Chapter VII: The Hen with the Iron Claw
#7 of Love for the Birds: Home to Roost
I finally had time to get this done. It's not as long as I wanted it to be, but, here we are returning to the drama and violence of this story.
The wolf chief, Elijah, delivers his ultimatum to the bird village, but what will our heroes do and what will Nestor's former mate do now that she has returned?
The Girl with the Iron Claw
Wolves gathered outside the village, hiding among the dense woodland which surrounded the village.
The chief stood with Vera at his side.
Another much younger looking arctic wolf approached the chief, "All of our troops are in place, Father. How would you like for us to begin our attack?"
The chief thought, this village was larger than he'd thought it would be, all of these buildings made it look more like a modern city. All these buildings provided perfect hiding places for wolves to sneak in. He turned to his son, "We go in quiet, we need to plan this right. The birds are at the center, they appear to be having a festival, they are distracted right now. This is the perfect time to strike."
The prince nodded, "Do we take prisoners?"
The chief growled, "Men, women, children, any men who fight us will die, but my soldiers are not to harm any females, any babies, nor any elders... We are wolves, we want good prey that will fight back and we will not lower ourselves by harming those who cannot defend themselves."
The prince cocked an eyebrow at his father's declaration, "This is a very strange revenge. You've brought us here to avenge the deaths of our fallen soldiers including your brother, yet you want us to stick to our old ways, when these birds have clearly deviated from theirs. Look at this place, it's so strange, those buildings are so big, who could live in something like that?"
The chief petted his son, "Just because they had lowered themselves, does not mean we wolves will sink to their level. We are not murderers who kill an unarmed enemy, even less one who is sleeping."
The prince nodded, "Fine... Do we begin?"
The chief grunted his approval, "Yes, begin..."
...
The village shaman, Tilo was at home after enjoying himself at Javin's joining, and now he was enjoying himself here in bed with a lovely black serpent who currently rode upon his lap.
The sparrow moaned with the scaly female clinching his birdhood tightly.
Meanwhile some wolves crept into the shaman's shop.
Tilo pulled his serpent tight against his waist as he shot inside her and she gave a sultry hiss in response.
Suddenly, a wolf paw came around the snake's face to silence her as another wolf stood with a sword pointed at Tilo.
The sparrow chirped in surprise, "Oh goddess... Not again..."
The female wasn't particularly happy to be interrupted in the middle of a beautiful orgasm. She reared back enough that she could sink her fangs in the wolf paw holding her.
That wolf yelped and let her go.
Another wolf pulled her off of Tilo and was able to tie her up while the sparrow was quickly subdued by chief's son.
The young arctic wolf looked upon his comrade who had been bitten. "How is your paw, soldier?"
The injured one held his arm, "It burns... It hurts so much."
The young prince sighed, "Alright then..." He raised his sword.
The wounded subordinate howled as his paw was severed then tied tight.
The prince licked the blood from his sword, "Go to our medicine man, he'll tend to your lame arm..."
The subordinate bowed before running out holding his arm.
The prince turned to the other wolf standing over the snake, "Tie up these two..."
...
Javin's feast had dwindled as people started to leave for their beds.
The cobra nuzzled his viper queen as she remained nestled upon his lap.
"Wolves!"
A bird ran into the dining hall breathing heavily, "Wolves are attacking!"
Justin stood up, "Wolves? Right now?"
The bird who'd run in was exhausted, "I saw them, creeping through our streets."
Javin groaned, "Noctis!"
Captain Coram was in the dining hall, preening his falcon husband's delicate shoulder when the bird came in. The proud captain stood with his lieutenant, "Yes, my chief?"
"Assemble the guard! Stop these wolves from hurting our people!"
The owl snorted through his nares, "It will be done, Javin."
The wolf chief bashed open the double doors into the hall and he shouted, "That won't be necessary!" He stepped inside among frightened townspeople surrounded by many heavily armed wolves.
Coram stepped up with his own sword drawn, "Fool! You disturb our beloved chief's wedding and our peace!"
The wolf chief looked at the large serpent upon the throne, "I had not realized you birds had started catering to animals... But that is not why I am here, is it?"
