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Guardian MAN!
“Grab it! Grab it!”
“Look how small it is!”
“It’s ugly!”
A group of school kids, all in the grades of nine or ten, stood in a tight circle, looking down at something on the ground in the middle of them. Some kids were laughing and others - pretty much the three girls - were watching worriedly.
“Oh, don’t hurt it!” one girl stated frightfully as a boy stooped to pick it up.
“Stop!”
All of the kids looked up a the sudden on comer - a boy of five feet, nine inches with shoulder-length choppy clack hair and near silver eyes. The boy who was stooping blinked, looking up and seeing who it was before standing straight and sneering.
“Came back for more, Sterling?” he said as three of the other boys guffawed. “Do you like getting your ass kicked?” The boy, with straight blonde hair cut short and parted neatly, stood at five feet and eight inches, but never took time out to bully Robin, or at least try.
Robin laughed suddenly, pushing the boy to the side and saying, “Please. You guys jumped me when I was picking up groceries.” His silvery eyes met the blue of the boy’s eyes. “Little Timmy, if you want a one on one, I’ll gladly accept the offer. But don’t cowardly take me on when I’m holding a jar of jelly, eggs, bread, and chicken.” Timothy’s face reddened and pulled into a snarl. But just as he seemed to take a step forward to retaliate, the school bell rang, and being the good, unrule-breaking boy he was, he stooped to pick up his backpack, walking away with the group without a glance back. Robin watched thoughtfully, fingers curling around his chin, before hearing a sudden chirp at his feet.
Robin crouched to see a little grey fuzz ball of a bird on the ground. It looked a little older than a recent hatchling, as its feathers were fuzzy, though it didn’t look old enough to fly. Gazing up worriedly at the tree, Robin tried to see if the fifteen foot tall tree had a nest. He sighed.
Rubbing his white school uniform gloved hands in the soft grass and dirt, Robin scooped the bird up. It twittered and ruffled its feathers as though in objection. Robin ignored it and looked up at the tree again. Using one hand, he pulled off his orange school tie and wrapped it loosely around the bird. He then tied it like a pouch, checking for any way the bird could get out. There didn’t seem like any, but he figured he’d have to move fast. The cloth was thin enough to breathe through, but how hot would it get in the middle of August?
He tied the ends of the makeshift bag to his back belt loop, and took off his gloves, putting them in his pocket. Looking up at the tree once more, he sighed again. This was more work than he wanted to do at school that day. No matter, he thought as he jumped up for the lowest, but sturdiest, branch. I’ll just go home afterwards, anyway. Robin swung a leg up to pull himself sitting up on the branch. There, he crawled to the middle of the tree, then stood.
Making his way gradually up the tree was hard work. Robin rubbed the sweat off of his brow about halfway up. He stood and looked at the surrounding branches. None of them held a nest of any sort. He sighed - again. What if there was no nest? But that’s not right, he thought quickly, reaching up to pull himself higher still. Where would a bird that can’t fly come from?
But it is odd how it supposedly fallen some fifteen feet and lived, he told himself wisely. Though the ground was soft because it rained last night… Robin shook his head, and heard another twitter, though it wasn’t from his backside. Glancing up, he saw a bird sitting a few feet higher, turning its head side to side and staring at him. Robin sighed in relief this time. At least it wasn’t much farther.
Leaning a bit far over to take a thinner branch into his hand, he pulled himself a bit higher, stepping on a very thin and very wiggly branch. Feeling it crack unexpectedly, he grabbed for the branch with his second hand, and just in time as the branch underneath him broke off fully, splitting under his foot. He kicked his feet to find another branch, but couldn’t. Gulping, Robin looked down, and saw he had leaned a bit too far out. There weren’t many other branches for him to shimmy for, either, and even if he tried, many tiny twigs stuck out and would probably cut his hands should he try. Robin rolled his eyes.
Here I am, trying to do something nice for a little bird, and I’m about to take it down with me, he thought bitterly. Figuring it’d be best to try landing back on the branch he was on before, Robin looked over his shoulder. All he’d have to do is start swinging and try to let go while his feet were going back. That didn’t seem like a very big possibility.
But he’d have to move fast, because his arms were beginning to shake and his fingers were growing numb. This was about the time Robin figured he’d panic, if it hadn’t been for the voice just above his head.
“Oh, jeez, first day on the job and you’ve already got yourself into trouble.”
The voice alone was enough to get Robin to let go. But two new cold hands were wrapped around his wrists before Robin could blink, and he was pulled up onto the branch. Robin turned around and saw a man he’d never seen before.
The man was about as tall as Robin himself, had bright green eyes and a heart-shaped face. His skin was very pale, and hair was light brown. Though, on his head was a light blue beanie-type hat, with three inch dog-ears coming down the sides of his head and a tail from the back, crinkled.
