Chapter 9: 9-Top Animal

Rowan had to give it to his grandpa.He didn’t know if it was because he was hungry, exhausted, or his grandpa’s cooking skills; the food was delicious.

It was a simple meal, bread and vegetable soup. All the ingredients were planted by Grandpa Rodan himself. The meal was quick and easy, but it tasted great.

Even Aaron, whose ‘dead’ body was dumped on a chair at the table, was sniffing at the food the whole time as it was being cooked.

The dignified appearance of a noble was completely gone.

When the food was placed on the table, Rowan’s hands were racing to put it in his mouth. 

Food had never tasted so good.

Even Aaron had come back to life when the meal appeared in front of him.

“Easy there boys. There’s more where that comes from.” Grandpa Rodan said as he placed his bowl down last.

At that point the boys had barely heard him as they were busy scarfing down the food. It had taken a few minutes before they finally finished and returned to recognizable human beings instead of starving beasts. Grandpa Rodan had just finished his soup, put the bowl down and spoke up. Aaron had returned back to his zombie state, but this time as a food coma zombie.

“Back to normal now? I’ll leave the dishes to you guys. I cooked for you boys so its only fair you guys do the dishes. I’ll lead you to where the river is after this. That’s where you’ll do the washing. Laundry and baths will also be done there. The water for the fields will also be drawn from there.”

Rowan looked at the pile of dishes that they had managed to unconsciously piled up. He regretted instantly scarfing down the food.

Grandpa Rodan finished the last of his meal and stretched. “I love it when his majesty sends me helpers. 

***

COCK-A-DOODLE-DO!

Once again the irritating and bothersome noise of a rooster woke Rowan up the next day.

However this time, his body refused to get up due to soreness.

Rowan recalled the previous day events. The boys were led to the river to wash the dishes. After that they returned back to the house and were allowed to take a break in the form of a nap. Once they woke up, they were put to the fields once again.

They had barely finished half a field. Rowan shuddered at the thought as he knew there were multiple fields to work on.

After finally putting down the rebellion that his sore body was putting up, Rowan was finally able to get out of bed. He headed towards the barn after getting changed. Aaron still lied in bed, too exhausted to move. Rowan decided to be merciful and left him there. If anything, he can have Grandpa Rodan personally come over and wake him up later.

That would be much more fun then Rowan trying to wake the other boy himself.

When he entered the barn, he first fed Bessie hay. She gave him a friendly moo and nuzzled his hand as she took in the food.

Then he took out the food for the pigs and dumped it into the food tray. The pigs excitedly ran up and started chowing down. Rowan observed them as he noticed that Sir Bacon waited for his female counterparts to finish first before starting. The male pig had gulped down the food after a few bites before the tray was empty again. 

Then Sir Bacon stared at him, as if beckoning him to put more food into his tray.

Rowan wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination or he was going crazy. He poured a bit more food into the tray to see if his feeling was right. Sir Bacon nodded in confirmation and started eating again.

This happened several times. Whenever Sir Bacon gave Rowan the ‘look’, he poured more food for the pig to eat. It wasn’t until this pattern happened five more times that Sir Bacon stopped and walked away, finally satisfied. However that wasn't before he gave Rowan a look of appreciation, as if saying that the boy can be taught well.

Rowan had to admit it felt strange to be appreciated by a pig.

Rowan had thought it before but the way the pig looked at him confirmed his thoughts of the animals being very intelligent. He had heard animals being smart, but seeing them personally was different as they each had their own personality.

Bessie the cow was friendly, while Sir Bacon acted like a elderly starving gentleman.

Now it was time to feed the chickens and this animal was one that Rowan specifically dreaded, especially the rooster Buckbeak. He recalled the mean glint in its eyes yesterday and did not want to mess with the flightless avian.

He returned back to the barn and then exited it while carrying two buckets. One bucket contained feed, while the other was for collecting eggs. The chickens were already becoming rowdy as they sensed Rowan's presence nearing them. He opened the coop and scattered the feed. The chickens gathered up and started pecking the ground to eat.

Strange, where is the rooster?

Not that Rowan was complaining that the rooster was missing. If he recalled correctly the rooster’s name was Buckbeak. Rowan looked around for the missing rooster. Finding it absent, he shrugged and then headed off to the shack to collect the eggs.

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Whack!

A force hit the back of Rowan’s head. While it wasn’t strong enough to knock him out, it was enough to cause him to stumble. 

Rowan immediately spun around to locate the culprit, finding it right away. 

It was Buckbeak the rooster.

It was standing on the fence edge and looking down arrogantly at the boy.

Rowan froze as he didn’t know the rooster wanted.  Why did it decide to hit him? Rowan had not been doing anything particularly wrong.  It was his job to collect the eggs.

It looked smart so maybe it could be reasoned with?

“ Buckbeak right? I was told by Grandpa Rodan to feed the chickens and get the eggs. You know Grandpa Rodan right? The old man who is always here and takes care of you?” Rowan pantomime a few characteristics of the elderly farmer.

The Rooster remained still on the fence with no indication that it understood.

Seeing that there was no movement, Rowan continued. “I’m just going to head over and get some eggs then.” Rowan slowly took a step. Seeing that it was safe, he tentatively took another step towards the coop.

However this time was different as Buckbeak suddenly pounced at him!

Fortunately the boy was ready as he  raised one of the buckets like a shield to defend himself.   Rowan barely held on to the bucket as he saw the rooster’s feet slashing through it. Any deeper and holes would have been made.

What kind of chicken is strong enough to almost rip a hole through the wooden bucket? More importantly, Rowan could tell the avain wasn’t giving its all.

What kind of animal did his Grandpa raise?

These thoughts went through Rowan’s mind as he figured what to do next.

Running away was not an option in his mind. He was sent there to do a job and he would accomplish it no matter what.

Just like a true knight would.

If Buckbeak was in his way of getting eggs, then Rowan would need to remove him. He did not see anyway of persuading the rooster as it seem to ignore all his efforts of talking to it. Rowan also didn’t see any possible way of running past the rooster and snatching the eggs without being harassed by the animal. If he was passive or careless in any way, Buckbeak could give him some serious injuries. Rowan was forced to admit that an animal that could tear through a wooden bucket was nearly a match for a regular adult.

And Rowan was still a ten years old boy.

Deciding on his action, Rowan swung the other bucket at the rooster. It had been empty after feeding the rest of the chickens. Had it been filled, it would give Buckbeak a heavier blow if it landed.

Bukcbeak was still in midair after striking Rowan, making it the perfect chance to hit the bird. Unfortunately Rowan seems to have underestimated the rooster. As the bucket flew at it, Buckbeak used one foot to lightly kick off the pail and perform a backflip.

It landed on the ground with an elegant grace.

Caught unprepared, Rowan swing went wide, messing up his posture.

Buckbeak not giving the boy a chance to recover, Buckbeak jumped and flew at Rowan’s face. Then it smacked him one of his wings with enough force to make him see stars, causing Rowan to fall on the dirt.

 Rowan stared at the rooster as it once again landed on the fence, arrogantly looking down on the boy. 

It’s eyes seem to be saying what else can you do?

Rowan refused to believe that he could not beat a rooster.

He got up  and went at it again with Buckbeak.

After thirty minutes of battling with Buckbeak, the results were clear.

Rowan was unable to acquire eggs that day.

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