Finding You
Yuju didn't expect anything out of the norm to happen today. It was a normal grocery run when they heard a small whimper. Yu stopped and looked around. Under a bench was a small browlet pathetically sniffling. Yu put their bag down and slowly approached. "Are you lost? Where are your parents?" Yuju asked in kibble. The browlet observed Yuju with their large eyes. The expression on the browlet was a little confused. The browlet was a little bigger then Yuju. Yu was being careful as Yu knew browlets could be wild. They made sure to be calm and speak quietly.
The browlet then darted out from under the bench. Yu was about to inflexively run when the browlet hugged them. More sniffles but they seemed to be a little calmer. Yuju relaxed and then patted the browlet on the head. The browlet had a good grip and was starting to unknowingly squeeze Yuju a bit tight. Yuju tried to get them to relax "My name is Yuju. What's you name?" This seemed to work as the grip lessened. The browlet seemed confused. Yuju's native tongue is kibble so if you were not familar one would only see and hear vibrations of vrrss, brrss and whirrs. This browlet was no exception. "Yu?" the browlet replied trying to mimic the sound. "Yes that's my name" Yuju smiled. The browlet seemed pleased but said nothing more. Yuju assumed they must still be too scared to answer. "Okay let's see if we can find your parents." Yuju gently got the browlet to stop hugging and then held out their hand to them. "Come on, let's see if we can find them." Yuju paused to think "Like hide and seek. They're lost and we must find them" Yu noticed the browlet look confused but then quickly took their hand with the same force as the hug. Tight grip. As they walked Yu tried to stay generally in the area just in case the parents were nearby. It was later in the day so there were not many people around. Yuju asked every bird along with other residents that past.
No luck. They were however able to file a report on a strangers phone. They had their fingers crossed. "We'll try again tomorrow. For now you can come home with me. We can get some dinner in us." The browlet didn't respond as they looked a little sleepy. Yuju grabbed their groceries from where they left them. The browlet wouldn't let go of Yuju's hand. The bag was just small enough for Yuju's size but too heavy and akward for one hand. Yuju tried their best to carry with the one. The browlet seemed to notice and decided to support the bag with their own free hand. This wasn't perfect but there was no way Yuju could see the browlet being coaxed to let go. Yuju assumed they were terrified of being separated again so they would have to manage.
They eventually made it home. It was a small and modest place. It was made of 3 rooms. A main room with the kitchen built off off with one bedroom and a bathroom the size of a closet. The main feature of the house was a fireplace which was what Yuju was really after. Ever since Yu had gotten fire hands, they had been afraid to set stuff on fire. Thanks to Cteno and Robin, Yuju had gotten better at control but there were accidents here and there. Sleeping in a contained fireproof spot was their fail safe.
The browlet slowly let go of Yuju's hand as they observed the flat. Yuju opened and closed their hand. The browlet's grip had been so tight that it has fallen asleep. "My home is your home" Yuju took the bag to the counter, going up a step stool to to better see the contents of the bag. They began putting stuff away but left out the noodles and some pasta sauce. "How does spaghetti sound?" Yuju asked. The browlet's tummy growled. "I'll take that as a yes" Yuju smiled which was greeted with another tired smile from the browlet.
Yuju got the water going as the browlet stood in the kitchen section watching them. Yuju was surprised the browlet was so calm and quite. Yu had read that browlets were loud and tenacious. Yu hoped they were not sick. With that thought, Yuju checked their temperature, it seemed normal. The water started to boil so the pasta went in. They were tiny star shapes. They were easy to spoon and took up less space in the trash. Yuju liked this as they felt less guilty about throwing them away. Yuju was naturally a kitbull so they had no need to eat regular food. However from a young age they believed they were a browbird and no one would tell them otherwise. Meal time was a normal thing browbirds did so that's what Yuju would do. Thankfully this came in handy today.
Since the pasta was small it cooked fast. It was a blessing because the browlet was starting to get fussy. Yuju heated the sauce while they drained the pasta. With this done they spooned out a bowl for both of them and then sat them at the living room coffee table. The browlet dug into the bowl with gusto. They were making happy eating noises now realizing how hungry they were. Yuju ran to get a napkin while shaking with laughter. This was much more regular for a browlet. The brow was a messy eater and got sauce all over themself and the table. Yuju spooned their helping to the browlet. The browlet ate until they were full. This was the first time there were no leftovers in Yuju's cooking career. Yuju removed the browlet's sauce covered scarf. They would have to wash this later. With a wet cloth, Yuju wiped the browlet's face and hands. With the browlet cleaned Yuju cleaned up dinner. The browlet was fighting sleep by the time Yuju was done.
"Time for bed" Yuju started to head to the unused bedroom. The browlet ran after them and quickly grabbed Yuju's hand. The room was an okay size. To Yuju the bed was massive. The browlet climbed onto the bed. Yuju paused to think then ran to the kitchen to get the step stool. The browlet whined in protest but noticed Yu wasn't gone long so they relaxed. Yuju tucked the browlet in. The browlet began to whimper however when Yuju tried to leave. "I'll stay until you fall asleep" Yuju perched on the stool and waited. The browlet stared at them and tried to fight sleep. Eventually getting Yuju to hold their hand for them to relax enough to drift off. Yuju waited until they were sure the browlet was asleep before gently removing their hand. Yuju waited in case the brow woke up but they slept soundly. Yuju smiled and then went to their fireplace.
Yuju woke with the browlet sprawled out in the fireplace. Yuju was utterly confused. The browlet was covered in soot. They would need to clean the young one. Wouldn't want to return a sooty baby to worried parents. Hopefully today would be the day.