Hope is the Thing With Feathers

Chapter 5

Hope you are all doing well and staying safe. In happier news, New Horizons is out, which is why, I must admit, this update was delayed a bit. Please enjoy :)

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Hoo! My first day and running late! Blathers thought as he scurried past the crowded city streets toward his university. His wings were flapping hurriedly, and a few spare feathers tumbled down onto the street from the weight of the stress.

It had been Blathers' fault to begin with. Still averse to the taste of coffee, he had decided to go without his usual cup, and, a half hour later, he found himself asleep with his head in his bowl of cereal. After cleaning the milk out of his feathers, he had only managed to grab a few books before rushing the few blocks from his single bedroom apartment toward the university.

Somehow or other, whether through fate, or rather Blathers' own will, he made it to his first lecture in time and found himself in a room filled with hundreds of animals. He scooted his way toward the nearest available seat, pulled out his various pens and notebooks, and got to work. And this is what he did for the entire day, heading from class to class, excited to learn about the material, but also exhausted from his negligent decision to go without caffeine. 

Blathers left the university library in the evening feeling confident, though even as the sun set, he still found himself yawning. It was as he was walking back on the familiar city street that a heavenly scent filled his beak. It was coffee, no doubt, but there were a few accompanying scents. Cinnamon, sugar, was that a touch of caramel he could detect?

Blathers found himself practically floating toward the small, cramped cafe lodged in between two other shops. The smell only grew better the moment he stepped inside the quaint little coffee shop. The walls were painted a dark gray, the dark wood tables were neatly polished, and past the sound of brewing coffee and steaming milk, Blathers could hear the faint sound of jazz music in the background.

His eyes first gazed at the delicious sight of pastries displayed before him, but his mother had warned him that eating sweets before dinner hurt an owl's belly. 

"Coo, need help with anything?" someone asked above him.

Blathers lifted his head to find a pigeon, not too much older than himself, with small rounded glasses and a dark, droopy mustache that he knew he would never quite be able to grow. 

"I am not much of a coffee drinker, but the scent drew me in. Do you recommend anything?"

"I have an idea in mind. Do you trust my decision?"

"Certainly, as long as it's not too pricey," Blathers said with a little half-laugh. He handed the pigeon his fair share of bells, and a few moments later, the pigeon produced a steaming cup of coffee.

"What's in it?" Blathers asked.

"You'll have to taste for yourself," the pigeon answered. "But I recommending drinking while it's hot. That will ensure you have the best flavor."

Blathers eyed the pigeon suspiciously, but nevertheless, he heeded the bird's advice. Blowing on his drink a few times, Blathers took a sip and nearly dropped it from his wing. This was not the bitter coffee his father used to make him drink that Blathers would sometimes spit out into the sink when his father wasn't looking. This was an intense of aroma of sweet, tangy, and a bit bitter, he had to admit, but it was unlike any cup of coffee he had tasted before.

"What's in this?!" Blathers exclaimed.

"It's my special blend. Though I may have added in a bit of syrup to curb your dislike of coffee."