Era of Ezri

No fair

Ezri

No words could summarise how exhausted I felt, I'd been out of bed from the crack of dawn after suggesting to Jordan that he let me help out with the farm located in the wooded area of the estate.

The farm itself was relatively small but there were still piles of work that the siblings had to do to maintain it, however, it seemed Rio was the most active and hands-on when it came to taking care of the animals and managing the crops.

She was out here no later than half five in the morning and returning no earlier than half past nine, I'd imagined that working alongside her would make the tasks easier but working with someone who has a lifetime's worth of experience made me feel more like a burden than anything else.

I wiped away the layer of sweat sitting on my hairline and moved back into my stance, crouched with my legs wide as I sized off with Norton for the tenth time today. The troublesome auburn bird had nipped me at least seven times and I'd decided that this was the last time I was prepared to dive into the mud to catch the infuriating flightless Typh.

Norton had escaped her pen this morning when Jordan went to feed her and her siblings but had somehow allowed the bird to sneak past him before he got the chance to close back the gate.

Stupidly, I'd volunteered to get the Typh back when I'd spotted how small she was, but little did I know that her size only added to her agility, thus why the little bird had been running circles around me for almost two hours.

To say I was ashamed was an understatement, I was thoroughly drained and this game of cat and mouse only made me realise how unfit I was going to become if I stayed cooped up in the house all day.

"Come on Norton, you must be tired." I pleaded, trying to persuade her to walk into my outstretched arms but she only made a strange croaking noise and puffed up her feathers, clearly the deranged ball of feathers wasn't backing down, but it only encouraged me to make sure that my plan was foolproof.

I sucked in a deep breath and made the first move, placing one foot forward before starting a slow jog towards the bird. There was at least twenty feet between us and I'd already anticipated which way Norton was going to try and run.

This time, I'd come up with a plan to outwit the bird once and for all.

I was already aware of how slippery the thick mud was beneath my feet after last night's downpour and had noted how it would delay my movements.

As I crossed the halfway point between me and the bird, Norton did what I'd predicted, she fainted right and ran in the opposite direction.

Little did Norton know I was already one step ahead of her, I had purposely not used what was left of my energy to cross the distance between us, knowing the real chase wouldn't start until she made her move. And after chasing her around all morning I'd learnt that the bird always chose to run left on the occasion that someone was running directly towards her.

So, as soon as Norton ran left I shifted all of my weight in that direction, glad that I'd decided against charging at full speed otherwise it would've been impossible to change directions so quickly without falling.

The wide space that we were in had two low eroded walls to our left and right, although the walls were low enough for me to step over without much effort, it would be a miracle for Norton to get over either one.

I was close to three feet away from her when she ran directly towards the wall like she hadn't realised there was no escape that way.

At this point, I'd almost caught up to the feral bird and I knew this was my chance, it was now or never.

I shifted into a goalkeeper stance realising that I had to get this right, although I might think I have her cornered, her size enhanced her evasiveness and she could easily get past me if I let my guard down.

I studied her body language intently, searching for any muscle twitch or small foot movement that could hint to me which direction she would run in next. Those beady eyes looked straight into mines as a moment of tension passed between us, both of us waiting for the other to draw their card so we could counter with one of our own.

As I was beginning to doubt my instincts Norton's eyes flicked briefly to the right but then immediately bounced back to mines. 

Gotcha.

It was now or never. I leapt right knowing that I was about to land right on top of Norton as soon as I landed. But, to my surprise and in my haste I'd jumped the gun, and whilst I was flying in one direction Norton had turned on her little chicken feet and jumped over the wall.

My mouth hung open as my eyes caught sight of Norton's back and her pathetic excuse for wings flapping like her life depended on it. 

How?

I landed awkwardly on my elbow in a deep puddle of mud, the murky liquid drenching me from head to toe in grizzly brown, just great.

Even from afar, I could hear the boisterous laughter of Rio and Jordan who were stood by the gardening sheds not too far away. Furious, hurt and wet, I staggered to my feet and glared in their direction, they both jumped out of their skin before averting their attention to the locks on the shed doors like something was interesting about the blocks of metal.

Enough was enough, I couldn't care less if that brainless animal was eaten by a fox, in fact, I hoped that it got snatched by a poultry farmer who stumbled upon the estate and decided that nobody would notice if one small Typh went missing.

I stared intensely at my reflection in the dirty puddle that I'd fallen in, small ripples began to bounce through it as the baby blue colour that painted the sky began to pale in sickness before shifting to a deathly grey.

The earth rumbled beneath my feet and in my rage, I wished that it would open up its mouth and swallow the bird that had outwitted me.

Crack.

The sound was ghastly and frightful amidst the serene silence of the farm, it resembled the sound of bone breaking and was every bit just as unsettling.

Searching for the place the sound had resonated from, my eyes fell upon a small crack amid the earth that was expanding with every passing second, I had a feeling the earth was about to do exactly what I'd wished it to.

"Ezri!!" Jordan's voice was like a faint whisper in my ear in comparison to the earth's furious cries. 

Author's note

Sorry but I could never, birds and feathers give me the ick.

Anyways, please don't forget to vote and/ or leave a comment if you're enjoying 'Era of Ezri'.  🌸💜

-Y