flocktogether | the birds' realm

I don't know. What's "shopping" supposed to be?

Bartering would be a better word for it. Do not think I don't understand what you are doing, with all of the others.

[she isn't quite able to put the wry delivery in place when she's this hypervigilant, but the words are dry enough.] Are you jealous, owl?

Goodness, no. That would be rather unbecoming for a creature of my stature.

I am simply awaiting our turn. You are a thorough sort, are you not?

[with less audible reluctance than the pause which leads into it might suggest.] ... I am.

Wonderful. Best you get on with it, then.

Yes.

And you're right here. [with an expulsion of air, something like a sigh, maybe a bit of a weak snarl.] I wonder what you'd offer.

For what, exactly?

[aggressive, retaliatory. recovering her confidence.] Protection. What do you think I'm doing? I'm making deals. Strength for strength, bird - Cardinal has a lot of enemies. I'm looking for power.

And why, precisely, do you think it is that you have enemies? Your stunning personality, no doubt.

Well, which do you want? Protection or power.

Why can't it be both? [she dodges the first jab, with a broad but unkind smile, her eyes cold and closed off.]

It's one or the other. I'm not a miracle worker, girl.

I doubt you're the kind to tell me both and let me make my own decision, either.

You have yet to ask.

Oh? Would you tell me both if I asked, then?

Perhaps.

Well. I'm asking.

Well. If you're going to continue to be vague. This is a purely hypothetical situation, mind you-- give me a moment to allow me to get the others so they may listen. It wouldn't do to start up a study without a peer group, now, would it?

[ The owl flutters back into the portrait-- and returns a moment later. Next to him on either side the birds line up-- a conure, a macaw, the owl, a vulture, a magpie and a shrike. ]

I might introduce you to the others, though you have already met the conures. The others are the macaws, the vultures, the magpie, the shrike. There are more, of course, but it would take far too long to bring out every single bird.

While we will listen as a group, in the end, our decisions will come down to the Shrike's decision.

[ The little grey and white bird raises itself a little, watching Lace with steely eyes. ]

[... just. looking at them all. she tries to will her eyes not to widen, but she can't truly succeed; it's a lot of birds, gathered together.]

[she's not sure where to begin, suddenly.]

[but she looks at the Shrike, for a start:]

So does that make you the leader?

Not a leader. Birds rarely follow a single individual.

You could call me the wisest, the most practical, the most... worldly. You would not be wrong.

Practical. Good.

[getting her feet back under her, a little.]

What do you want? What do you need? I'm no idiot, you wouldn't accept anyone's offer if it wasn't in your favor, and anything worth asking for has a steep price for the desperate.

My offer is simple. Grant us your power or your protection. The owl says it can't be both, so one or the other. Something powerful. Something to give us the strength to survive against the enemies arranged against us.

I don't care about wishes. The only victory I give a shit about is survival. I'll do just about anything to guarantee that.

[ The shrike surveys her for a moment longer. ]

Survival is a thing we all strive for.

[ The birds look at each other, and the owl speaks again. ]

Now, to the matter of business.

Should you hypothetically want power, well... you must understand we birds are not creatures of brute force. At least, not the ones that fly, such as us. Those of us who are predators-- we are so because of our speed, our precision, our specially adapted wings and eyes and talons that allow us to kill quickly and swiftly. I hate to admit it, but we are fragile creatures-- we are not made to stand and fight. Despite this, from our very beginnings my kind and my predatory cousins have instilled fear in the hearts of many creatures, young or old.

This is what we can offer you. We can offer an... adaptation. We can give you the power to create a similar fear, an instinctive fear, in those who would oppose you.

To be feared ... would certainly be appreciated. [which, from the way she says it, makes it clear she approves this option wholeheartedly. probably a little sadistically, in fact. but -]

And what of your protection?

[ The owl begins to speak, but the shrike starts louder, to silence him. ]

The Owl mentioned that we are not built for one-on-one combat. True, in fact, that we will take flight over fight any day, except to protect our hatchlings and maybe our mates.

Should you choose protection, in my opinion the wiser of the two decisions, you shall be able to cloak your home in a portrait of feathers. You can rest easy, you can hide until it is safe. Such is the way of all creatures, even the most arrogant, the most hostile of us. One must... "know when to quit", you might say.

And nothing will be able to touch us behind this cloak? Nothing at all.

Those are very generous offers you've made ... what's the catch? What are you asking from Cardinal in return?

the birds' realm

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