I've been a bit stuck on my other stories, so here's a weird little one shot that wouldn't leave me alone to tie you over. I got this prompt generator on my Kindle and this is the weirdness that comes from it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Tin Man
Prompt: "Sir, you can't park that ostrich here."
I had encountered many things since that travel storm blew me onto this side. Tiny people dressed up like turkeys. A man with a zipper in his head and no brain. A guy locked away in a tin suit. A lion-man who could show us a person's memories simply using a mirror. The list goes on and on.
But never, never have I imagined to see something like this.
"Sir, you can't park that ostrich here," a disgruntled Tin Man tried to explain to the elderly man wearing a floral dress.
The dress man started waving around a gold bejeweled can like a weapon, yelling loudly in gibberish.
"Sir, please calm down. You need to move your ostrich."
All I had wanted to do was go out and enjoy market day. That had been the plan when I snuck out of the castle earlier this morning, forgoing all the bodyguards Mother would have no doubt surrounded me with. Not to mention today there was supposed to be a meeting with the overgrown turkeys. Oops. Must have slipped my mind.
But now here I was, stuck in the milling crowd watching an old man in a dress being wrestled to the ground because he parked his ostrich in what was clearly a no parking zone. Yep, it was official. My life could not get weirder.
I watched, amused, as the man was carted off to jail screaming, "But I'm allergic to pimentos!" The ostrich was being led along by another Tin Man toward their version of an impound lot.
Suddenly a large hand gripped my shoulder making me jump a mile high. I spun around, going into the fighting stance Cain taught me, throwing up a magical shield at the same time. Those defense classes were really paying off. I dropped it again a second later when I came face to face with my "attacker."
"What are you doin', Kiddo?" Cain growled, quacking an eyebrow.
Glancing over my shoulder I grinned, "Enjoying the show."
He sighed in exasperation, "I meant, why the hell did you leave without telling anyone?"
"C'mon Cain," I admittedly whined, "You and I both hate sitting in those stupid meetings. I just wanted to get out for a little while, and Mother would have never allowed it."
He studied me for a long minute, blue eyes making me feel x-rayed the way only he could.
"Next time tell me," he said lowly, nudging me back into the moving crowd toward a little café-like place that was emitting heavenly smells. I hadn't even realized I was hungry till now. "I'd rather you sneak out with me than sneak out alone and get hurt."
"Aw, I didn't know you cared so much, Wyatt," I teased.
He huffed as we sat down at a corner table away from most of the patrons, "It's my job to care, kid."
The rest of the day was pretty peaceful, hopping from shop to shop with Cain trailing behind like a second shadow. Except of course when the old man escaped from jail, rescued his ostrich, and went rampaging down the street screaming, "Save the Doughnuts!"