In the dream I was walking to get home and it suddenly grew really dark, and I felt very scared, so I started to hurry.
You are in a familiar situation, but you don't like it. It's a situation that sometimes turns fearful extremely fast, so you want to get out of it as soon as you can.
I knew the bird was injured because it was on it's back on the floor and it was trying to fly away, the other bird was hopping around it and flapping its wings. There were broken branches on the floor surrounding the bird.
While you try to get out of the situation, you see helpless creatures stuck in this situation. They would like to get out, but whatever this situation is, keeps them there. They can't fly away.
I remember I suddenly stopped being scared of the dark and instead felt worried for the bird and went over - like I sort of ignored how dark it was at that point.
You see the suffering of the others and replace your fear with worry for them.
Birds are close to my heart in general, and tend to remind me of my home and family, because my mum has always taught me about birds and I've always watched them in the garden.
In this case I would say, the birds do represent your family or people who a dear to you.
They seemed nervous to begin with when I ran up, but then stopped and just stared at me. The second bird could have flown away, but didn't. I remember thinking the second bird (the one that wasn't injured) seemed to be happy to see me almost, like a warm feeling?
You surprise them, but they trust you and sometimes are even happy for your help.
I also remember thinking that, even though the stick was in the birds chest, it didn't seem overly hurt or in pain. It just couldn't fly away and I was worried it would die.
It's not a life-threatening situation, but something that keeps them from happiness. They might even life in fear.
My guess would be:
You're living in a situation that sometimes turns scary really fast. And you're working on getting out of it. But on your way out, you notice that people who are dear to you have to endure the same struggles. The situation keeps them where they are. It's hard and fearful, but not life-threatening. But you still worry for them. They are sometimes surprised by your efforts to help or support them, but they accept it and are happy for what you do.
I think you're currently either a little overwhelmed and carry the struggles of your friends and family on your shoulders, as well as your own. Or you're in a position where you worry for them, but can't do much about it.
This would be my guess. Take it with a grain of salt though I'm not a fortuneteller ;-).