I'm glad Iggy and Gazzy are best friends, it has so much cuteness potential...
Hoot – (v.) is a movie I saw a long time ago about saving some endangered owls….
Gazzy sat quietly on the roof of E-house, swinging his legs over the edge. He watched the motion of his chubby legs for a while, and critically analyzed his dirty feet, finally deciding that they were dirty enough for today. No need to run around barefoot before bed to meet his dirtiness quota.
He didn't notice Iggy's arrival until his best friend plopped down beside him with eerie accuracy. "What's up, Gazzy?"
"I was wondering…" he shook his head and swung his legs a little faster. "Never mind, it's silly."
"Yeah? Well, you can be as silly as you want with me," Iggy grinned, slinging his arm around Gazzy's shoulder.
Gazzy smiled back, and finally asked, "Well, I was…I was wondering why owls sound so lonely…."
Iggy blinked in surprise, but immediately changed his expression to make it look like he was sincerely pondering Gazzy's question when he felt the younger boy stiffen with embarrassment. "Well, Gazzy, you ask a very interesting question there, and I think I may just have an answer…."
"You do?" Gazzy's voice was tinged with awe, and Iggy mentally panicked. Crap, got to make up something good, or else Gazzy will hate you forever and possibly murder you in your sleep!
"Er, yes, you see," Iggy began with false confidence, "when an owl hoots-"
"Hoots?" Gazzy interrupted. "What's that?"
"It's when the owl goes Who, Who, Gaz," Iggy said fondly. His little brother was insanely cute at times. "So when an owl hoots, he's looking for a –" Crap! I don't want to explain mating to Gazzy! "-he's looking for a girlfriend."
"A girlfriend? Eww," Gazzy sounded genuinely disgusted, and Iggy bit back a laugh.
"Crazy, right? But hey, they're owls. So that's why the owl sounds lonely, because he's looking for his girl!"
Gazzy sounded a bit upset. "So the owl is lonely, then?"
Iggy mentally panicked again as he scrambled for a response. If you say yes, then Gazzy will grow up to be a bitter old man who's afraid of love! Think, Ig, think! "No! Because, because, each owl has its mate – his girl, you know? So he's just hooting to find her, and find her he will, okay Gaz?"
"So…" Gazzy sounded contemplative, not upset, Iggy noted with relief. "So, the owl's just searching, right? He's not gonna be lonely forever?"
"Exactly, Gazzy," Iggy ruffled his hair with a smile, "the owl will find his someone eventually."
I had to fight the urge to make every reference to the owl gender-neutral, since normal people don't do that in everyday conversation...
