Villain: Redux - A Powerpuff Epic

Villain: Redux - PT2 - CH8 Sixteen

Chapter 8

Sixteen

The kennels were quiet as Bubbles shut off the light for the evening. All the animals that lived there at the pet hospital were fast asleep, happy and content with full bellies. Caring for the rescues that lived there was one of the teenager's favorite parts of her part-time job at the pet hospital. It was what inspired her to do the same for the coyotes in her own free time. The only difference between the orphaned dogs at the hospital, and the coyotes she cared for in the city forest, was that eventually the dogs at the hospital would find a new family to call home. When Bubbles first began her coyote sanctuary, she would have loved for her coyotes to eventually find families to call their own, too. However, she quickly realized they were feared too much by most citizens of Townsville for that to ever happen. To Bubbles, that didn't matter though. If no one else was willing to give the coyotes a chance, she was more than happy to care for them every day. If no one else would have them as family, she was proud to call them hers.

As Bubbles left the kennels, she checked her pant's pocket for her cell phone. She only took a moment to glance at the device, checking for any messages from Buttercup, who should have texted her by then, but there were no messages.

"Hey, Bubbles," another veterinary assistant called out to her from down the hallway. "Dr. Weaver's asking for you in exam room two when you get a chance."

The teenager returned her cell to her pockets and responded cheerfully, "OK!"

Bubbles entered the second examination room where Dr. Weaver and a middle-aged woman stood around the exam table at the center of the room. Upon the table, sat a caged green bird. The tiny parakeet looked subdued, perched on its branch, with its head tucked out of sight, hiding behind its wing. The veterinarian gently placed her hand inside the cage and reached for the small budgie. The green feathered bird responded by lifting its head and stretching its wings out, as it inched further away from the vet's hand. The tiny creature ruffled its feathers, revealing a very sparse spot on its neck and chest. It then stubbornly returned its tiny head to behind its wing.

"The feather plucking hasn't improved, I see," Dr. Weaver said as she retracted her hand from the cage and closed the door.

"No, it's been the same since last we saw you, Doctor. He tears at his feathers every day now it seems."

"Hmm," the short, elderly veterinarian adjusted her eye glasses as she studied the caged parakeet. "We've ruled out dietary issues. We've ruled out parasites. We've ruled out allergies, and all his blood work has returned normal. No signs of infection. That leaves just one possibility," the short woman looked up from the cage and at the pet owner. "I think we are dealing with something psychological, here." She sighed a little, "Obsessive grooming can be a result of many things. Boredom for instance."

"He's ripping his feathers out because he's bored?" the woman blinked back in confusion.

"It's more common than you would think, actually. Especially common with single bird households. They're incredibly smart creatures, you know. They need some mental stimulation in their environment. Without it," the vet paused to raise a finger to her head, and twirled it in a circular motion, "Boredom."

"But he's got bells, and ropes, and even a little swing to play on- not that he ever uses any of it," the owner responded, still looking confused. "When I purchased him at a bird shop for my son's birthday last month, I was sure to get everything they said he needed."

As the veterinarian explained the situation to the bird owner, Bubbles stood dutifully in the corner of the exam room, waiting to be called upon by Dr. Weaver. Her bright blue eyes fell on the tiny green bird as he continued to hide behind his wing. She watched the budgie curiously and thought he looked awfully scared.