotlight from this exquisite sky. The children had never realized how beautiful the sky looked when they were playing in the meadow. They must have been way too enthralled with the beauty of the meadow to realize how the sky looked.
"I could stay up here all day. I would fly up to the heavens if I knew how to. I might actually try learning how to fly at flight school." Blossom stared up at the sky. It caught her gaze. It was so beautiful that you could just stay for hours and only look up at the sky. Berry flapped up to see the meadow in the distance. Blossom glanced at him and turned her head back to stare at the sky. Berry saw the meadow, it stretched on for about a mile and there was a mountain range visible in the distance. The river from the forest could be seen going into the ocean. Berry could almost see everything as he gazed upon the vast land that existed beyond the forest. It all amazed him.
In the canopy of the trees, there stood a tree that was taller than the rest. It towered over the other trees. That was the center of the forest.This tree is known as the "Ytelwvud" or "Goldenwood" in the language of the creatures of this planet since its wood sparkles in the sunlight. There was a large carved hole in the center of the trees where all the creatures in the forest would go to visit and meet in the middle of the day for the daily forest feast. Strong creatures would go hunting outside the forest and bring back hunted game. Gatherers would gather and farm food at their houses to bring for the feast. Almost every creature in that forest would partake in this meal mostly because this was the only time that they could eat. This daily celebration honored the spirit of Wvudemai who sacrificed her mortal body to protect the creatures from the monster that dwelled at the border of the forests. Bertie did not believe in this celebration but he still would include himself and his children in that tradition.
The sun was starting to set. The sky turned into a beautiful gradient of orange and cerulean. The beautiful clouds still held their beauty. Blossom wished she could stay in the canopy forever. Berry was worried that their father would find them missing.
"Blossom. This place is beautiful but we must go. Who knows when father would come looking for us."
"Agreed Berry. We have to go. But at the same time as today, we will come tomorrow. To the canopy, and hopefully we can discover more of the meadow."
The children flew towards the Ytelwvud. The tall tree was even larger than they knew or expected. They have only seen the base and some of the trunk. Never the top. When the children landed on some branches just in front of the Ytelwvud, it seemed like the canopy of the forest was just another forest floor and the top of the Ytelwvud was the higher canopy. The majestic tree towered over Blossom and Berry. There were magical charms that were hung on the smaller branches, and ancient runes and patterns were carved on to the larger branches. Hanging baskets were strung on the ends of the larger branches. Twigs and leaves were strung in nest-like patterns to hold up some of the weak and older branches. The children knew that the Ytelwvud was old but not so old to the point of needing support.
The Beretius nest was almost right next to the Ytelwvud so the children quickly dove down from the trees to fly to their home. They saw their nest and quickly flew to it. They realized that Bertie was standing in front of the door about to open it. They clumsily glided down into their backyard without being seen. Luckily Bertie did not notice that they had just arrived.
Charms were dangling and chiming, the wind was blowing quite strong that evening. The entire forest was silent except for these noises, and the occasional creature noises that echoed through the forest. The children gathered some of their toys and started playing with them before Bertie checked the backyard.
"Children, where are you? I brought you food from the feast." The children answered, "We are right here father!" Bertie walked over to the backyard and saw the children playing. "Oh there you are, my sneaky little bunch." Bertie went back inside the house to prepare supper for the children. Blossom and Berry continued playing with their toys.
"Berry, have you ever wondered why we hung up charms on our house branches? Because I had never realized them as much as I do now."
"I always knew that they were there for decoration but I think that they have a purpose. They are in the same style as the ones at the top of the Ytelwvud."
The children looked around. Other trees in the forest had the same kind of charms as the Beretius nest. They always knew that they were there but they never questioned why they were there.
The time was coming for the children to get to bed. Bertie called them in for their supper. The supper consisted of lush and lavish berries decorated with herbs and spices. There was fruit that was cut to look like meat for the herbivores of the forest and mushrooms were lined on the edges of the platters for the extra details. This meal was the most aromatic, delicious, and beautiful meal the three birds have ever eaten.
"BertieWhy is this meal so tasty?" Blossom asked. Berry nodded and stuffed his beak full of the meat-shaped fruit.
Bertie spoke: "The food was extra lush today since today was the annual foraging party that took place. It was the exact day that Wvudemai had sacrificed her mortal existence to save the Rharwvud."
"Oh I had never thought about that. Is that why we hung up charms those many moons ago?"
