You Eat Birds???

Featuring Reichenbach and Zecho (NPC)
Winter, Year 762
Blackwood, The Blackwood
Wordcount: 1087

"What are you doing?" Zecho's ever annoying and loud voice pipped, the grullo colt looking up at his mentor as he walked around the forest, eyes on the canopy above them.

Reichenbach, getting used to his charge's inability to shut his trap, kicked a hoof out at him but didn't not look at him. "Shut your mouth, colt," he said, distracted.

Zecho had gotten grazed by the kick, but not enough to hurt. Still, it reminded him more than Reichenbach's words that he needed to be quiet and carefully stayed out of kicking range to watch whatever it was the older stag was up too.

Reichenbach kept his gaze pointed upwards, watching the trees. Every so often there was a flickering in the dark, the flapping of wings ringing out in the silence.

Birds.

There were many in Blackwood, their huge pines great for nesting. Often no one gave them a second glance, save if they were crows, which seemed to go hand in hand with all of their black magic. Yet, Reichenbach was keenly aware of all all the different types of birds and their many sizes.

He had a particular interest for the smaller ones in this instance, the shortage of food the winter had brought delving up ideas he had never tried himself, but had heard were possible through word of mouth. He watched as the creatures about flitted back and forth, aware but not worried of his presence.

The stag followed them slowly, neck starting to hurt from the awkward angle, but he wasn't willing to just give up because of about muscle cramp.

He zeroed in on a tree with a particularly large group of small birds within in, rearing up onto his hind legs to get a better look. The tree itself was younger, not nearly as tall as the rest around it, and it gave the stag a great opportunity.

Zecho tilted his head at his mentor as he stuck his head up in the branches of a sapling, confused. What in the world was he doing? What purpose did as tree have to them?

He was tempted to ask, and he opened his mouth to do just that when a horrific chirping started, the birds in the tree making a racket he had never thought they were capable of before.

"What's going on?!" he asked, panic rising as the birds got louder, their collective voices ringing out as angry and on the path for vengeance. Reichenbach did not answer him, but instead pulled his head down from the tree and turned to flee, leaving Zecho to play catch up.

The colt scrambled to follow the older fawnling, nearly tripping over himself to do so. As he righted himself something pecked him in the rump, exacting a yelp from the colt. He turned to see what it could be and found himself about to be victim to a swarm of angry sparrows, the small birds on the war path.

Zecho gapped, inching away, and then steadily running, screaming for his mentor as the birds followed, pecking him. "Reichenbach! Help me!"

No help came, however, and Zecho suffered the wrath if many more angry dive bombs before he was in the clear, breaking the treeline and collapsing in a sorry heap before the stag who had left him.

Reichenbach glanced down at him, still heaving from his own run, but clearly in a better state than his charge. "You survived, I see," he mumbled, his mouth full.

Zecho scowled. "Why did you leave me back there?" he whined, ears pinned to his head. "The birds went crazy! They chased me!"

Reichenbach quirked a brow at him. "I don't see you missing any limbs," he pointed out. "Stop complaining."

The colt pouted some more, still put other about being left behind, but soon found himself distracted with what was in Reichenbach's mouth. "What are those?" he asked, getting back to his feet to get a better look.

Were those feathers?

The giant stag answered his charge's question by dropping his prizes, the limp bodies of two sparrows hitting the snow between them. He smirked. "Dinner."

Zecho must not have thought he was serious, for he didn't say anything until he had already dipped his head and grabbed one, gobbling it up. The reaction then was priceless.

The colt reared up, horror marring his face. "YOU EAT BIRDS?!" he screeched, not sure what to do with himself.

Reichenbach swallowed, mulling over the irony taste left on his tongue. Hm. Not bad. "It's food," he stated, glancing at the still shell shocked colt. "Does it matter if it's another animal?"

"But, it's a bird. Fawnlings don't eat birds!" Zecho protested, shaking his head. "Why would you eat a bird??"

Reichenbach rolled his eyes. Figured he'd be in charge of a colt who was a tree hugger.

"Do you see an abundance of food around here?" he growled, glaring at Zecho. "Do you think you live in Glenmore, where food grows no matter the season?"

Zecho stepped back some, lowering his gaze. "No, but-"

"Then stop being ungrateful." Reichenbach spat, his charge cowering at his tone. "You either starve or you survive. Now eat the bird or wait until spring comes to stuff yourself."

Zecho quivered some, keeping his head down low until he didn't feel as though Reichenbach was breathing fire down his neck. He then slowly inches towards where the bird lay, making a face slightly before closing his eyes and picking it up, hurriedly stuffing it in his mouth and chewing.

Reichenbach said nothing as his charge finally consumed the sparrow, simply standing there and waiting to see his reaction. The colt didn't immediately spit it out, or even look sick after he had stopped chewing. Perhaps he had taken a shining to it.

Zecho, meanwhile, contemplated what had just happened. Yes, he still felt wrong having to eat another animal... but, at the same time...

"It wasn't half bad..." he said, slowly, clearly surprised. He looked up at Reichenbach. "Do you eat them all the time?"

"No," was the elder stag's response. Reichenbach turned from him and started to walk, heading in the direction of the main hollow. "Only when I need too."

He said no more and Zecho didn't question it. The bird had stomped out the gnawing hunger in his gut for the time being so he decided that, if it was provided, he would eat it.

He didn't need to know it was Reichenbach's first time either.