#and cuckoos leave their eggs in other birds nests to avoid raising their young

[hyperiionvii]

junior illustration final: the seven deadly sins

[myriadismx]

CHICK-PROOFING AND REARING, A Guide for Mothers of Children With Avian Mutant Quirks

BY HAWKS’ NESTMATE

If you are going to be a new parent to a baby that has been determined will be born with a bird-like mutant quirk, congratulations! However, while you might have baby-proofed the house, you probably didn’t know there are special measures to be taken if you are to raise a human chick. Here I come to explain which ones are the most important to take into account and the reason why. 

Kangaroo care is highly recommendable to be practised by both parents, if possible, to encourage a successful imprinting. 

Bassinets are preferrable over cribs during the first three months as they closely resemble a nest and keep the baby warm. Also, consider purchasing a heater for the nursery to help them keep their temperature regulated as they are more sensitive to cold than regular babies.

No feather-stuffed pillows or mattresses for the crib. They might carry foreign scents that the baby will get used to, and make them reject the scents of their parents, which might prove problematic when handling the chick. To prevent and remedy this, fold a bedsheet from the parents’ bed, and place it underneath the baby. 

Preening the chick is important and slightly different from bathing a normal baby.  Each feather must be carefully patted clean with a wet towel. Wiping movements could pull out their young feathers, hence why you should pat them instead. Also, don’t use soap or shampoo, but if you’re concerned about strange odors or the feathers are dirty, employ a no-rinse wash for babies. Eventually, the baby will learn to splash water on their wings and fluff them dry by themselves. Of course, you still must supervise them.  

Once the chick has been weaned, make sure to include plenty of protein and whole grains on their diet. Poultry, cooked egg, oatmeal, and quinoa are excellent choices. Make sure everything is perfectly puréed and there are no pieces of food the babies might choke on. It’s not advisable to imitate real birds and try to puke the food into the baby's mouth.

No fragile objects they can knock over while flying inside the house. Move tall, wobbly lamps behind furniture and place any other tall ornaments to the corners.

Anchor the TV to the wall and hide electrical cords. 

For the windows, blinds are preferrable over drapes, as they don't leave the window completely bare yet let the light in. That way, the babies won't end up smashing themselves against the glass thinking the window is open and they can go outside.

For the reason mentioned above, also avoid glass doors.

No cuckoo clocks that might spook them or teach the chicks to say 'cuckoo' instead of 'Daddy’ or ‘Mommy’. Besides, those clocks can make a wide array of sounds, and some of them are cussing words in bird language the babies might learn to mimic.

Keep the medicines and cleaning supplies in a locked cupboard. Flying chicks might reach them if they are kept in a regular cabinet.

No ceiling fans, as its movements might attract flying chicks and harm them. A/C is preferrable to control the house’s climate.

No bird plushies, especially on the crib. Babies can imprint on them and think they're another sibling, or worse, their parent.

Beware of mirrors. While some chicks find their reflection amusing, others become more territorial and will try to break the mirror which might harm them. 

Most human chicks are attracted to shiny objects. These might include sharp ones like kitchen utensils, to coins, or your personal jewelry. Examine all the shining things you have in the house and think if they pose a risk to the baby and should be hidden away. Also, you don’t want to lose your wedding ring or a family heirloom to your kids’ antics!

If there is a garden and the chicks go outside, always keep a close eye on them and a garden hose at hand. If you spot a pigeon, shoo it away. Those fuckers birds are territorial and might peck at the babies, especially if they have a snack on hand. Also, don't let other birds nest in the garden for the same reason. Your house is your fucking “nest”, they can search their own somewhere else!

AND FOR GODS’S SAKE, DON’T THROW YOUR CHICK OFF FROM A ROOFTOP OR A TOWER! THEIR FLYING INSTINCTS DON’T WORK THAT WAY!!!

Now that you’ve finished reading -and hopefully followed- the advice listed above. Relax and enjoy your flying bundle of joy!

**This list has been approved by the International Association of Mama Birds, and is sponsored by the Winged Hero: Hawks. also known as my hubby <3

While having a discussion with @queensynderella on Daddy Hawks and how his mate would handle their children if they had his wings, I jokingly mentioned they’d have to ‘chick-proof’ their house first and I came up with this list. As a mommy herself, she gave this list a thumbs up and helped me. If I come up with more advice in the future, I'll make a vol. 2 😂

[nerd2614]

Sweet Death

@write-it-motherfuckers original prompt

Cool poem I found whilst googling stuff

“Tigers are the largest type of cat.” You blurted out as a large man carefully picked up a miniature rainbow tiger ceramic. Your eyes widened and you began to stumble over an apology. The people at work were only saying yesterday that you should at least try not to disrupt unknown people with random bits of information. To your great surprise, he turned towards you with an almost childlike smile.

“Though often lions have a larger skull than that of tigers.” He said happily.

“Must be all that hot air they store in there.” You quipped.

The man laughed freely. His gloved hand came up to press against his sternum, covered by layers of jumpers. The beanie on his head started to slip from his shaking.

