Page 15 of No Place Like Home
“Yeah, but it’s supposed to be seventy-eight and sunny. Come on. Just sit in the sun, listen to the water. I miss it.”
“Fine,” she said.
“Great. I should probably say good morning to my mother first, then we can get out of here.”
“Well, she’s not home,” I said as I peeked through the kitchen door of my mother’s. The kitchen was dark and empty. I shrugged and slung my arm over Summer’s shoulders and led her back down the path between my mother’s house and Kora’s property. “You’re my witness I stopped by.”
The morning was already perfect. There was something about Tennessee in October. Even though today was going to be slightly warmer than average, the humidity was non-existent and the sun was bright.
“Shit.” Summer stopped abruptly and I about fell over her.
“What’s wrong?” I looked at her then followed her gaze down the path.
A rooster—an enormous rooster with brown feathers, a long black tail plume, and a large red comb and wattle—was there on the path, blocking our way. “I thought Kora took her chickens to Kai’s already,” I said.
“She did. Except him. Big Red.”
“He’s a large, good-looking cock. Don’t tell me you’re scared of cocks, Summer.” I chuckled and wiggled my brow as I continued walking, but Summer didn’t react at all to my joke. She grabbed my arm and jerked me to a hard stop.
“It’s a chicken, Summer. What’s the big deal?”
“He’s not a chicken. He’s the devil dressed in chicken feathers. He’s pure evil and out for blood.”
I laughed. Couldn’t help it. From what I saw, it was nothing more than a rooster.
Just then, he crowed—a loud, jarring crow that echoed against the trees and along the openness of the field.
“See. He’s the devil, and he’s warning us we’re in his way,” she hissed.
I studied her, then reached up and placed my hands on either side of her face, gently forcing her to look up and meet my eyes. Hers were round and full of fear, but she didn’t fight me. “Summer, you’re acting insane. It’s only a rooster, and if he’s a little upset, he should be. All his women were taken away from him, and he was left behind.” I left Summer and walked toward the rooster. “I feel sorry for him.”
I grew up around chickens, and there’s never been a devil-clad rooster that I haven’t been able to put my chicken-whispering powers to work on. I crouched low with my hands up, showing him they were empty. He started prancing around and fluffed out his neck feathers, rooster-speak for, “Watch out, I’m big and scary.”
“Rowan, don’t! He’s going to—”
I put my hand out toward Summer. “Shhh, shhh, Summer,” I whispered. She needed to be quiet. I was determined to get this rooster.
He let out another crow as I closed in. Just a few more slow, quiet steps and I’d pounce and grab him, holding down his wings, and I’d be able to pick him up without him flying away. I froze for a second, a step away.
Then I pounced—and he jumped and flapped his wings and hit me square in the chest with his talons. “Fuck!” He kept at it. One thing when you have wings, your jumps tend to keep you in the air. He kept hitting me with those fucking spurs he had on the back of his feet, and the squawk that came from him was ear-splitting.
I did the only thing I could. I rolled in a ball and covered my head with my arms as he continued his demonic assault.
“Oh, my God!” Summer screamed and I could hear her running toward me. “Get the hell out of here, you fucking devil rooster! Get away!”
I peered through my arms, and she was shooing the devil-rooster away with a stick. I stood to my feet, brushed dirt from my pants, and watched in awe.
She swiped at him time and time again, but now he was attacking the stick. She kept at him, though, with crazy in her eyes—no other way to describe it—shouting cuss words and swinging that stick like her life depended on it.
Laughter broke free from deep in my gut.
She stopped her assault on the rooster, and Big Red, realizing he’d won the battle, shook his feathers out and strutted off across the yard, swinging his fluffy feathered ass.
“What are you laughing at?” Summer tossed the branch at me and crossed her arms across her chest.
I tried to dodge it, but was laughing too hard and it hit my thigh. “Ouch,” I looked up at her and tried to scowl but failed at that also. The complete and total pissed-off expression she was throwing at me made me lose it again, and I doubled over, laughing so hard my gut started to ache.
“See if I save your sorry-ass life from that devil-chicken again. Next time, I’ll let him talon you to death.” She stomped back up the path.
