eschewings | contact.

（ he finds huaisang in the woods. birds perch in the low trees, their eyes following him as he approaches. it does not unnerve him — his partnership with crows came nearly two decades ago in his life, and they have been the most constant of his companions in life.

but huaisang has built a reputation here, for his bond with these creatures, and itachi has a problem. ）

Huaisang. A moment of your time?

（ he gently unwraps a small box he had carried in his hands, revealing a trio of baby birds with the first of their feathers just starting to come in, eyes only just recently opened. he is not quite certain what happened to their custodial parent, only that he had occasion to pass by the nest several times over the course of a few days, and had realized that they were no longer being fed or cared for, the chirping becoming markedly more weak in that time.

he can care for them — and has been, diligently rising every few hours to feed them and clean them. but he does not wish to acclimate them too much to human touch, and so. here he is. curious if a druid will have better insight into the situation than he himself is capable of. ）

They will be fledglings soon. Can you care for them?

[ it is not a surprise, to see itachi — but it is more the topic on which he approaches, this time, that makes huaisang's eyes widen. he lets out a noise that is half dismay, half a cooing sound when seeing the baby birds. he's quick to flutter closer, his druid's robes a flurry as he comes to a stop next to itachi, bending down to get a look at the babies. ]

Oh, poor things! Hm, they're not in a terrible condition, that's good, but also not ideal... [ he clicks his tongue, barely even looking at itachi. ] No, well, I can, but it's not really a good idea... I should find them someone who can actually help them grow up as proper birds. Maybe A-zu, or A-hui...

[ he. he means some of the birds he's made friends with. ]

（ he assumes that he's talking about the birds — it is not so unusual for summons to have names in his world, though he never gave any to his own. but that was more a consequence of the working relationship he had with them than a tenet of the shinobi world — he cannot think of anyone else who neither asked nor gave their summon a name. ）

Please.

（ then, after a careful pause: ）

Are they old enough for you to communicate with...? I do not know what happened to their parents. If they are merely injured somewhere I would like to find them — but they had been left alone for at least three days that I noticed.

[ huaisang, on the other hand, has always been in the habit of naming his birds — even back home, every single one he always gave a name to. his brother had advised him against it, "they're just birds, a-sang, and most are injured when you're taking them in, if you name them you'll be more devastated if they die";

huaisang hadn't really cared. he'd have been devastated regardless, and did the fact that someone was close to death mean they'd deserve a name any less? ]

I can try, [ he says, and proceeds to make a string of chirps and clicks. for a moment, the babies are silent; then their cries resume. ]

Ah... they're too hungry to listen to me. I think we need to feed them first, and then they might be able to answer.

Here.

（ he foists the box into huaisang's hands quite without preamble, and then produces a small sealed tin from one pocket. it has a collection of grubs and worms and other such things he deemed acceptable food for their age after a bit of research on the local species.

that he feels a pang of empathy for the little insects is irrelevant.

he gestures for the two of them to take a seat on a nearby fallen log so their hands can be free for the feeding. ）

I've been tending to them every two hours. They are — insistent.

contact.

mission pt1 (birdsbirdsbirds)

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