An overzealous guard tried to attack him; the finch was immediately struck down by a wolf's sword.
The chief shrugged it off, "For years, our tribes had been at peace... My brother, Tristan... He trusted you birds, he gave you our arrows, our pelts and our meats, then you birds murder him, murder my nephew and you slaughter my people!"
Nestor was there with his son.
The younger eagle tried to stop his father as Nestor spoke out, "Your quarry is with me, wolf! I was the one who murdered your nephew! I was the one who orchestrated that whole battle so my father would die and I could take his place..."
The chief looked to him, "If this is true, then why are you not up there?" he pointed to Javin's throne.
Nestor stepped up to the wolf, unarmed to show he wasn't going to fight him, "I was not worthy... Our chief, Javin is more deserving of that seat... I lied and cheated, even gouged out my own eye." He took off his eyepatch to show the empty socket to the larger male, "I hurt myself to convince my father that it was you wolves who hurt me... And he believed me so blindly. Now, I lost my throne and my people's respect," He threw down his cape to show the scars on his back, "I've paid dearly for my transgressions, lost my mate and now... If you want to kill anyone... You can kill me, I know I deserve it."
The chief contemplated the eagle's words while his soldiers stood behind him. He cracked his knuckles, "That was an interesting story... Except I'd heard a different one from a reliable source..." The chief turned then as Vera came up by his side.
The female eagle stared in scorn upon her disgraced cousin, "Hello, dear..."
Nestor gaped as all other birds present gasped, "Vera?!"
The eagle hen smiled down at him, "You thought you would be rid of me that easily?" She punched him hard, making her former lover fall clutching his face, "You threw me out, you cast me aside so you could fuck your queer feather... Now I come back to this sniveling coward!" She kicked him in the gut. "I have no idea what I ever saw in you, dear." She muttered as she stepped over him.
Feroz sat there as his mother came up to him.
Vera looked at him, the very image of Nestor in his youth. She put out her left paw to hold him and the teenager flinched. That hurt her, "You don't know who I am? You came out of me, and this is the welcome home I get?" She grabbed his beak to make him look her in the eye. She touched her beak to his, "I'm your mother... I'm sure that scum father of yours never told you about me... What is your name?"
Nestor held his bleeding cheek where she'd scratched him, "His name is Feroz... Vera."
Vera turned back to her former mate, "Feroz? You named him after your queer mate?" then she looked back at her teenage son, "And you... Why do you not answer your mother?"
Nestor stood, "He's mute, Vera... Our son was born mute."
The female eagle laughed cruelly, "Really? Just like your queer... Oh the goddess must have been laughing down at you, dear." She nodded to her chief.
The white wolf nodded back before speaking, "We will not slaughter your people pointlessly... But we demand reparation for what happened... Your sons and your daughters... All children born since the slaughter... We will take them with your wives and we will breed slaves of them. We will leave... But will be back by midday tomorrow... If you refuse us... Then we will have war."
Vera licked her son's beak in a not-so-motherly fashion, "Then you and I will have quality mother-son bonding... And you will give me a better child, one who will carry my father's name, Hector." She turned to leave, throwing back her new pelt, given to her by her captor-turned-mate, to show off the iron hook that was now attached to her right arm. "Hear me, all... For you shall know me, your rightful queen, Vera "Ironclaw" Aquila." She returned to her wolf chief's side and pecked the wolf openly, "Elijah..."
The chief growled softly as she held him, he looked at Javin, "Midday tomorrow, or war..." Then he turned with his arm around her.
Then like that, the wolves were all gone.
...
The next morning, the town hall was in an uproar.
"We can't give our kids to the wolves!"
"Why should they take our wives?"
Javin stood with his hands out to calm the angry townspeople, "First, we will not give in to the wolves' demands. Second, I will not expose my people to the horrors of war. I will send scouts to negotiate with their chief."
Justin stood forth, "I would go..."
Javin nodded, "Justin, there is none I trust more. Nestor, you must go to, and... One of the Fuchses may also speak on our behalf."
The Fuchs family was present. Fred stepped forward, "I will go!"
