Animals

Genre: Contemporary fantasy
Summary: Keisha recently had to bury her cat. Her cat would still like breakfast
Content Notes/Warnings: Features the ghost of a dead pet.
Words: 251

Setting: As-yet-unnamed, same as Mirrors and Doors
Genre: Fantasy
Summary: Justice administered by budgies can be cruel.
Notes: Combines prompts by Ellen Million, Becky Allen, and Herm Baskerville
Words: 100

“When I was a kid, we could still shoot them,” the cop said.

Mira just gave a noncommittal hum and continued her work.

“Thieving little bastards.”

This case was about a diamond bracelet, but still, it was a generalisation.

“I mean, they’re pests, everybody knows that. No matter how smart they are. Eat songbird chicks.”

The magpie struggled as Mira transferred it from the big trap to a smaller transport box. Neither agreeing nor arguing worked as she’d intended; the cop calmed down and got back to business, adsressing the bird.

“You are being arrested on suspicion of grand theft. A lawyer will be provided to you, given that it’s unlikely you have one.”

Mira chuckled. His half irritated, half worried look she answered with, “Close enough to by the book if you ask me. No complaints.”

“Good. Thanks for your help. I just hope we got the right one this time.”

Inspired by the prompts "A species of animal is ruled legally sapient and subject to protection - and prosecution - under human law" by Herm Baskerville and "The magpie in the tree" by TJK

Worry and irritation mingled in Sylvie's mind. Ayu-Asra, the two-headed pet dragon she could not get rid of, had gotten her thrown out of an inn, and she had really looked forward to not having to sleep outside.

Not that she could blame the landlord. A glance at the animal trailing her by alternately running along the top of the fence next to the street and gliding a short distance showed her that its chest was still glowing faintly. Maybe she should have claimed this was normal and harmless, rather than admitting he had never done that before. The dragon didn't seem bothered, so maybe it was harmless, but what could it be? He was able to breathe fire, so maybe something going wrong there? Trying to remember if she'd ever heard of a dragon overheating and exploding, Sylvie flinched as Ayu-Asra whistled shrilly and veered off towards an orchard.

After a furtive look around, Sylvie followed to see what had him so excited, or what damage she would have to apologise for.

She found him chasing insects, his heads occasionally fighting each other for the fattest bugs.

Luminous fluid sprayed from the fat glow-worm corpses.

Paell carefully climbed across the dragon's flank, knife in gloved hand. The overlapping scales were hot, only just bearable. The hide below them was worse. Hence the gloves.

You'd think those temperatures would be good for something. If it's a danger to dragonslayers—

With a scraping noise, some of the scales shifted, drawing Paell's attention. He stalked the rippling movement, waiting for an opening. Yes! The knife slipped in the gap and found its target.

It would be amazing if it wasn't so disgusting. Paell plucked the body of the rat-sized mite off his weapon and continued the hunt.

Joan liked the feeling of insects crawling over her skin.

With his nieces either old enough they wouldn't break any of his individually glass-encased insects, or moved so far away they didn't come, John had a birthday dinner in his home again. It did not protect from surprises, though.

He stared at the joint present, purchased under the direction of his younger sister, if her grin was any indication.

"I remembered you were looking for one."

"May, I meant the species of wasp, not something you need specially made."

Hanging from claws on six spider legs from the roof of its cage, the startled tarantula hawk ruffled its wings.

Elin dismissed her familiar spirit of years. She was sick of the ghostly cat coughing up lumps of ectoplasma on the carpet, or leaving half-eaten imps on the doorstep.

Surely summoning a dog would be better.

When the dog brought home an unscathed imp that wrecked the living room before she could dismiss it, she realised she should have made sure not to get a retriever.

Birdwatching turned out a lot more interesting than he had expected, when Eric noticed a thrush with an aviator helmet and goggles. He watched it attack a model plane that was being flown on the nearby "miniature airfield". Getting the attention of his parents took so long that the bird brought the plane down meanwhile.

Eric was sorely disappointed they did not even consider going to find the owner of the model plane and ask what they had seen, but dismissed what he said out of hand. As a result, he resolved to save up for a really good camera.

The girl had been pouring her heart out to the cat for a week when her mother found out.

"Don't touch that useless beast, it has fleas!"

"No, he doesn't! And he's not useless, he'll find Daddy, he said!"

Her mother sighed. "Your Daddy is gone and won't come back, no matter how much you wish it. And cats can't understand what you say, let alone talk."

The girl took refuge in sullen silence, and her mother shooed the cat out of the window.

The small ginger tom met up with a bigger grey cat who had been waiting nearby. Instead of a greeting, he said, "My, humans are so silly. She didn't even think to ask me if I could talk."

"The girl believing your promises isn't exactly clever, either."

"Well, no." He stretched. "I have better things to do than chasing some guy. Nothing, for example."