Journey Of Fate ~ mayakuro

•That Swan•

The lake where the swans were kept was significantly less crowded than the giraffe exhibit. Claudine thought that it was frankly a crime against humanity that that was the case. Regardless, it made it easier for them to get up close to the birds, which was greatly appreciated. The second Maya saw them, she dashed forward to get a closer look, pulling Claudine along with. Claudine had half the mind to give a disgruntled remark, but she held back when she saw the look on Maya's face. Maya's violet eyes were all sparkly as she peered through the glass into the lake enclosure. She had the goofiest smile plastered across her face as she gazed at the birds swimming around. Claudine turned away from her to look into the exhibit herself. While she didn't see quite the appeal that Maya did, she could admit that the swans were extremely regal. The way the white bird carried itself as it glided across the water was nothing short of extravagant. There was not a feather out of place on the creature. No wonder Maya liked them so much. The way she portrayed herself was exactly the same as them. Although, after spending a road trip with her, Claudine knew Maya wasn't nearly as graceful as she let on. She wondered if one of these swans would be moronic enough to step out onto a frozen lake that clearly wasn't stable.

"Hey, Claudine," Maya prompted, tugging on her hand gently. "Look at this!" Claudine followed Maya's gaze to a corner of the pond. On the edge of the water, there was a small bundle of gray and white fuzz.

"What's that?"

"They're baby swans! Aren't they adorable?" Maya exclaimed. On closer inspection, Claudine could make out small black beaks and tiny bead eyes. As they watched them, the small gaggle of baby birds eventually slid into the water. The cygnets swam across the water with impressive grace for being so young, although Claudine noted that they still made various hiccups along the way. Maya's hand tightened around the blonde's own. Claudine looked over, confused. Maya's gleeful expression was washed away and replaced with a furrowed brow and slight frown. Claudine followed her gaze to the shore line again. There was a single baby swan left there. It appeared to be attempting to get into the water, but each time it tried, it chickened out and moved back onto the shore. Maya was staring at the creature with a barely readable gaze. Claudine thought she saw a hint of sadness behind her eyes. Claudine was about to inquire about it, but then Maya's expression shifted again. Her eyes had widened somewhat. Claudine looked back at the enclosure to see the baby swan waddling towards them. Claudine gawked at it. It must've noticed Maya's intense gaze. The fuzzy bird got close to glass and looked up directly at the brunette. Maya let go of Claudine's hand and crouched down so she was closer to being level with the bird.

"Hey there little friend. Are you having trouble swimming?" She cooed. Claudine just watched her. Maya was seriously talking to a bird. Thank god there weren't any other visitors around or else they'd probably be thrown out. Even more surprisingly, the swan honked back, it's beady eyes boring into Maya's own.

"It's okay. You don't have to be good at swimming immediately," was Maya's response. Now Maya wasn't just talking to the bird, she was having a conversation with the bird. Claudine felt a migraine coming on. Yet, despite the absurdity of it all, it was genuinely sweet. She knew that Maya had a huge chivalrous heart, but she hadn't realized that it extended to talking to animals that were trapped behind glass. As Maya continued to chat with the animal, Claudine decided to check the time on her phone. It was 5:00 PM.

"Uh, Maya, we've gotta leave soon. The zoo is gonna close in an hour." Maya looked up at her with a heartbroken expression.

"But I want to be sure that Bella can swim!"

"Bella? You've already named it?"

"Yes," Maya responded, looking back to the fuzzy bird, who honked again in response. Claudine sighed. This was going to be a problem. She had to figure out some way to get Maya to leave, and she couldn't rely on the baby swan suddenly learning how to swim within the span of an hour.