forum And The Winter Came (O/O) CLOSED

Started March 04, 2019 by @KalamariCakes

tune

James's eyes glittered at the idea of being helpful. "Okay!" He chirped, and puttered off.

Smiling after him, Ellen looked to the bird she her hands. "Hello little, did you get rejected as well?"

The little bird reared its naked head and gaped its cherry red mouth, begging for food.

Ellen thought for a moment before standing. She set the baby bird in his makeshift nest of wooly scarf on the garden bed beside her. "I'll be right back, little Leanord." She told the bird. "James!" She called to her comrade. "I'm going to get those worms, our little friend is hungry. I'll be back."

Disappearing into her home, she kept her head and eyes down on the ground. Her father had friends over. They smoked cigars in her father's library. She could hear them through the open door.

"Okay!" James called back.

Ellen scurried quickly through the house and into a nearby storage closet, retrieving a small sheet of parchment and tweezers on the way. Fetching the worms, she carried the items quietly back out to the garden, keeping her head down just in case anyone say her.

James was sitting by where she had been, a pile of small twigs in front of him.

"I've got them!" She announced, even as her heart hammered in her chest. She was always nervous when it came to her parents. Crossing the backyard towards James, she stopped before him, setting on the ground. "I'll feed him while you make the nest, okay?"

"I don't know how to make a nest," James contested with anxiety in his eyes.

She placed a hand on his cheek. "Calm, James. It's alright. Here, how about this." She set her supplies to the side and scooped up Leanord, who'd snuggled happily into his new home, and put him in James's hands. "Hold Leanord while I feed him, then we can make the nest together. Okay?"

"Okay," he murmured, looking down at the fleshy creature.

"Good." Ellen unscrewed the cap on the jar of worms and picked one with her tweezers. "Here you go, Leanord." She cooed.

The bird lifted its bulbous head and opened its thin beak.

Ellen lowered the worm into the bird's mouth, waiting until it got a hold of it to let go.

The bird bit at it and swallowed a bunch.

With a laugh, Ellen continued to feed the baby bird. "I wonder when he fell from his nest. It couldn't have been yesterday, he would've froze during the night." She thought aloud.

"I dunno," James replied quietly.

"Did you find him near the oak tree? Where you found the lizard?" She asked.

"Yeah," he spoke, looking up at his friend.

"You're a very lucky boy. You always find such wonderful creatures. I don't know anyone else who can do that." Ellen praised him.

James blushed, he never did well with praise. "I dunno,"

"Well, no you do." Ellen reached up and ruffled his hair. "You bring us so many wonderful friends." She smiled. She fed Leonord a few more words before setting the tweezers and worms to the side. She didn't want to feed him too much. "There." She sighed. "We'll feed him again tomorrow."

"Where will we put him?" James asked, "We can't leave him out here,"

"I don't know just yet." She admitted to him. She was thinking perhaps the cook could watch Leo overnight for her, he had done such favors for her before. But what will your parents say? She thought with a sigh.
"We'll…figure something out."

"I– I could clean out a drawer of my dresser!" James gasped.

"Hm, we'll see, James." Ellen answered with a shake of her head. She wanted to avoid the boy getting into trouble as much as possible. And with a bird, that could prove to be troublesome if she wasn't there.

"Please?" He continued to beg, trying to use his excellent impression of tears to convince her.

Ellen looked to him, her gaze soft upon him. When he acted like this, how could she say no to him? "James…." She sighed, conceding to his will. "Alright, fine. But as soon as your parents complain, you bring Leonord right back to me, understand?"