Private Tales Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

[XoChitl]

The first thing the Knave's groggy mind would pick up was the smell of piss.

It permeated her delicate senses; making her nose twitch, the ring along her right nostril twinkling in the dim light. The Raev lay slumped against the far corner of the wall. Her long, three-towed clawed legs were curled up underneath her. A grimy feathered cloak covered her body, and she had large, furred ears that poked out of the top of her head.

A groan came bubbling forth through chapped lips. "Ugh... " yup, the smell of piss just seemed to reek. Every so slowly, XoChilt's lids would crack open. Vertical slits would expand, but even the weak light was too much for her sensitive eyes. At least, until movement caught something.

What was...

It was there. A black, beady eye. A wattle as red as blood. A crooked amber beak, with a chip on the side as if in a perpetual sneer.

A chicken!

 

[Rose]

Rose crossed her arms over her chest and melted back, her breath hissing through her nose.

"You just couldn't let it go," she clipped, greeting her waking campion with a nose of displeasure. She had had time to adjust to the stench of their circumstance. She had also had the time to stew over the cause. She pursed her lips at her new foe, her butt numb against the stone Xo peeled herself off of.

Attention shifted to the chicken, its coos breaking up the silence of their cell.

"I told them it was your cousin."

 

[XoChitl]

The Raev immediately shot a glower towards the voice, her large furred ears twitching at the curt, rude tone. It took a few more seconds for XoChitl's large, citrine eyes to pick up on the girl. Even in the dim light, the Raev was able to make out the brown hair with blonde highlights, a grimy face, and a glower that could rival her own.

At the quip, regarding the chicken and it is her cousin, XoChitl's lip would curl into an annoyed snarl. "Oh, right, just because of the feathers. Har har." the Raev's voice would drip with sarcasm, although she couldn't help but peer at the chicken again.

It gave a ruffle of its feathers as if it also was insulted by the kin comment. With a "Bachak!" it gave a rude cluck, turning its ragged tail towards XoChilt's direction.

"Well, I can see the personality similarities." came Xo's wry remark, the Raev rising up to a sitting position. Ignoring the scent of piss, it took a quick pan of their surroundings to figure out just exactly where they were.

Stone walls, iron bars, the scent of piss edged with the aroma of bog and muck?

"Bloody hell."

They were in jail. In the Bayou.

 

[Rose]

A grin split across her lips at the girl's wry remark.

"They did too."

Her sour mood seemed to quickly melt off her, the grin lingering as followed Xo's gaze. "Yeah. The Bayou. Stinks huh? L i t e r a l l y," she dragged out. She reached up to rub a bump on the side of her head, her matted hair coated the sticky remnants of blood.

She grimaced.

"Turns out that shop keeper has friends." She paused, considering the stranger with a look of restrained interest.

"I don't suppose maybe you... have friends...?"

 

[XoChitl]

The Raev gave a roll of her eyes, vertical slits expanding much like that of a cat. Coming to her feet, XoChitl gave a wince. Well, there were bits of her that were sore, a few scratches here and there. However, she still had her limbs and it didn't seem that they had any manacles to keep them tied down.

That was a win in her scroll.

Three-toed clawed feet brought her close to the iron bars. Her large ears would twitch and strain, trying to listen for anything. She could hear boisterous laughter; several yards away. Distant. The croak of frogs and hoots of owls. It was night.

What light they had was but torchlight.

A job. It was supposed to be an easy job. Steal a few scrolls, bring them back. Get a gold coin or two. Then this one - as XoChitl gave Rose a side-eye - had to ruin it.

"Of course," Xo replied. Then jutted a thumb towards the chicken. Who gave an absurd click of its tongue as if scoffing at the label.

"My cousin." it was hard to determine if what she said was a joke or not. "How many have come to check on us?"

Maybe the girl knew more.

 

[Rose]

"Just one..." she drawled, her attention pulling to the aforementioned chicken.

"I mean, funny you mention that. ...You don't happen to know how long it takes for food to pass to an egg, do ya?" Her brows slowly pulled in, facts missing as she watched the chicken with growing intensity.

Any time now.

 

[XoChitl]

"What?" Xo's confused cry would swivel towards Rose, head canting to the right. Her attention then immediately swung towards the chicken, who, oddly enough, appeared to be straining.

"Food to pass to an egg? Food doesn't pass into an egg!"

Just what was she on about?

 

[Rose]

"Uuuuh, yes it does," she shot confidentially back. "How else do you get omelets?" The straining chicken only confirmed her inner assumptions. Not everyone had access to scrolls and schooling. She leaned forward, on her hands and knees as she peered over the creature's progress.

"The chicken eats the feed and turns it into an egg. You give em a little, you get a meal back. That's why if you feed one a lot you get two yolks." Duh. She picked up the chicken, ignoring its fluttering protests as she tilted it over.

"Maybe it's just shy. You know any chicken mating calls?"

 

[XoChitl]

The look of pure, unadulterated confusion and incredulity would wash across the Raev’s face.

Was this human girl mad? Perhaps, lost her wits?

To a degree, alright, perhaps the feed does allow the chicken to survive so as to lay an egg. It was a very elemental description, primitive. To be honest, the Raev didn’t have the patience to cover the reproductive system of a chicken.

“baaaaaaacchik-“ the chicken began a choking, almost gagging squack, bending its head back, throat extending.

“what is wrong with that chicken?!” Rose