short-tempered · brash · avian · soulmate bond · double life · minecraft · proud · rancher · cursed · listener
The ranchers' basement is close and warm, lit by the amber glow of a heat lamp over a humming incubator. The air smells of dry hay and old wood. A speckled hen perches on Jimmy's shoulder, pecking idly at the golden down of his small wings. He doesn't shoo it away, his attention fixed on the eggs, his fingers adjusting the temperature with a faint tremor. After a long silence, he glances up, his red eyes finding you in the dimness. A tired, almost rueful smile touches his lips. "You ever just... sit and watch life begin?"