ꜱᴄᴀʀ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴋᴇʏꜱ

Chapter 3: Rheton

Rheton's sister called for him as he dangled from the Great Scarbour Tree's branches.

"Rheton!" Sable called. "Mom needs you!" He turned his head to see his older sister, she had an apron tied around her waist and her face had flour on it.

"I'll be down in a few!" Rheton laughed. "Just let me be in the trees for a few more minutes!"

"Mom needs you now!" she cautioned. "You have brother duties!"

"Brother duties?" Rheton asked. "Can't one of the twins take care of the younglings?"

"They already are. And Clova wants you to take care of her,"

He grinned. Clova's cute little face popped up into his head.

"Coming!" he exclaimed. "Now where is that little ball of sunshine?"

He began walking to his family's cottage and he saw his little sister crying and arguing.

"I want to go to the trees with Rheton!" she declared. "The forest is gorgeous!"

"Clova, you're too young." his mother replied harshly. "He knows the way of the forest,"

"I'll be safe, I promise!" she insisted. Her eyes were pleading. 

"Alright," his mom sighed. She looked at Rheton. "Promise you'll keep her safe? No scratches? No injuries?" His mom folded her arms across her chest and gave him a stern look.

"Yes mom, I promise." Rheton promised as his sister ran up and grinned happily. "Ready?"

"Yes!" Clove's hands reached for his own. Rheton accepted it and pulled his sister over his shoulder.

"Don't drop me!" she giggled.

"I won't, don't worry. I'm a big buff man," he chuckled back.

They eventually made it to the edge of the forest and Rheton sat his sister down on the mushy forest ground. Trees of different shapes and sizes littered around the forest, and some leaves were beginning to mark autumn's arrival.

"This is your hangout?" she asked. "This is awesome!'

"Yes. I like to call it Rheton's castle, if the king didn't own it. I'm here about everyday," He gestured with his head to the animals chirping in the taller trees.

She narrowed her eyes and pointed towards a nest. "What bird is that one?"

He followed her finger to a nest of baby amethyst jay nest. Amethyst jays. They were birds that came in different shapes of purple, and their wings were always tipped black or gray. The babies were always white for the first six months of their life up till a year.

"Those are amethyst jays," the baby birds chirped loudly for their mother, who was perching her claw on the edge of the nest. Their beaks She was dangling three worms from her beak. "The babies are always white. They come in different shades of purple, your favorite."

The bird flew overhead. She was about the size of a carrot, but with wings. Her color was mulberry, and her wings were tipped dark gray.

Clove giggled happily as it landed on the branch from above her head. "It's watching me!"

Rheton smiled softly. "She must like you, Clove," he ruffled his sister's hair. She swatted his hand away with a big grin on her face. A few more birds few on the tree. Most of them were varying species of jays, including goldenjays and olivejays. Goldenjays were almost identical to amythestjays, but they came in shades of orange and red. Olivejays came in shades of green. 

"There's so many birds!" she cheered. "I want to pet one!" 

Rheton looked over at his sister and raised an eyebrow in slight amusement. "I don't know if they would like that," he poked her side. "But I'm fine with helping you pet one, just let me find a friendly one," He stood up from his spot to study the flock of birds resting on the few of the taller branches. From his own personal experience, olivejays were the friendliest for kids. There was only a few, and they were surrounded by carminejays. Carminejays were protective of their olivejay companions. 

Rheton reached his palm onto one of the smaller branches next to the birds' branches and rested it there. 

"Have you got one yet, Rhetto?" 

He smiled at his sister's nickname. "Nope! Not yet, but maybe!" A few olivejays began trotting over to his hand and pecking at his fingernails. Rheton let them peck for a few minutes before reaching his other hand to cup one of them in his hand. The bird squaked momentarily, before relaxing into the heat of his hand. "I got one for you," 

Clova ran up to him with her hands outstretched. Her face was full of glee and happiness as he rested the bird in his sister's little hand. He moved his hand to make her own cup the bird. "Does it like me?" her voice was pleading. 

Rheton chuckled. "Of course he does. He would be calling for his friends to help him!" He glanced up at the birds. The flock was chirping and flying around the tree. "How about we put him back, and then we can explore the rest?" 

She nodded her head up, enough to make her dizzy. He laughed and picked her up so she was resting on his hip. Clova rested her hands on his forearm as they trotted deeper into the forest ground.