Bianchi Vitaly
Red hill
Vitaly Valentinovich Bianchi
Red hill
Chick was a young red-headed sparrow. When he was one year old, he married Chirika and decided to live in his own house.
Chick,” said Chirika in the sparrow language, “Chick, where will we build our nest?” After all, all the hollows in our garden are already occupied.
What a thing! - Chick answered, also, of course, like a sparrow. - Well, let's kick the neighbors out of the house and borrow their hollow.
He loved to fight and was delighted at this opportunity to show Chirika his prowess. And, before the timid Chirika had time to stop him, he fell from the branch and rushed to a large rowan tree with a hollow. There lived his neighbor, a young sparrow just like Chick.
The owner was not around the house.
“I’ll climb into the hollow,” Chick decided, “and when the owner arrives, I’ll shout that he wants to take my house away from me. The old people will flock in - and then we’ll set it on our neighbor!”
He had completely forgotten that the neighbor was married and his wife had been making a nest in the hollow for the fifth day.
Only Chick stuck his head through the hole - right! - someone hit him painfully on the nose. Chick squeaked and jumped away from the hollow. And his neighbor was already rushing towards him from behind.
With a scream, they collided in the air, fell to the ground, grappled and rolled into the ditch.
Chick fought brilliantly, and his neighbor was already having a bad time. But at the sound of the fight, old sparrows flocked from all over the garden. They immediately figured out who was right and who was wrong, and gave Chick such a hard time that he didn’t remember how he broke away from them.
Chick came to his senses in some bushes, where he had never been before. All his bones ached.
A frightened Chirika sat next to him.
Chick! - she said so sadly that he would probably have burst into tears, if only sparrows could cry. - Chick, now we will never return to our native garden! Where will we take the children now?
Chick himself understood that he should no longer be seen by the old sparrows: they would beat him to death. Still, he didn’t want to show Chirika that he was a coward. He straightened his disheveled feathers with his beak, caught his breath a little and said nonchalantly:
What a thing! Let's find another place, even better.
And they went wherever they looked - to look for a new place to live.
As soon as they flew out of the bushes, they found themselves on the bank of a cheerful blue river. Beyond the river rose a high, high mountain of red clay and sand. At the very top of the cliff, many holes and holes were visible. Jackdaws and red falcons-kestrels sat in pairs near the large holes; Fast shore swallows flew out of small holes every now and then. A whole flock of them floated over the cliff in a light cloud.
Look how much fun they have! - Chirika said. - Come on, we’ll make a nest for ourselves on Krasnaya Gorka.
Chick looked warily at the hawks and jackdaws. He thought: “It’s good for the shorebirds: they dig their own holes in the sand. Should I take someone else’s nest?” And again all his bones began to ache at once.
“No,” he said, “I don’t like it here: there’s such noise, you could literally go deaf.”
Chick and Chirika landed on the roof of the barn. Chick immediately noticed that there were no sparrows or swallows.
This is where to live! - he said joyfully to Chirika. - Look how much grain and crumbs are scattered around the yard. We will be alone here and will not let anyone in.
Shh! - Chirika shushed. - Look at the monster there, on the porch.
And it’s true: the fat Red Cat was sleeping on the porch.
What a thing! - Chick said bravely. - What will he do to us? Look, this is how I like it now!..
He flew off the roof and rushed towards the Cat so quickly that Chirika even screamed.
But Chick deftly snatched the bread crumb from under the Cat’s nose and - once again! I was already on the roof again.
The cat didn’t even move, he just opened one eye and looked keenly at the bully.
Did you see it? - Chick boasted. - Are you afraid?
Chirika did not argue with him, and both began to look for a convenient place for the nest.
We chose a wide gap under the roof of the barn. Here they began to carry first straw, then horsehair, down and feathers.
Less than a week had passed since Chirika laid her first egg in the nest - small, all covered in pinkish-brown speckles. Chick was so happy about him that he even composed a song in honor of his wife and himself:
Chirp, Chick-chick,
Chirp, Chick-chick,
Chick-chick-chick-chick,
Chicky, Chicky, Tweety!
This song meant absolutely nothing, but it was so convenient to sing while jumping on the fence.
When there are six eggs in the nest. Chirika sat down to hatch them.
