4. Chapter: Friends?

“Hey you!”

Flap

A female voice called out to Spiko. As she turned around, her eyes fixated on the fattest and most juicy looking of Flappy's kin. As it landed on the pile of loot, it stretched out one of its wings.

“Idiot! Look here, I talked with the traitorous bastard there. Do you wana know, why you’re an idiot. Collecting all of this?”

Looking baffled at the green-orange-colored feathers, that shifted between all the color tints between those. Moving her head slightly back and forth, a cascade of color erupted in front of her. Drool dripping out of a corner from Sipko's half open mouth. She shook her head to regain her senses. Which made a bit of spittle fly around, spraying her conversation partner.

“Uggh, really?”

Wiping herself of with her outstretched wing, the fat flappy stared at Spiko in disgust.

“So, what now. Do you wanna stay an idiot or can I actually help you. DO decided before I change MY mind.”

Clang Clang Clang– Clang Clang Clang

When she had finished, her tiny clawed feet started a stoccado rhythm on the iron breastplate they clung too. Lifting each claw one after another, then going back down at it hard.

“Nhh … sorry. But why am I an Idiot? That’s my stuff, which I will trade for nice food!”

“Haa … I get the feeling that he hadn’t had an easier time with you. Listen her. He just told you the very first thing that came to his mind. Selling some of that pile might be doable. BUT have you thought about the look of the whole affair?”

“Look?”

Taking a glance at her mostly shiny loot pile. She tilted her head in confusion.

Is it because it’s dirty? Maybe because it's ripped in places, sometimes?

Shaking her head slightly.

Or is it because most isn’t good to sleep on? Way to stiff. That must be it, people won’t trade me food for those?

Frowning now, she really starred at the things she had collected.

… Flappy lied?

As her inner thoughts went through all the possibilities that she could think of. Which mostly included ridiculous accusations onto flappy in the later rungs. With lots of thoughts of really chomping down on him this time, for sure.

“Hey! You still there lassie?”

Flap Plat Flap Plap

“Stop that! That tickles my ears.”

After jumping up onto Spiko’s head. One feathery strike hit her on each of the last words syllables. Ruefully her passenger stared at her, while bending her bulky body forward. Making it possible for both to look into each other's eyes.

“Why is it a bad idea! I asked, so stop looking at me like that. I’m no idiot.”

A bit put off, Spiko really wanted to just grab her and bite down.

... it’s a good solution to problems … right.

Scrunching up her eyes, she starred back at the interloper.

“Finally! I thought we never would get there. So do you want the short or the long explanation, las-sie?”

Flap Plat Flap Plap

With a joyful tone, dragging out the last word. The slaps came with a chorus of laughter from the slowly accumulating peanut gallery.

“Yeah, yeah! The long one! So, she’s more confused than before!”

“HA right!”

“Someone still got some grub to eat? I need something to snack on while watching this.”

“Go get her boss!”

“Alright, who wants to bet on her getting it? No one? We need at least someone to bet for her. Nahaha!”

Annoyed, Spiko threw a random object from her stuff into the canopy of the trees. Which resulted just in cat calls and joyous hooting. While the flock quickly reformed and redoubled their taunting efforts.

‎ “So?”

“ … the long one. I’m … NOT … A … IDIOT!”

“Hee, fine fine~ I prefer to be on the good side of someone I can’t kill.”

With a wave and a wink, the not as nice as fat flappy jumped back onto the iron breastplate. Which now shifted and kind of precariously hung on the edge of just barely not sliding of the pile.

“For starters. We ONLY agreed to carry this."

Clang-clang

“Till the forest ends.”

“So, what do you expect to happen when you make it out of here? You will be stuck, because there’s no way a single petite lass like you can carry or drag this much with her. Even if your likely above level 20.”

Clang clang Clang

“Even if by some miracle you think of a doable way to get all of this to the next village over. They will apprehend you at the gates. Because there’s no way, that they won’t see all the blood and battle damage.”

