Page 41 of Pirate By Parrot

“Wise choice. Oh, they are hungry.”

Ves paused. “What?”

“They are hungry. Marko, can I take them, and Ves will help get something to eat?”

Ves murmured, “What do they need?”

“Finely crushed high-protein seeds. Marko can do the crushing if you get the larger seeds ready.”

“Right. They are on their way.”

Mel looked at Marko. “You go to the food dispenser and start making food for the babies, okay? I will carry them.”

Marko looked and huffed with uncertainty.

Mel just scooped up the Yaluthu and started walking. The little ones were chirping happily, and a hungry note came into their voices. That got Marko’s attention. She shot past Mel, screaming epithets for her to follow.

Mel grinned and followed with the little creatures wiggling against her hands and chirping encouragement.

Marko had made a large pile of dust on the table, and Mel let the little ones hop out of her hands and over to the food. She went and got a shallow dish of water and brought it out for them, setting it a few inches away from the food.

Mel smiled as she watched the little ones going at it under the watchful eye of Marko.

One of the little ones was crimson and gold, and the other was silver and vivid blue. The fluff around their eyes started the wave of stripes that covered their bodies.

“They are cute, Marko. I can see the attraction.”

Marko watched over them and kept nudging them to the food. She was crooning a special song for them, and it made Mel smile. “You’re a good mom, Marko. You swear a lot but still a good mom.”

Marko chortled and watched the little ones eat.

Mel smiled. “I have to go and see if I can do damage control.” She scratched under Marko’s chin, and the crimson Yaluthu stopped eating. When she took a few steps away, the little one flapped after her, cheeping loudly.

Marko screeched. “Up!”

“Shit. Right. Up. First, drink some water, baby, and then I will just take you with me.”

The little red buddy just turned around and hopped with a funny left-to-right motion, drank, and then turned back to her with the out-of-control frenzy of a windup toy.

“Oh, wow. Okay. Do you want to be carried or...”

Marko squawked.“Up, up.”

“Right. Up, up.” Mel carefully scooped up the tiny creature and frowned, shrugged, and put it on her left shoulder. The bursts of cheerful delight that rocked through her were infectious. She smiled as the stresses of the last few months seemed to wash away.

“Uh-oh.” She sighed and stroked the tiny creature with a fingertip. “Did she steal you for me?”

There was the sound of Marko shrieking when they arrived at the station and, then, while Mel was entering the seamstress’s shop, the sight of Marko and her landing near them. The two ran to their new mama the moment that Mel whistled. The beings around the Yaluthu realized that they were being taken by the bird when they were halfway to the shuttle. There was shouting behind them, but Marko was already inside the closed shuttle, and they were on their way to their ship.

Mel winced. “Oh. So, they are pissed.”

The little fluffy thing purred and rubbed against her neck. It didn’t care. It had found its person.

“Uh-oh.” Mel sighed and went to deal with the fallout of being bonded by a creature smaller than her hand.

Chapter Seven

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