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Sarah set her book aside as she recalled her morning. “I saw some unfamiliar birds today.”

Jareth walked across the room to stand behind her chair. “Where was this?” He placed his hands on her shoulders, making her moan as he ran his thumbs up her neck.

“They were walking along the Labyrinth wall not far from the gate near the patisserie.” Sarah gestured in the direction of her sighting.

“What did they look like?” He dropped a kiss on her head and walked out onto the balcony to look across the vast expanse of the Labyrinth.

Sarah joined him, wondering why Jareth was scanning the landscape below when her encounter was on the far side of the castle. “They were big, mostly white and looked like Thoth.”

She was confused when he muttered under his breath. “Bin chickens.”

Turning to face Jareth, Sarah placed her hand on his arm, feeling the underlying tension. “I may have more of a grasp on Egyptian deities than I do on identifying birds, but I think I would recall a god of bin chickens.” She tried to remember what they were called. “They have a flower name. Iris? No, ibis!”

A surprised huff eased Jareth’s tension slightly. “They would have come from our last wish.”

“Someone wished them away?”

Jareth shook his head. “Possibly, but they’ve been on the block list for years. The goblins can’t resist them, they would have birdnapped them when they had the opportunity.”

That didn’t make any sense. Sarah was sure their last call came from Australia, which did not explain an Egyptian bird. “I’m missing something here.”

“There are ibis that are native to Australia. When their habitat was impacted by human activity, the ibis relocated, adapted to urban environments and thrived.”

“That’s a good thing isn’t it?” Sarah queried.

“They adapted so well they’re considered a nuisance by many.” Jareth grinned and held out a crystal to Sarah.

She could see a man in a suit sitting on a bench. He opened a paper bag and started eating his lunch as he watched the other people in the park. Taking advantage of the distraction, a knee height bird walked up and deftly stole the sandwich from the man’s hand.

Her startled snort of laughter caught Sarah by surprise. “You don’t feed the birds, they help themselves.”

“Indeed,” Jareth agreed. “They’re adept at rummaging through garbage receptacles, hence the local sobriquet.”

“Bin chickens.” Sarah wasn’t too clear on the local idioms, but she could easily draw a conclusion.

“The goblins adore them, but the ibis aren’t as enamored in return and it gets a little messy.” Sarah shuddered at the thought. “As they’ve proven their adaptability, we would soon be up to our ears in trouble.”

“You’ll return them home?” Sarah couldn’t imagine a bird larger than some of the goblins would accept their shenanigans without returning fire.

“Of course. The Underground aren’t responsible for their loss of habitat, so we shouldn’t have to suffer the consequences.”

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labyfic — drabble #218: chicken
Part of the Balance!verse