The Story of Tiberius

Chapter 14

"Quiet down back there!" Phil's gruff voice called somewhere at the front of the pet store. That finally got the tiny colorful birds, along with every other feathery animal in the corner, to shut up. Hearing the bell hanging over the shop door ring, signaling the arrival or exit of a customer, Thunder huffed. His feathers, beginning to lose their fluffiness, were bristling all over the place. Sighing heavily, he headed for the back of the cage to clear his mind while Rain went to the front.

"My my, aren't you a fancy little bird?" a crisp voice stated. Turning his head, Thunder saw a young man in a neatly tailored suit looking at Rain. His sister seemed uncomfortable with how he was staring at her. She trembled even more when the gentleman went to open the cage. Eyes narrowing, Thunder got the sense that the man wasn't supposed to do that. Sure, it was very easy to open the latch but that didn't give him the right to do so. He stole a glance over at the tiny colorful birds, who seemed just as worried by this action.

"He's not allowed to do that..." one tiny bird whispered to her friend, who whispered back, "Should we alert Phil?"

"Uh, maybe," a white bird with funny feathers mumbled from a cage across from them, eyeing the man suspiciously.

Meanwhile, the gentleman had successfully lifted the latch as quietly as possible and opened the door. The red colored bird began to squawk, "Uh oh! Uh oh!" The tiny birds were chirping and tweeting. Frightened, Rain backed up towards Thunder, whimpering. "It's alright, I just want to look at you..." the gentleman spoke softly, reaching his hands inside. Grabbing a hold of Rain, he was pulling out now. Shaking uncontrollably, the young hawk squeaked for help.

Seeing what was happening, Thunder growled a warning before taking action and lunging forward...