Chapter Text
"Sup toy." Joel called, making the sheriff huff in annoyance and look towards the god. "Again, not a toy... I bleed..." Jimmy sighed, flinching when Smallfry began to chirp angrily at Joel. "Woah! You cannot say those words, little dude!" Jimmy said, looking at Smallfry's puffed-up form. "Don't huff at me, mate. I wasn't the one who called Joel some offensive things." Jimmy said, looking at Smallfry, who simply looked at Joel and made the best smirk a crow could make before squawking loudly. "SMALLFRY! APOLOGIZE!" Jimmy yelled while the little crow flew away.
"What did that thing just say?" Joel asked. "I thought Gods were supposed to understand all things living. Study." Jimmy sassed, chasing after the little bird, who's squeaking chirps resembling laughter rang throughout the quaint town of Tumble Town. "Smallfry! Get back here!" Jimmy huffed, taking to the sky to chase the little crow in a much more efficient way. The shocked peep from the bird and its frantic wings began to flap more to stay out of arm reach of the sheriff. "Sheriff!? Sheriff Jimmy!?" The two heard, making both birds stop in their track to look at Norman.
"What's up, Norman!?" Jimmy asked, swooping down to greet his deputy. Smallfry followed, crashing on Jimmy's hat and rolling off with a startled chirp. Thankfully, Jimmy was able to catch them before they died. That's all he needed, a dead midget crow who reminds him of Scar. "We've received a notice from the ancient capital... You're needed there." Norman said. "Wha- Did Pix tell you why?" Jimmy asked, placing Smallfry on the brim of his hat so they could sit and be a watch out. "No... Just that it was urgent, and the sooner you got there, the more their discovery would be learned." Norman said. "Ah jeez... And I was just about to show Smallfry how to make hay stacks." Jimmy sighed, going to his horse to saddle up and prepare for the not-so-far yet far-away trek to Pix's place.
Smallfry peeped at the fact Jimmy had wings and that he should use them more often. "What!? No way... I can't use my wings all the time... That's just inviting trouble to find Tumble Town and me." Jimmy replied, grabbing the reigns of his horse and steering said horse in the direction he needed to go. Another chirp sounded, and Jimmy snickered. "No, Joel isn't trouble... He's a little messed up in the brain, yes... But he's not trouble." Jimmy said, getting a puff in reply. "Calling him a bag of worm infested cow manure on a hot day is not a compliment, Smallfry." Jimmy sighed. Smallfry whimpered at the reprimand. "I know you meant well, and I know you have a very low filter, but some things you gotta edit your words more... I know..." Jimmy sighed. Smallfry chirped again, asking if they could listen to some music. "If I give you my comm, and let you choose promise me that you'll keep it within an acceptable age range." Jimmy said, to which the birb agreed.
The hybrid let the birb perch on his saddle's horn to pick the music... They chose Lizzo's It's about damn time for the beginning of their trek. "Really?" Jimmy chuckled, watching the little bird shimmy around to dance with the music. Jimmy lightly kicked his ride's side softly to tell her to trot a bit, which the horse did. Somehow down the line, the songs went from Lizzo to crunchy sounding songs that had the little bird hopping about. By the time the two got to Pix's, Jimmy was bopping his head alongside a new song tha yapped about how to cook oysters in bone broth... Huh... Pix saw this from his entrance and smiled to himself. Then he recorded the scene before him and sent it to the empire's group chat.
