Page 136 of Five for Silver

Chad watched the fluttering of wings out thewindow as Romeo kissed up his neck.

“How many are out there?” Romeo askedagainst his skin.

Chad sighed, and through half lidded eyes,managed to count them. “Six.”

“Six.” Romeo repeated, dragging his teethagainst Chad’s jaw.

Chad’s eyes slid further shut at Romeo’scaress, but a smudge of black opened them wide.

It swooped down.

The magpies cawed, and screamed, and beattheir wings as they retreated to the trees, but one of the sixdidn’t make it.

Romeo lifted his head, letting go of Chad ashe rushed to the backdoor. He didn’t bother with his boots, hestepped into the field, breaking out in a run.

Jet black wings stretched wide, and the birdtook off, flying over the house and out of sight before Romeo couldget to it.

Chad had caught glimpsesof it before.

The predator that lurkedin the shadows.

Romeo had told him he’dbeen imagining things.

Chad watched from the window as Romeo pickedup the dead magpie. Its head flopped from one side to the other,neck broken. Romeo stretched out one of its wings, marveling at theflashes of blue and green as the sun reflected off thefeathers.

It was beautiful. Chad didn’t like themagpies. They were loud, and bold, but there was no mistaking thebeauty they had or the hold they had over Romeo.

He spoke to them, and theyspoke back.

Their effect on him wasalmost spiritual.

Chad didn’t get it, but hedidn’t need to.

All he needed to know wasthey meant a lot to Romeo.

Romeo’s mouth hung open, and his eyes werewide like he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened, thatsomething had been so brash to have taken one of them out right infront of him.

It lay dead in his hands—all he could do wasmanipulate its small body and watch as its neck jerked, tormentinghimself. Chad could see Romeo breathing fast, the flashes ofanguish on his stunned face. It bothered him to see it like that,dead and cooling fast in his hand.

Each roll of its neck made Chad’s stomachchurn.

“Enough!” Chad shouted as he rushed outsideto join Romeo. “Enough, Romeo!”

He took the magpie from Romeo’s hands. “Youcan’t… There’s nothing you can do.”

Romeo glared over the house in the directiontheravenhad flown.

“It’s … it’s nature.” Chad said, not knowingwhat else to say. “Predators and prey. Life and death.”

“Life and death,” Romeo echoed back. Hisvoice lacked all emotion. “Thereweresix.”

“Yeah,” Chad agreed, studying the magpie inhis hands. It was small and delicate, and its beady eyes were openand unseeing. “Thereweresix…”

The End