Jon was in the process of tugging his scarf a little tighter around his neck when Jeckle bumped his head against Jon's chest. Laughing, he reached out to run a hand over the smooth beak. A little scritch where it met the dark-colored feathers had Jeckle letting out a pleased purr-chirp sound deep in his throat. A second later, there was a sharp tug on the back of his jacket. Half-turning, Jon shook his head.
"I swear you guys are the biggest attention-seekers I've ever seen." Heckle just tugged again until Jon finally reached out to pet him as well.
Jon felt kind of bad, spending the last few days away from the castle. But with so many weird things happening, he'd really needed to get out into the air, despite the cold and the snow. And it had definitely helped; he felt clearer.
It was also kind of awesome getting to spend the extended time with the twins. They'd grown like weeds over the last few months, standing near to mature height. Jeckle chose that moment to head-butt Jon's chest again, and he laughed, amending that thought to height only - they still acted like kids most of the time.
Sighing, he pushed them away with a firm, "No more." Heckle squawked his displeasure and Jon just shook his head, walking over to grab his backpack. "I need to get back, boys." He was in the process of sliding it on when Jeckle spun around, stepping in front of Jon. The feathers on the back of his neck were fluffing out. A defensive display, Jon knew. A second later, Heckle's did the same. Jon tugged his wand out.