Chick flew off to collect worms and flies for her, because now she had to be fed tender food. He hesitated a little, and Chirika wanted to see where he was.
As soon as she stuck her nose out of the crack, a red paw with outstretched claws reached out after her from the roof. Chirika rushed forward and left a whole bunch of feathers in the Cat’s claws. A little more - and her song would have been sung.
The cat followed her with his eyes, stuck his paw into the crack and dragged out the entire nest at once, a whole lump of straw, feathers and fluff. In vain did Chirika scream, in vain did Chick, who arrived in time, boldly rush at the Cat - no one came to their aid. The red-haired robber calmly ate all six of their precious testicles. The wind picked up the empty light nest and threw it from the roof to the ground.
That same day, the sparrows left the barn forever and moved to the grove, away from the Red Cat.
In the grove they were soon lucky enough to find a free hollow. They again began to carry straw and worked for a whole week, building a nest.
Their neighbors were the thick-billed and dapper Goldfinch and Goldfinch, and the motley Flycatcher and Flycatcher. Each couple had their own house, there was enough food for everyone, but Chick had already managed to fight with his neighbors - just to show them how brave and strong he was.
Only Chaffinch turned out to be stronger than him and gave the bully a good beating. Then Chick became more careful. He no longer got into a fight, but only puffed up his feathers and chirped cockily when one of the neighbors flew past. The neighbors were not angry with him for this: they themselves loved to brag to others about their strength and prowess.
They lived peacefully until suddenly disaster struck.
Hurry, hurry! - Chick shouted to Chirika. - Do you hear: The finch started hooting danger!
And it’s true: someone scary was approaching them. After the Chaffinch, the Goldfinch screamed, and then the Motley Flycatcher. Flycatcher lived only four trees away from the sparrows. If he saw the enemy, it means that the enemy was very close.
Chirika flew out of the hollow and sat on a branch next to Chick. Their neighbors warned them of the danger, and they prepared to face it.
Fluffy red fur flashed in the bushes, and their fierce enemy - the Cat - came out into the open. He saw that his neighbors had already given him away to the sparrows and now he would not be able to catch Chiriku in the nest. He was angry.
The work tells us about two birds - Chirik and Chik, who are spouses. Having no home of their own, they go in search of their new nest. On their journey, they go to different places, meeting other birds and having adventures of their own.
Chirika discusses with Chick their current situation due to the absence of a home. Chick tells his wife that he will arrange everything, after which he goes to the nest already built by other birds in order to drive out the previous inhabitants of the nest. But having failed, they are forced to leave the nest and fly wherever they look. On their journey, they see a hill consisting of sand and clay, in the crevices of which swallows and jackdaws live. Chirika tells her husband about the opportunity to settle there, but Chik does not see the strength in himself to fight for someone else’s house and they fly away.
Next, they find a place under the roof of the house and build a nest there. Having arranged everything, they give birth to offspring, first one egg, and then five more. But there was one problem, there was an old cat in the house who was always trying to grab a piece of them. And then one day, when Chika was not at home, the cat destroyed their offspring, almost killing Chiriku.
After that they set off again. After flying a little more, they found a hollow in a birch grove and began to equip it. But hearing the screams of their neighbors, they realized that danger was close and left the place.
Having reached Krasnaya Gorka, the birds there invited them to stay. After a half-moon, the first chick appeared. That's when the cat tried to attack the nest for the first time, but his neighbors Chiriki and Chika scared him off.
Picture or drawing Red Hill
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- Summary Out loud Mayakovsky
Vitaly Bianchi
TO RASNAYA HILL.
