More Elisop Oneshots

Blue Bird

Shepherd x Phoenix

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Far from the hustle and bustle of a city swamped by the frenzy of the industrial revolution, this small village in the mountains was home to just a handful of inhabitants who enjoyed living in the midst of the plains and what nature had to offer.

"Did the walk go well?" asked an old man with a big smile and a shirt whose sleeves were covered in dirt, leaning against the field fence as he saw a flock of sheep returning.

"Oh, Clark! A customer just offered me a bottle of wine, why don't you drop by the house tonight? My wife is planning a feast!" called out another.

"It's very kind of you to invite me, but perhaps another time."

The shepherd sketched a smile at the group of farmers without stopping in his tracks, seemingly in a hurry to reach his home.

"He's been acting strangely the last few days, don't you think?"

"I sometimes hear him talking to himself at night..."

"Poor boy, he must feel lonely in this burg where there's nothing but old fogies like us!"

The two farmers laughed loudly, but the shepherd was already too far away to hear them.

As far back as Eli could remember, he had always lived in the village. The dean had found him as a baby on his doorstep and decided to adopt him that day. The years went by and he grew into a handsome young man who made the few local girls his age swoon. However, he had never been particularly interested in developing relationships, and in this new era, young people preferred to leave the godforsaken countryside in search of a better life in the city. The rest of the village couldn't understand what was keeping him here, but they weren't going to complain. With an aging population, having someone so young around was always handy.

Some had tried to convince the young man, but he always replied with a smile before adding that someone had to look after the flock, since it went without saying that he was the most capable of taking on this task.

He was praised for his kindness, but the truth wasn't as moving.

He simply had no interest in leaving. Sure, the work was hard and he had a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders, but he liked the routine, exhausting as it was. Beyond the borders he knew, the future was uncertain and he was not keen on it. Getting up at dawn to take out his sheep was enough for him.

Nevertheless, a few days ago, a variable was added to his regular agenda: a poor creature, he presumed, that had fallen from a tree.

The shepherd decided to take it home to nurse it back to health, setting it up in a basket he'd lined with straw as a substitute for a nest. Eli hadn't told anyone in the village that he'd taken in this bird. There were birds as far as the eye could see and there was no point in doing so, unless he wanted to risk one of the villagers claiming it would be better to cook it.

Besides, his instinct told him it was better to keep it to himself. This bird... didn't look normal. It was even bigger than a hen, and its feathers were a strange midnight blue that faded to lighter tones at the tips, almost looking like they were glowing, but that was impossible, wasn't it? Eli had never seen such an animal in his life, but that wasn't going to stop him from looking after it. He tended to its wounds, which looked as if they'd been caused by another beast, judging by the claw marks on its back. He made sure he was warm enough in his basket, as winter was steadily approaching and was rather harsh in this region.

A few days passed and the bird still hadn't moved an inch. It was as if it were in a deep sleep. He tried to awaken his senses by raising his wings or bringing food close to his beak, but nothing worked.