{"id":2196,"date":"2021-01-23T17:07:05","date_gmt":"2021-01-24T00:07:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2196"},"modified":"2021-03-22T17:29:33","modified_gmt":"2021-03-23T00:29:33","slug":"wild-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2021\/01\/23\/wild-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Wild Things"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Write about someone who keeps an unusual animal as a pet….<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every job has at least one task that separates work<\/em> from not-work; that task that one wishes could be ignored. For Corinna this was the task she was faced with. Separating people from their animal companions is easy when those people are abusive; but painful when it breaks a heart. There was no sign of abuse here, in fact, given the animal in question it was impossible, but the law is the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She knocked at the door, taking in its large size. She smoothed her straight silver hair behind her pointed ears, making it frame her coal-black face. When she didn\u2019t hear a response, she tried the bell near the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An excited, chirping, \u201cchee-ka-ka-chee\u201d came from within the house, followed by a muffled voice. The large door opened, and her violet eyes reflected the morning light that poured through the back of the house and washed over her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs Marcus Tybalt here?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI am,\u201d he answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her eyebrows drew together, and she looked at the data on her tablet. \u201cI may have the wrong Marcus Tybalt,\u201d she said. \u201cI was looking for a troll, not a dwarf.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He laughed. \u201cThanks! Can I get a photo of your documents there?\u201d he asked. \u201cI\u2019m getting a refund from the company that \u2018fixed\u2019 my records after I was hacked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh.\u201d Corinna held her tablet where he could take a photo with his phone. \u201cI suppose you know why I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat says I have an illegal pet.\u201d Marcus pointed at the tablet. \u201cI don\u2019t have any pets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have eyewitness reports\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDamn nosy neighbors.\u201d He sighed. \u201cCome on in. Would you like a cup of tea? Coffee? Something stronger?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTea would be lovely.\u201d She stepped into the house and held out her hand. \u201cCorinna Dastone, Animal Law Enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus shook her hand. \u201cYou already know who I am,\u201d he said. \u201cNice to meet you, Corinna.\u201d He led her through the kitchen to the breakfast nook where warm morning light poured in through the large sliding-glass door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a lovely home,\u201d she said. Plants grew on shelves, bathed in the morning sunlight. A pet flap was installed in the wall near the sliding-glass doors. The yard beyond had a small patch of grass that bordered a downward slope to ever-thickening woods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t take any credit for that,\u201d he said, pouring tea. \u201cI haven\u2019t changed anything since I bought it two years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe pet flap?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was here, yup.\u201d He brightened. \u201cOh! I put in those shelves there. Where the morning light is perfect for my plants.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She continued to scan the house. With the open plan she could see the kitchen, dining area, living room, entry, and a hallway leading to the rest of the house. A heavily used scratching post at the far end of the living room caught her eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus continued to drink his tea, and watched her, a hint of a smile touching his deep brown eyes. \u201cWell? What did you want to ask?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Tybalt, you have an illegal pet, and it\u2019s my job to collect it. It\u2019s an endangered species.\u201d Corinna sighed. \u201cIf it can be rehabilitated and released in the wild, that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do. If not, it will likely have to go to a zoo for a breeding program. Just because it\u2019s the smallest of its kind doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s a fit pet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs I said, I have no pets.\u201d He carried his cup and saucer to the kitchen and dropped them noisily in the sink. \u201cThere\u2019s a wild animal that visits, but I\u2019d never presume to call him a pet; a friend, maybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy don\u2019t you tell me how you came by getting this . . . friend?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRight after I moved in, I heard this pitiful noise outside.\u201d He pointed out toward the yard. \u201cThere was frost on the grass, and this small, crying animal out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI called Animal Control and they said they couldn\u2019t do anything about it. Rather than let the poor thing suffer I brought him in to warm up and check for injuries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, he\u2019s a rescue, you\u2019re saying?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting there,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I brought him in, I realized his eyes weren\u2019t even open yet. I jumped online and found out how to make formula for him and fed him with an eye dropper. Ten, twelve times a day at first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI read up on how to wean him and what he needed to eat and worked on getting him weaned as soon as he was strong enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSounds like a pet to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo. Never. As soon as he was weaned, I started leaving him outside to see if he\u2019d figure it out. And he did, quick-like. When he flew off, I thought that would be the last time I saw him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere is he now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s pretty shy.\u201d Marcus pulled a bag of nuts out of the cupboard. \u201cWhen it\u2019s just me here he runs around like a mad thing. Sometimes he nibbles on the plants, climbs the drapes; had to get him a scratcher to keep him from shredding the sofa. There\u2019s something about that corner that makes him want to claw over there. But he also eats every bug he can find. I haven\u2019t had a spider in the house since he weaned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus shook the bag of nuts and a quiet chirp sounded from beneath the sofa. He shook the bag again. \u201cCome on, Cheeka! It\u2019s okay.\u201d He handed Corinna a few nuts. \u201cHold these out for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corinna held her hand an inch above the floor, the nuts in her palm. A pair of bright yellow eyes shone beneath the couch. Marcus shook the bag again. A small, grey shape, no larger than a kitten, streaked out from beneath the couch. Before Corinna could react, it had grabbed the nuts from her palm and took to the air, landing on the back of the sofa it had been hiding under. It chirped two short barks and began stuffing the nuts in its cheeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCatching this guy is going to be hard. Especially with their power.\u201d Corinna sighed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir power?\u201d Marcus asked. \u201cOh, you mean \u2018nemesis\u2019 . . . the power to automatically counter any attack. Don\u2019t attack. Even if he<\/em> doesn\u2019t give you a mean bite I might.\u201d He winked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s obvious you love the little guy, but the law is clear on wild, not to mention endangered<\/em>, animals as pets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd what defines a pet? Is that clear?