Spring chickens.

[alittlehinky]

The dandelions are the first things to bloom in the early spring, followed by chickweed and henbit. Sometimes they'll start springing up through the last of the snow, but the thaw came a little early this year, so Cricket's yard is mostly soft ground and green. There are tiny vegetable plants in the windows of the room of his house that opens toward the sunrise. Too early yet to put them in the garden, but they're waiting, strengthening, getting ready.

Outside, little flowering quince shrubs flank the porch and parts of the walk, and they're in full bloom, dotted with coral-colored blossoms and the occasional early bee. This year, he wants to get some hives, only he'll have to keep them a safe distance from the chickens.

The delivery he was waiting for arrives at last, the truck moving carefully up the graveled drive. He's on forearm crutches today, but he has words of welcome for the driver, and a nice tip. Cricket doesn't slaughter his chickens, despite their food-related names. They're egg-laying pets, and fancy breeders, and he has ambitions to sell some as pets and show animals one of these days, but mostly he just likes them.

The coop, which was already pretty extravagant, has been expanded over the winter, and there's a sheltered chicken run all the way to the barn where the three cows he and Loki own live. So, there's more space now, and more space means more babies. The delivery driver places three crates carefully in the fenced yard around the coop, and Cricket thanks him, then sits on a stool in the sunlight and begins prying the nails out with a hammer. It's warm out, and the chicks look healthy, and it's time to welcome them to their new home.

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[dontpetmeibite]

Glit wants Lotor to see chickens and cows.

Ravage isn't sure this is a great idea, because she thinks she would be rather traumatised if she were suddenly to find out that energon walked around under its own power and had feelings, which, fortunately, it doesn't. But Lotor is all for the idea, so she is rounding the bend up toward Cricket's house with her brother and her nephew in tow. Howlback has also come along.

(Soundwave was all for it, too. He had kissed her on top of her head and told her to go outside and just be Lotor's auntie for the afternoon, and take a much-needed break from military planning, political concerns, interpersonal drama, and heartfelt confessions, and had stopped just sort of admitting he was worried about her, and not just because of the things she'd finally admitted to him after thirty-odd years, but also because she had got so wound up about that, as if anything he already suspected she'd done could ever be worse than having moved in with Megatron for the better part of a year. Which he had already forgiven.)

And Glit has challenged them both to a run, even though Howlback and Ravage are both much bigger than he is now. But Lotor is on her back, which is slowing her down as they race up the road on all fours.