Javin smiled, "We have three negotiators, we hope you are able to talk reason into our guests... If not..." His smile faded, "Then we have war."
And like that, it was decided; Justin, Nestor and Frederic Fuchs were to go negotiate with the wolf chief, Elijah to see if they can't change his mind.
...
In the wolves' camp several meters to the west of the village, Vera was in the chief's tent, taking her chief for a ride.
Elijah truly felt no physical attraction to her; he really preferred a wolfess with a nice set of breasts who could bear pups for him. But, when she was so willing to throw herself to his alpha dick, who was he to refuse her? The great white wolf had mounted his avian servant from behind then pushed into her, filling her completely and making her moan as his great cock spread her.
Vera panted for chief, who she hadn't fallen for really, she was only using him so she could have status, because he gifts her with capes and clothes. "My chief is most primal... Fuck me like the beast you are, Elijah."
The wolf knew he was being used, it was fine, he used her too for his own cheap gratification. He spanked her hard, "A slave does not command her master how to fuck." He continued to mate with her at his own preferred pace. He liked a slow rise, he liked to enjoy another person's body heat for as long as he could.
Elijah's son, Vincent was there too. He and his father liked to share conquests; it was the sort of strong family bond they had, that most wolves tried to keep with their growing sons.
As Vera moaned, the young wolf laid his own veiny wolfcock upon her beak.
The eagle licked eagerly at the prince's blood-enriched shaft, tasting every inch of his essence before she allowed him to stuff her beak with his cock.
The trio kept going with the two wolves breeding their eagle servant until each hit climax.
Elijah tied himself to Vera and howled as he unloaded healthy puppy batter into this incompatible female. She was a fine lay; he would have to admit that... But he certainly did not agree with her plan to bed her own son and have eggs by him, there was one line wolves never crossed.
Vincent shot some strings of his cum down Vera's throat, then he pulled out and held his knot as he sprayed more over the eagle's face, painting her white with his seed.
It was at this moment that another wolf came into the chief's tent, "Chief, the birds have sent negotiators to speak with you."
The wolf chief was still tied to Vera, "I am indisposed as you can see... So have them wait."
Vincent had already started dress himself, "I can meet them for you, Father. I can keep them busy until you've finished up here." He winked to his father.
Elijah nodded, "Fine, I'll be with you shortly."
Vince turned to the other wolf, "Take me to these negotiators."
The subordinate nodded, "Yes, my prince, they're this way."
...
Justin, Nestor and Frederic had been placed in a separate tent to wait for Chief Elijah.
Fred was suspicious, "How do we know these wolves would listen to reason?"
Justin frowned, "They are intelligent beasts, just like us, they have to listen."
The tent flap opened and Vincent entered, "Hello, hello! It is pleasant that you three would be so kind as to drop in so unexpectedly!" The young wolf put on airs to hide his true feelings for these three intruders. He looked upon them then was perplexed to see a weasel sitting among them. "Reptiles and weasels? My, you Volarians will take anyone won't you?"
Fred was insulted, "And what does that mean?"
The young wolf kept smiling, "It is no secret, stoat... We've heard of the reputation these birds have garnered for themselves over the years. A den of whores catering to all beasts big or small for gold."
Justin stood, "We used to do that... It is still a commodity, but we have more resources. Our homes are better, we grow our own food, we no longer have to hunt so often because merchants bring their meats to our town. We are not a rich city like our neighboring Wiesel Stadt, but we're getting there."
Vincent chuckled, "And I am impressed, if not somewhat jealous... My tribesmen remain set in their old ways, they still depend on trade with other tribes, but we hardly speak with our neighbors."
Nestor stood up too, "What are we even doing? We came to talk with your chief, not his pup."
Vincent visibly stung but kept smiling, "My father is busy right now... Fucking your former mate, Chief..."
Nestor narrowed his eye at the wolf, "Well... He can keep her, but we wished to negotiate with him. Our Chief Javin has made his decision. We will not give you our children or our wives, but we would still like to reason with you wolves, try to find a more appropriate resolution to our conflict. I know neither of us really wants a war."