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Corinna asked. \u201cAny tamed or domesticated animal kept for pleasure or companionship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing but his own desires keeping him here.\u201d Marcus grabbed the bag of nuts and headed out the sliding-glass door. \u201cFollow me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She did, and he closed the door behind her. \u201cYou have a point, I\u2019m sure,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus took a handful of nuts and scattered them across the yard, shaking the bag as he did. Cheeka came out the pet flap at full speed, running around the grass chirping excitedly as he gathered as many nuts as he could. Birds flew in to challenge him, each grabbing a nut then flying off to eat it in peace. Once Cheeka\u2019s cheeks were stuffed, he took to the air too, landing in a nest in the nearest large pine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs it illegal to feed wild animals in this manner?\u201d he asked. \u201cIf so, half the city should be arrested for either having bird feeders or dropping crumbs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, there\u2019s nothing illegal about that,\u201d she said. \u201cBut if you keep Cheeka in\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just it.\u201d Marcus pointed to the nest where Cheeka was chirping away happily. \u201cThat\u2019s where Cheeka lives. He built that nest, and he lives there. He comes into my house via the old pet flap to visit in the morning, then spends the rest of his time out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you don\u2019t entice him in any way?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot unless my snoring counts,\u201d he said. \u201cMost mornings he comes in and wakes me up. That\u2019s how I named him. He always does that \u2018chee-ka\u2019 sound when he\u2019s excited. And trust me, it\u2019ll wake you up when it\u2019s right in your ear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finished with his nuts, Cheeka took to wing and began flying slow circles above the yard. His bat-like wings acted like a glider as he caught the rising warm air off the roof of the house. His fluffy tail provided balance and steering but his flight was slow and cumbersome. He barked short chirps at the birds that swooped around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A flock of sparrows began dive-bombing him, trying to drive him away. On their second go-round he tucked his wings, dropped a few yards, then spread them back out, swooping up between them and disturbing their assault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know they could fly like that,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNemesis,\u201d he said. \u201cThey usually can\u2019t. The question is: are you going to charge me for feeding a wild animal that nests on my property and likes to come in my house occasionally?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave you tried blocking the flap?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did,\u201d he said, \u201cand the little guy made my life a living hell. He\u2019d show up outside whatever window I was closest to and scream his little head off. Any time I tried to leave the house he\u2019d zoom in the open door, tear around for a bit, then panic when he couldn\u2019t get back out the flap. So, are you going to charge me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d Corinna marked the case as closed. \u201cIt seems I owe you an apology.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to know someone\u2019s looking out for the little guys.\u201d Marcus watched Cheeka swooping to pick a moth out of the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheeka began a loud barking chirp that repeated in a complex pattern; \u201cChee-chee-ka ka-chee-ka! Chee-chee-ka ka-chee-ka!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a new one,\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An answering chirp came from within the woods. \u201cNo way. Another one?\u201d Corinna began recording video with her tablet. Cheeka shouted out his barks again and an answer came from a small form hopping out from the trees. It took to the sky. Its fluffy gray tail had a dark band half-way down its length. \u201cIt\u2019s a female!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They watched the two animals swirl about each other in the sky before they alit on the grass, their dance transforming into a bouncing game of tag. Marcus nudged Corinna. \u201cI think maybe we should slip inside quietly and let those two be. He\u2019s used to me; I don\u2019t want to scare her away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corinna nodded and followed him in. Marcus set about pouring them both more tea. \u201cI feel he may have other things to do than to visit me any longer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is good, though.\u201d Corinna called up the map on her tablet. \u201cI should catalogue this. Possible breeding pair, that\u2019s a big deal. There\u2019s less than six hundred of the little guys left in the wild.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFewer than,\u201d Marcus said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSorry, what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are fewer<\/em> than six hundred left in the wild. Less is for uncountable things, like there is less tea in the pot now than earlier.\u201d Marcus smirked. \u201cSorry, retired English teacher, but it still comes out on occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all right. I know I butcher the language.\u201d Corinna looked at her tea. \u201cDid you hear, last week, that Kumandrapoor refused to stop hunting fire dragons? They\u2019re being moved to the critically endangered list.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI did.\u201d Marcus shook his head. \u201cIt\u2019s a shame what people have done to the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are twelve in captivity,\u201d she said, \u201cbut that\u2019s not enough for a stable breeding pop\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShhh!\u201d Marcus held up a hand and pointed at the pet flap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheeka poked his head through the flap, and the female chittered at him. Cheeka barked once and jumped through. When the female failed to follow him in, he stuck his head out of the flap and chirped softly at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She approached in a low crouch, ready to jump away at a moment\u2019s notice. Cheeka offered some more encouraging chirps and she made her way through the flap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once they were inside, Cheeka chirped and jumped into Marcus\u2019 lap. Marcus began stroking between his ears and he made contented little cheeps before rolling over on his back for belly-rubs. The female eyed the scene warily, then jumped into Corinna\u2019s lap, shaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corinna let the little creature sniff at her fingers, then lightly stroked between her ears. The shaking calmed down and the little female chirped softly at first, then with more confidence. She rolled onto her back and let her wings spread out, her soft belly upturned. Corinna hesitated until the little female barked at her, and she began to stroke her belly. The wings, although they looked like skin from a distance, were covered with a silky, fine fur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s so soft,\u201d Corinna said. \u201cI don\u2019t think you\u2019ll have to worry about him not coming to visit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcus chuckled. \u201cWill you need to investigate this wild animal in my house as well?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she replied. \u201cI just can\u2019t believe I\u2019m scratching the belly of a real, live, tree dragon!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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