"Daisy"
Rachel walked into the barn.
All of us still try to hold on to the "normal" things, despite the fight. I had actually talked Rachel into helping me clean cages - she was in a fight with her mom and needed anything to escape from the house.
"You have got to do something about that shirt," I'd been concentrating on keeping a duck from flaring its wings while I cleaned its wound. I hadn't heard Rachel come in.
"Those sleeves practically come down to your elbows! It's like it can't decide if it's a tee or a sweatshirt." She made a clucking noise. "Cassie, you *are* my best friend - but sometimes you disappoint me." I heard the teasing note in her voice. I turned around and handed her a pair of gloves. I was still under stress from the last battle - I don't know how she gets over it so quickly - but all this needed to get done.
"The first seven cages on this side just need cleaning," I said. "Trays scrubbed and such. The next four need food and water, and it would be great if you could check the others and see if they need anything." I suddenly remembered something. "Oh, and leave the wolves alone. That male is uneasy about humans."
She sighed and put her gloves down. Then she turned and stared pulling an old, battered sweatshirt that was way too long for her. She began to put it on.
"Rachel?" I asked in disbelief. "My Rachel? Putting on something that's more than six months old? Oh, the horror!"
She looked at me smugly. "I may be helping you clean out some cages, but I'm not" she shook a rubber glove at me, "ruining my outfit."
I laughed. "That's my girl."
We worked in silence for a while, forcing pills down animals' throats and checking dressed wounds as Rachel scrubbed cage trays and refilled food and water dishes. With her help, the task was done sooner than we'd realized.
"All done, I said to myself as I closed a pigeon's cage. I turned around. "So, how's the gymnastics team doing?"
Rachel hadn't heard me. She was looking with interest at a particular cage.
I took off my gloves and walked over.
It was average, as far as birds of prey go. The male of its species was a little smaller. The russet-colored feathers of its tail gave the bird its name. It was jumpy from being in a cage, craving open sky.
"That's Daisy," I told Rachel. "Found her in a meadow, flat on the ground. Injured talon. She's a red-tail." I looked over at her dish. It was empty. So was the seed bin in the barn. "Wait a second, there's more seed inside the house," I left Rachel still staring at the bird.
It wasn't until I was inside the house and looking for our bulk seed bag that I allowed my mind to wander from the clinic. That's when I remembered the reason why Rachel seemed so interested in the hawk.
Tobias. Tobias was a hawk. A red-tail. A male.
Daisy was a female.
I knew how Rachel felt about Tobias. The relationship that they didn't talk about, but that all of us knew was there. Would she…?
My eyes fell upon the seed bag. I yanked it up and jogged back to the barn. Opened the door.
Rachel was gone.
Daisy ruffled her feathers.
Author's note: Yeah, I know, it bites...but I felt like posting it, so I did. Ha-ha (just kidding! ;o) ) Pleeze don't flame me...please?
- Tracie
Rachel walked into the barn.
All of us still try to hold on to the "normal" things, despite the fight. I had actually talked Rachel into helping me clean cages - she was in a fight with her mom and needed anything to escape from the house.
"You have got to do something about that shirt," I'd been concentrating on keeping a duck from flaring its wings while I cleaned its wound. I hadn't heard Rachel come in.
"Those sleeves practically come down to your elbows! It's like it can't decide if it's a tee or a sweatshirt." She made a clucking noise. "Cassie, you *are* my best friend - but sometimes you disappoint me." I heard the teasing note in her voice. I turned around and handed her a pair of gloves. I was still under stress from the last battle - I don't know how she gets over it so quickly - but all this needed to get done.
"The first seven cages on this side just need cleaning," I said. "Trays scrubbed and such. The next four need food and water, and it would be great if you could check the others and see if they need anything." I suddenly remembered something. "Oh, and leave the wolves alone. That male is uneasy about humans."
She sighed and put her gloves down. Then she turned and stared pulling an old, battered sweatshirt that was way too long for her. She began to put it on.
"Rachel?" I asked in disbelief. "My Rachel? Putting on something that's more than six months old? Oh, the horror!"
She looked at me smugly. "I may be helping you clean out some cages, but I'm not" she shook a rubber glove at me, "ruining my outfit."
I laughed. "That's my girl."
We worked in silence for a while, forcing pills down animals' throats and checking dressed wounds as Rachel scrubbed cage trays and refilled food and water dishes. With her help, the task was done sooner than we'd realized.
"All done, I said to myself as I closed a pigeon's cage. I turned around. "So, how's the gymnastics team doing?"
Rachel hadn't heard me. She was looking with interest at a particular cage.
I took off my gloves and walked over.
It was average, as far as birds of prey go. The male of its species was a little smaller. The russet-colored feathers of its tail gave the bird its name. It was jumpy from being in a cage, craving open sky.
"That's Daisy," I told Rachel. "Found her in a meadow, flat on the ground. Injured talon. She's a red-tail." I looked over at her dish. It was empty. So was the seed bin in the barn. "Wait a second, there's more seed inside the house," I left Rachel still staring at the bird.
It wasn't until I was inside the house and looking for our bulk seed bag that I allowed my mind to wander from the clinic. That's when I remembered the reason why Rachel seemed so interested in the hawk.
Tobias. Tobias was a hawk. A red-tail. A male.
Daisy was a female.
I knew how Rachel felt about Tobias. The relationship that they didn't talk about, but that all of us knew was there. Would she…?
My eyes fell upon the seed bag. I yanked it up and jogged back to the barn. Opened the door.
Rachel was gone.
Daisy ruffled her feathers.
Author's note: Yeah, I know, it bites...but I felt like posting it, so I did. Ha-ha (just kidding! ;o) ) Pleeze don't flame me...please?
- Tracie