Chick was a young red-headed sparrow. When he was one year old, he married Chirika and decided to live in his own house. Chick, said Chirika in the sparrow language, Chick, where will we build our nest? After all, all the hollows in our garden are already occupied. What a thing! Chick answered, also, of course, like a sparrow. Well, let's kick the neighbors out of the house and occupy their hollow. He loved to fight and was delighted at this opportunity to show Chirika his prowess. And, before the timid Chirika had time to stop him, he fell from the branch and rushed to a large rowan tree with a hollow. His neighbor lived there - a young sparrow like Chick. The owner was not around the house. “I’ll climb into the hollow,” Chick decided, “and when the owner arrives, I’ll shout that he wants to take my house away from me. The old people will flock in and we’ll set it to our neighbor!” He had completely forgotten that the neighbor was married and his wife had been making a nest in the hollow for the fifth day. Only Chick stuck his head through the hole, r-time! Someone hit him painfully on the nose. Chick squeaked and jumped away from the hollow. And his neighbor was already rushing towards him from behind. With a scream, they collided in the air, fell to the ground, grappled and rolled into the ditch. Chick fought brilliantly, and his neighbor was already having a bad time. But at the sound of the fight, old sparrows flocked from all over the garden. They immediately figured out who was right and who was wrong, and gave Chick such a hard time that he didn’t remember how he got away from them. Chick came to his senses in some bushes, where he had never been before. All his bones ached. A frightened Chirika sat next to him. Chick! she said so sadly that he would probably have burst into tears, if only werewolves could cry. Chick, we will never return to our native garden again! Where will we take the children now? Chick himself understood that he should no longer be seen by the old sparrows: they would beat him to death. Still, he didn’t want to show Chirika that he was a coward. He straightened his disheveled feathers with his beak, caught his breath a little and said carelessly: “What a thing!” Let's find another place, even better. And they went wherever they looked - to look for a new place to live. As soon as they flew out of the bushes, they found themselves on the bank of a cheerful blue river. beyond the river rose a high, high mountain of red clay and sand. At the very top of the cliff, many holes and holes were visible. Jackdaws and red falcons-kestrels sat in pairs near the large holes; Fast shore swallows flew out of small holes every now and then. A whole flock of them flew over the cliff in a light cloud. Look how much fun they have! Chirika said. Come on, we’ll build ourselves a nest on Krasnaya Gorka. Chick looked warily at the hawks and jackdaws. He thought: “It’s good for the shorebirds; they dig their own holes in the sand. Should I take someone else’s nest?” And again all his bones began to ache at once. “No,” he said, “I don’t like it here: there’s such noise, you could literally go deaf.” And they flew on. Further on there was a grove, and behind the grove there was a house with a plank shed. Chick and Chirika landed on the roof of the barn. Chick immediately noticed that there were no sparrows or swallows here. This is where life is! he said joyfully to Chirika. Look how much grain and crumbs are scattered around the yard. We will be alone here and will not let anyone in. Shh! Chirika shushed. Look at the monster there, on the porch. And it’s true: the fat Red Cat was sleeping on the porch. What a thing! Chick said bravely. What will he do to us? Look, this is how I hit him now!.. He flew off the roof and rushed towards the Cat so quickly that Chirika even screamed. But Chick deftly snatched the bread crumb from under the Cat’s nose and - once again! - was on the roof again. The cat didn’t even move, he just opened one eye and looked keenly at the bully. Did you see it? Chick boasted. And you are afraid! Chirika did not argue with him, and both began to look for a convenient place for a nest. We chose a wide gap under the roof of the barn. Here they began to carry first straw, then horsehair, down and feathers. Less than a week had passed since Chirika laid her first small egg in the nest, all covered in pinkish-brown speckles. Chick was so happy with him that he even composed a song in honor of his wife and himself: Chik, Chick-chick, Chik, Chick-chick, Chick-chik-chik-chick, Chick, Chick, Chik! This song meant absolutely nothing, but it was so convenient to sing while jumping on the fence. When there were six eggs in the nest, Chirika sat down to hatch them. Chick flew off to collect worms and flies for her, because now she had to be fed tender food. He hesitated a little, and Chirika wanted to see where he was. As soon as she stuck her nose out of the crack, a red paw with outstretched claws reached out after her from the roof. Chirika rushed and left a whole bunch of