Vincent snorted, "Says the one who used war to take his father's throne."
Nestor winced from that insult, "Yes... I did use war to dispose of my father... Now, as my son grows older, I have to live with the guilt of what I did to my people. There is also one variable you have not accounted for." He pointed to Frederic, "Him."
The wolf raised an eyebrow, "And why should I care what one weasel thinks?"
Fred hated being thrown in the spotlight like that, but he understood the tactic Nestor was using. So he went for it, "Wolf... Are you at all familiar with me, or my family?"
Vincent played with his claws, "Should I?"
The stoat glared at the wolf with his emerald green eyes, "My name is Frederic Fuchs, my brother is Heinrich Fuchs. We call him governor, but he is in fact the sovereign ruler of this land. I and my family live in this village you wish to wage war against... And if I or anyone in my family is injured or even killed, you will have the whole country of Wieseland down upon you wolves! Do you understand me?"
Vincent's expression changed, "The royal family? You? That is interesting."
At that moment, Elijah had finally arrived with Vera at his side.
The wolf chief looked over the three before addressing his son, "Have they come to a decision, my son?"
Vincent nodded, "Yes, Dad. The villagers have decided they will not give in to your demands, instead they wish to negotiate better terms with you."
Elijah was understandably furious, "No! Our terms were non-negotiable and if this is their decision, then we'll have war! We'll slaughter them then take their women and children, just as we wolves have done for centuries."
Frederic stood up to him, "No you will not wage war against Volaria!"
The wolf chief lost his temper then backhanded Fred, "A weasel has no right to speak to a top predator!"
The stoat fell senseless with his nose bloodied.
Justin got to Fred's side, "Fred!" He was relieved the stoat was still alive.
Vincent intervened, "Father! This weasel is a Fuchs... One of the royal family who rules over this country, especially that little bird village you want to slaughter... He lives there with his family. Their village is under protection by the royal family and if we attack them, we're looking at a war against a whole nation."
"He's right!" Fred spoke while dazed, "My family and I we've been living here for over a month now... My wife is pregnant now with our second child and it will be born a citizen of this village. My brother is there, as are my nephew and his wives, with his daughters, his sons and his wives are pregnant with his cubs as well. We've made this our home, it is under protection by the Royal Family of Wieseland and if any of us are harmed, my eldest brother, your King Heinrich the Third, then he will rain down hell on your entire tribe and we don't just fight with spears and arrows!"
He pulled out his flintlock pistol to show it to the wolf, "We have firearms, real weapons! Many more much bigger than this! We have rifles, gatling guns, cannons, bombs... Our armies would decimate your tribe in seconds..." He cocked his pistol, "And... If speaking to a stoat is so low for you, then imagine the embarrassment if you and your soldiers are brought down by an army of them..." He turned the pistol away at the last second then pulled the trigger.
There was a deafening crack before the iron pellet from his pistol destroyed an inkwell on the chief's desk then tearing a whole in the tent wall behind it before going into a water barrel which began leaking as the iron ball sank to the bottom.
Fred looked to the chief, "There is more of that where I come from and my brother will bring it."
Elijah growled, "We have traveled this far... We demand reparation for the wrong these birds brought to my tribe."
Justin stood up, "Those birds who wronged your tribe are dead! They died in that same battle which killed your brother and killed our chief! There is only me, Nestor and one other."
Elijah grabbed Justin, "Then I should kill you and your former chief." He sighed, "But that won't be enough... Eighty wolves died fighting your birds... Our prey mocks us because it is more advanced than us..." He let Justin go, "We don't want a war... But I don't know what else I can do... If we leave now, it will be seen as weakness by my tribesmen and there are many who would be alpha, many who won't care about weasel armies or your weapons, who would want us to rape your wives and your children..."
Justin offered a paw of friendship to the wolf, "It's been almost 20 years... Do we really wish to dishonor our dead and murder more in their names?"
The shamed wolf sniffed, "No..."
