Chickadee trotted easily through the yellow snow-laden grass, her tail high and waving happily through the air. The weather had turned sunny for the first time in many days, and Chicky had decided to spend the day wandering. She had left Glorall just after sunrise, and had ended up in the field by early afternoon.

Now that she had a place, a rank, a job, she had a reason to be content. It felt as if everything was falling into place. She had begun learning about the various herbs which grew natively; occasionally using herself for testing purposes, though the outcome was not always nice.

As of late, she had been on the lookout for a specific type of hardy grass, which had a soothing effect on the stomach. She had heard that it was capable of surviving the long winter months (which, naturally, was quite a rarity for special-use plants). Come spring, she would have to learn the art of preserving herbs, so that they could be utilized even after the snows came.

For now, she kept her bright eyes peeled for the plant she sought -- a yellowish, thickly-stalked thing resembling alfalfa.

When she came upon it, she nearly passed it over completely. It grew between the exposed roots of an old tree, camouflaged by the dappled shade. Chickadee sniffed delicately at the vegetation, tilting her head one way and then another. Carefully, she closed her teeth around the base of one particularly generous-looking stalk, and pulled. It held fast. She pulled harder, arching her back and throwing all of her weight into it -- but still it would not budge.

Suddenly, a volley of shrill chirps and shrieks showered down on her, followed by the whir of feathers flitting just inches away from her ear. Her brow furrowed, and she attempted to see what on earth was pestering her, without giving up her grasp on the stubborn plant. It seemed an angry nest of swallows had taken residence in the tree, and did not take kindly to her poking around nearby.

Chickadee lifted a foreleg as she continued to yank at the plant, trying feebly to swipe at the birds as they continued to dive-bomb her. One of the birds clipped her right at the base of her tail, and Chickadee yelped with surprise, only to find that her sudden release of the plant catapulted her backward.

For a moment she merely laid where she'd fallen, all sprawled in the snow. Only her pride was hurt. The birds, satisfied, returned to their perches and peered down at her with their beady little judgmental eyes.

God I hope no one saw that...

Already, something told her that she could never be so lucky...

---

CHICKADEE
^{you're not alone}