feathers in the cat’s claws. A little more and her song would have been sung. The cat followed her with his eyes, stuck his paw into the crack and dragged out the entire nest at once - a whole lump of straw, feathers and fluff. In vain did Chirika scream, in vain did Chick, who arrived in time, boldly rush at the Cat; no one came to their aid. The red-haired robber calmly ate all six of their precious testicles. The wind picked up the empty, light nest and threw it from the roof to the ground. That same day, the sparrows left the barn forever and moved to the grove, away from the Red Cat. In the grove they were soon lucky enough to find a free hollow. They again began to carry straw and worked for a whole week, building a nest. Their neighbors were the thick-billed Chaffinch and the Chaffinch, the motley Flycatcher and the Flycatcher, and the dapper Goldfinch and the Goldfinch. Each couple had their own house, there was enough food for everyone, but Chick had already managed to fight with his neighbors just to show them how brave and strong he was. Only Chaffinch turned out to be stronger than him and gave the bully a good beating. Then Chick became more careful: he no longer got into a fight, but only puffed up his feathers and chirped cockily when one of the neighbors flew past. The neighbors were not angry with him for this: they themselves loved to brag to others about their strength and prowess. Finch was the first to raise the alarm. He lived farthest from the others from the sparrows, but Chick heard his loud alarm: rum-pink-pink! Rum-pink-pink! Hurry, hurry! shouted Chick Chirika. Do you hear the Chaffinch stammering - danger! And it’s true: someone scary was approaching them. After the Chaffinch, the Goldfinch screamed, and then the motley Flycatcher. Flycatcher lived only four trees away from the sparrows. If he saw the enemy, then the enemy was very close. Chirika flew out of the hollow and sat on a branch next to Chick. Their neighbors warned them of the danger, and they prepared to face it. Fluffy red fur flashed in the bushes, and their fierce enemy, the Cat, came out into the open. He saw that his neighbors had already given him away to the sparrows and now he would not be able to catch Chiriku in the nest. He was angry. Suddenly the tip of his tail moved in the grass, his eyes squinted: the cat saw a hollow. Well, half a dozen sparrow eggs is not a bad breakfast! And the Cat licked his lips. He climbed up the tree and stuck his paw into the hollow. Chick and Chirika raised a cry throughout the grove. But even here no one came to their aid. The neighbors sat in their places and screamed loudly in fear. Each couple feared for their home. The cat hooked its claws into the nest and pulled it out of the hollow. But this time he came too early: there were no eggs in the nest, no matter how hard he looked. Then he threw the nest and went down to the ground himself. The sparrows saw him off with a cry. Right at the bushes, the Cat stopped and turned to them with such an expression, as if he wanted to say: “Wait, my dears, wait! You can’t get away from me! Build yourself a new nest, where you want to hatch the chicks, and I’ll come and eat them up, and you at the same time." And he snorted so menacingly that Chirika shuddered in fear. The cat left, and Chick and Chirika were left to grieve at the ruined nest. Finally Chirika said: “Chick, because in a few days I will certainly have a new testicle.” Let's fly quickly and find a place somewhere across the river. The Cat won't get us there. She did not know that there was a bridge across the river and that the Cat often walked along this bridge. Chick didn't know that either. “We’re flying,” he agreed. And they flew. They soon found themselves under the Red Hill itself. Come to us, fly to us! - the shorebirds shouted to them in their own swallow language. Life on Krasnaya Gorka is friendly and cheerful. “Yes,” Chick shouted to them, “but you yourself will fight!” Why should we fight? - answered the coasters. We have enough midges for everyone above the river, we have a lot of empty holes on Krasnaya Gorka, choose any one. What about kestrels? What about jackdaws? Chick did not let up. Kestrels catch grasshoppers and mice in the fields. They don't bother us. We are all friends. And Chirika said: “You and I flew, Chick, we flew, but we never saw a more beautiful place than this.” Let's live here. Well, Chick gave up, since they have free minks and no one will fight, we can try. They flew up to the river, and it’s true: neither the kestrels nor the jackdaws touched them. They began to choose a hole to suit their taste: so that it was not very deep, and the entrance was wider. There were two of them nearby. In one they built a nest, and Chirika sat down to hatch; Chick spent the night in the other. The shorebirds, the jackdaws, the falcons—all of them have long since hatched their chicks. Chirika alone sat patiently in her dark hole. Chick carried food there for her from morning to night. Two weeks passed. The Red Cat did not show up. The sparrows