Vera was furious, "You are seriously not considering this! We came here so you could get me back my village, which should have been mine if not for my father dying! My family line had ruled over this village far longer than Nestor's then suddenly my dad is dead and his brother takes his place, now I could only be a bride to this spineless hatchling!" She pointed to Nestor. "I am not letting him keep my son from me, not anymore; and you are not going to crawl away with your tail between your legs... You're going-"
Elijah punched her hard, throwing the loud-mouthed hen on her back where she fell holding her face where he struck her. The wolf growled, "A servant most definitely cannot disrespect her master before company, and you cannot talk back to me like you are my wife. You were never an equal to me, only something for me to fuck."
Vera glared in furious anger up at the wolf, "You..."
Elijah interrupted her, "Shut up! We are leaving!" He looked at Vincent, "Inform our troops... We leave at noon." He looked upon Vera as she seethed in fiery hatred for him now, "And you... You will be locked in chains again."
Two guards came in, having been disturbed by the loud noise that they'd heard not long ago.
Elijah turned to them, "Guards... Arrest this female, then kindly escort these three out of our camp... I am sorry for wasting our time here, but we will not dishonor our dead by killing innocents in their name when the birds who killed them died with them in that same battle."
The guards both looked honestly relieved there wouldn't be a battle, but they did question how the rest would take the news. One bent over to restrain Vera.
The eagless let them pick her up then take her out.
Elijah turned to his son, "Inform our tribesmen..."
"HRAAH!" Everyone heard Vera's furious cry.
The eagless had jammed her iron hook in one guard's face, gouging his eyeball and piercing his brain, killing the wolf instantly. As he twitched and bled on her right arm, she picked up his sword with her left paw and was quick to slash the throat of the other guard. She pulled her hook out of the first wolf's skull, to see the skewered eyeball and brain matter clinging to her iron claw. She brushed those off then ran fast before others could realize what was going on.
Elijah stepped out of his tent. He saw the two dead wolves, saw Vera running to the woods, and furiously he called out, "WOLVES! FETCH AND KILL THAT SHE-BITCH!"
Eight wolves chased after her.
Justin offered to help, he knew these woods better than the wolves.
Fred stepped up too.
Elijah accepted their help.
...
Vera panted as she ran through the woods, woods she herself had grown up in. She knew this forest as well as any native. She hid behind a tree as she wiped blood off of her hook and her stolen sword.
She heard a twig break under the clumsy foot of a wolf.
She pulled off her cape so it would not catch on anything, then she kept moving to stay ahead of her pursuers.
A wolf found her cape and was able to sniff out which way she went.
He followed her trail to a berry bush. There was her cape draped over it.
The eagless jumped out then stabbed him through the back, while she tore open his neck with her hook. She picked up her cape then kept going.
Justin, Fred and the seven remaining wolves followed after her until Justin realized where they were going, "Wait!"
Fred and the wolves stopped. Fred asked, "Why are we stopping?"
Justin answered, "She's going to Wiesel Stadt... When she gets there, we won't be able to follow her... We'll be the unruly natives stirring trouble in their civilized city. Especially them..." He gestured to the wolves.
Fred groaned in agreement, "Right... And our city guard is armed with firearms... If they see you wolves stirring trouble, they'd likely shoot you on sight."
One wolf growled, "Then what do we do?"
...
Vera had made it to the city, just as Justin had predicted. For her, this hadn't been her first time. When she left her home, when she left Nestor, she came here first. She stayed awhile with an old badger who let her stay in return for letting him have his way with her.
It was an indignity she allowed, he wasn't an ugly badger anyway, and he was very energetic for his age, until one day he died in his sleep, then the badger's son tried to force himself on her.
She shook her head as she took off her hook and wrapped it up in her cape. The sword, she couldn't put that away so easily so she left it out. She had an idea.
A moment later, she walked into the city with her clothes shredded, cuts on her arms and legs, mud and leaf litter in her dark brown feathers. She already had a bruised face from being beaten by Elijah. She stammered, "H-help... Somebody..." She called out as pitifully as an eagle could sound. She saw people approaching her then she pretended to faint, letting herself fall to the ground
Some townspeople ran up to help her, falling completely for her ruse, failing to notice a smirk she made as some men helped her up.