Chapter Two: Baby Birds
“Mommy! Mommy!” shouted Cloudy, tearing down the last few feet of the stretch of road, a sense of furious urgency and panic revolving in her mind. Turning, she leapt the pasture fence and crashed hard to the ground, feeling a ripple of pain in her left shoulder, but she dismissed the injury and picked herself up, hurrying to her house.
Meanwhile, on the porch sat Springtime and Liloy, Meta Knight’s foster daughter. They had been contentedly chatting about the unpredictability of the weather and Liloy’s unborn baby when Cloudy’s shout had sliced the stillness of the air like a sword. Springtime looked in the direction of the road just in time to see her youngest child barrel the fence and fall hard on her shoulder.
“Oh my gosh!” cried Springtime, alarmed. She was relieved when a moment later, Cloudy picked herself up, closed the gap between herself and the house, and made a flying leap onto the porch, landing directly in front of the two women. “Hi,” she panted breathlessly.
Springtime and Liloy stared at her unkempt appearance, her tousled fur and askew bow. “What happened to you?” Liloy inquired.
It took Cloudy a full minute to catch her breath. “We need to take care of the baby birds!” she blurted out at last.
“Baby birds?” repeated Springtime. “What baby birds? What are you talking about, Cloudy?”
Cloudy tried again. “The baby birds whose mother was killed in the car accident!”
Liloy shook her head in confusion, her brow furrowed. “Maybe you should go back and start at the beginning, Cloudy,” she said gently.
At that moment, Star and Meta Knight arrived at the scene, the latter still clutching the nest. Springtime cast a bemused gaze upon the nest and then at the soldier. “Meta Knight, can you please explain all of this?”
“Magnus?” Scazzarda, Meta Knight’s mother, opened the front door and stepped outside. “What’s that in your hand?”
Meta Knight sighed and set the nest down on a lawn chair. “We happened to take a shortcut from Whispy Woods to the main road, and we saw a cardinal who was gathering food for her babies. Unfortunately, she. . .she. . .” The knight stopped talking and looked off to the far corner of the pasture.
Star, realizing his predicament, came to his rescue. “The mother cardinal was injured by a passing automobile and died on impact.”
“Oh, no!” Liloy exclaimed, putting her hand to her mouth, eyes wide. “How horrible!”
“Yeah,” Star agreed. “It was awful. Anyway, we dug a grave for the mother and buried her, and then Meta Knight took the nest and we brought it back here so we could raise the babies.”
“Now wait a moment, Star,” Springtime gently broke in. “I’m not sure that will work. First of all, we need to provide a proper housing environment and hydration, feeding, stimulation, monitor growth, and development for these birds, not to mention the healthcare and security they’ll need. Besides, I’m too busy raising you kids. Your father and I just don’t have the time to raise baby birds.”
“You have enough time to raise us, but not enough time to raise these orphaned babies?” Cloudy shot back, her voice rising with fierce determination. “So you’re saying if a poor, starving, abandoned child showed up at our door one day, you would turn him out? Huh? Is that what you’re saying?”
Springtime was momentarily startled. “N-No, that’s not what I’m saying at all! I just meant that. . .” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t know how to respond.
Scazzarda rested against one of the porch pillars, her green eyes sober, her face clouded with uncertainty. “Springtime,” she spoke. Springtime looked up at her. “I think we should give it a try. These baby birds at least deserve a chance to live, don’t they? Every life does.” She smiled slightly and quoted James 1:27, “‘Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.'”
Springtime mulled over Scazzarda’s words. She’s right, Springtime realized. All life does deserve a chance to live. She sighed. “All right,” she said, “we’ll raise the birds, Cloudy. We’ll try our best to make sure they thrive and live happy lives.”
Cloudy beamed her thanks. Then she frowned a little. “But we have to have the proper supplies and nutrients for the birds. I just don’t know if we can wing that, though.”
“I’m sure we can rustle up something, maybe from the attic,” Springtime smiled, chuckling inwardly at Cloudy’s pun. “In the meantime, let’s get the birds inside and set up a glass cage in the parlor. Then we’ll figure out what we need for them.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Cloudy said.
Scazzarda tenderly picked up the delicate nest, opened the door again, and they all stepped inside, with the exception of Meta Knight and Liloy, the latter asking to wait outside and speak with her father. When the door was closed, Liloy perched on the lawn chair and smiled at her father. “I’ve got the most exciting news!” she sang.
“Your baby will be born this month?” Meta Knight guessed, leaning against the porch railing.
“Well, yes, but I meant my other exciting news.” Liloy giggled in happiness, purposefully stalling just to heighten her father’s impatience. “I went to see Tilry today, and he’s doing much better; in fact, the doctors believe he may even fully recover and will live a healthy, full life!”
Meta Knight couldn’t believe it. This was the first he had heard about any of this. Still, he was overjoyed to learn of Tilry’s possible full recuperation. But he wasn’t about to show it. “That’s marvelous, Liloy,” he said, trying to sound composed and yet exuberant at the same time.
Liloy burst into laughter at his tone. “Oh, Father, stop trying to act all serious about the whole thing! Deep down, I know you’re really very excited, so why not just show it!”
Meta Knight had to laugh at her impudence. “As usual, Liloy, my daughter, you are right!” He scooped her up in his arms, lifting her clear off her feet. “I am very pleased that Tilry’s condition is improving rapidly.”