had already forgotten about him. Chick was looking forward to the chicks. Every time he brought a worm or a fly to Chirique, he asked her: “Are they clicking?” No, not yet. Will they be soon? “Soon, soon,” Chirika answered patiently. One morning Chirika called him from her hole: “Fly quickly: one knocked!” Chick immediately rushed to the nest. Then he heard a chick in one egg barely audibly tapping the shell with its weak beak. Chirika carefully helped him: she broke the shell in different places. Several minutes passed, and the chick emerged from the egg - tiny, naked, blind. A large bare head dangled on a thin, thin neck. He's so funny! Chick was surprised. Not funny at all! to offend Chirik. Very pretty chick. But you have nothing to do here, take the shells and throw them somewhere away from the nest. While Chick was carrying the shells, the second chick hatched and began to tap the third. This is where the alarm began on Krasnaya Gorka. From their hole, the sparrows heard the swallows suddenly scream shrilly. Chick jumped out and immediately returned with the news that the Red Cat was climbing the cliff. He saw me! - Chick shouted. He will be here now and will pull us out along with the chicks. Hurry, hurry, let's fly away from here! “No,” Chirika answered sadly. I won’t fly anywhere from my little ones. Let it be what will be. And no matter how much Chick called, she didn’t move. Then Chick flew out of the hole and began to rush at the Cat like crazy. And the Cat climbed and climbed along the cliff. Swallows hovered over him in a cloud, and jackdaws and kestrels flew screaming to their rescue. The cat quickly climbed up and grabbed the edge of the hole with his paw. Now all he had to do was stick his other paw behind the nest and pull it out along with Chirika, the chicks and the eggs. But at that moment one kestrel pecked him on the tail, another on the head, and two jackdaws hit him in the back. The cat hissed in pain, turned and wanted to grab the birds with his front paws. But the birds dodged, and he rolled down head over heels. He had nothing to cling to: the sand fell with him, and the farther, the faster, the further, the faster. The birds could no longer see where the Cat was; Only a cloud of red dust rushed from the cliff. Plop! and the cloud stopped over the water. When it cleared, the birds saw a wet cat's head in the middle of the river. Chick came up behind him and pecked the Cat in the back of the head. The cat swam across the river and got to the shore. Chick did not lag behind him here either. The cat was so scared that he did not dare to grab him, lifted his wet tail and galloped home. Since then, the Red Cat has never been seen on Krasnaya Gorka.
Chick was a young red-headed sparrow. When he was one year old, he married Chirika and decided to live in his own house.
“Chick,” said Chirika in the sparrow language, “Chick, where will we build our nest?” After all, all the hollows in our garden are already occupied.
- What a thing! - Chick answered, also, of course, like a sparrow. - Well, let's kick the neighbors out of the house and occupy their hollow.
He loved to fight and was delighted at this opportunity to show Chirika his prowess. And, before the timid Chirika had time to stop him, he fell from the branch and rushed to a large rowan tree with a hollow. His neighbor lived there - a young sparrow like Chick.
The owner was not around the house.
“I’ll climb into the hollow,” Chick decided, “and when the owner arrives, I’ll shout that he wants to take my house away from me. The old people will flock in - and then we’ll set it on our neighbor!”
He had completely forgotten that the neighbor was married and his wife had been making a nest in the hollow for the fifth day.
Only Chick stuck his head through the hole - right! - someone hit him painfully on the nose. Chick squeaked and jumped away from the hollow. And his neighbor was already rushing towards him from behind. With a scream, they collided in the air, fell to the ground, grappled and rolled into the ditch.
Chick fought brilliantly, and his neighbor was already having a bad time. But at the sound of the fight, old sparrows flocked from all over the garden. They immediately sorted out who was right and who was wrong, and gave Chick such a hard time that he did not remember how he broke away from them.
Chick came to his senses in some bushes, where he had never been before. All his bones ached.
A frightened Chirika sat next to him.
- Chick! - she said so sadly that he would probably have burst into tears, if only sparrows could cry. - Chick, now we will never return to our native garden! Where will we take the children now?
Chick himself understood that he should no longer be seen by the old sparrows, they would beat him to death. Still, he didn’t want to show Chirika that he was a coward. He straightened his disheveled feathers with his beak, caught his breath a little and said nonchalantly:
- What a thing! Let's find another place, even better.
And they went wherever they looked - to look for a new place to live.
