WQ-Chickens-4/15

Archer rolled over in bed, wondering why his alarm was going off so early- it wasn't even light outside! He blinked as he looked at his watch and saw that it was 0423, and whatever that sound was it wasn't his alarm. Waking up and coming more fully to his senses, he realized that the sound was not, in fact, his alarm, but a chicken clucking constantly outside his window. Archer rolled out of bed and walked over to the window, peering out and saw a brown and white chicken sitting nestled in the chair on his porch nestled beneath his window. He really didn't want to deal with the chicken, wanting to go back to sleep, but it had to have come from somewhere. Sighing, Archer pulled on some clothes and walked carefully out of his house, trying not to disturb the chicken. Archer knew that as soon as the chicken got wind that it was being tracked down to be caught, it would be off, so Archer walked over to the barn to enlist the help of Strato, Kras, and India, knowing that his tokotas would be instrumental in helping him wrangle the loose chicken. Once caught, Archer would have to figure out where the chicken came from, which would likely take the rest of his day. Luckily, he didn't exactly have anything else planned, other than enjoying the warm days as summer approached. Strato and India were already awake, but Archer had to get Kras up and moving. The bloodmarked tokota rolled on his side lazily, half opening an eye at Archer before rolling back over. Archer sighed- he wasn't going to be the only one up early that morning for sure. Thankfully, Kras got to his paws without too much of a hassle, and Archer led the three tokotas out of the barn and into the front yard. The chicken saw them approaching and clucked, jumping up from the chair it had been nesting on and sprinting off into the woods with a flap of it's wings. Archer approached the chair, noticing an freshly laid egg had been left behind. He smiled, picking it up and moving back into his house, putting it into his fridge before heading back outside to where Strato, India, and Kras were waiting for him. Archer climbed up onto Strato's back, instructing the three tokotas to go find the chicken that had just ran away- they needed to get it back and return it to it's owner. Kras and India took off in the direction that the chicken had ran, and Strato lumbered behind them at a somewhat slower pace. Archer kept an eye on the tracks of India, Kras, and the chicken easily- it was mud season right now with all of the snow melting and seeping into the ground. He wasn't exactly pleased at the idea of having to wash off Kras's and India's light colored coats later this afternoon after they returned the chicken, but at least Kras loved the water and India would tolerate it now that it was warmer out. The sky was beginning to lighten too as the sun rose, and Archer half closed his eyes as the warm sun struck his face. Ahead, he heard India bark, and Strato rumbled in response, shifting direction away from the chicken tracks in the mud into a slight clearing where India and Kras stood, pleased with themselves as they had cornered a small, black and white chicken up against a rock. Archer shook his head, blinking. The chicken he had seen at his house had been brown and white- hadn't it? Kras dipped his head, nosing at something on the ground, which Archer recognized as an egg just as the bloodmarked tokota ate it. At least he wouldn't have to worry about a population of wild chickens running around the area- his hungry tokotas would eat them, and apparently their eggs too, quickly. Archer climbed down from Strato's back, walking slowly over to the chicken before leaping out and grabbing it. The black and white chicken squawked, pecking at Archer as he bundled the animal up in his hoodie. With the chicken secure and unable to scratch at or peck at him, Archer tucked it under his arm and climbed back up onto Strato- they still had to find that brown and white chicken that had been at his house. Archer led India and Kras back over to where their pawprints had diverged from the first chicken's trail, and the two tokotas were off again in hot pursuit. Again, Strato lumbered behind them, partially slow from sleep and the large dire couldn't be bothered to pick up his pace. India started barking up ahead, and that peaked Strato's interest enough to lumber along at a slightly quicker rate. The barking caused the chicken to squirm in Archer's hood, and he tightened his grip on it, using his free hand to steady himself on Strato's back. Ahead, India and Kras were chasing the brown and white chicken that had been on Archer's porch in circles. Surprisingly, the small bird was managing to evade both of the determined tokotas, Unfortunately for the bird, once Strato joined in on the chase, the three tokotas were able to work together to encircle the chicken, slowly advancing until Kras was able to gently place a paw on the chicken, pinning it to the ground while Archer slowly climbed off of Strato's back, partially unwrapping his hoodie to make room for the new chicken. With both chickens bundled up in his jacket, Archer carefully climbed back up onto Strato's back, and guided the three tokotas in the direction of town. He was sure that someone was missing their chickens, although he wasn't sure if they were from that new chicken farm that opened up or if they were someone's backyard pets. Unfortunately, it seemed that as Archer drew closer to town, the more signs of chickens he saw over the landscape, including frantic people trying to chase down chickens. This was turning out to be a long day for Archer, Strato, Kras, and India.