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"TODAY'S THE DAY!!! Today's the day, today's the day!!! Today'sthedaytoday'sthedaytoday'sthedaaaaaaaaay!" The sound of a screen door slamming shut accompanied the excited mantra, quickly followed by hurried slaps of bare feet going down wooden steps only to be muffled by dew-laden blades of grass.
She hadn't even heard what her bemused mother had shouted at her as she dashed off across the lawn. Not that it was anything overly important; the chuckling woman knew that her overly-excited daughter would be just fine, and if she wasn't back to the house by breakfast time she could send one of the older kids after her to try and coax her to come eat.
When it came to animals, Susan refused to do much of anything else. Not because she was a spoiled brat or anything, she just loved animals.
Especially when it came to babies.
And today was a very special day for babies.
Early morning light streamed in through the leaves as the nine-year-old skipped through the underbrush through the dense glen of trees, ignoring the fact that her toes were beginning to freeze and prune from the early morning moisture still clinging to the flora. She was greeted by several of her animal friends, the blonde giggling and calling out her responses to them as she passed by. In her frenzied excitement she failed to notice the lull that had overcome the normally ever-bustling forest, a mournful silence taking up residence instead.
Any indication that she had noticed the silence was wiped away as soon as she reached her destination, her eyes lighting up with even more excitement when she came to a halt in front of a towering beech, a dark hole visible midway up the thick trunk. Without even hesitating the girl scaled up the tree as quietly as she could, steadily approaching the hole that, at one point, housed a woodpecker and its brood.
For the last several years, however, a pair of pygmy owls had taken up residence in the cavity instead. Like most creatures that occupied the forest surrounding the Hawthorne property, the two owls had welcomed Susan's presence automatically. They were never overly friendly, but the two had always allowed her near them on their own terms. They had never laid any eggs though, until about a month ago. The proud mother had insisted on showing the young girl the four eggs she had been perched on, before shooing her away.
Four excruciatingly long weeks later, it was time for the eggs to finally hatch.
And today was the day!!!
As Susan reached the branch directly underneath the hole she called out to the owls softly to announce her presence and not frighten them off, pulling herself up to peer into the dark cavity. She frowned when she didn't see the female right away, dread slowly starting to form into the pit of her stomach. She blinked several times to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness, her heart sinking as the scene finally became clear to her.
"Oh no...." Sky blue eyes welled up with tears as she saw the crushed shells in the nest, feathers scattered around everywhere speckled with dark red flecks and a single talon the only things to be seen.
She loved animals, but hated that they had to be so cruel to one another.
Susan sighed sadly and sank down to the branch beneath her feet, resting her back against the trunk, the silence surrounding her filling her with even more sadness. She knew it wouldn't last long, but for now it felt as if the whole forest was mourning with her.
After a moment she sighed once more and began her descent, the new branch beneath her feet jarring slightly as she landed on it. The sound of an indignant and agitated peep brought her out of her sorrow, an eyebrow arching as she looked for the source of the noise. It sounded out again and she saw the culprit among the leaves, beady little eyes glaring up at her. Susan stared at the little bird blankly for a second, the two blinking owlishly at each other, before the shell fragments that had managed to cling to the leaves caused her to gasp aloud in joy.
One of the owlets had made it!!
She had no idea how he had managed to land in the leaves, and not fall out of the tree to his death, but she decided that that didn't matter much. Before she could move an inch the little chick floundered awkwardly towards her, pecking at her toes. Susan giggled to herself and bent to scoop the baby bird up in her hands before he knocked himself off of the branch, her giggle turning to a small squeak of pain as he pecked her fingers. "You can't eat me! How are you ever gonna make it out of this tree if you do that?!"
He peeped indignantly once more and glared up at her, shooting her a look that clearly stated he thought this entire situation was her fault.
"Listen here you little butt," Susan said pointedly, matching his indignation with her own as she carefully climbed down and out of the tree. "If you don't stop being so mouthy, I'm going to leave your fuzzy self up in that tree to fend for yourself. All you'll get to eat are caterpillars and bugs!"
The little owl regarded her stiffly for a second before he peeped at her softly and snuggled up inside her hands, pecking the tip of her finger gently. Susan smiled happily and scrubbed the top of his head with the tip of her nose before planting a light kiss there. "Come on then little Biscuit, let's get you home, and fed. I'm sure you're starving. We'll come back tomorrow and see if your mama or papa have come back."
As she made her way back through the trees, the normal hustle and bustle had once again taken up residence in the early morning air. In the back of her mind, Susan knew that the little owlet's parents were gone, but that didn't stop her from hoping that one of them may have made it. She would take care of him for as long as she could, or for as long as he allowed her to.
Little did she know, though, the pygmy owl would have refused to leave her even if his parents were still alive. He had imprinted on her the second he had seen her climb up his beech tree.