Glenn looked closer.
“Oooh, it’s like you’re looking at my butt! It’s so embarrassing!”
“I’m only looking at the place where the preen oil comes out,” Glenn assured her.
“I-I know, but…”
“I’m going to extract the preen oil and apply it to your feathers.”
“I-I’m sure it’s fine, since you’re a doctor, but…be gentle. My feathers are very important to me.”
“Yes, I know. Just remember, this is also about your health. Without preen oil, you’ll attract insects, and could even lose the ability to fly.”
Illy turned her head toward Glenn, looking worried. He pulled out a soft-bristled brush.
“Now, I will begin.”
“Oooh, don’t smell me or anything, okay?”
“I wouldn’t do that. Don’t worry.” Glenn chuckled as he put the brush to the uropygial gland. He soaked up the liquid from the middle of the withering feathers.
“Mmm…ah…oh…” Illy let out a cry as he stroked her gland.
“The good news is…there appear to be no abnormalities.”
Glenn had already determined that the lack of preen oil had been caused by excessive bathing, but there was an outside chance an issue with the uropygial gland could have contributed to the issue. Thankfully, there was plenty of oil on the brush. The bristles were already shining.
“I’m going to apply the oil to your feathers, starting with your tail.”
“O-okay… Ahhh!” Illy trembled, her rear end sticking high into the air.
Glenn took the tail feathers in his hand and gently applied the brush.
“Eeee…w-wait…I’m ticklish!”
Apparently, this kind of gentle touching irritated Illy. Her back was quivering, and she looked like a fearful parrot.
“Mmm! Ah, ya, aya!”
“I’m sorry, but if I rub too hard, then it will damage your wings. You don’t want to lose even a single feather, do you?”
“O-of course not, but…” Illy’s face was red, and her tail feathers trembled even harder.
“Don’t move too much,” Glenn warned.
“Ah…mmm…oooh…I-I know…”
Illy was trying her best to stay still, but it seemed to be very difficult for her. Glenn continued to brush gently from base to tip, making sure that the feathers were all lying in the same direction. The effects of the preen oil were tremendous, and with repeated brushing, Illy’s feathers were already starting to regain their shine.
In the east, sumac sap was used to protect expensive tableware. Like the sap, preen oil gave the feathers luster and protected harpies from dirt and unwanted bacteria.
“Here we go,” Glenn said as he put the brush to the uropygial gland again.
“Agh!” Illy cried out when he touched the hole on her lower back. Glenn ignored her, soaking up the oil with the brush.
“I’m going to apply it again.”
“O-okay, I-I’ll do my best!”
At first glance, her feathers seemed to be a single mass, but each feather was actually a collection of fine hairs connected to a hard shaft. It was the preen oil that kept those fine hairs in line. Glenn needed to be thorough…to make sure the oil reached each individual hair.
“Mm, ahh, waaah…”
Glenn brushed the oil over every inch of every tail feather, from base to tip.
“Mmm…ahhh…aggh…”
“I think this is about right.” Glenn nodded as he looked at Illy’s bright red tail feathers.
He had abundant experience brushing, and he considered himself to be quite skilled at it. He’d accurately assessed how her feathers were growing and had gently arranged their fibers so as not to damage them.
“How are you doing, Illy? I think it already looks much better.”
“Uhh, are you done already?”
Illy used her flexible neck to turn and look behind her. As soon as she saw her tail feathers sleekly shining, she screamed with glee.
“Wow! Amazing! How can they change so much? They were so bristled before.”
“They were just lacking preen oil, so they went back to normal as soon as I reapplied it,” Glenn explained.
“Wooow!”
It wasn’t just Illy’s feathers. Her eyes were sparkling, too. She was spellbound by Glenn’s technique.
“Let’s take a little break,” Sapphee said as she slithered into the exam room. “Drink this.” She held a glass that contained an orange liquid.
“Huh? What is this?”
