Intelligence: Joey's story

Intelligence: Chapter Four

"How'd you get that, Joey?" Christie asked, stroking his claws with her thumb. Joey the parrot owned a small red cut along the end of his left claw, luckily no blood came out of it and luckily it wasn't deep either. They all assumed it was from where he has escaped the house last Thursday. It was currently Saturday.

Neave's eyes scanned his small injury, "Maybe he scratched it on something, the wall he sat on? The bucket? Himself?" She comforted his feathery head, switching on her phone and watching the screen light up.

"Nooo..." Joey denied, shaking his head. Christie crossed her arms, keeping eye contact with Joey. "Well, what matters most is curing it." She walked over to Neave, looking over her shoulder at her phone. She was exploring blood feathers up on the internet and staring at each image that was shown. "He doesn't have a blood feather, it's a little cut."

"Yeah, I know, I was just curious." She mumbled, showing her girlfriend another picture. Christie walked through the kitchen to find the keys to the shed outside. Going outside, she unlocked the shed door, covered in thick webs. Her pinky finger stroked across a web, causing her to cringe. Christie tried to ignore the webs and spiders and dug into the shed, seeking for a small metal cage. She was planning on taking Joey to the vets for a check up.

She pushed everything to the side, an old box for a pink swing, a hula hoop she forgot to throw out... Until she saw thin metal bars for a parrot cage. She inspected it, 'I don't remember it being so small' she thought. She hadn't realised Neave had followed her into the garden. "What's that?" She muttered, pulling the cage away from Christie. "It's a cage I brought for Joey earlier last year. I thought I'd be useful for taking him places." She responded. "Is he going to the vets?" Neave whispered, looking back to check on Joey. Christie sighed, "Yeah, but don't tell him, he might understand what it means. And that won't make him happy."

Neave's eyes opened widely, showing her blue orbs. "The vets? Has Joey ever been?!" She was clueless. "Uh, yeah? Remember when we got him that little ring so we don't lose him?" Christie exit the shed, locking the door behind her. She held the parrot cage from the handle, swinging it lightly. She paused before entering the house again, "Order a taxi. Also, don't tell Joey we're taking him."

"I won't." Neave exclaimed, following her into the kitchen, shutting the door behind her.

~ 10 minutes later ~

Joey had been introduced to his mini cage, he fit perfectly in it. "See, it isn't that bad, is it?" Christie smiled at her beautiful parrot. He whistled in happiness, "I love it!". Neave and Christie giggled along, "That's good, Joey. Now, want to go outside?" Neave stroked his strong beak. Joey was capable of stepping onto the small perch himself and getting comfortable. He bopped his head as they closed the cage door, looking outside to find a taxi. "Let's go!" they said in sync.

They stepped outside, feeling the warm beams of sunlight over them. "Oooo!" Joey squinted his eyes, protecting them from the glistening sun. He felt the light spring breeze blow through his smooth feathers. Neave and Christie walked towards the black doors of the taxi which had just arrived, holding Joey's small travel cage. Neave clambered over to the opposite side of the car and slumped in the shiny, leather seat. Christie then placed Joey steadily next to her before sitting down next to her. "Neave, did I tell you that the guy who attacked Carl got arrested?" She asked, Neave nodded. "Yeah, he should've got life sentence though."

The taxi driver wasn't their usual and he didn't look as friendly either. "Where to?" He asked with a gruff voice. Christie couldn't deny the fact that the driver was slightly intimidating but that couldn't be helped. "The vets in the village, please." She said firmly, not showing any fear. The driver responded with a careless nod.