The Story of Tiberius

Chapter 16

A week later, Thunder was wearing a muzzle.

After the events that had taken place the day before and noticing how hot tempered the young hawk was towards anyone else who would approach him and his sister, Phil knew he had to take measures into his own hands. And a sign that warned everyone not to open the cage and that the bird might bite wasn't going to do the trick cuz little kids couldn't read and then there's the idiotic half of the world's population who don't listen until they lose a finger. Ever since that first day where the gentleman was attacked, thirteen more people were bitten. Once the thirteenth, a small child, lost his finger due to the hawk, Phil couldn't take it any longer. He was losing customers by the handful. Taking a muzzle and putting it on the young bird, the man put Thunder back out for sale with no more accidents.

That didn't mean Thunder was delighted. Pawing at the muzzle on his small head, he growled, "I hate this stupid thing." He tried desperately to get the horrible device off but to no avail. Watching him from her corner, Rain opened her mouth to say something but then shut it. Looking over at his sister, the young hawk grumbled, "What?!" Flinching at the harshness in his voice, Rain mumbled, "Maybe he doesn't want you to hurt yourself..."

"No, it's because you're scaring off all the people who want to adopt birds like us!" a tiny bird in the cage nearby chirped. Puffing out his chest feathers, he went on with a sneer, "Who would ever want birds like you?! You're not even supposed to be here!"

"Be here! Be here!" the red colored bird squawked.

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Thunder snarled, "Your point?" His talons were scraping along the solid bottom of the birdcage he and Rain were in, leaving long scratches. By now, all the birds in that corner of the store were watching this for entertainment. Fluttering his wings, the tiny colorful bird landed on a perch inside his cage so he could be eye level with the hawk. A wicked smile spread across his face as he tweeted, "You're nothing but a bad bird. Always were and always will be."

"Bad bird!" the red bird squawked.

"I'm not a bad bird," Thunder muttered but his voice was drowned out by all the tiny birds chanting and chirping. By now, the red colored bird was shouting it at the top of their lungs. The white one with the weird feathers on his head even joined in. The words repeating themselves in his head, Thunder could barely hear Rain's voice trying to comfort him as he slammed his entire body against the side of their cage with a screech. Eyes narrowed to slits, he hissed, "Shut up or I'll-"

"What is all that racket going on back there?!" Phil shouted, silencing the birds. The tiny birds were now laughing at Thunder and Rain while the others stared at them with amusement in their eyes. Curling up into a ball at the back of the cage, Thunder tried to drown out all the noise as he shut his eyes. Before he could fall asleep, he heard the tiny bird speaking to them, "Wild animals have no place amongst the domesticated."