His clothes were even more exuberantly bright. The shirt was a light pink, sleeves rolled up at the elbow. White suspenders were pulled over his shoulders, leading down to white tailored pants. His shoes were white, but had two tiny fluttering blue wings on either ankle. They seemed to be moving quickly, and Robin saw that the man was actually flying with these tiny wings. Robin blinked at the display, but heard a chirping from his backside.
Robin reached behind him, carefully untying the makeshift pouch from his belt loop. He opened the package and saw the little bird puff up in seemingly annoyance, shaking its head quickly.
“Oh, so that’s what dragged you up here, eh?” The man said in a light tone. He reached forward to take the bird out of Robin’s hands, though Robin couldn’t really try to take it back since he was beginning to sway on the branch, and flew up to the nest Robin could clearly see now. He placed the bird gently inside, and Robin heard a few more chirps and twittering. There were more. The man floated back down to Robin’s level before taking his arm in his hands.
“Let’s get you back down safely, okay?” Before Robin could protest, the man wrapped his arms around Robin’s waste completely and tightly, pulling him forward off of the branch and descending towards the ground. Robin squirmed, though halfheartedly as the man was obviously helping him. No doubt, however, was Robin weirded out by the man’s sudden appearance and ability to fly.
When their feet touched the ground, Robin awkwardly stumbled backwards, almost landing backwards on his butt. Robin turned away from the man, walking for his backpack and swinging it over his shoulder. He had dropped it earlier before intervening with Timothy. He began to walk over the sloping lawn towards the towering open front gates.
“Hey! Hey, Robin! Wait!” Robin continued strolling on, turning back only once he reached past the gate. “Where are you going?” The man stumbled up next to Robin, and Robin gave him a look.
“Well, I figured I’d get something to eat,” he said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Why, are you hungry?”
The man put a hand up an waved slightly. “I don’t need food,” he said, “but thanks anyways. No, I meant why aren’t you going back to school?”
Robin snorted, striding out to walk across the street while the light was still green going his way. “Well, it started a good while ago, didn’t it?” Robin flipped off someone who honked angrily, as he was walking in the way of their turning.
The man hurried along next to Robin. Robin almost grabbed the man’s hand to make him keep up. He slowed down about half a pace, making sure the man thought he was looking in the local shop windows. Oh, paper lamp shades, he though lightly, striding past the window. He caught the sun in the next window when he turned on the street, and saw the man was watching him curiously. He’s not so bad looking, Robin thought, looking the man down to his very toes. Okay height, thin, strong… I could work with it. It’s just that flying thing he’s got to work on.
Though, it is pretty bitchin’, Robin remembered the man holding him tightly, their bodies pressed together. Robin smiled slowly. Oh yes, it is pretty bitchin.
Robin stopped suddenly, turning toward a café shop door. He walked inside the propped open door, and went straight to the counter. He heard the man rush in after him. “Hi,” Robin said kindly to the woman behind the counter.
She seemed to be eyeing the man suspiciously, as though he’d pull a gun out at any moment and rob the place. Robin almost snorted.
“Can I get a double shot mocha caramel cappuccino and a cinnamon scone? And my friend here will have…” Robin looked at the man expectantly, pulling out his wallet. The man put up his hands and smiled, shaking his head.
“That’ll be four seventy-five,” the woman said, sounding bored now. Though she did keep eyeing the man up and down; more with interest now. She didn’t seem to mind the still tiny wings on his ankles. Or the hat that, now that Robin could look clearly, had a heart on either side where his temples were underneath.
The woman grabbed his order fairly quickly, and Robin strode to a table in the far corner in front of a window. Robin sat in the chair against the wall as the man sat across from him, placing his elbows on the table, stapling his fingers together, and placing his chin on top, staring at Robin with those bright green eyes.
“What?” Robin asked, placing his scone on a napkin in front of him and sipping his coffee. The man shrugged and smiled a bright smile. Robin could swear a little rainbow heart surrounded by tiny stars appeared at the corner of the man’s lips when he smiled.
“I was just wondering why you never asked me for my name, Robin,” the man said in a light tone, suggesting conversation. Robin thought there was a slight undertone to the words.
He shrugged nonetheless. “Why should I know your name? Are you sticking around?”
The man’s smile faltered slightly, but then he started to laugh, lightly.
“Oh, Robby! You’re so funny.” The man raised his pointer finger, and pointed it over his shoulder to the woman. His eyes closed for a second before turning back to Robin, a more serious look on his face though he was still smiling.
How does he do that? Robin thought. Oh, and how does he know my name?
“Listen, Robby. I have very important information to tell you that you cannot tell anyone else, do you understand?” He pointedly looked at Robin. Robin felt inclined to nod. “Good, now.” His smile grew to a great capacity in a rapid pace and he suddenly nearly shouted, “I’m your GUARDIAN!”