Clang-clang

“They will count one and one together. Deem you a bandit and imprison or kill ya.”

CLANG

With a finality and sureness that came from a long live. That ended it. Spiko looked at the pile, at her Flappy suspiciously trying to scoot further away from the last place she had seen him. And then at all the others, slowly circling her eyes over the lot of them. The bantering had stopped and everyone eagerly awaited what would happen next.

… I didn’t think of that. Why would I? Things that are no one else's, can be mine. Right? Why is this so complicated…

Sigh

A bit defeated, her ears dropped down and her swishing tail stopped. Slightly tugging it over her left hip. It was pointless to be aggressive, when you’re clearly in the wrong. In her mind, she chastised herself.

Foolish me … I was blinded by food. Never before … well everything. I’m quite new at this whole thing.

Looking down at her feet. She inhaled deeply and steadied herself. She hadn’t really felt lost since she woke up in that startling manner. Everything just came, too fast. A hand scratched over the lower corner of her left ear absentmindedly, getting some of the unruly hair strands tugged in.

“I get it. I was an Idiot for thinking with my stomach …”

“Well, color me surprised. You might be that, but at least your honest.”

Hwmppff

Pouting a bit. She starred at the fat flappy. Which held up its left wing, to hide most of a smirk.

It’s not like that’s a bad idea. A full belly is always good.

Noticing that the light grew dimmer, yet again. Night was coming around to this part of the forest. She knew that sticking around here was a bad idea. Deep down, deeper than she could really reach in her mind. Something edged her on. Go, go now. It whispered into her mind.

“It’s getting darker. What can I take from this, that won’t get me into trouble?”

Tzzth

A bit annoyed, a loud commanding voice came out of the small beak. Louder than an bird that size had any right to be.

“HEY YOU LOT COME DOWN HERE!”

In a flurry of flapping wings and lose feathers that tumbled through the air. A hundredth or even more of Flappy’s kin, descend on her pile of loot.

“Who’s bright idea was this!”

‎ “Dont’cha complain!”

‎ “You dimwit, it’s must be your fault!”

Scurrying trough the haphazardly stacked weapons, armors and bags with different contents. Like someone might imagen, mice onto a huge pile of grain. Just with more cussing and less squeaky sounds. The whole flock took part in the activities. Not counting the few that found food in some bags. Which then quickly flew away. While a few that saw why, followed soon after. Shouting insults and pleas, to do let them in on the good fun.

... ahh … nono. You’re nice Spiko, nice. Good girl. No-no need to be jumpy …

Twitching slightly, while shifting her weight from one side to another. She eyed the chaotic mess with highly diluted pupils. Gripping her upper thighs, her fingers dug into the taunt leather trousers. Soon after the flock finished and scurried of too somewhere else, they had been shouted at by their boss. Which made them fly way faster than normal. Way way faster. As one got to close, Spiko tried to catch that one.

Wusssh

But it was too fast for her to react in time. Staring dumbly at the spot, she had lost track of her prey.

“What was that.”

“Huh? Ahh, have you never seen him use magic?”

Pointing at her Flappy, which still was stealthily trying to scurry further away, the fat bossy lady was smirking.

“We might be slower than you when we simply fly with our wings. But boosted by some magic, nothing can stop us.”

Proudly puffing out her feathers. The soft plummy ones white and tender, underneath the color shifting mass. Spiko could only look at her, mouth agape.

Tunk … tunk …... TuNk

Tunk

Tunk tunk

Twitchingly slightly at the sounds coming from the direction of her flock. The plumage of her feathers deflated a bit.

“We-well mostly anything can’t stop us. … it does … make dodging things harder.”

Slightly coughing into her left wing. It was soon spread out again. With a fresh smile and some mischief in her eyes. Pointing to the second, now much smaller pile of loot.

“This should be fine. It’s already packed up neatly in that robe. Just get a small branch from somewhere. Hook it up and get going. This much should be no trouble, lassie.”