You glanced around the bizarre little antique shop you’d scrambled into when the snow started. A Cuckoo clock next to you caught your eye. You picked it up with a devilish grin. “The cuckoo bird actually lays its eggs in the nests of other birds so they don’t have to raise their young.”

“Sounds like my parents.” The man joked. The both of you paused - unsure of how the other would react - before bursting out with a fit of giggles. This continued for quite a while. One of you would pick out an item in the shop and provided a factoid. Then the other would make a dark quip about it.

This only stopped when the elderly shopkeeper firmly asked you to be quiet or be gone. Without discussion, the both of you moved towards the exit.

“At least it’s not snowing anymore.”

The man beside you hummed in agreement.

“My name’s Eve by the way.” You smiled and stuck your hand out.

Your new friend hesitated. He looked at your hand for a moment before sheepishly meeting your gaze. “I’m sorry, I don’t really, um...”

You frowned. Then his words hit you and you took a step back, bringing your arm crashing into your side. “Oh! No, I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have assumed...” You trailed off awkwardly.

“Eve. Full of life, very fitting.” He fiddled with his gloves to avoid looking at you. A shiver tore through you that had nothing to do with the cold. “Would you like to get a coffee with me, Eve?”

“I’d love to, Mister Mysterious.” You joked, starting to follow him down the street.

“Oh, um-” pink dusted his cheeks “- call me Theo.”

/

That first coffee turned into a regular hang out once a week. Then almost every day Theo would pick you up from work for an adventure. He was very adamant about his no touch rule. No matter what the weather or occasion was, he found a way to cover up completely. Theo often shied away from you when you came too close. You tried not to take it to heart. As a very affectionate person, you had to restrain yourself from hugging Theo or holding his hand when crossing the street.

At one of your first movie nights, you built up the courage to ask about it.

“I have...” Theo mumbled an answer. You shuffled around on your beanbag to be able to look at him directly.

“Hmm?”

“Really. Sensitive. Skin.” Theo announciated each word by throwing a piece of popcorn at you.

“Oh. So you’re not afraid you’ll fall in love with me if we accidentally touch hands?” You pretended to pout. You made a mental reminder to be extra careful in future. Causing your new friend any pain was the last thing you wanted.

Theo laughed softly and pointed out something in the movie. The topic was dropped.

/

“Are your ears painted on? Back. Off.” You practically growled at the woman flirting with Theo.

She raised a perfectly painted on eyebrow, “I didn’t realise you were his girlfriend.”

“He’s obviously uncomfortable.” You defended him. Theo stood up and carefully positioned himself beside you. The woman rolled her eyes and stalked off.

You smiled and passed over his drink. “I leave you alone for two seconds.”

“Thank you, Eve.” Theo rumbled. You had an idea he wasn’t talking about the tea.

The two of you were walking down the street when Theo’s shoulders started shaking.

“What’s wrong?”

“You, you practically growled at that poor woman! What were you going to do if she hadn’t left?” Theo started laughing. He laughed a lot more than when you first met almost four years ago. No matter how much you heard it, it filled you with joy.

“Shut up.”

/

You had never run that fast in your life. Theo had fallen off the side of the lookout with a slowness that was terrifying. You had reached out to grab him but only managed to grasp the tassel of his beanie. Sickening cracks echoed with his grunts as he seemed to hit every tree and rock on the way down.

“Theo!” The scream tore from your throat. Tears streamed from your eyes. Branches whipped against your cheeks. Your heart felt like it simultaneously stopped and was beating as fast as it ever had. You forced yourself to concentrate on the worn away game trail in front of you. There was no possible way he could have survived the fall. No human could have. But you prayed to anyone that would listen that Theo would be alright.

You cried out in relief as you saw him crawl his way onto the riverbank. There was no logical way he could have survived such a fall, and yet there he was, looking completely unharmed. There wasn’t even a scratch anywhere you could see. Your panicked mind was having difficulty comprehending it. Unthinkingly, you reached out and searched him desperately for wounds. It wasn’t until you were gently cupping his face in your hands that you registered that his body initially flinched away from your touch.

“You… Eve, you’re… touching me.” His breathless voice cut through your panic, freezing you in place.

You gasped and reefed your hands back as his voice registered. Tears started to flow freely again. You stumbled back, hiccupping. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. There’s no excuse. I’m sorry. I fucked up. Sorry.”

His firm hands latched onto your wrists before you could move too far away. You peeked up at him through damp eyelashes to see a slack expression of awe and reverence on his face. The action made you tense again. You looked down at his hands that made yours look so small. The difference was never noticeable before, Theo always felt larger than life, but to actually see the size of his hands engulfing your wrists was shocking. You fell completely silent. As if you were made of glass, Theo gently tugged you closer so you were both kneeling on the muddy riverbank. His hair and clothes were still dripping from his time in the water. His beanie was still clutched in your hand.

His eyes were searching yours for answers or maybe just questions you didn’t know the answer to. Theo looked down at your joined hands. Slowly, he released one and raised it to his mouth to tug off his thick leather glove with his teeth. He hesitated for a split moment before interlocking his icy cold fingers with yours. You watched in silence as his whole body shuddered, feeling your panic begin to bloom again as his eyes welled up with tears.

