LJ Idol Week 1: Open Topic

[blue_mermaid]

Blades of grass swayed slightly as the creature made its approach. A black tail swished with excitement, four legs crouched down low, and the beast was set to strike. The baby owl, cowering at the base of a tree, had no chance.

“No!” A hand reached out, sending a beam of sparkling light through the air, and the owl found itself encased in a large pink bubble, seconds before the little black cat leaped into the air. “Inkwell, wait,” called the witch, gasping for air as she ran to catch up to her familiar. “He’s just a baby.”

I was merely playing. The cat spoke in thoughts, silently sending her resentment into the mind of Arielle, the young witch now kneeling beside a trembling owl.

Arielle waved a hand over the protective charm bubble, dismissing it. “You scared him half to death,” she said, giving Inkwell a glare over her shoulder. “Poor baby.” She turned her attention back to the owlet, who was looking up at her with wide, unblinking eyes. Scooping him up into her hands, Arielle rose and turned back towards the forest path. “You’re lost, aren’t you? I’m gonna take you home and take real good care of you.”

Inkwell said nothing on the way back, trotting out ahead with her tail and head held high. She would never show disappointment for an unsuccessful hunt; nothing but pride always for the cat. Arielle knew this, and smirked to herself as she followed, bouncing down the path with the baby owl held gently in her hands.

Moonroot Cottage rose into view like a vision as they crested a hill. Arielle broke into a run, grinning as her mind raced, planning all the lovely things she’d do with her new charge. She burst through the gates of home and danced into the cottage, humming brightly.

The other occupants of Moonroot noticed something was different immediately. Ash the wizard merely raised an eyebrow, but the large white cockatoo perched on the edge of his seat was not the quiet type. “Oh, no, she’s holding something,” the bird squawked. “It’s about to be another Arielle mess cleaning day.”

“Stop it, Frankie,” Arielle said with a laugh. “You’re always so negative. I found us a new friend.”

“A new friend?” Frankie’s already-loud voice rose another few decibels. “I’m supposed to be happy about another new friend? Don’t you remember what happened the last time you brought home a stray?”

I was never stray, Inkwell thought at him, slinking through Arielle’s legs before plopping down in the center of the floor rug. My home is always wherever I choose it to be.

Frankie scoffed and ruffled his feathers. “So, what, then? A poisonous frog? A dirty, diseased pigeon?”

“Careful,” Ash said, reaching out to stroke Frankie’s crest. “Let us see before we judge.”

Arielle moved to her hammock, strung up in the far corner of the room, and placed the owl on top of her pile of pillows. “It’s a baby owl,” she said, throwing her arms out with a flourish. “I rescued him.”

“From what, the cat trying to eat him?” Frankie asked.

“No,” Arielle replied with a vigorous shake of her head. “He was just lost. And he looked so scared and lonely. I just knew he’d be happier here at Moonroot with us.”

Ash tilted his head. “Did you look for a mother owl before you took him? Sometimes it is best to let things be and allow nature to run its proper course.”

“He was alone,” Arielle said firmly. “I’m gonna take care of him.”

“For a day or two, perhaps,” Ash said, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Then we really ought to give him back to the sky, where he belongs.”

“I’m scared of the sky,” said a new voice, small and high. Everyone in the room startled (save Inkwell, who was engrossed in grooming herself).

Arielle gasped and pressed her hands to her cheeks, leaning in over her bed with a little squeal of happiness. “You can talk! What’s your name? Where did you come from? Did you wanna come home with me? You did, tell them that you did, please. I’m Arielle, by the way.”

“Maybe give him a chance to speak again,” Ash said with an amused little smirk. Beside him, Frankie shook his head back and forth to show his annoyance.

“I’m Chester. I fell out of my nest.” The little owl kicked his feet and looked down at them. “I can’t fly like the other owls do.”

“Oh, you poor little thing,” Arielle said. “Let’s get you fed and then I’ll make you a cozy little bed.”