As soon as they flew out of the bushes, they found themselves on the bank of a cheerful blue river. Beyond the river rose a high, high mountain of red clay and sand. 
At the very top of the cliff, many holes and holes were visible. Jackdaws and red falcons-kestrels sat in pairs near the large holes; Fast shore swallows flew out of small holes every now and then. A whole flock of them flew over the cliff in a light cloud.
- Look how fun they are! - Chirika said. - Come on, we’ll make a nest for ourselves on Krasnaya Gorka.
Chick looked warily at the hawks and jackdaws. He thought: “It’s good for the shorebirds: they dig their own holes in the sand. Should I take someone else’s nest?” And again all his bones began to ache at once. 
“No,” he said, “I don’t like it here: there’s such noise, you could go deaf.”
And they flew on. Next was a grove, and behind the grove was a house with a plank shed.
Chick and Chirika landed on the roof of the barn. Chick immediately noticed that there were no sparrows or swallows.
- This is where to live! - he said joyfully to Chirika. - Look how much grain and crumbs are scattered around the yard. We will be alone here and will not let anyone in.
- Shh! - Chirika shushed. - Look at the monster there, on the porch.
Chick was a young red-headed sparrow. When he was one year old, he married Chirika and decided to live in his own house.
Chick,” said Chirika in the sparrow language, “Chick, where will we build our nest?” After all, all the hollows in our garden are already occupied.
What a thing! - Chick answered, also, of course, like a sparrow. - Well, let's kick the neighbors out of the house and occupy their hollow.
He loved to fight and was delighted at this opportunity to show Chirika his prowess. And, before the timid Chirika had time to stop him, he fell from the branch and rushed to a large rowan tree with a hollow. His neighbor lived there - a young sparrow like Chick.
The owner was not around the house.
“I’ll climb into the hollow,” Chick decided, “and when the owner arrives, I’ll scream that he wants to take my house away from me. The old people will flock together - and then we’ll ask our neighbor!”
He had completely forgotten that the neighbor was married and his wife had been making a nest in the hollow for the fifth day.
Only Chick stuck his head through the hole - right! - someone hit him painfully on the nose. Chick squeaked and jumped away from the hollow. And his neighbor was already rushing towards him from behind. With a scream, they collided in the air, fell to the ground, grappled and rolled into the ditch.
Chick fought brilliantly, and his neighbor was already having a bad time. But at the sound of the fight, old sparrows flocked from all over the garden. They immediately sorted out who was right and who was wrong, and gave Chick such a hard time that he did not remember how he broke away from them.
Chick came to his senses in some bushes, where he had never been before. All his bones ached.
A frightened Chirika sat next to him.
Chick! - she said so sadly that he would probably have burst into tears, if only sparrows could cry. - Chick, now we will never return to our native garden! Where will we take the children now?
Chick himself understood that he should no longer be seen by the old sparrows, they would beat him to death. Still, he didn’t want to show Chirika that he was a coward. He straightened his disheveled feathers with his beak, caught his breath a little and said nonchalantly:
What a thing! Let's find another place, even better.
And they went wherever they looked - to look for a new place to live.
As soon as they flew out of the bushes, they found themselves on the bank of a cheerful blue river. Beyond the river rose a high, high mountain of red clay and sand.
At the very top of the cliff, many holes and holes were visible. Jackdaws and red falcons-kestrels sat in pairs near the large holes; Fast shore swallows flew out of small holes every now and then. A whole flock of them flew over the cliff in a light cloud.
Look how much fun they have! - Chirika said. - Come on, we’ll make a nest for ourselves on Krasnaya Gorka.
Chick looked warily at the hawks and jackdaws. He thought: “It’s good for the shorebirds: they dig their own holes in the sand. Should I take someone else’s nest?” And again all his bones began to ache at once.
“No,” he said, “I don’t like it here: there’s such noise, you could literally go deaf.”
Chick and Chirika landed on the roof of the barn. Chick immediately noticed that there were no sparrows or swallows.
This is where to live! - he said joyfully to Chirika. - Look how much grain and crumbs are scattered around the yard. We will be alone here and will not let anyone in.
Shh! - Chirika shushed. - Look at the monster there, on the porch.
And it’s true: the fat Red Cat was sleeping on the porch.
