The Saga of Fatima of the Gold-dust Feathers! UPDATED - Fatima died...

[The Chicken Lady]

Wonderful! I really enjoy reading these.

 

[HorseFeathers]

Thanks all! I JUST finished a novel I have been working on for years. It's called To Save Terria and I'm going to try to get it published.

 

[HorseFeathers]

This spring, we will be letting Olympia of Midnight go broody and hatch some eggs, and I'll be writing a story from her perspective too.

 

[Settler'sDreamFarm]

HorseFeathers
Today 9:32 am This spring, we will be letting Olympia of Midnight go broody and hatch some eggs, and I'll be writing a story from her perspective too.

Cant wait!!

 

[HorseFeathers]

Chapter 16: The Cage
By all the feathers of all the fowl, Fatima was annoyed! She shook her Gold-dust feathers irritably.
"What?" asked Rita, roosting on the tree branch inside the cage.
"I'm bored," Fatima complained petulantly. "And cramped and full of spring and not able to get out to frolic."
"Frolic?"
"Yes. Aw Rita, can't you feel it in your feathers? Spring! The days are longer and the nights are warmer. Lovely, green grass popping up everywhere, and all that nasty snow is melting. Doesn't it make you want to frolic about?" Fatima bounced.
"Er... no." Rita preened. "This is my third spring, Fatima. I'm an old hen. Soon I'll stop laying, and then what will become of me? Old hens don't frolic." She cocked her head in a most melancholy way. "But don't let me ruin your good fun. You're young, so go ahead. Frolic away." Rita buried her head in her wing feathers.
"That's my point though," Fatima protested. "I can't frolic. We're caged in."
Just then, the Girl with Great Hands came into the coop. The other hens- the free hens!- were locked outside, and the Girl had a sizable piece of bread. Instantly alert, Fatima and Rita pushed at the cage door. The Girl laughed and opened it, crouching down so they could tear at the bread. They devoured it quickly, choking as they grabbed more bites with their already full beaks. Rita came up with a certain trick that seemed to entertain the Girl and therefore induce more treats: swinging back and forth on the cage door, from the roost to the top of the cage. Fatima copied her. After they were done, the Girl shut them back in again. Fatima cocked her head sorrowfully and resumed her conversation with Rita.
"She could have let us out and kept the rest of the flock in this little cage. After all, it's them doing the feather eating, not us."
"I don't make the rules, nor do I like them," Rita replied wearily. "I just follow them. As we all must. We are chickens, Fatima, not wolves or humans who can make their own rules. We're a lesser species, at the bottom of the food chain. Just give it a rest, will you? Do you want to end up eaten?"
"No, of course not!" Fatima trilled. "What a silly question. That's like asking, 'would you like to be eggbound?' or 'would you like to get bumblefoot?' but ten times worse!"
"So stop fussing. Just calm down a little. We're chickens, and we're not going anywhere soon."
"But, spring..."
"Grow your feathers back, then you can frolic away." Rita turned pointedly, nestling her head in her feathers and drifting off.
Fatima slouched. This was no fun. But Rita was right. What could she do?

***
Vote for your favorite hen in the Coop Elections! Will the winner be Fatima? Olympia? Rita? Or even Charlotte? YOUR vote decides the winner!

 

[HorseFeathers]

No one? Fatima's pacing her cage waiting for a reply!

 

[Fudgie]

Darn! I missed this one when you posted it last! I love it I love it what happens next! CLIFF HANGER!!! for the weekend?

 

[GracefulBantams]

I love it... well, all of them!

 

[HorseFeathers]

Quote:
Until something interesting happens to Fatima. I base what I write on what's going on with her at the moment... So if something big happens you'll be sure to hear about it!

Otherwise I'm not sure when the next one will be.

 

[HorseFeathers]

Chapter 17: Freedom
She was free! She was free! Fatima of the Gold-dust Feathers could hardly believe it. Yet here she was, running about and jumping and frolicking in the crisp spring air. Oh, the glory of it! Justice at last, for now Mean Charlotte of the Snowy Down was banished to the Cage instead of Fatima and Rita. The Ones with Great Hands had caught Charlotte eating Ophelia of the Silken Feather's feathers and had decided that enough was enough. So now it was Charlotte that paced between the Cage's black bars, and Fatima and Rita who were free!
Rita's back feathers had grown back handsomely, and Fatima's fluffy down covered her bare patch. You'd think that would be good enough for everyone, but the minute they were outside Ophelia attacked Rita! This was nothing unusual, for enmity between the two was high, but several flapping, whirling scuffles followed, with Rita winning each and every one. Eventually Ophelia ran away and hid.
But then the unthinkable happened! Tiny Rita challenged Olympia of Midnight, the lead hen! Olympia, surprised, did next to nothing and simply walked off after a brief scuffle. Rita and Ophelia continued to fight a bit, Rita chasing Ophelia off. Fatima, who now felt a special kinship with Rita after their time together in the Cage, gave Ophelia a peck on the head as well, but only once. Fatima didn't really want a fight.
When things calmed down a little, she went to see how Charlotte was doing. There she was, pacing maniacally, uttering high-pitched cries of distress.
"It's okay," Fatima said. "You'll get used to it."
Charlotte stopped pacing and stared at Fatima with her crazed orange eyes. Fatima cocked her head and gazed back.
"Well, it's what you get," Fatima continued. "We're all bored, but you don't have to hurt all the other hens to get your kicks!" Some panicked clucking sounded from outside and Fatima twisted her head to see what was the matter- Rita and Ophelia were fighting again. She turned back to Charlotte, who sat staring dumbly at the space where Fatima's head had been a moment before. Fatima sighed.
She just couldn't figure it out. She knew Charlotte wasn't very smart, but was she also a bad egg? Oh well, she thought. My troubles are over, for now. And she raced outside to frolic in the Springtime air.