Animal Shop
“Manager, sorry for the sudden visit.”
“No, it’s fine. You contacted us in advance.”
When I stepped down from the carriage, the shop’s manager was already waiting at the entrance.
Puppies and kittens were each kept in their own cages out front. In the large tanks, fish that looked like goldfish—red, gold, red-white, black—were swimming around, and birds with faces similar to cockatiels perched on wooden stands, watching us.
It was exactly like a pet shop.
We were guided to a reception room in the back and got straight to the point.
“I rescued some newborn bird chicks, but they won’t eat. I’d like your advice.”
“What kind of bird?”
“A bird from the Great Forest.”
“Do you know what they eat?”
I explained how I had crushed nuts into powder, mixed them with water, and offered it, but the chicks just got the paste all over their faces and couldn’t eat properly.
“The feeding container might not match the chicks’ size.”
The manager brought a raised, narrow feeding dish and a spoon with a tip shaped like a teapot spout—thin and deep.
I see. A flat plate probably was too hard for them to eat from.
“And this spoon?”
“It’s for feeding chicks directly when they can’t eat from the container.”
“I tried giving them food with a teaspoon, but they wouldn’t open their beaks.”
“At first they’re wary. Once they understand it’s food, they’ll open their mouths.”
“Anything else I should watch out for?”
“Well, chicks have no immunity, so keep the nest very clean.”
Straw or hay should ideally be replaced three to four times a day—at least twice, morning and evening.
He also explained to keep the temperature stable.
I bought five of each feeding dish and spoon, plus a large amount of cut straw and hay.
When I thanked him and was about to leave, I locked eyes with one of the cockatiel-like birds again.
The bird flew over.
“Ree, ree, kidnapped, kidnapped,” it circled around me.
“Hey! Stop that,” the manager said.
“I’m sorry. This one was found yesterday—it was a stray, so we took it in.”
“It wasn’t one you were selling?”
“No. Til warms up quickly to people he likes, but he’s extremely picky, so he’s hard to sell.”
If it was flying around me… that meant it liked me?
“Ree, ree, kidnapped, kidnapped.”
“Ree—is he talking about himself?”
“Most likely.”
While the manager and I were talking, Til landed on my shoulder.
From the opposite side, Lucas scolded the bird.
“You there—who said you could perch on Hardt’s shoulder?”
“Lucas, he seems to have an owner. Let him off this time.”
I moved Til back to the perch he’d been sitting on—but he immediately returned to my shoulder.
“Ree, ree, kidnapped, kidnapped.”
The manager apologized and grabbed Til, holding him firmly in his arms, but Til flapped wildly.
“Ree, ree, kidnapped, kidnapped.”
I was curious, but the cocotte chicks were waiting. I couldn’t waste time on Til now.
Just as I stepped into the carriage and the door was closing, Til slipped out of the manager’s arms and flew inside.
I had no choice but to ask the manager if we could keep him temporarily. He agreed immediately.
I told him to contact me if any information about Til came in, then we left the animal shop.
Inside the carriage, Til kept repeating, “Ree, ree, kidnapped, kidnapped.”
It was getting very annoying…
“Hardt, maybe he’s trying to tell us something?” Atre said.
If that was the case… maybe “Ree” was his owner.
Was he saying his owner had been kidnapped?
Once we were out of the city, I stopped the carriage.
“Young Master Reinhardt, is something wrong?”
“About Til—I think ‘Ree’ might be his owner. That he’s saying his owner was kidnapped.”
“You believe his owner was abducted?”
“Yes. He seems desperate.”
“Can Atre not speak with him?”
“Seems impossible.”
“You wish to try, then.”
“Would you come with me?”
“Of course. Will horse travel be fine dressed like that?”
“I think so.”
One knight took a horse and sat on the driver’s bench, planning to return to the mansion with the carriage and explain the situation. He also carried back the items we bought at the animal shop.
I mounted a horse. Til stayed perched on my shoulder.
“Take me to your owner,” I told him.
Til took off into the sky.
What do you think about this chapter?