This time a true predatory undertone came through. When she talked to Spiko. It made her few bits of fur stand up, together with the more humanlike spread of small body hairs. Holding in the need to shudder a bit, Spiko focused on the words.

“And the rest?”

“Good that you ask!”

Rubbing her feathery wings together, in imitation of so many greedy adventurers they had lured to their death. The shear glee of the moments ahead, shone out of her eyes. Like deep sparkles, that wanted to consume your soul. Leaving nothing behind for someone else to stumble upon.

“We could discuss terms of storage for the rest~”

“Terms of… “

Deep down she knew those words, Spiko frowned while trying to remember. But her posture finally relaxed and her tail started to just hang around leisurely. While swiveling her ears, to watch out for her Flappy’s escape attempt. She thought about this and looked in those sparkly black eyes. That seemed to want something, so dearly they became pure black.

I have heard that before … ah!

“You will keep it for me, why?”

“Yes! I will keep it for you, come a later time. You might want to take this, well … to somewhere less prone to legal niceties~”

Her left wings feathery tips, rubbed together slightly. While her small head tilted to the left.

“But you said I can’t trade this.”

“Ahh, yes. That was true, I swear! But that’s only when you want to take it to a nice village or city. With guards and laws, those things that hinder good people like us. The whole annoying hassle of righteous civilization, ha!”

“... what do you want for the help?”

“Good, I can see that you won’t try to just make us do your bidding. Let’s be friends. See, what I want is quite simple. Quarna seeds, lots of them.”

Looking puzzled, then a light bulb went off in her head.

“Seeds to eat? I can do that.”

“You surely can! Just fill the bag that is now full of ‘goody two shoes’ loot, with as much of those QUARNA seeds as you can. I doubt it will be costly, those idiotic humans just don’t like em.”

With a feverish expression, the wings went up and down. Flapping wildly around. As soon as the name of the seeds in question came up again. It agitated her so much, she started to circle the smaller pile quickly. While huffing and puffing quickly.

“Can YOU imagen that! Just because they might be a bit tard in taste. Hard to get out of the shells. And maybe a little bit on the smaller side. It’s commonly food for the poorest of the poor.”

Snort

“AND even they are disgusted so much by it. That they might prefer weeds or tree bark. BAH!”

“It’s just not fair! No one carries those with them. Well nearly no one, some poor saps that thought they could find food in this forest … well became food. Those are the rare times, it’s a joy to be the one in charge. Haaa, the tassstteeee. ”

Swwlurrpp

A bit of drool was pulled back into her beak, with more suction then necessary.

“Haa. So yeah, if you get me a gooooood load of QUARNA seeds. Make sure it’s the right seed!”

“I will give you all of that or as much as you can carry with you, each time when you come around~”

Chuckling a bit, while remembering something fond. The fat flappy did a little jig, now standing on a half-broken sword. Still stuck in some lightly plated leather armor.

“Ahh, it will be a feast! I can already taste them.”

“Okay, I got it. Seeds for helping me. No seeds, no shinnies.”

“You got that right! But DO make sure, its QUARNA seeds!”

With a bit of bloodshot eyes now. The jigging feathery thing before her, showed malice for the first time they had met in this scenery of death. It might have been the slowly dimming light levels or a trick of the light. But Spiko saw two red beady specks in that blackness, for just a moment.

Better make sure it’s the right kind. Well, I get it. I do hate it, when I get the wrong food. How often did I bite him for that?

Shaking her head in acknowledgment, up and down, as she had seen furless ones do before. Her mind was made up.

“Alright, see you later then. Come Flappy.”

“W-wah?”

Snatching her guide, from behind a tall enough root to even hide herself. She held him up to her face. Smiling kindly at the squirming soft bunch of feathers.

“NO MAGIC.”

“ …”

“Or I will chomp down on you, for real. I hadn’t had much to eat lately.”

With a defeated sacking of his wings, that had tried to peel himself out of her grip. He gave up.

That was just his life for now.