A little grey head bobbed up and down, weaving its way through the crowds.
The pigeon hopped along the sidewalks, dodging boots and sneakers as he limped forward. Untied shoelaces snaked past him, threatening to trip the already unbalanced bird. He puffed out his feathers at one, attempting a cocky strut to scare it off. The human it belonged to glanced down at him with a snort, nudging the bird away with the toe of his shoe. The pigeon jumped back at the sudden movement, flapping his wings as he almost fell over.
He quickly shook off the hurt as the man walked away. The injured pigeon focused instead on a flash of red and white feathers. He recognized the familiar plumage as one of the females from his flock. She glanced back at him as he limped towards her, ruffling her feathers as she waited. The pigeon had to awkwardly dodge a high heeled shoe and a rolling backpack as he hopped over to her, but he eventually made it to her side. She cooed as she led him towards an open spot, where she took off, wings clapping together.
The grey pigeon flapped his wings as well, pushing himself into the air. He flew after her, following close on her tail as they flew through the sky.
The two birds wove between the buildings, following a familiar path through the hanging clotheslines and wires threaded between apartments. The grey pigeon fought the urge to spin in mid-air as adrenaline rushed through him. Here, up in the sky, he didn’t need to have two good legs to feel graceful.
It didn’t take long for the pair to reach the particular building that was home to the rest of their flock. The red and white pigeon landed gracefully, flapping her wings as she touched down. The grey pigeon stumbled as he landed, almost tripping over the bird in front of him. He felt a pang of sadness as he struggled to balance himself. His companion walked easily over to the rest of the flock, but the grey pigeon had to follow slower.
His foot ached by the time the day ended, and as the flock began its search for food, the grey pigeon almost didn’t want to land again. The moment his feet touched the concrete ground, he tucked up his leg in his belly feathers, trying futilely to keep himself upright.
It was hopping around like that that he got found.
In only a few short moments he was in her arms. Fear shot through him as he felt hands circle him, then lift him into the air. He squirmed a moment, but a gentle voice behind him stopped his efforts. He was turned around and met the gaze of a kind, blue eyed woman. She smiled at him, and he cocked his head, bobbing it up and down.
“Oh, aren’t you sweet?” She cooed to him. He cooed back, and the woman laughed. “Come on, let’s get that foot taken care of.” The pigeon panicked suddenly as the woman began walking away from his flock. He struggled to get free, but the woman held him tightly. “Oh, no, none of that. You’ll be fixed before you know it, and then you can go back to them.”
Even though he couldn’t understand what she was saying, the grey pigeon took comfort in her quiet and kind demeanor. He glanced back to see the red and white pigeon watching him, head cocked, her feathers ruffling in the slight breeze. A moment later she vanished in the crowd, and the pigeon gave a sad, rumbling coo as he stared at the place she had disappeared.
He turned back into the woman’s arms, despair filling him as he realized he might never get home again.
The woman carried him for a long time, and despite his situation, the pigeon began to snuggle into her hands. He was exhausted and hungry, and at this point didn’t even care where she was taking him.
Finally, the woman turned into a building. The pigeon was half-asleep, but as soon as he felt the rush of warm air from inside the room, he lifted his head.
The room was plain, with a few desks and tables scattered around the walls. It was empty of people and pigeons. The woman didn’t stop in this room, however, carrying him through a doorway in the back wall. This led to another room, where there was a bed and some other tables. The pigeon stared in awe at the strange, colorful plastic boxes scattered around the room.
The woman set the pigeon down on one of the tables, giving a small coo. He bobbed his head up and down, cooing back, making the woman smile. The pigeon hopped forward happily, but fell with a cry as he put weight on his injured leg.
“Oh, don’t do that.” The woman carefully lifted him back up. The pigeon titled his head as the woman began to examine his leg. He jumped at her touch, flapping his wings as fear shot through him.The woman laughed, withdrawing her hand for a moment before trying again.
The pigeon puffed out his feathers indignantly. This woman was impossible.
“I know, I know. How about I get you some food and then I take a look, okay?”
The pigeon watched as the woman left the room. After a few moments, she reappeared in the doorway with something in her hands.
“Here you go - have some dinner.” The woman placed a bowl of seeds on the table. The pigeon glanced at her, then back at the seeds. After determining that if she had wanted to eat him she would have done it already, he decided she was indeed trying to help. The pigeon ruffled his feathers, satisfied with his decision. He ducked his head and began to eat.
He could hear the woman chuckle in front of him, but continued his meal. He hadn’t eaten since morning, and the pigeon’s stomach had been growling the entire walk here. He could feel a wave of tiredness wash over him as he ate.
When he was done, the woman smiled and moved the food bowl to the side. The pigeon blinked at her, happily fluffing up his feathers. She brought her hands towards him, eyes scanning his leg again.
A frown crossed her face as she studied him. The pigeon shook his wings anxiously, and the woman backed off for a moment.
“Well, little guy, I don’t think we can save that leg.” She told him. The pigeon bobbed his head again, causing a slight smile on the woman’s face. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. We’ll just have to amputate it. You’ll stay here for the night, and then in the morning we’ll see what we can do.” The pigeon didn’t even flinch as her hands came towards him to pick him up again, quietly snuggling into her arms. “You are the calmest pigeon I’ve ever met, you know.”
The pigeon felt himself being placed in a warm box. He sleepily blinked open his eyes to see he was sitting in a box filled with soft things. He snuggled into his new nest, his belly full and his feathers warm. As the woman left the room, he drifted off to sleep.
The pigeon’s leg was amputated, and he was declared unreleasable. The woman who had picked him up on the street, Sam, gave him a wonderful home, naming him Murray. Murray quickly adjusted to life with one leg, and lives happily with Sam.895Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFQtGgcI9z
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