“It’s freshly squeezed vegetable juice,” Glenn said. “Mostly carrots. It has the nutrients you need to produce preen oil. Vegetables are especially important.” He’d asked Sapphee to make the juice before he even started the exam. “Do you not like vegetables?”
“I like them! Sometimes I get them from the Lady’s mansion.” Illy laughed, showing her double rows of teeth. She gulped down the entire glass. “It’s so good!” she exclaimed.
“I bet it is. The vegetables are from Aluloona’s plantation.” Sapphee smiled. “I’ll make another glass.”
Cutting up carrots and squeezing them into juice was difficult but necessary. Glenn was grateful for Sapphee, who executed every task flawlessly.
“Let’s continue,” Glenn said. “Next, I’ll work on the essentials—your wings.”
“Make them sparkle, too, Doctor!” Illy grinned.
The uneasy expression she’d worn when she arrived at the clinic had disappeared. Now that her tail was back to normal, she was also back to her cheerful self.
As it turned out, the condition of her feathers had been affecting Illy mentally. Once her wings were shiny again, her whole disposition would probably change. Glenn just hoped that this would lead to her making up with Plum.
“Now, then. Let’s have you spread your wings. Maybe you need a cushion?”
Glenn asked the fairies to bring one for her. They brought one large enough to be used as a chair.
“Lie on this. Don’t sit on it. Lie on your stomach.”
“Huh? Like this?” Illy lay face down.
Supported by the cushion, she looked like she was on all fours. If she’d been sitting normally, he wouldn’t have been able to reach the gland at the base of her tail feathers.
“That’s perfect. I’ll begin with the right wing,” Glenn said, spreading out the feathers.
She was small for a monster, but her wingspan was impressive. Even just one outstretched wing took up a lot of space.
Glenn moved to Illy’s backside and put the brush to her uropygial gland.
“Mmm, th-that tickles!” Illy writhed from the sensation, but Glenn ignored her. He took the brush to her right wing.
“Mmm…ahh…oww…” Illy was moaning again. Perhaps because she was embarrassed, she tried to move her left wing to cover her mouth. “Ahhh…mmm… B-be gentle…”
“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt you.”
“Uh, aggh, ahhh! Noo!”
Glenn continued to brush from her body out to her wingtips. He stroked the ruffled spots gently to repair the damaged feathers.
“Oooh, I-I said I’m ticklish! Agh, mm, mmm!”
Illy kept moving around, but Glenn was pinning her with his body so her wing stayed still.
“I’m going to keep going,” Glenn said, as he applied more preen oil.
“Ah…Agh, mmm!”
Every time Glenn took oil from the gland at the base of her tail feathers, Illy screeched. The uropygial gland was in a place that really shouldn’t have been touched. It was too sensitive.
“Ahh! Aggh, haaa! Agh, ahhn!” Illy squirmed.
This is going to take some time. I need to be thorough.
Illy’s red wings were like a gorgeous piece of art. No wonder she was proud of them. However, even though they were still bright, the coloring was uneven due to the ruffled feathers. Right now, they looked more painful than beautiful. Glenn fixed each individual ruffle with the brush.
“Mmm, ahh!”
After a few moments, Illy’s reactions began to change. She was still making noise, but she didn’t have any strength left in her body.
“Whooo…ahh, ahhn…”
“Does it still hurt?”
“W-well…it just tickles a little,” she said. “I think maybe I’ve gotten used to it.”
“You’ve relaxed.”
It was a laborious treatment. It only made sense that her body would succumb to it.
“Mmm…agh…you can keep going.”
“Good. I’m not even halfway done yet.” Glenn chuckled.
“Mmm…mphh…mm,” Illy moaned, her expression like that of someone dreaming.
“Hmm? Are you sleepy?” Glenn asked.
The cushion was supporting her body. It wasn’t all that different from lying on a bed.
“You can sleep. It’s going to take a lot more time anyway.”
“Mmm…no, I’ll stay…awake…” Illy said, but she was already half-asleep.
Glenn laughed to himself, watching over her like a caring older brother.