As luck would have it, Fiona and I traded prompts this week over at More Odds Than Ends. She sent “I looked down, and my legs were covered with thousands of tiny feathers.” Then a bit farther down I saw a spare photo prompt for Cedar of a vulture sitting in a tree. My brain put them together and I immediately thought of the earlier prompt that resulted in a story about a chicken suspected of murder. This picks up right where the first story ends.
Murder Chicken – Pt2
“My property backs onto a nature preserve; I have predators that come through every night. Although, that sucker might give them a run for their money.”
Robin glanced over at Star, one eyebrow raised. Star shrugged in response.
“Okay, I’ll try, on one, no two conditions.”
“What is this, an episode of Magnum?” Rhea looked between the partners. “I’m not Higgins.”
“No, Magnum’s cases were far too unrealistic.” Star smothered a grin.
Rhea rolled her eyes and leaned back in the couch. “What?”
“One, you provide for a pen and the upkeep.”
“Fine, done. I can get a big dog pen or something.”
“Two: Obon is coming up.”
“Which one?” Rhea half snorted.
“Hachigatsu Bon and Kyū Bon fall in the same time frame this year.”
Rhea stood up and walked to the window. She absently scratched the neck of Star’s Snowy owl, Skylar, as she stared down at Market Street. “I don’t do the festivals.”
“Neither do I.” Robin leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. “But it is a nice time to visit the graves, leave some flowers, and get together with family.”
“That’s it?” Rhea half turned. “No traditional costumes, lanterns or dancing?”
“That’s it.” Robin looked at Star and raised an eyebrow.
“Of course. Like you need to ask.”
“Two cemetery visits and dinner at my place.”
“I think I can manage that. I have to request time off, so I can’t say which day it’ll be.”
“Works for me. Let me know what date you get, we’ll close early that day and meet you at Union.”
“Good. Now about the chicken?” Rhea looked towards the closed office door, grimacing at what sounded like scratching behind that door.
Star pushed back from the desk and stood up. “You go get whatever it is you need to contain the beast, we’ll round up the chicken and meet you at Robin’s house.”
Rhea nodded and scooped up her keys from the table on the way out the door.
“I trust you have something in mind?” Robin gave her friend a long stare.
“Yep.” Star smiled. “Skylar, wanna help catch the bird?”
Skylar turned from preening her chest feathers and blinked at Star. “Skylar help, Skylar catch bird. Chicken tasty.”
“Don’t eat the bird.”
Skylar sighed and shifted to her true form of a giant bat like being. “Skylar not eat. Nibble?”
A noise that sounded suspiciously like a muffled giggle came from the other side of the room.
“You’re not helping, Yokama.”
“Skylar,” Robin spoke around a laugh. “You help us catch this bird and I’ll get you a chicken from the grocery store.”
Skylar pondered the offer for a moment. Chicken from the grocery store didn’t have those messy feathers to deal with, but they lacked the tasty organs. On the other foot, they didn’t run away or fight back. “Okay,” she trilled. She launched from the perch and landed next to the door.
Robin opened the door a hands width and watched Skylar squeeze through. The chicken squawked a warning that was answered by a hiss from Skylar. A few seconds later there was some squawking and banging followed by some trills then silence. Skylar stuck her head in the opening.
“Bird in corner. Skylar not hurt.”
“Great, thank you Skylar.” Star grabbed up the carry box that Rhea had been using to carry the bird and went into the inner office.
They found the feathered basketball huddled in the far corner, glaring at them but not moving. Skylar crouched a few feet away, periodically showing her teeth.
With Skylar’s help they maneuvered the bird into the box and closed it. It took several minutes, a bit of fussing and a few curses muttered, to get the box loaded into the back of Robin’s truck. She refused to have it in the cabin with her. Star headed to her place to take care of the raptors she had in rehab.
15 minutes later Robin pulled in her driveway and parked next to her sister’s Honda. She found Rhea in the back with a largish box next to a stack of wire panels.
“One of the dog handlers had a spare kennel. Best I could get on short notice. I figured once we got this up, I could run to hardware store and get some canvas tarps or something to serve as a cover.”
“Okay, guess that will work. Canvas should stop most but the most determined predator. Oh, your murder suspect is in the back of Blue. I left the cap open.”
The regular owner had given clear assembly instructions so they were able to get the run up in just under an hour. It stood almost as tall as Robin and half again as wide; just large enough for the chicken to move around but small enough to keep him somewhat controlled.
They brought the carry box into the run and opened the door. Rhea left to find some kind of covering for the run while Robin stood at the gate and watched the bird that seemed content to glare at her from the box.
Finally figuring that the bird could at least use some water, Robin turned to go inside. She noticed a black vulture sitting on a tree on the edge of the property, but paid it little attention since vultures prefer carrion to live prey. It did remind her of something she needed to do though.
“Fido,” she called as she opened the back door.
A gigantic Mustelidae lopped from the back room. He pulled up a few feet away and sat up on his haunches. “Momma sister gone?”
“Yes, she is gone for now. But she’s going to be back shortly.”
Fido nodded. “Fido behave. No speak.”
“Thank you. I have a second favor to ask. There is a bird, a chicken, in the back yard. He’s going to be with us for a little while. I would like you to leave him alone.” Fido sat back and blinked at her as he pondered her request. “It’s Rhea’s bird,” she added.
“Fido do. No like chicken.”
“Thank you.” She turned to get a pan for water and stopped when they heard the sound of a creature in pain. She went out the door, Fido loping along at her heels.
She found the chicken and vulture tumbling around the pen. The vulture had apparently decided that a pinned in chicken would make a nice meal. Tossing caution aside she opened the gate and went in. Rhea would kill her if the chicken was badly hurt. Wadding into the mass of black feathers, she started trying to separate the birds. Fido lent a paw by pinning the vulture down while Robin waved her arms at the chicken.
The chicken backed off a few feet, giving her a murderous glare. Taking a deep breath, Robin looked down and saw her legs were covered with tiny dark feathers. She looked back at the chicken and tried to figure out how she was going to examine him for injuries. She was about to pull her phone out and call Star and ask her to bring her rescue kit, when Fido spoke up.
“Momma?”
Fido still had the vulture in his paws, but he wasn’t pinning it down. He had his ears back and head cocked in puzzlement. The vulture was covered in blood.
“Take it out of the pen.” She slowly backed out keeping an eye fixed on the chicken. There was not visible sign of blood on him. Once outside she closed and locked the gate before pulling out her phone.
“Star, can you bring your rescue kit?” She eyed the beaten and bloodied vulture. “I have a new patient for you.”
Yes, Black Vultures will kill live prey. They’ve reportedly been known to target and kill small animals including lambs, calves, goats, groundhogs and other wild animals.
Will this murderous chicken be back? I don’t know yet. We’ll see if another prompt leads to his return.
I gave Fiona the prompt that H.G. Wells’ Time machine is found. It works. Her responses so far have surprised me, so I am looking forward to her post.
Like to take a turn with the pen or paint? Come join us. Submissions can be of any length. They could be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essay, vignette, art… whatever your prompt sparks for you. There is no word count length.
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