“You can touch me…” He whispered breathlessly again.

Confused, you simply watched him in silence, heart aching as you saw him shake at the simple touch. Carefully, he pulled your hand back to his face, hesitating before all but nuzzling into it.

“You can touch me!” His voice was enthusiastically louder than before.

Your attempt to reply was cut off as his awe filled words dissolved into an almost hysterical giggle. Without consciously deciding to, you slowly shuffled forward to carefully pull him into your arms. Instantly, he all but melted into your embrace, clutching at you desperately as he let out a mix between a laugh and a sob, his entire body shaking like a leaf.

Pushing aside your confusion, you simply held him, soothingly rubbing his back as he kept murmuring deliriously into your neck, seeming almost starved for your touch now that he had felt it. You whispered sweet nothings to him, assuring him that you weren’t going to go anywhere.

The dampness oozed into your clothes, which in turn allowed the cold to seep into your bones. You started to shiver uncontrollably. At first you were able to suppress it a bit, whatever Theo was going through was more important than a slight chill, but even he noticed as an especially violent shiver ripped through you.

“Eve?” Theo pulled back slightly, mindful to not break his contact with you. You sniffed and shook your head to dismiss his questions.

“It’s fine. You’re more important. I’m just really, just real glad you didn’t get hurt.” You didn’t bother to ask if he was okay. Anyone who refused to be touched for years then basically melded themselves into the first person who ‘could’ touch them was obviously the very opposite of okay. Theo frowned. He disentangled his hand from yours to run his thumb over your bottom lip. A blush rose on your face, chasing away the cold you felt.

“Your lips are blue.”

You giggled. “No they’re not, feel v’ry warm.”

His hand stilled. He gently tugged his beanie out of your grip and slid it down over your ears. “We need to leave.” He stood abruptly, bringing you up with him. You giggled again. “Can you walk?” You looked at him like he’d grown a third head. You took a step and nearly collapsed. Concern etched itself into Theo’s face.

“S’not good.” You muttered. It was colder still now. The sun had disappeared behind the trees leaving the valley in a state of near darkness. A breeze picked up from the river and blew towards you. Theo stood close to you to shield from the cold then seemed to realise he was still damp and wasn’t radiating any heat. He looked torn between staying away and keeping as close as possible.

“You have hypothermia.” There was no doubt in his voice as he looked down at you. “Shivers, slurred speech, blue lips, even your pupils are dilated. This is my fault! If I hadn't slipped...”

You leant against Theo and sighed. “Shhh, no one's fault.”

“How’s your heartbeat? Is it erratic?”

“It always is around you.” You tried to joke but the words didn’t come out right. Another violent shiver ripped through you hard enough to make you gasp for air.

“Fuck.” If you weren’t already shivering, hearing Theo cuss in that low voice would have made you start. You tried to tell him so but it was as if your tongue was made of lead. You wished whoever was making that awful chattering noise would stop. The world started spinning but came to an abrupt stop as you landed in Theo’s arms. His breathing was a lot steadier than yours even though he was ascending the steep side of the valley with your added form.

“You can’t leave me, Eve. You can’t touch me and die of a silly human condition. It’s not fair. Just hang in there for me.”

There were lots of questions that you wanted to ask him. “What’s the real reason you don’t want people to touch you? Why are you so cold? What do you mean ‘human condition'?” But now was not the time. Tightly embraced in Theo’s arms, you focused on trying to reassure him that you wouldn’t leave. Four quick taps, one tap, tap hold tap, one tap. His small smile filled your vision.

Your eyes fluttered open.

You were reclined in the passenger seat with your worn car blanket draped over you. The windows were all fogged up. The heater was on.

“Theo?” To talk was painful, but you had to know.

“Eve.” It did something to you to hear your name said with such relief. You propped yourself up on your elbow to face the man sprawled in the backseat. He had hung his thick coat over the back of the driver’s seat to dry. A thin blue shirt stretched across his chest, looking a bit worse for wear.

“You’re not part cat, are you?”

Of all the questions Theo was expecting, that was not one. The tension shattered with his light laugh. You tried and failed to keep a straight face.

“No. Not part cat.” Theo’s smile slowly faded. He paused. You could tell he was thinking of the best way to tell you what happened. He evidently decided to rip the bandaid off quickly. “I’m a Lord of Death. My true name is Thanatos.”

“I guess that’s why you thought my name was funny all those years ago.” You mused. “Life and Death meeting at last.”

Theo, for that’s who he would always be to you, reached over to brush his fingers against your cheek. “Something like that.”

“Come, sweet death, into the arms of my embrace.” You quoted seriously, holding your arms out. He looked confused for a moment before understanding flickered across his face. He scooped you up into his arms and the two of you held each other in the heated car.

There were still lots of questions that you wanted to ask, but now was not the time. For now, you simply held him as you both absorbed the moment, knowing that somehow everything would be alright.

And that was more than enough for you.