Harlan has a minion!

Family the Flock

Growing up, Harlan always felt out of place, an outsider among his own species. His markings and fur set him apart from other coatis, and most of the time, the others would simply shun him. This was fine by Harlan, for if they weren't ignoring him, they were busy ruthlessly teasing and mocking him, calling him all sorts of names. With no real family or friends, Harlan became a loner, finding peace in solitude. Sometimes he would hear birds chirping together or see a family of skunks wander off into the underbrush, causing a pang of longing to shoot through him, a yearning for something he had never had.

One day, Harlan stumbled upon a small, deserted clearing in the woods. The space quickly became his home, a place where he could simply rest in peace and bathe indulgently in the soft rays of the afternoon sun. His meals consisted largely of small berries and nuts from the surrounding forest; fallen blackberries soon became his favorite treat. Other forest animals would occasionally stray into Harlan's clearing, but they were few and far between.

Harlan, however, eventually began to feel solitude's adverse effects. Over the course of a year or two, Harlan grew listless, wishing for something to come by and ease his boredom and loneliness. Perhaps fate was listening to his wishes, for the next day, Harlan heard a small chirping noise coming from a small copse of trees nearby. Upon inspection of the trees, Harlan discovered a fallen bird's nest, with a few baby birds warbling weakly inside.

Although most coatis would have eaten the baby birds without a second thought, Harlan was different. He had never been able to stomach the idea of killing another, and thus, he had religiously adopted a diet of berries, nuts, and plants. Perhaps it was something in the baby birds' small, round eyes, or perhaps it was something else entirely, but Harlan took it upon himself to protect the fledglings. For more than a week, he stayed by the babies, wrapping his tail protectively around the nest while he waited for their mother to return. Harlan only moved from his post to fetch food for himself and the birds.

The mother never came back.

And thus, Harlan carefully raised the baby birds, acting as their mother and protector. He fed them chewed up worms, and it wasn't long before the birds grew to love Harlan. He finally had a family. And for once in his life, Harlan no longer felt like an outsider.

profile by PUNS
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