Disclaimer: Don't own… -wish I did!-
Author's note: No longer a one-shot. Will be at least a three chapters, maybe more.
I blame you all…. And love ya for it! Lol. The continuance of the Cardinal and the Crusnik.
Chapter two
It had been over a week since Caterina had gotten Abel, and though his clumsiness was a bit tiresome she had gotten use to catching things before he knocked them off.
"No Abel, dinner first, then dessert," the silver bird looked up at her, suspiciously like someone with his hand caught stuck in the cookie jar. The talons clutching a dessert cake having nothing to do with it, I'm sure.
"Twee, heh?"
"Fine that one will be yours, after dinner. Put it over there and eat your food. You know what that nice shop owner said…"
"Though he prefers sweets, do try to give him a balanced diet. And make sure to let him loose every so often. For he is a bird of prey and needs a fresher meal every now and then."
Caterina blinked, "Oh, is that what's wrong?" Abel cocked his head at her, confused. "Are you wanting to hunt?" Abel's head shot up, catching her eyes before looking down. He wouldn't look at her again. "It's nothing to be ashamed of," she didn't know why she said it or why she tilted the bird's head up to look at her, "You are a predator, and as long as you don't eat anyone nice, like a bunny, I'll forgive you." She gave him as small kiss on the top of his head, she could've sworn she saw him blushing when she pulled away.
It was getting dark outside and she was apprehensive about letting Abel loose so late, "You will come back to me, won't you?" He tilted his head as he stepped up onto her shoulder to watch her remove something from her wrist. "Here," when he stretched out his neck to try to see what she had, she fastened a gold chain around it. "There. Fits perfectly Now I'll always know it's you," she gave a girlish giggle as he turned his head to look down at the small cross bracelet
He gave his head a shake and when it barely moved he touched his face to her head. Thank you.
"You're welcome," she went to the window to open it. "Come back safe," Abel took off through the open window, black wings hidden in the night so that he appeared to be a shooting silver star.
Caterina was found asleep by the window later that night and carefully laid in her bed, "Abel," she mumbled, rolling over as blankets were pulled to cover her. Her finder wished for nothing but to assure her remained silent as he retrieved his dessert still sitting on the table.
Caterina opened her eyes as sun poured in through the window. "Mm," she rubbed at them before remembering the night before. "Abel?" The window was shut and she looked around in a panic.
Until she heard a, "Twee," from the table.
"Abel! You scared me," she rushed over to the exhausted bird. He was laying on his stomach, beak pointing at the half eaten piece of cake. "Ate too much, didn't you?"
"Twee, heh, heh," his eyes closed and turned so he couldn't see the temptation.
"Wait… Where'd the rest of the cake go?"Caterina examined the table, swearing she heard the bird moan when she spotted the crumb filled platter. "Abel!"
Somehow, he managed a hiccup when she gathered the tired bird up, "Oh Abel… Let's see if we can find something to help your stomach."
"Get that infernal thing outa here!" Abel curled up tight, hoping Caterina's protection would ward away the angry cook when they entered the kitchen. "I told ya he ain't welcome here!"
"He won't touch anything, honest. We're just here because he has a stomach ache and I was wondering if you had anything for it."
"If it were you, dear, I'd say a bit of soda in water. But him, hair of the dog maybe?" Abel, if possible, seemed to pale as the cook produced a piece of the richest looking chocolate cake out of thin air. "Go on, have a bit," Abel jumped away from the forward moving cake. He tried to fly away but was too heavy and fluttered to the floor with scratching thunk. "If he 'idn't a bloody vulture! Ya ate so much ya can't even fly." She started laughing when Abel covered his distended belly with his black wings, "Seems us ladies ain't the only lot worried 'bout our figure," she gave Caterina a nudge. "Alright get yer jolly ol' self up here and I'll see what I can do."
"Twee heh, heh?" He looked up innocently at Caterina after trying to fly again.
"All right," she picked him up and set him on the counter.
(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Time break))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Nearly a month had passed with nothing too eventful happening. Caterina went through her daily routines with Abel trailing along side, though he still found the time to get into trouble on occasion. On the nights Abel wouldn't touch his meal she would leave the window open for him before she went to bed and every morning after he would be curled up at his place at her small table, staring at the last few bites of the previous night's dessert. Thought the cake incident never did reoccur.
One day Caterina laid across her bed, somehow able to keep her underskirts from flaring up uncontrollably, as she sketched Abel resting on one of the foot-boards posts. An odd sound came from the contented bird. A soft 'twittering' could be heard emanating from him. Caterina had become use to it, it sounded like a humming, as if he had a song stuck in his head.
"You have such pretty feathers, why don't you show them?" Abel's head titled to glance at her with one eye. "Won't you show me your plume?" She turned the picture to him, showing his downed top feathers.
Abel became very flustered, bowing and shaking his head before flying off his perch to huddle on top of one of the bookcases beside the closed window. Caterina blinked bewildered by Abel's actions, until the memory of the shop owner's words surfaced.
"Crusniks do not show their feathers to attract a mate, they do it to agitation and possible attack."
"Oh… I forgot," laying the book down she went to look up at Abel. "It's okay, you don't have to show me your crown." Even for all her careening, Abel shrank away from her. "Alright…" With a sad sigh, she pushed open the window and watched Abel fly away.
Caterina fell asleep that night, beside the window. But unlike all the other mornings when she had let Abel loose, she awoke not in her bed but where she had fallen asleep. She searched the room, no sign of the silver black-winged bird. Even the piece of cake she had left for him was untouched.
Caterina searched the house several times that day and watched the sky from her open window for nights more. No shooting silver stars were to be seen; No Abel.
She cried herself to sleep several times, fearing he had left her forever.
Author's corner
Yeah Angst… Don't ask me where it came from
Abel: tweeee heee heee! –crying uncontrollable-
-sigh- stop whining… You're the one that ran away…
Abel: -still pouting-
No wonder I've got a headache… Will continue, I just don't know how long it will take.