**

For the next few days, Arielle doted on Chester, giving him all sorts of treats and affection. Ash made several kind attempts to ask for how long the owl would be staying, but Arielle laughed him off each time. “Chester is happy here. He doesn’t have to fly yet.”

She was convinced the owlet was just too young. “He’s a baby,” she said to Frankie, who was muttering something about unwanted guests under his breath. “He’ll fly when he’s ready.”

Chester hopped around the house hooting, following Arielle around as she sang to him. But his eyes would dart over to the grouchy cockatoo from time to time, shining with something like wonder. Frankie, for his part, tried his best to ignore the smaller bird. But Chester grew bolder as the days passed, and spent his entire third day doing nothing but watching Frankie.

“He likes you,” Arielle said, tapping Frankie’s beak. “Give him a chance.”

“Ugh,” said Frankie.

“Perhaps the baby bird needs a mentor to teach him to fly,” Ash suggested with just a hint of a smile.

Chester fluttered his wings and puffed up his feathers. He gave a little baby hoot and scuttled over to the spot just beneath Frankie’s perch. “How do you fly?” he asked.

“I just do,” Frankie replied, shuffling back and forth in irritation. “We’re birds. We’re meant to fly.”

“I don’t know if I am,” Chester said quietly.

“You will someday,” Arielle said, clapping her hands together. “But there’s no rush at all. You want to go sit outside? It’s a lovely day; we can watch the clouds together. Just to get you started on looking up.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Frankie said. “He’s never gonna learn just by watching clouds.” He sighed heavily. “Arielle’s never gonna teach you anything useful; she’s only good for cheering charms and cutting my fruit.”

“Hey,” Arielle protested, but she was grinning; she was very used to Frankie’s rough exterior.

“Come outside and I’ll really show you something,” Frankie said, fluttering over to the open window. He took off, soaring out into the fresh spring air.

Chester hopped up into Arielle’s outstretched hands and gave her an affectionate nip with his beak. “Do you think Frankie can teach me how to be brave like him?”

“Sure,” Arielle replied. “Just don’t let his negativity get to you too much.”

“It masks a tender heart, truly,” Ash said.

“Somewhere really down deep,” Arielle added, with a grin and a wink.

**

Frankie did loops and dives and all sorts of aerial tricks, showing off for Chester just what a bird was truly capable of. The little owl watched with eyes wide, shaking the grass with his trembling. “The sky is just so big,” he said.

“And it’s wonderful,” Frankie countered, landing on the fence beside Arielle’s garden. “Now get up here and jump.”

“Frankie!” Arielle chastised. “He’s not gonna overcome his fear like that!”

“How else do birds learn to fly? You can’t baby him forever.”

Chester stared down at the ground. “I don’t know.”

Frankie sighed and fluttered down beside Chester. “All right, look, kid. Being brave takes a lot, I know that. But you’ve got it in you. All birds instinctively know how to fly. You only have to try, and let nature guide you.”

They started small, fluttering barely an inch above the grass. Chester wobbled and dipped, but managed to stay aloft for an entire thirty seconds before crashing into a patch of mushrooms. “I did it,” he said with wonder, as he stumbled out of the garden.

“Now get up on the fence and jump,” Frankie said yet again, and scoffed at the look of terror in Chester’s eyes. “Come on, kid. You’re not gonna get hurt.”

“You’re rushing him,” Arielle snapped, coming in to scoop Chester up into her hands. “He’s scared, the poor baby.”

“He needs to be rushed,” Frankie insisted. “His family is out there waiting for him somewhere, and he’s gotta learn to fly back to them.”

Ash, who’d been watching silently from afar, stepped out from his position in the doorway of the cottage. “Perhaps the both of you are misguided here.” They turned to look at him. “Arielle, keeping Chester in your hands forever is to deny the true nature of a bird. But Frankie, that doesn’t mean he has to be rushed.” Ash walked over and looked down at little Chester with a gentle smile. “Perhaps a little more practice along the ground will do you good? And we can save the fence jumping for another day.”

