A baby mouse. A mean baby mouse. It keeps trying to bite me.> Tobias flew in a low, tight circle overhead, disappearing behind the tree branches, then reappearing. <Are you ready?> I took a deep breath. I gave him a wave. Sure, I was ready. Why wouldn’t I be ready to have a hawk hand me a mouse? Just your normal kind of thing to deal with. Tobias flew low and slow. I held out my hands, cupped together. With amazing precision and perfect timing, he deposited the mouse in my hands. “Don’t let it bite you!” Cassie warned. “Rabies.” “Wonderful,” I muttered. “Just one more fun aspect of this night.” Actually, I was glad for the warning. The mouse was squirming in terror, trying to get away. I could feel its tiny little mouse legs scrabbling against my palms. “You should all get rabies shots,” Cassie said. “Seriously. I already have mine. But if we’re going to be handling wild animals … In the meantime, be careful to keep his teeth away from you.”
