My Life as a Black Swan (Vahana Vamsathaar series #2) - Published

Chapter 3

His hand slowly drifted towards me, with his palm turned upwards. He stopped close to my face, and I was impressed with his bravery. Or it could be sheer ignorance because one simply does not stick a hand in front of a swan unless they want it bitten off or injured.

Lucky for him, I wasn't a regular wild swan. I stretched my head and placed my head in his outstretched palm. The smile that spread across his face at this simple gesture was beautiful. My heart warmed at the joy on his face. Being the cause of another person's happiness was truly the best feeling in the world.

Our quiet moment was destroyed as the door swung open. A bunch of guys entered the room with all the finesse of a herd of elephants. The man in front of me snapped his head towards the door, no doubt glaring at the group of three as they immediately quieted. I took in the sight of the three men. They were more or less around the same height and shared similar features. Brothers perhaps?

"Really, Anna? Are you trying to get your hand bitten off?" the man with glasses said with a disapproving look to the man in front of me. He shrugged and did some motion with his hands, making the man in glasses frowned even harder.

"It's a wild swan! Of course, it's dangerous!" he exclaimed exasperatedly.
Sign language? The man just waved off his concerns.

Another man with a boyish look - well, he would have a boyish look if it wasn't for that bushy caterpillar sitting on his lips - bounded towards me and crouched in front of me.

"How is my favourite patient doing today?" he asked, looking like he wanted to touch me but wasn't sure. He glanced at his brother, who nodded encouragingly and brought his hand slowly to my head. I nuzzled his hand, and he started cooing. I wished I could roll my eyes. The man with the glasses read my mind and rolled his eyes, and it was enough for me now.

The other man who'd been quiet so far came closer and sat down, looking very curiously at me.

"I added pain killers to your water, so if you feel any pain, you should drink, okay?" the man petting me instructed.

I gave a small huff in reply, and he grinned.

"Do you really think it can understand you, Santosh?" the curious-looking man questioned observing me.

"Anna, never underestimate the bond between a doctor and his patient. It's very special and transcends all communicative barriers, even across species," Santosh said patiently without looking at the others.

The response he got was three varying degrees of amused snorts.

"Did they teach you that at BS College?" the guy with glasses asked from his place near the door. He was the only one with self-preservation skills, honestly.

"Shut up, Anna," he said with an almost pout.
"I'm a doctor. I know what I'm talking about."

"Hey, do you know if it is a boy or girl?" the curious guy asked and brought his hand close to my body like he was going to examine my rear. I immediately reacted and bit his hand. He let out a cry of surprise.

"It bit me!" he scowled at me, and I was satisfied.

Nobody touches a woman without her permission!

"I guess we can safely say the swan is a female," said the man calmly by the door.

"How did you guess that, Dinesh? By her delicate sensibilities?" asked the man, who was clutching his hand and glaring at me.

I merely dipped my head to take a sip of water, trying not to preen at my little outburst.

"No, Abhi," said Dinesh looking at his brother like he was an idiot. I didn't blame him.
"If you notice her beak, the knob doesn't look all that prominent. Also, females have slender necks, but I guess we can tell that only by comparison with another swan," Dinesh proclaimed nonchalantly. I was quite impressed with his delivery of information he must've read off of the internet. Most often, book knowledge alone isn't enough to make you seem smart. It's how you present that knowledge that makes you sound and look smarter than you are.