Animal Magnetism by Dreamspinner Press

Author:Dreamspinner Press [Press, Dreamspinner]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

WHY DID THE CHICKEN CROSS THE ROAD? Skylar Jaye

“S HH,sweet baby girl, come out here.” Gabe leaned down on his hands and knees, gently trying to coax his poor girl out of the rubble she’d somehow flown into. “Come on now, Cat, there ain’t nothing in there for you to eat. Come on out and I’ll get you a warm slice of bread, okay?”

Barely visible from his vantage point, one beaded eye bobbed up and down, the hen it was attached to preoccupied with pecking at the dirt. It was too dark to see all of her, but Gabe had raised her from the egg, just as he’d done with all the other chickens on his small one-acre slice of land, and his mind could fill in what his eyes couldn’t see. Her darker tail feathers were ruffled up, her wings rustling at her light-brown sides as she wandered in an aimless circle around the nook.

“Catherine,” Gabe tried again, eying the loose boards that perched precariously over the hen’s head. He wafted the feed in his hands in her direction again, shaking out a few scatterings near the entrance. “Come on, baby, Liz and Vicki are wondering where you’re at.”

No reaction at the names of her little gossipy friends, but then again, Gabe hadn’t expected any. It was enough that Catherine had finally noticed the food and came toward it. Gabe retreated slightly, shoulders relaxing as Cat, after just a moment’s hesitation, stepped closer to the small pile of seed and pecked delicately at it, then more viciously as she recognized the flavor of her favorite brand.

Gabe poured out the rest of the seed just before a patch of sunlight and sat back on his heels, waiting as Cat hopped up out of the small opening, one talon sinking into rotten wood. She squawked, flapping in surprise as a crack sounded from the pile.

With sure hands, Gabe scooped her up into his arms, closing tightly on her wings so she couldn’t escape as the rubble shook and collapsed on itself, covering the hole the hen had been in just moments before.

“That was close, wasn’t it, girl?” Gabe told the squirming hen. “Calm down, I’ve got’cha.” Cat didn’t calm down, but then she had just almost been squashed by the remains of the old back shed, so he couldn’t blame her too much. He did keep her in a tight hold, just in case, all the way back to the chicken coop, before releasing her down on the ground.

She sprinted off as soon as she was free, only slowing as she found herself in the midst of the flock. Khan, the resident rooster, pecked at her hard on the back, presumably for running off, but gave no more punishment than that. It was why Gabe had kept him. Khan was by far the most tolerant rooster he’d ever raised, and one of the few who didn’t see Gabe as a threat.

Elizabeth and Victoria, the only other two Ameraucanas besides Catherine that Gabe owned, made clucking sounds as Cat set about drinking some water.

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