“Oh, so am I!” Liloy grinned and heaved a sigh of happiness. “I can’t wait for Tilry to see my little baby once it’s born. He’s going to be a dad, you know—and you’re going to be a grandfather!”
Meta Knight rested his hand on his daughter’s, and both embraced each other for the longest time. Liloy felt his grip tighten on her the slightest bit. She understood how much he hurt inside—over his abusive past, over his father Nightmare refusing to act paternally toward him and his sister. She knew it had taken a toll on him, physically, emotionally, and mentally. She wished she could help him, but knew that only God helped those who couldn’t help themselves.
* * * * *
“Okay, here we are,” Scazzarda announced, bringing into the parlor a sturdy glass aquarium and positioning it upright on the table. “This should be big enough to hold five wriggly, restless little hatchlings.”
“Now we need the heat lamps. I know we have three or four in the attic,” Springtime said.
Just then, Cloudy’s brothers descended the staircase and spotted the nest and aquarium on the coffee table. “What’s going on in here?” Sharkell asked, creeping forward and peering into the nest at the helpless, naked birds bundled together. “What are these?”
“Baby cardinals,” Star explained. “They were in an accident,” and she proceeded to tell them the entire story about the unfortunate death of the mother cardinal and how they were attempting to rear the babies. Sharkell and his brothers listened, fascinated, from beginning to end. But Sniper was unemotional, his face cold.
“Survival of the fittest, I guess,” was his unfeeling response to the heartrending story.
Star glared at her brother, disgust growing on her face. “Sniper, how rude! If your mother was killed in a car accident, would that be your reply?”
“No, of course not,” answered Sniper in a haughty voice. “But then again, I don’t have a bird for a mother, either. Good thing too, ’cause I couldn’t stand eating worms for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
Yodi, ever the peacemaker, broke in, “Oh, forget him. Let’s just get these birds settled in and comfortable.”
Springtime arranged some clean towels on the bottom of the tank. “Sniper, can you go to the attic and hunt for those heat lamps your grandma gave us a few years ago? They’re in the gray box marked 2GX4.”
“Aw, Mommy! Why do I have to do it?” Sniper complained. “I do everything! Make Waffle do it; he never does anything!”
Springtime looked like she was about to retort, but then a sly smile spread over her face. “Hey, Sniper, what big event is later this month?”
Sniper raised an eyebrow. “Um, well, it’s my birthday—as well as my other siblings’.”
“Exactly,” Springtime declared. “And if you don’t bring those heat lamps as requested, you’re going to be spending a very unpleasant birthday cooped up in your room, along with no presents, no cake, no fun. . .”
Sniper swallowed hard. “Boy, you sure drive a hard bargain, don’t you, Mommy?”
“Take it or leave it,” ordered Springtime.
Sniper thought it over for several seconds, then released a dark sigh. “Okay, I’ll bring them.” He vanished upstairs and was gone for several minutes. After a time, he reappeared with the heat lamps and handed them to her.
“Good, you got them,” Springtime said, relief evident in her voice, taking them, plugging them in, and positioning them over the aquarium in such a way so that all three beams of light merged into one. Then Scazzarda took the birds and tenderly lowered them directly in the spotlight. Their little bodies twitched as they settled together, trying to get warm in the lights’ glows.
“What do we need now?” Cloudy asked eagerly.
“Since they’re not yet fledglings, we need some sunflower hearts, seeds, insects, and mealworms. These can probably be purchased at a local pet store,” said Springtime. “I’ll send Showerstorm into town for it later, but for now, we can probably feed them soft fruits. Star, go look in the pantry and bring me some strawberries and blueberries. Bring a kitchen knife too.”
Star did as directed and soon returned with the necessary accessories. Scazzarda cut them up and then put them into a tiny dish, which next to she set a shallow pan filled with fresh water. “They should be fine now,” she said with a smile. “We’ll have to keep checking on them several times a day, but it’ll be worth it if they survive and live normally. Every bit of effort counts if we want them to grow and thrive.”
Meta Knight and Liloy then entered the house. “Hello,” Liloy called. “Sorry we’re a little late. Are the birds okay?”
“They’re just fine,” Cloudy said. “They’re sleeping.”
Meta Knight walked over to the aquarium and glanced down at the vulnerable chicks. His eyes flashed dark green in anxiety. “They’re so small,” he murmured. “And defenseless.”
Liloy walked over to Meta Knight and placed her hand on his arm. “They’ll be just fine, Father,” she told him. “Just fine. They’ll grow up to be beautiful, healthy birds. You’ll see.”
Meta Knight didn’t seem convinced. “I don’t know,” he said. He shook his head—rather vehemently, Cloudy thought, as if trying to dispel unspoken, dark thoughts lurking within the recesses of his mind. “I just don’t know. They’re so young to be separated from their mother.”
Liloy rested her head on his shoulder. “They’ll be all right.”
Cloudy couldn’t figure out her friend. One minute he was so determined to take care of the birds and make them well again and the next he was uncertain, hesitant about their health, not knowing whether or not they would survive. Why was he always so guarded and pessimistic, she wondered. Why couldn’t he just learn that sometimes a positive attitude was the best medicine there was?
Or is something else going on? Cloudy suspiciously wondered as she watched her friend standing in front of the aquarium, head bowed, one hand clutching the corner of his cape. Liloy stood beside him, her gloved hand on his arm, a warm but worried smile on her face.
Was this a persistent whisper of. . .foreshadowing?
If so, what did it mean?
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