Pochi slowly walked toward the back mountain.
Tama was probably going to join him soon. The chickens had a few specific places they’d designated as meeting spots—two on Brook Mountain and three on the mountain to the north—and they’d agreed to meet up there in case something happened.
Pochi knew Sano would tell Tama she could go out when he got home, so he decided to take a sand bath and clean off bugs from his body while he waited. When it was hot outside, it was inevitable that small bugs and such would get in between his feathers. If Tama or Yuma were here, they could peck at them and help him clean up, but when he was all by himself, he had to make do with sand or water.
Although Pochi didn’t like hot baths, he strove to keep himself neat and clean.
After bathing in sand for a while, Pochi headed toward the meeting spot on the northern side of the back mountain. Tama hadn’t arrived yet. Without anyone tending to this part of the mountain, the vegetation had grown quite dense. The view was clearer if you went farther north to the other mountain, but that was actually the result of deer eating the trees.
Hunting was not his goal today, so he didn’t intend to go looking for deer. However, it would be a different story if he spotted them on this mountain or on Brook Mountain.
After he’d spent a while pecking at the ground eating grass and bugs, Tama came running. They were going over to the northern mountain.
Sano had no idea, but the chickens often ventured beyond the two mountains that he owned. It was no wonder patrolling farmland wasn’t enough to get rid of their pent-up energy, no matter how much they did it. Although, naturally, the chickens weren’t entirely familiar with all of Sano’s land either. They simply followed their natural curiosity and roamed the land freely.
The mountain to the north was not part of Sano’s property, so the chickens understood that they should avoid hunting there—they contented themselves with bugs and grass. The mountain to the northeast had much of its mountainside exposed, probably due to deer, but that was none of Pochi’s or Tama’s concern.
There was a pond behind the northern mountain—it was one of their favorite spots. It was just the right size and depth for them, making it perfect for bathing.
Upon reaching the area with shallow spring water, all the creatures who had been there drinking ran away—not only boars and deer, but also monkeys, raccoons, and many other kinds of animals would often come to drink. However, that was also none of Pochi’s or Tama’s concern.
The two chickens picked a spot that was relatively abundant with water, drank their fill, and bathed. Suddenly, feeling a gaze fixed on them, they turned back to find a creature with a dark body. Pochi knew from watching TV that it was what they called a bear.
“Kwaaaah! Kwakwakwaaaaaahh!” Pochi stood tall and clucked menacingly at the bear, who fled upon hearing his ferocious cry. The chickens had no intention of hunting bears—unless, of course, one showed up on Sano’s property. The reason was simple: Sano was deathly afraid of bears.
“I wonder if we get bears here. Gosh, I hope not. That’d be scary.” Sano had said this once—he even shook in fear whenever bears showed up on the TV.
“Bear?”
“Scary?”
“Hunt?”
The chickens tried asking if Sano would like them to deal with bears, but he shook his head violently.
“No, no, no... What are you saying? That’s incredibly dangerous. Don’t even think about it. Look, I know you guys are pretty strong, but we’re talking about bears. I’m more concerned with your well-being than I am scared of bears.”
As far as Pochi was concerned, these bears didn’t look strong at all, but Sano had told them to stay away, so he did as he was told and left them alone...as long as they weren’t on Sano’s property.
At least one of the chickens stayed by Sano’s side the entire time while they were on the mountain. The chickens were determined to protect him at all costs.
After they’d spent a while patrolling the mountain to the north, the sun began to go down. The chickens thought it was about time to return, and they headed home, lazily pecking at the ground on their way.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Whoa! You’re all dirty again today...” Sano let out a strained laugh when he saw Pochi and Tama. After bathing in sand and water and running all over the mountains, the two chickens were covered in grass, leaves, dirt, and such, and their feathers were all disheveled.
“Hold on a sec.”
Sano went inside, brought a large washbasin, and filled it. After adjusting the temperature, he gave Pochi and Tama a thorough wash.
Taking care of the chickens was a lot of work, but it was only natural for Sano, and he didn’t really mind it, despite his groaning.
“Where do you even go to get this filthy? Did you guys go to the other mountain at the back?”
“Back!”
“Back!”
“Stop it! That sounds like you’re telling me to go away.” Sano chuckled as he filled the washbasin and cleaned them. He then wiped them with a towel, and by the time they went inside, it was already pitch dark outside.
“There’s a beautiful starry sky tonight,” Sano muttered. For some reason, Pochi felt a tinge of loneliness in his voice, but he knew comforting his owner during times like these was someone else’s duty.
Yuma, who was standing next to Sano, snuggled up to him.
“Thanks for everything, Yuma.”
The chickens each had their own role and understood it. They were always doing their best for their dear owner’s sake.
“What should I feed you today? Maybe some natto yogurt? That should be okay every once in a while, I think.” Sano browsed his phone while he prepared food for the chickens. Today, it was leafy vegetables and cooked pork.
He was not the most dependable owner, to be sure, but the chickens could tell he was also doing his best.
As they chowed down on the food Sano had prepared for them, the chickens thought vaguely about where they should patrol tomorrow.
The end.