I'm already crouching in front of the cages—sorting through what's available. Brown hen, good weight, bright eyes.Speckled pair, healthy feathers. The one in the back is older, might not lay as well, but calm hens steady a flock. The all-black one is glaring at me through the bars with open hatred.
"That one." I point. "The black one."
"She looks furious."
"She looks like Nugget."
"That's what I said."
The trader appears from behind a stack of crates. Middle-aged, weathered, sleeves rolled past her elbows.
"Can I help you?"
"Eight hens. The black one, definitely. Those six prime layers. Those two younger ones—they'll come into production in a couple months." I straighten up. "Twenty coppers for the lot."
She blinks.
"That's—"
"Fair. That speckled one's about to molt—look at the pin feathers coming in along the breast. You're better off moving her now than feeding her through a dry spell. Twenty. Final."
She looks at the speckled hen. Back at me.
"Deal."
"Good." I turn to Kestria. "Can you help her load the travel cages? I want to check the goats before he raises the price on those too."
"On it." She moves toward the cages, and the hens protest immediately—loud, dramatic, absolutely convinced that mild inconvenience is death.
Love it.
"Need a rooster?" the trader calls after me.
I stop. Turn around. "You have one?"
"Got one." She nods toward a separate cage in the corner. "He's mean. I'll discount him."
I walk over.
The rooster is bigger than expected. Dark red, black tail, scarred around the neck and chest. The second I get close he throws himself at the bars—not a peck, a full assault. Beakstabbing, talons raking, hitting notes I didn't know birds could reach. Not crowing. This bird wants to kill me.
Big. Scarred. Throwing himself at everything that gets close.
Hmm.
"Been that way since I got him." The trader shrugs. "Nearly took my thumb off yesterday."
The rooster hurls himself at the bars again. His whole body vibrating with the effort, feathers puffed to twice their size.
"He'sperfect."
"He's a nightmare."
"One copper?"
"One copper. Take him. Please."
I pay and she transfers the cage to our cart with obvious relief. The rooster attacks the walls the entire time.
