Beast Tamer's Rebirth National Treasure Edition novel Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Quickie’s miserable wailing was impossible to ignore. With its wings tucked awkwardly against its sides, it could only hop around clumsily on its skinny legs.

After Sierra called it fat and ugly, Quickie just scrambled straight for its ground-level nest. Three seconds later, its grating, ear-splitting cries were filling the livestream. Nobody could believe a parrot could curse so creatively and cry so loudly.

[Wait, is that really a parrot? That cry is horrifying.]

ĮLMAO, I can’t breathe. It waddles like a penguin, and it was so upset that it tripped over its own feet. Quickie is hilarious.]

[The bird is cute, but Sierra is just mean. Who calls a bird ugly? That’s so unnecessary.]

[Typical Sierra. She doesn’t even go easy on an animal.]

[I was thinking the same thing. Poor Quickie is already having a hard time. Why kick it when it’s down?]

[Why is everyone getting so offended? Let’s be real. Quickie’s feathers are a complete mess, and it’s seriously chubby. Sierra was just stating a fact. Was she wrong?]

Even Sierra’s haters would say that she was not wrong.]

Quickie was still sobbing loudly in its nest when a staff member stepped up to the camera with a task card.

“Sierra, here are your challenges for today,” the staffer announced. “First, you need to teach Quickie some polite phrases, like ‘hello, thank you,’ and ‘you’re welcome. Second, you have to help Quickie relax and lose some weight.”

When the tasks were read aloud, there was a collective pause in the livestream chat. The tasks sounded simple, but anyone could see they were practically impossible.

Sierra, however, didn’t even blink. She just gave a casual nod. “Okay.”

The audience was stunned, again.

Sierra changed into a zookeeper’s uniform, slipped on some shoe covers, and entered the glass enclosure through a side door. She crouched down in front of Quickie’s nest. Seeing the bird hiding its head under its wing, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

She reached out and gently poked its round belly. She said, “If you really want to get pretty and slim down, you’ve got to start making some changes, you know.”

Quickie’s awful crying stopped instantly. Its little brown-black eyes snapped open, staring at Sierra without blinking. “Wait,” Quickie blurted out, shocked. “You… you can understand me?”

Sierra gave a slight nod and lowered her voice. “Of course, I can

Quickie’s pupils contracted sharply. Its eyes were so small and dark that only Sierra could see the subtle change. A wave of excitement rushed through the little parrot, but it was quickly followed by hesitation. It shuffled back deeper into its nest.

Quickie lifted its head, its eyes looking teary and sad. “I know you’re trying to be nice,” it whispered, “but I’m really okay here. I have food and water. Please, just let me stay like this forever.”

“Don’t you ever dream of going back to the forest?” Sierra asked, her voice soft. “Of flying free with the other parrots?”

“I..” Quickie hesitated. It awkwardly stretched out one of its wings, revealing a crooked, mangled shape. “My owner did this. I can’t fly. Not ever again.” Its little voice shook.

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Chapter 16

Sierra’s eyes fell on the damaged wings. She reached out and gently ran a finger along the twisted bones. It was clear someone had broken them on purpose.

The wounds might have healed, but Sierra could only imagine the pain Quickie had endured. It was a miracle the bird had survived at all. A pang of sympathy shot through her.

She held out her hand. “Come here,”

Quickie, who had been wallowing in misery, suddenly perked up No one had ever given it this kind of special attention. For the first time in forever, it felt important. Without a second thought, it waddled out of its nest and hopped right into Sierra’s palm.

Sierra’s hand sank under the parrot’s surprising weight. ‘Yep, definitely not a lightweight, she thought to herself. An average parrot like Quickie should weigh around 300 grams, but this one felt like a feathered cannonball.

Turning slightly to block the camera’s view, Sierra cupped her hand around the microphone on her collar and leaned close to Quickie, whispering something so softly that the mic couldn’t pick it up.

What happened next stunned everyone watching. Quickie’s entire demeanor flipped like a switch. Its eyes went wide. It hopped off her hand, started flapping its crooked wings with frantic excitement, and began dancing in circles around her feet.

“Goddess! You’re a goddess. Love you,” it squawked, showering her with a stream of compliments.

Sierra gave its head an affectionate pat. “Okay, Quickie. Now say thank you.”

“Thank you, Goddess!” Quickie chirped immediately.

Sierra then pointed toward the camera. “Quickie, say ‘hello’ to everyone. Say, ‘Welcome to WonderWild Zoo.”

Quickie tilted its head, eyeing the big black lens. It didn’t really get what it was, but it trusted Sierra. It puffed out its chest proudly and shouted, “Hello. Welcome to WonderWild Zoo. I’m Quickie.”

“You did amazing, Quickie,” Sierra said with a bright smile. “You’re going to have so many fans soon.” She then turned to the stunned staff member, her smile never fading. “So, did I pass the first task?”

The staffer just blinked, completely thrown. “Y-yeah… you did.” He was dying to know what she had whispered to the bird.

The cameraman was completely charmed. He zoomed in for a close-up of Quickie’s face. Unable to resist, he teased, “Hello, Quickie.”

Quickie glanced at Sierra for reassurance, and then back at the cameraman. It tilted its head, its beady black eyes sparkling like little gems. The audience was melting from the cuteness overload. And then, Quickie chirped sweetly, “Hello, dumbass. Welcome!”