From The Tree

Trust Exercise

Fluff, dryer lint specifically, made quite decent insulation for a nest. Pushing it into the cracks and seams of the carefully woven twigs with her beak, the sparrow twittered with satisfaction. Basic home maintenance may be a necessity but that didn't mean it must be glum. Her head cocked, hearing a rustling below. Hopping along the craggy branch, she peered over the edge to see a group of squirrels, and one chipmunk. Gathering in a line on the fence under the cover of the sparrow's tree. She blinked, one of them was that one from yesterday. Tried to steal that can and got the dog on him, he did. This time he's wearing some strange, makeshift backpack of toothpicks, string and a plastic bag. He's trying again with some of his mates from the looks of it. Well, if that's how some people wanted to spend their time she wouldn't judge, but by George it does make an awful lot of noise once that canine gets involved.

It was another lazy day, sun high, clouds fluffy. Perfect weather for a peanut heist. Francis, along with his soon to be successful partners in crime looked out onto the backyard. The tin of Watkins Peanuts tantalized in the distance. It's glossy paper wrapper glinting in the sun. Sheffield was fast asleep on the deck, snoring loudly on his side. Chuck looked a little nervous, ears flat against his head, tail low, his fur bristling as he watched that mutt. How did he let himself get talked into this? Darlene ruffled his head, which he found this more annoying than reassuring. Gerry was distracted by a pretty white butterfly floating by. Oh, and, Harold was there too.

With a deep, squeaky breath, Francis readied himself. Looking to his cohorts, he nodded. Chuck nodded back, tapping Gerry on the head to get his attention. The two of them made their way along the fence around to the east side of the yard. Darlene and Harold move to their own waypoint on the west. Francis followed, positioning himself across the shortest gap between the fence and deck on the west side. Staying out of sights, hanging on the opposite side of the fence, they waited for the plan to unfold. Chuck and Gerry knew they were up first, They squeaked loudly, trying to catch the sleeping dogs attention.

Ole' Sheff breathed deep, whistling through his nostrils, jowls rippling as he exhaled. Snorting, noticing something amiss, his eyes twitching. Sucking in more air through his nose, He jerked awake with a snort of recognition. Chuck stopped, waiting to see what happened.

Smacking his lips, opening his eyes, the mutt yawned wide, flaunting his impressive curved canines. Scanning his environs with tired eyes to see what the matter was, finding swiftly that the matter was them. His eyes went wide. Barking, recognizing the furry trespassers, flailing his spindly legs in an awkward scramble. Launching himself towards Chuck and Gerry as they knew he would.

Hearing the dog barking fruitlessly, Francis knew it was his turn to move. Crawling over the fence, tension in his throat as he snuck to the ground. Dropping to the soft grass halfway down the fence, heart pounding, prowling swiftly through the green blades towards the tall end of the deck. Empty backpack shifting side to side against his shoulders. Sheffield barking and the thumps of his paws against the fence echoed dully as his claws dug into the ragged support. Climbing inch by inch and quickly as he could.

Stopping just before cresting the edge, he looked over his left shoulder to Darlene and Harold in the cover of the tree, giving them a thumbs up, they nodded, waving their arms at Chuck. Who was busy staring down the angry, barking mutt keeping to the safety of the grass. Not wanting to hurt his paws on the jagged shale that rimmed the east and north fences. Gerry on the other hand was enjoying puffing his cheeks and making faces at the dog. Chuck squinted at him, unsure if he was brave or merely too dim to be scared. Looking across the yard, he saw Darlene and Harold signalling him, he fluttered his own poofy tail in reply, grabbing Gerry by the shoulder and pulling him away, down the back of the fence. Sheffield grumbled and licked his lips satisfied that he defended his backyard once again. Until the distant blasphemous sounds of more heretics invaded his ears. Spinning his head. He saw the new duo of irritants.