What a thing! - Chick said bravely. - What will he do to us? Look, this is how I like it now!..
He flew off the roof and rushed towards the Cat so quickly that Chirika even screamed.
But Chick deftly snatched the bread crumb from under the Cat’s nose and - once again! - I was already on the roof again.
The cat didn’t even move, he just opened one eye and looked keenly at the bully.
Did you see it? - Chick boasted. - Are you afraid?
Chirika did not argue with him, and both began to look for a convenient place for the nest.
We chose a wide gap under the roof of the barn.
Here they began to carry first straw, then horsehair, down and feathers.
Less than a week had passed since Chirika laid her first egg in the nest - small, all covered in pinkish-brown speckles. Chick was so happy about him that he even composed a song in honor of his wife and himself:
Chirp, Chick-chick,
Chirp, Chick-chick,
Chick-chick-chick-chick,
Chicky, Chicky, Tweety!
This song meant absolutely nothing, but it was so convenient to sing while jumping on the fence.
When there were six eggs in the nest, Chirika sat down to hatch them.
Chick flew off to collect worms and flies for her, because now she had to be fed tender food. He hesitated a little, and Chirika wanted to see where he was.
As soon as she stuck her nose out of the crack, a red paw with outstretched claws reached out after her from the roof. Chirika rushed forward and left a whole bunch of feathers in the Cat’s claws. A little more - and her song would have been sung.
The cat followed her with his eyes, stuck his paw into the crack and dragged out the entire nest at once - a whole lump of straw, feathers and fluff. In vain did Chirika scream, in vain did Chick, who arrived in time, boldly rush at the Cat - no one came to their aid. The red-haired robber calmly ate all six of their precious testicles. The wind picked up the empty, light nest and threw it from the roof to the ground.
That same day, the sparrows left the barn forever and moved to the grove, away from the Red Cat.
In the grove they were soon lucky enough to find a free hollow. They again began to carry straw and worked for a whole week, building a nest.
Their neighbors were the thick-billed Chaffinch and the Chaffinch, the motley Flycatcher and the Flycatcher, and the dapper Goldfinch and the Goldfinch. Each couple had their own house, there was enough food for everyone, but Chick had already managed to fight with his neighbors - just to show them how brave and strong he was.
Only Chaffinch turned out to be stronger than him and gave the bully a good beating. Then Chick became more careful. He no longer got into a fight, but only puffed up his feathers and chirped cockily when one of the neighbors flew past. The neighbors were not angry with him for this: they themselves loved to brag to others about their strength and prowess.
They lived peacefully until suddenly disaster struck.
Hurry, hurry! - Chick shouted to Chirika. - Do you hear: The finch stammered - danger!
And it’s true: someone scary was approaching them. After the Chaffinch, the Goldfinch screamed, and then the Motley Flycatcher. Flycatcher lived only four trees away from the sparrows. If he saw the enemy, it means that the enemy was very close.
Chirika flew out of the hollow and sat on a branch next to Chick. Their neighbors warned them of the danger, and they prepared to face it.
Fluffy red fur flashed in the bushes, and their fierce enemy - the Cat - came out into the open. He saw that his neighbors had already given him away to the sparrows and now he would not be able to catch Chiriku in the nest. He was angry.
Suddenly the tip of his tail moved in the grass, his eyes squinted: the cat saw a hollow. Well, half a dozen sparrow eggs are a good breakfast. And the Cat licked his lips. He climbed up the tree and stuck his paw into the hollow.
Chick and Chirika raised a cry throughout the grove.
But even here no one came to their aid. The neighbors sat in their places and screamed loudly in fear. Each couple feared for their home.
The cat hooked its claws into the nest and pulled it out of the hollow.
But this time he came too early: there were no eggs in the nest, no matter how hard he looked.
Then he threw the nest and went down to the ground himself. The sparrows saw him off with a cry.
Right at the bushes, the Cat stopped and turned to them with such an expression, as if he wanted to say:
“Wait, darlings, wait! You can't get away from me! Build yourself a new nest wherever you want, hatch the chicks, and I will come and eat them, and you too.”
And he snorted so menacingly that Chirika shuddered in fear.
The cat left, and Chick and Chirika were left to grieve at the ruined nest.
