G/t Short Stories

Bird

Snow crunched beneath Kal's boots as he strolled down the wooded path with his little friend sitting in the crook of his neck. "You sure you're not cold?"
"No way!" Paige scoffed. "Besides, how will I be able to enjoy the scenery, if I'm cramped in your pocket?"
"Fair enough." Kal chuckled as he glanced over at the borrower. There was no way that little black poncho with an oversized blue button was keeping her warm, but he learned not to question Paige when she is set on something. Her fierce stubbornness was something he loved about her, even at her small size, she still had the confidence of a human… or bean as she typically put it.
A branch snapped nearby making Kal jump; without thinking, he covered Paige with his hand, pressing her small body against his neck. The biker guy used to not be so startled but anytime Paige was out in the open, he couldn't help but fear that someone else could come up unexpectedly.
"Oh come on," Paige squirmed against his palm. "Who could possibly be in the woods?"
"Just stay quiet for a second." Kal said in a hushed tone. Despite the borrower's protest, he stayed still as a statue and his gray eyes darted around the woods searching for a sign of anyone lurking around; yet no one was in sight.
Tiny hands pried at Kal's fingers enough to open them enough to get an annoyed Paige to nearly throw herself out of her hiding spot. Fortunately, Kal squeezed his fingers back shut around her hips, leaving her top half dangling out from his hand.
"You're being paranoid, Kal." Paige huffed, still trying to wiggle herself free.
"And you're being reckless."
A nearby bush started to rustle and out hobbled a little red bird, who's left wing was outstretched. It stared up at the massive blond man with its beady eyes and tried to fly away; sadly, it could only spaz out, flinging snow around.
"Oh, it's just a Cardinal." Kal released a sigh, along with all the tension inside him. His fingers loosened around Paige and she slipped out from her hiding spot. The tiny woman crawled over to the edge of his shoulder to examine the little bird.
"Aw… he's hurt, Kal." She whimpered.
Kal knelt down to get a closer look at the frightful bird. Dried blood caked his feathers, with a couple puncture wounds that were healing. Obviously this Cardinal survived a fight but was suffering for a bit now.
Paige sprinted down his arm and jumped onto the icy ground. The red bird spazzed out more as she inched closer to him. Kal nearly snatched the borrower away to keep her safe but Paige held up her hand to signal him to wait.
"Easy…" she cooed as she inched closer to the Cardinal. His erratic flapping didn't die down until Paige's hand caressed the side of his neck, once he was calm enough, Paige moved over to the bird's broken wing. "Let's get you patched up." She said as she stripped off her poncho and began wrapping it around the bird's wing, he didn't even protest as the borrower brushed over his injuries.
Every time Kal thought Paige couldn't amaze him anymore, she went and did something even more impressive than the last.
"Kal, would you mind carrying him back to the house? I think he needs stitches."
"Oh sure." Kal said, snapping out of his trance. He fished his faded red bandana out of his pocket to wrap around the bird. Paige kept soothing the creature until a gust of wind brushed up against her, the borrower wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to keep herself warm but her body still shivered as the chilly winds died down.
"I think you may be right," Paige turned towards the human. "It is too cold for me."
A smile crept up on Kal. "Then let's head back home." He laid his hand out for the small woman to climb on. She wasted no time getting close to the warmth that radiated off of his hand; once secured, Kal curled his fingers around Paige to keep her safe as he rose her to the denim pocket on his jacket. He opened the flap and uncurled his fingers to let Paige slip inside, the borrower practically dived into his pocket once the cold air hit her skin again.
She adjusted herself a few times before Kal felt her snuggle up into the corner of the pocket, he swore he felt her bury her face into his chest, causing his heart to skip a beat.
Once she was settled Kal reached out and gently lifted the Cardinal. "Now let's try and help you."