<Pixlriffs: Looks like our favorite Sheriff learned how to let loose!>
[Pixlriffs sent a video]
<Geminitay: OMG>
<LDShadowlady: GO JIMMY!>
<Smajor1995: Im so wrong>
<Smajor1995: imagine him naked>
<Smallishbeans: ih8uscott>
<fWhip: *airhorn noises* #cancelSmajor1995>
<Smajor1995: tf 4 y stuffed bear>
<Shubble: Wow>
<Shubble: fWhip been done dirty bros>
<Geminitay: TINY BIRB>
<LDShadowlady: u saw too!?>
<Geminitay: My protect the baby birb meter is going off.>
Pix walked out from his hidey hole and smiled when Jimmy had taken his hat off for the little bird to lay under since they tired themself out from all the dancing. "Hey, Jimmy!" Pix called, making the sheriff slam his hat back onto his head and smile awkwardly. "Pixl of the Riffs! Hello good sir! SO why'd ya call lil' ol' me to this neck o' the woods, eh?" Jimmy asked, lathering his speech with a godawful Southern replica of an accent... Jimmy let Sapnap take the southern portion. You just be Jimmy.
"Jimmy... Cut the accent... I wanted to tell you I found these scrolls that depicted you for some odd reason." Pix said, handing the blond the set of scrolls. Jimmy opened them and he paled. "Pix... These aren't me... Um... How do I say this? That's Phil... My other brother." Jimmy said, moving to show Pix Phil's tell. "See? That mark right there is the mark of Lady Death... She's his wife, so in order for her to know where he was on the mortal plane, she left a heart mark on the side of his neck she always kisses." Jimmy explains, showing Pix the small hardcore heart on the man's neck. "But why is he fighting another god-like being?" Pix asked.
Jimm gave Pix a look then started to laugh. "That' not any god-like being! That's Joel!" Jimmy laughed. "WHat!? Why're they fighting!?" Pix asked. "That's a question I can't answer. Shoot, I can't even tell ya why everyone picks on me, mate." Jimmy sighed. "Yeah, sorry..." Pix shyly hummed. "Welp, I hope I was any help for ya..." Jimmy said. "You were more help than I bargained for, Jims! Thanks man! See ya at the festival!" PIx called, making freeze. "Fes- Festival!? When and where!?" Jimmy asked- no, panicked. He had forgotten! You try managing a suicidal crow, a herd of creepers, your hybrid status, your boyfriend on another server, and your own server constantly telling you that you're a toy and always will be.... Yeah, you'd forget a lot of things too...
"When your brothers and friends arrive, we were going to throw a festival to greet and welcome them?" Pix said as a question. "Shoot... No fireworks, ya hear?" Jimmy sternly commanded. "Why?" Pix asked. "Some of them can't handle loud bangs or noises... It makes them remember bad things..." Jimmy said. "I'll tell the others... You go back home, you hear me... And please put the baby birdie to bed..." Pix said, sighing when Jimmy nodded and hopped on his horse to ride back to Tumble Town.
While on the ride back, he heard a few taps on his hat, and he listened closely to them... Is that... Morse code? WHO TAUGHT A CROW HOW TO DO MORSE CODE!? Jimmy made a mental note to decipher whatever his crow was saying to the best of his ability whilst riding a horse home...
.... ..- -- .- -. / .. / ..-. . . .-.. / -... .- -.. / - .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / - --- / - .- -.- . / -.-. .- .-. . / --- ..-. / -- . / .. / -.- -. --- .-- / -.-- --- ..- .----. .-. . / --. --- .. -. --. / - --- / - . .-.. .-.. / -- . / .. - ... / ..-. .. -. . / .- -. -.. / - .... .- - / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. .- .-. . / -... ..- - / .. / ..-. . . .-.. / -... .- -.. / ..-. --- .-. / - .- -.- .. -. --. / ..- .--. / ... .--. .- -.-. . (For those who can't morse this out, check the bottom notes)
Oh that's a lot... Jimmy was able to pick out a few words but not too many. All he got was sorry, feel bad, and space... The rest were just massages to the scalp. "You don't have to be sorry for anything, nestling... You just rest up there, alright... I'll wake you in the morning." Jimmy said, smiling to the air around him when he got more taps.
-.-- --- ..- .-. . / - .... . / -.. .- -.. / .. / -. . ...- . .-. / --. --- - / .. -. / -- -.-- / .... ..- -- .- -. / .-.. .. ..-. . / .- -. -.. / -- -.-- / -.-. .-. --- .-- / .-.. .. ..-. .