Bertie smiled, "Yes it is why we hung those up. The first ever celebration of Wvudemai took place when I was just a young fledgling like you two. Your mother was simply my bestest friend at the time. We both visited the Ytelwvud to help our elders hang up the charms in the canopy on the highest branches. To this day, they are still up there and they probably look good as new. You both remember your first celebration. You helped me hang up charms on our tree house. The first celebration of Wvudemai is an honor for all the new young ones. It is a celebration that introduces our youth into the Rharwvud community."
"Oh wow, I did not know that!" Blossom remarked. Berry swallowed a fruit slice and with a mouthful, he spoke, "AndFoodReally good. This time around." Bertie and Blossom laughed. The family ate up all of the food. The three birds then went to bed.
"Blossom. Are you awake?" Berry got up out of his nest, he was standing at the door frame in their room. Blossom sleepily rolled out of bed and stood next to Berry.
"You thinkin' what I'm thinking Blossom?" Berry smirked.
"Yes I do."
The two birds flew out of the door frame into the night sky. The forest was incredibly dark, with only some firefly lanterns that lit the main pathways. The forest was silent, not a peep from any animal. There were some exceptions, some crickets chirped and there were rustling noises from the nearby bushes. The canopy of the trees was so thick, that there were no stars visible in the night sky.
The two birds flew and hopped towards the top of the canopy. As soon as they peeped their heads out of the trees, they saw the beautiful night sky. The sky was a dark, purplish blue color with bright stars and galaxies even more clear and luminous than they were in the daytime. There were also many large celestial objects that shone in the distance. The treetops were almost completely black. The Ytelwvud glowed with fireflies dancing all around it. There were not many lanterns on that tree, but each lantern that was on that tree illuminated the surrounding branches, revealing the beautiful charms and decorations.
"Look there, Berry. There is a bird tending to the tree." Blossom squinted at the tree and pointed at a distant silhouette of a bird placing a lantern on the tree.
"I see, Blossom. Let's investigate."
The two birds flapped silently to the Ytelwvud. The bird that was tending to the tree stopped for a moment and the children ducked under the branches. The bird resumed its task.
When the children got closer to the Ytelwvud, they soon caught a glimpse of the bird that was tending the branches. The light from the firefly lantern shone off of the bird. They realized that the bird there was actually Bertie.
"Blossom! That's Bertie. What is he doing?" Blossom squinted at the tree. It was in fact Bertie tending to the tree. He finished hanging up and decorating a lantern. He moved on to a different branch and he hung a handmade branch cover over that branch. He secured it with a piece of leather string and he flew down off the Ytelwvud. He most likely returned home.
As soon as Bertie was out of view, the children hopped to the Ytelwvud to inspect the things that Bertie hung up. The firefly lantern was glowing and swaying in the wind. The children inspected the Ytelwvud a bit closer. They hopped all around the tree. Exploring its details, there was a sweet aroma that filled the air, it was musky, yet comforting. It got stronger as the children moved closer to the center of the Ytelwvud.
"Berry, do you smell that? It smells like home, but stronger." Blossom sniffed the air. Berry nodded in agreement.
"What is it? It seems like someone lit a pine smoker. It almost smells like burnt pine."
The two hopped around the center of the Ytelwvud. There was a wooden door on the other side of the tree that was very subtly visible and a small wooden beam made it possible for birds to stand there. It seemed like that door was just a carving and not an actual door. The door had no hinges and spider webs hung on nearby branches. It most likely had not been opened in a very long time. There were no windows on any of the sides of the Ytelwvud. The children looked down. The carved door was remarkably high up on the Ytelwvud. The canopy of the forest was very far down.
The sweet hearth aroma filled the air. The children instinctively knew that the aroma meant the comfort of a home. Blossom tried the door. It had a handle but it would not open. She inspected the door to see if there was a hidden keyhole. There was a keyhole, or just a carving. It was the shape of the rune for "branch." The rune design was connected which means that there might've been a magical key for the door.
Berry flew to the top of the Ytelwvud. He looked all around for something that might open the door. There was nothing, just the soft, dark feeling of the night at the top of the tree. The branches that were adorned with decorations started to glow in a soft amber color. The glow faded from the decorations and turned into sparkles that filled the air and they formed the shape of the branch rune.
Blossom grabbed the rune and she held it to the door. The rune floated over and placed itself in the rune carving. The door opened. The hearth aroma that filled the air was replaced with a smoky, flamy scent. Like something was burning slowly.
There was no home inside the door, but there was a swirling, amber mist inside the door, inviting the children to venture further in. It was a portal. A portal to a place where no one comes back. It was the only way to get to the place where Wvudemai's spirit exists.
"What is this BlosssomIs this a portal?" Berry seemed confused and worried. He did not want to venture further into the Ytelwvud out of fear that Bertie would catch them. Blossom simply wanted to go further.