Chester hopped up and down, hooting his excitement. “Yes! I can be brave someday, I promise. Just let me practice more first!”

Frankie flew over and gave Chester a gentle peck. “All right. Let’s see you flutter.”

Chester grinned and flapped his wings. Ash and Arielle shared a look, silently communicating their affection for the two birds beside them. Frankie had a sharp tongue but a good heart; he’d take Ash’s advice, and be a good teacher for Chester. The little owl wouldn’t take to the skies right away, but with enough practice and a good role model, he’d be just fine, indeed.

Comments

[gardeningatnight]

Oof. The people with "good intentions" who think they are saving wildlife, but actually interfering.

I definitely relate more to Ash.

[adoptedwriter]

Adorable!

[pixiebelle]

This was cute. I enjoyed all the animals and their personalities.

[humanbeansradio]

Chester is adorable. 😂 I’m with him, we can practice our fluttering down here before anybody starts talking about fences!

[simplyn2deep]

This was adorable, but I also really liked the message underneath all the cuteness. Arielle and Frankie are basically two opposite kinds of helpers: Arielle wants to protect Chester from anything scary, while Frankie wants to shove him straight off the proverbial, or possibly literal, fence. 😂 Then Ash comes along with the sensible middle ground: Chester does need to learn, but he can do it at his own pace.

And I loved all the personalities! Inkwell insisting she was never a stray because her home is wherever she chooses it to be is SUCH a cat response, while Frankie complaining about everything and then immediately becoming invested in teaching Chester was perfect. Chester proudly saying “I did it” after thirty seconds of wobbly flying and crashing into the mushrooms was probably my favorite moment. Sometimes bravery isn’t jumping off the fence, it’s fluttering an inch above the grass today so that someday you’re ready to fly.

[drippedonpaper]

Yes, timing matters, for sure.

I absolutely love the name "Inkwell" for a black cat/pet. That's so creative!

[bsgsix]

This was cute and had a really solid underlying message to it. I can relate to Ash a great deal here - don't interfere too much. The little touches of bravery add to the message - small steps. One at a time. That's all any of us can do, human or animal. Very clever! :)

[inchoatewords]

This was a cute tale with a good underlying message - how much should we interfere?

And Inkwell is a great name for a cat!

[muchtooarrogant]

This was a fun story.

Ash tilted his head. “Did you look for a mother owl before you took him? Sometimes it is best to let things be and allow nature to run its proper course.”
Exactly what I was thinking. :)

Dan

[halfshellvenus]

I understand Ash's point here-- especially given that Chester fell out of his nest, which means his parents will be wondering where he is. But I have confidence that he'll make it.

[ofearthandstars]

This reminds me a little of A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping - it's just sweet and pure and good and lovely all-around.

I like that Ash can see that Frankie and Arielle both mean well despite their different approaches, and is able to find the compromise.

[n3m3sis43]

I love how well-developed these characters are! Chester and Inkwell are adorable. I loveeeee black cats (and have one at home) and the name Inkwell is so cute for one. Nicely done!

[purplepetrichor]

This was cute and felt like it had a good message underneath that, too.

[murielle]

This is so lovely!

You know, you had me with the baby owl. Oh, and talking critters. (And she, meaning me, is among for the ride.)

😊

[krispykritter]

Awww! This story is so sweet! Smile.

[ashelterofpages]

This was so cute, but also has such a good message underneath! I love bird stories so much, and this was no exception. Plus cats! I'm always here for cat perspectives.

[lapis_lazuli615]

Really nice dialogue here. Hopefully we'll see more of Chester, Arielle, Frankie, or Ash? (topics willing, of course) Maybe Inkwell too? He kind of seems like he got forgotten after the beginning of the story.

[scribblesinblue]

I would LOVE to see this illustrated as a children's book!

[onda_bianca]

I agree!

[onda_bianca]

This is an incredibly sweet story. As another commenter mentioned, woud be a great childrens' book!

[eeyore_grrl]

Timing. And cute.

[mstrobel]

This is divine!