The Story of Tiberius

Chapter 15

Fast as lightning, Thunder tackled one of the hands holding Rain and bit down hard. Blood filled up in his mouth while his talons, small yet sharp, dug into flesh. Releasing his hold on the young hawk's little sister, the gentleman screamed in agony, yanking his hands out of the cage. Rain, frightened by what had just happened, pressed herself against the back of their cage while tears leaked out of her dark brown eyes. The other birds were having different reactions to the situation. "Fight! Fight! Fight!" the tiny birds cheered. The red colored bird wailed like a fire alarm while the white one's crest of feathers went up and down. All the while, Thunder had not relinquished his grip on the hand, the blood roaring in his ears.

"I said quiet down back there!" Phil shouted from the front of the store. Unlike before, the birds didn't shut up. Instead, they seemed to screech louder. By now, the whole pet store was filled with dogs howling and cats yowling. The rodents didn't notice a thing since they were quite dumb and the fish just swam in circles in their tanks, though one was swimming around upside down. All the while, the gentleman struggled to get Thunder off his hand while blood was getting all over the place. Foot stomps could be heard as Phil came over and grumbled, "I said shut up- what the-"

"Help, it's killing me!" the gentleman screamed dramatically. Thinking quickly, Phil grabbed a broomstick. Coming back over, he whacked Thunder with the bristles. When that didn't work, he flipped it around and whacked him with the wooden end. Yelping, the young hawk finally released his hold on the gentleman's hand. By now, blood stained his beak and talons, along with the floor and the man's sleeve. A moment later, a hand grabbed Thunder by the scruff harshly. He turned to his left to find out it was Phil, who currently was helping the gentleman up to his feet. His right hand drench in his own blood and the thumb not looking so good, the man pointed a finger accusingly at the hawk as he cried, "You need to get that... that... that wild animal under control!" Without another word, he fled the store, probably heading for the hospital.

Sighing heavily, Phil looked Thunder dead in the eye as he grumbled, "Now how am I supposed to get rid of you?"