"Shh, go to sleep, birdie... I'm here..." Jimmy hummed, finally making it to Tumble Town so he could tie his horse's reigns back to the post he last had her at. "Good girl, Arrow... I'll give you a good scrubbing later today. Promise." Jimmy said, nuzzling his horse's snout before he went to his own home again and took off his hat and the little crow stayed asleep on top of his head while he finished his sheriff paperwork and duties. He also made a note to fully decipher what Smallfry said during the ride home...
"That word's gotta be dad... And there's two lives in this sentence... They had another life before being a crow... And they remember? Only kind of crow I know who can do that is..." Jimmy said, trailing off when he realized what that meant. He looked towards the body mirror in his room that pointed out to his desk and stared at the sleeping bird atop his head.
"You're a lost child..." Jimmy whispered. The term Lost Child is a relative term for wandering spirit around Tumble Town. Many townspeople believed they were the souls of people who lost their lives in an unfair fashion, such as murder, or blind rage... The held ceremonies to help ease the soul's pain and anger, but no one knew if it worked unless no one died a week after said ceremony... It usually never happened, but there was always that 1 out of 7 that had to croak.
Jimmy's eyes darkened at the thought of Smallfry having to go through such a painful end just to be thrown back into reality as a bird known for eating out the eyeballs of the dead. "Don't worry, Smallfry... I'll keep you safe." Jimmy said. He'd rather die protecting Smallfry than let anything happen to this bundle of chaos.
~~~
The next day, Smallfry was up and about, doing their best to make a breakfast worthy of a sheriff of the law! They had gotten deputy Norman to help since Jimmy had begun to keep track of how many days before Smallfry could cause trouble in the small-ish town. "Could you hand me some pepper, birb?" Norman asked the bird, who quickly shot upwards and got the seasoning for the deputy while they watched as he made an avian-friendly omelet.
A few taps from Smallfry had Norman looking up and smiling. "Hm? Whatdya say?" Norman asked, getting the same taps again. Unlike Jimmy, Norman was more fluent in Morse code and didn't need a pen and paper as often for messages.
-. . ...- . .-. / - .... --- ..- --. .... - / .- / -.- .. - - -.-- / -.-. --- ..- .-.. -.. / -- .- -.- . / .- -. / --- -- . .-.. . -
Norman smiled and let the bird perch on his head, purring when the little one snuggled up to his cat ears. Norman wasn't your typical, proud hybrid. He was much like Jimmy when it came to his status. Only Jimmy knew and the sheriff never used that against him. Sure, the blond would ask the cat about what types of foods he liked best or the types of meat he didn't or if catnip really was like marijuana for him. (Which is is, by the way. The number of times Norman's had to give Jimmy another stash of catnip his family sends him every month is enough to show that Norman isn't a normal kitty-human)
"The Sheriff's not like most avian's I've met. Many run from me... For being a feline while they are a primary part of our diet... But the Sheriff... He welcomed me with open arms... Literally, he hugged me the first time we met!" Norman said, not hearing Jimmy stir awake at the smell of fluffy non-eggs, carrots, potatoes, and home grown tomatoes crushed into a nice sauce... Is anyone else hungry?
"What're you guys doin'?" Jimmy yawns, getting a faceful of feathers and happy chirps. "Oh- You guys did all this for me?" Jimmy hummed, prying Smallfry off his face so he could sit down and eat what Norman made. "Well, Smalls here had an idea for you when they realized something important." Norman hummed, lightly tapping Smallfry, which the bird began to rattle out chirps and squeaks and puffed up into a ball of feathers...
Poor Jimmy was so tired he got none of the yaps, but he did get what Smallfry said in their jumping.
'You're my dad now, mister Sheriff! Get ready because you deserve all the love that I'm gonna drown ya in!'
That's not how you adopt a person, Smallfry... *sigh* You try so hard...