"Come on, Berry. It is ok. We can come back here if it's a portal. They don't disappear on the other side."
Blossom took a step through the portal. Her talon tingled. She hesitated and she finally made up her mind. She ventured all the way through the portal. As soon as her tailfeathers disappeared, Bertie was flying up to the tree, bringing more decorations. Berry gasped and stepped closer to the portal. Bertie saw him and flew faster toward the Ytelwvud.
"Berry! Berry! What are you doing, where is Blossom?" Bertie was clearly worried and scared. He knew the dangers of this portal. Blossom was heading to an unknown peril.
It was too late, Blossom was on the other side of the portal. The landscape on that side of the portal was very ominous, the air smelled of smoke and fire. There were burnt decorations similar to that of the Rharwvud. Smoke filled the air. The sky was darkened by the smoke. Blossom looked at her wings. They were contrasting the dark, ominous burnt forest. Her feathers were a soft pink, purple, and blue color with some variations of brown mottled on her feathers. She began to think about the last memory that she had with her mother. It was of her mother holding her. She was as beautiful as the night sky. Her feathers were as dark as the night sky. The tips of her feathers shone in the light and the ends of her feathers shone brightly like the Auroras in the north. Other parts of her body were an iridescent blue, yellow, and grey color that looked similar to that of a celestial galaxy. Blossom could stare at the night sky forever since it reminded her of her mother.
Blossom wandered through the burnt forest. As she hopped along a seemingly subtle, burnt path, she saw many visions through the branches of her memories. With Berry, Bertie, and the slight recollections of Zinnia, her mother.
Blossom continued walking. Visions of Zinnia kept getting stronger. Blossom ran, she hit a large, charred tree. Cindered decorations jingled and fell. She looked behind her and there was a purple figure behind her. It looked like ZinniaBlossom touched the dark figure. It screamed and screeched. It then disintegrated into dust. It was in fact Zinnia.
Blossom cried around the disintegrated ashes. At that time, Berry and Bertie were looking for Blossom. They saw her weeping and they went to comfort her. Bertie saw the ashes and he wept along with Blossom. He knew that it was Zinnia. The ashes were an iridescent purple color.
Berry asked why Zinnia was here and alive until she saw Blossom. Bertie revealed to his children that their mother was not dead. She was cursed to this place by Wvudemai because she was not a member of the forest. The ashes from this place caused her feathers to become dull and ruffled. She was cursed to live in agony until she saw the face of her children. Only then could she return to the stars where she belongs. Her spirit traveled up to the sky, back to Valarya, the region of peace in the stars.
A large figure that looked even more burnt than the forest stood in front of the children and Bertie. It appeared to be an ancient forest spirit with a coal-black raptor mask. Burnt leaves were strung over its shoulders and tail. The spirit spoke in an ethereal tone.
"I am Rakt' Tuz, speaker of Wvudemai. I was summoned to send you young feathered fliers of the Rharwvud a vision of a loved one. Only the pure and curious ones may come to view such"
Blossom looked towards the pile of ashes. It just looked like a regular pile of dust. The purple iridescence faded from it. Zinnia truly flew to the stars.
Rakt' Tuz seemed to fade into the smoke and ashes of the burnt forest. He left behind a star pendant where he was standing. Berry picked it up and inspected it. There was a gem in the middle. It looked otherworldly, the gem looked exactly like the night sky. Just encased in a metal pendant. Bertie knew exactly what this was.
"Children. This is a reminder of Zinnia. She always loved the sparkle of a Starstone. They were her favorite gem growing up."
Berry and Blossom looked at the gem. Blossom noticed a chicken-scratch rune carved on the underside of the pendant. It read: Zynea, the Cursed one.
"Who is Zynea, the Cursed one?" Blossom asked. Bertie held the pendant up and read it.
"Zynea is your mother. Her real name is Zynea but I just gave her the name 'Zinnia' to make it seem like she belonged in Kruhoia, and not any other region where celestial beings exist."
"Oh that makes sense." Berry exclaimed. Blossom took a long look around the forest. The aroma of the smoke seemed to fade and the portal back to the Ytelwvud was visible. She signaled for Berry and Bertie to leave this place. The three birds exited, taking one last look at the burnt forest and leaving.
The birds were met by the beautiful night sky. The stars shone down on the Rharwvud. Berry noticed a constellation that looked similar to Zynea. He pointed towards it and smiled. He knew that the constellation meant that Zynea was resting peacefully among the stars again. Bertie hugged the children and the three stared up at the stars. Catching the beauty as time went by.