Finally Chirika said:
Chick, in a few days I will certainly have a new testicle. Let's fly quickly and find a place somewhere across the river. The Cat won't get us there.
She didn’t even know that there was a bridge across the river and that the Cat often walked along this bridge. Chick didn't know that either.
“We’re flying,” he agreed.
And they flew.
They soon found themselves under the Red Hill itself.
Come to us, fly to us! - the shorebirds shouted to them in their swallow language. - Life on Krasnaya Gorka is friendly and cheerful.
Yes,” Chick shouted to them, “but you will fight yourself!”
Why should we fight? - answered the shorebirds. - We have enough midges for everyone above the river, we have a lot of empty holes on Krasnaya Gorka - choose any one.
What about kestrels? What about jackdaws? - Chick did not let up.
Kestrels catch grasshoppers and mice in the fields. They don't bother us. We are all friends.
And Chirika said:
You and I flew, Chick, we flew, but we never saw a more beautiful place than this. Let's live here.
Well,” Chick gave up, “since they have free minks and no one will fight, we can try.”
They flew up to the mountain, and it’s true: neither the kestrels nor the jackdaws touched them.
They began to choose a hole to suit their taste: so that it was not very deep, and the entrance was wider. There were two of them nearby.
In one they built a nest and Chiri sat down to hatch, in the other Chik spent the night.
The shorebirds, the jackdaws, the falcons - all of them have hatched chicks long ago. Chirika alone sat patiently in her dark hole. Chick carried food there for her from morning to night.
Two weeks passed. The Red Cat did not show up. The sparrows had already forgotten about him.
Chick was looking forward to the chicks. Every time he brought a worm or a fly to Chirique, he asked her:
No, they haven't tooted yet.
Will they be soon?
“Soon, soon,” Chirika answered patiently.
One morning Chirika called him from her hole:
Fly quickly: one knocked!
Chick immediately rushed to the nest. Then he heard a chick in one egg barely audibly tapping the shell with its weak beak. Chirika carefully helped him: she broke the shell in different places.
A few minutes passed, and the chick emerged from the egg - tiny, naked, blind. A large bare head dangled on a thin neck.
He's so funny! - Chick was surprised.
Not funny at all! - Chirika was offended. - Very pretty little bird. But you have nothing to do here, take the shells and throw them somewhere away from the nest.
While Chick was carrying the shells, the second chick hatched and began to tap the third.
This is where the alarm began on Krasnaya Gorka.
From their hole, the sparrows heard the swallows suddenly scream shrilly. Chick jumped out and immediately returned with the news that the Red Cat was climbing the cliff.
He saw me! - Chick shouted. - He will be here now and will pull us out along with the chicks. Hurry, hurry, let's fly away from here!
No,” Chirika answered sadly. - I won’t fly anywhere from my little chicks. Let it be what will be.
And no matter how much Chick called, she didn’t move.
Then Chick flew out of the hole and began to rush at the Cat like crazy. And the Cat climbed and climbed along the cliff. Swallows hovered over him in a cloud, and jackdaws and kestrels flew screaming to their rescue.
The cat quickly climbed up and grabbed the edge of the hole with his paw. Now all he had to do was stick his other paw behind the nest and pull it out along with Chirika, the chicks and the eggs.
But at that moment one kestrel pecked him on the tail, another on the head, and two jackdaws hit him in the back.
The cat hissed in pain, turned and wanted to grab the birds with his front paws. But the birds dodged, and he rolled down head over heels. He had nothing to cling to: the sand fell along with him, and the farther, the faster, the further, the faster...
The birds could no longer see where the Cat was: only a cloud of red dust rushed from the cliff. Plop! - and the cloud stopped over the water. When it cleared, the birds saw a wet cat's head in the middle of the river, and Chick kept up behind him and pecked the Cat in the back of the head.
The cat swam across the river and got to the shore. Chick did not lag behind him here either. The cat was so scared that he did not dare to grab him, lifted his wet tail and galloped home.
Since then, the Red Cat has never been seen on Krasnaya Gorka.
Chirika calmly brought out six chicks, and a little later six more, and they all remained to live in the free swallow nests.
And Chick stopped bullying his neighbors and became close friends with the swallows.