Death's Pet 4

Part 3

  It's well after midnight in the mortal realm when reaper Jon is released. After what happened with his last reaper Mort takes no chances and grills Jon boy hours until the poor thing is weeping before he leaves. Most of what we can tell, he was pulled to a triple homicide and felt the pull that would lead him to the devil's domain.

  After Jon leaves, Mort finally can go over what he learned from Nick. So far what I've gathered is that the little phoenix eats the gum of frankincense, an aromatic resin, and the juices of amomum, an herb of the ginger family. It also needs to be kept warm and apparently for travels we can put it in a thermal pouch that can be carrier around by one of us. The heat from one of our bodies will suffice to keep the bird warm enough. The pouch will need to have some of the ashes from the box the goddess brought put in it for the first few days. Also, phoenix's grow at an alarming rate, within a couple weeks maybe three at most, it will reach full maturity. Finally, Nick was able to discern that not only is the baby phoenix female, like Bastet said, but is also on her first life cycle. This phoenix was not reborn but hatched from an egg. At this stage in its life, it is the most powerful and most vulnerable.

  I have had no time to process my reaction to the tiny creature when I arrived home with the reaper and instead found myself worrying even more over the thing with all how to care for it and how rapidly it will grow. Not to mention how vulnerable it is, seeing as it is not a reborn phoenix. Reborn phoenixes, while at risk in early stages still have a certain amount of self-protection provided to them from previous life spans. Newly hatched phoenixes don't have that benefit yet.

  While I dealt with my inner turmoil of how to care for a creature not of my species, Mort has carried the two of us, the tiny bird now strapped in a heated pouch to me, to the sleeping chamber of the cabin. He places me and the bird gently at the end of the bed while he leaves to the bathing room to ready himself for sleep. I gingerly lay myself down so that I can curl around the pouch and not squish the tiny bird at the same time. I'm still uncertain about having the phoenix strapped to me. A part of me worries that I'll roll over and accidently smother it at some point during rest without realizing that I'm lying on her. I've already tried pleading with Mortimer to take the thing for tonight, but as he pointed out, the bird is my task. He also pointed out after strapping the pouch to me that since the phoenix is within in its first life cycle, that bonding is extremely important. He also tried to be encouraging saying that since I'm female that perhaps maternal instincts would kick in as well. After the questionable look from me he quickly changed the subjection and asked if I was considering a name for our phoenix yet.

  I hear the shower running and sigh, Mort is going to be a minute. Shifting gently to get a little more comfortable, the baby bird pokes its head out of the pouch. I giggle quietly, as the pouch is angled sideways it causes her to tilt her head at a funny angle, giving her a cartoon-like, comical look. I carefully readjust her, so she is more upright, and she chirps softly at me.

  Cocking my head to the side I tiredly ask her, "So what shall you be named tiny? Mort says it's important that I name you, but I think you could at least help me in the process. What do you say?"

  She mimics me in return, chirps softly at each word and bobbing her head in time with my flicking tails. "Hmm." I muse back at her. "Tiny?" I try. The baby tilts her head the other way. "Phoenix?" she twists her head away from me and the light catches on the couple feathers upon her otherwise bald skull turning shades of bright gold and red. Bright. I suddenly recall a name that was derived from another male version of it, that means bright.

  "Phoebe?" I ask hesitantly, going with the female version. I except the same response as before but instead I get a 'bright' chirp as she swivels her almost bald head back around to look me in the eye. "Phoebe." I say one more time and the little phoenix tries to climb out of her little nest to get closer to me. Smiling, I pull her more into my chest and under my chin, so she doesn't try to escape but makes a chuff sound at the same time. "Well, that was easy." Looking down at her I say, "let's hope the rest of this adventure we're in together is just as hassle-free as naming you."

  Phoebe cocks her head to the side and makes almost a purring sound that makes me warm all over for some reason that I can name but, feels familiar. I can't help but smile either, I didn't know birds could almost purr like felines.

  Mort comes back into our sleeping chamber a few minutes later. "Time for rest my ladies." He quickly douses the lights then calls out, "Goodnight my little One and Tiny One." I feel the bed shift as he lays down.

  "Phoebe." I quietly say as if to correct his name of Tiny One. I don't know if Mortimer heard me as he doesn't comment on it. But Phoebe does hear me and snuggles closer under my chin in response.

___

  Morning comes all too soon for the three of us. Thankfully, Mortimer thought to have things packed for us the night before, so we have at least a few minutes to spare before we leave. Phoebe is bright eyed and hungry as soon as she opens her eyes. After several attempts to feed her with the pre-made food, I finally resort to a little of the magic in me to help me get more in her greedy mouth than all over her and me (despite having 'thumbs' on my paws feeding her with a dropper was not an easy task).

  I sit now on Mort's shoulder with Phoebe strapped to the front of my chest, while Mortimer has a small pack strapped to his back of supplies for my/our baby phoenix. Without thinking I nervously dig my claws into his shoulder as I mentally ready for us to leave home and enter Hell. I haven't even had this babe of a bird for twenty-four hours yet and I'm already on edge about traveling further than the living area to the sleeping chamber and back again. I'm even worried about how traveling the way we do will affect her. Less than twenty-four hours ago I couldn't have cared less about anything but myself and Mort. Now, I'm caring for a bird. It doesn't matter that it's a supernatural one and rare at that. I'm now responsible for a little phoenix that I've named all by myself. Yesterday, I thought the whole idea ludicrous, that someone thought a 'cat' could care for a 'bird' and have either survive the outcome was worth trying out. I'm amazed at how my perspective has changed in that little of time though. I owe much of that to my Mort and if I'm honest to Phoebe as well. Who new naming a new being and snuggling them close to you all night would cause a little more change of perspective or heart? I sure as hell didn't know. For a moment, I wonder what it would be like it I were to have a litter of my own. Would it change me? Or would it seem more natural, and I wouldn't stress as much because it's kittens and not a bird?

  A gentle brush of fingertips to my paws pulls me out of my thoughts.

  "Little Kasha? Are you ready?" Mort tilts his head so he can look up into my eyes. There is a softness to the stormy gaze directed at me.

  With a shake of my head and a quick glance at Phoebe the phoenix, I give him a curt nod. "As ready as I guess we're gonna be. Take us to Hell Death."

  He gives a grim smile and with a turn and a blink of eye takes us into the very bowels of the Christian after.