Preview of my fic submission for @cotl-yoa
Context: Narinder has been forced into a flower hunt by Aza and Keru
Narinder cringed but forced himself up to his feet. He followed behind Aza through the low brush. Brambles hidden among the new foliage hooked his robes as he passed.
He paused to yank himself free as Aza led Keru to the moss-covered base of a large tree.
She crouched and pointed to something Narinder couldn't see.
"Oooh, poor thing," Keru cooed, reaching out as Narinder neared.
A sharp, startled chirp made Narinder jump as a fluffy chick scurried between the two ghosts. The chick flapped its tiny wings in a vain attempt to keep its balance, but tumbled over an acorn and rolled forward until it hit Narinder's foot.
He snatched the dazed chick and held it gently, but firmly, between his hands. The chick peeped and struggled as the children floated closer to look at it.
"It's a baby." Keru poked the chick's head. It shuddered and tried to hide down in Narinder's hands.
"It's a nice snack for all my hard work," Narinder corrected, licking his lips. It had been a long time since he had the opportunity to enjoy the crunch of tiny bones between his teeth.
Fish was nice, but nothing compared to a freshly captured young bird. Of course, he would prefer if the chick was a little bit bigger, but beggars can't be choosers.
"No!" Keru shouted at the same time as Aza cried, "You can't!"
Narinder held the chick over his head, though he knew the action was pointless.
Aza jabbed her finger up the tree the chick had been at the bottom of. "Its nest is up there. You need to put it back. Keru and my hands are too cold. It'll get chilly if we try to carry it to its nest ourselves."
"It's mother probably pushed it out. Birds do that when a baby is sickly, you know." Narinder covered the chick completely with his hands so the children couldn't get a better look at the healthy critter.
Keru narrowed her eyes at him then sniffed dismissively. "I bet you're scared of heights. You can't climb up to put it back, can you?"
Aza scoffed, "Yeah! I bet he's too lazy to climb."
Narinder rolled his eyes. He knew they were trying to goad him into returning his snack to its nest. Well, it wasn't going to work! After thousands of years dealing with his siblings, it would take more than whatever taunts these two children could think of to make him—
"The Shepherd did call Mister Narinder their pet cat, didn't they?" Aza crossed her arms and nodded. "A pet cat probably can't climb very well."
"Pet?" Narinder cried. "I am no pet to anyone!" He huffed towards the tree.
