Claws

Rut

Maybe it was having our own residence. Maybe it was the fresh country air. Maybe it was the immaculately prepared food. Maybe it was always having a full belly.
Whatever it was, I could not stop jumping Luka's bones. I had him for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sometimes dessert for days now. It was clearly tiring him out— he had switched from giving it to me raw every time to playing with me with toys instead. Not that I was complaining.
Once again, I found myself yowling for Luka on his king-sized bed. There was an ache in the pit of my stomach that I just couldn't get rid of, no matter how many times I found myself pinned under my human writhing and calling out his name.
It was still plagued by painful memories. Whether fortunately or unfortunately, I still couldn't help myself and I still found myself begging for relief multiple times a day.
After I finished into a cup-like contraption, Luka rolled back on his heels and sighed, "You're in a rut."
When I cocked my head in confusion, still half naked with my pants around my ankles, he clarified, "Usually lionheart start going into rut around your age. The reduction in environmental stress may have finally triggered it for you."
"You still haven't explained what it is." I egged him on.
"Female lionheart go into heat, male lionheart go into rut. It happens about once a year. You're just really going to want to get your rocks off for the next month."
"For the next month?" I cried, "I've barely been able to handle four days!"
"Sorry hun." Luka comforted, "All I can do is make it easier on you."
A gargantuan groan left my body. I could already feel myself getting horny again.
My master continued, "Let's do something to work out all that energy. How about some agility training?"
My ears perked up at the suggestion, and Luka took it as a yes. Not ten minutes later, we were in exercise garb and running an obstacle course. Vigor that I hadn't felt before made me power through weave poles, jumps, and A-frames.
"Aaaaaand time!" Luka hollered, "That's a new personal best!"
I was already covered in sweat. Something inside of me was building up without my consent. My feathers ruffled and wings arched, shimmying in the light breeze. My chest puffed up, and all I wanted to do was scream, or more accurately, howl. A deep breath in and out, and another, and another, and I was about to—
A hand was placed firmly over my mouth.
"Can you please not howl, especially right next to the mansion?" Luka begged, "My dad will hear and he'll be on my ass about breeding you for the next four weeks."
Uncharacteristically, I asked under a muffling hand, "And that's a bad thing because....?"
A huff left my master. "Because I don't want to breed you. You have severe behavioral issues that might be passed genetically."
"Thanks." I growled sarcastically.
"Unless you'd rather I just neuter you?" He prodded, and my eyes went wide. "Thought so."
The offending hand was finally removed, and its owner said, "Run the course again. I want to see five perfect runs in a row."
     My first attempt was squandered four runs in by a particularly high jump, when the tips of my toeclaws  graced the bar mid-air.
     A whistle rang out through the air and Luka cried, "Foul! Start from the beginning."
     Three more attempts passed in a similar fashion. Four of five runs in, a minor mistake would be made, and my master would send me straight back to the beginning. By the fifth attempt, a small gaggle of lionheart had gathered outside of the course to watch. Among them were Fig, Roo, and a couple of other birds I'd not had the chance to meet yet.
     "Foul!" Luka hollered at me as I ran headfirst into a weave pole. "Try again!"
     A few snickers sounded out from the crowd. I felt a fire light somewhere inside of me. I wanted to show them how agile I really was— definitely more than any of them!
     My next run was perfect, and the one after that, and the next three. Some hoots, hollers, and clapping was heard from the sidelines.
     As I stood at the end of the course panting and fanning my wings to cool off, my human came up beside me and patted my sweaty back before saying, "All it took was some spectators. Maybe we should invite them next time too."
     Luka ruffled my feathers affectionately and added, "Go say hi to them."
     A dismissive hand waved him off, but I did as I was told regardless.
     "Hey! How's it going?" I called out on my way over to them.
     A chorus of various responses including "Hi Apollo!", "Hey!", and "Great, how are you?" Sounded out all at once.
     Fig was the first to physically greet me despite the sweat. A gray wing rubbed against my left with a welcoming purr. Roo greeted me next with a headbutt against the chest.
     Two new birds whom I hadn't had the chance to greet stood off to the side.
     "Hi," one bird said, a Native American with long black hair that was put back in a braid, "I'm Fuzz."
     I was starting to appreciate my name more and more.
     "I'm Ace." The other bird said. She too was native, also with flowing black hair. Each bird had the same hooked nose and brown eyes that made me question if they were related.
     "Hi, I'm Apollo." I began, "Nice to meet you two."
"Those were some good runs you did out there." Ace started, "Except for when you smacked into a weave pole."
"Yeah," Roomba joined, "that was pretty bad."
"I'd like to see you try it!" I exclaimed.
"I never said I could do it!" Roo laughed at my exacerbation.
Fig Newton, who had stayed silent, decided to speak up. "I could have done it in my younger days. Enjoy your youth while it lasts, kids."
"You say that like you're fifty." Fuzz laughed through his words, then more curiously asked, "How old are you, Fig?"
     "Forty-eight." Fig replied matter-of-fact-ly.
     "What?!" All four of us responded at once. Singularly, I asked, "I thought the oldest bird alive was forty-two? You don't have a wrinkle on your face!"
      Fig's tone grew somber. "We can live well into our seventies. We're just usually slaughtered before then."
     Silence consumed the group for several uneasy seconds.
     Finally, Roo spoke up. "What do you mean, slaughtered?"
     "I mean when we are no longer useful we're taken out into the country and shot. When we can no longer hunt, fight, or be bred for status." Fig confirmed.
      "And what about you?" I pried.
      "Like you said, I don't have a wrinkle on my face. I'm still fast enough to hunt small game." A big sigh left Fig. "After that? I have no idea. My master said he wants to keep me until I pass naturally, but I'm not sure I want to die old and too frail to hunt."
     "That doesn't sound too bad to me." Fuzz countered softly, "Getting to spend your twilight years with someone who loves you?"
     "What's the point if you have no purpose?" Ace murmured. "You might just outlive your master."
      Again, it was quiet.
     "Let's change the subject." Roo offered, and instead of the pressing subject, we chatted about Fig's hunting history for a few minutes. Apparently, he hunted bear in his youth, but now focused on smaller prey like opossum, raccoon, and rabbit.
     Before long, the feeling in my gut came back, and I started to think of Kennedy.
     What is he doing? How is he holding up? How is the pack?
     The fact that I knew the questions would go unanswered felt like a pile of bricks in my stomach.
      Could I call him? Write him letters? Maybe videochat?
     Thoughts of his blond wings, loving eyes, smooth skin, all had me feeling more and more like I really was stuck in a rut.
"You okay, Apollo?" Fig said, and suddenly I was back to reality.
"Oh, uh, yeah." I stammered, "Just thinking."
"What about?" Asked Roo.
"An old friend." A heartbroken sough left me after the words.
Fuzz hummed with interest, "Doesn't sound like you were thinking about a friend."
"Spill!" Ace demanded.
"Okay, okay," I caved, "I was thinking of a bird I used to be sweet on. We got split up in the move."
A saddened sound left Roomba. "Were you mated?"
"No." I answered simply.
Ace laughed with pity. "I bet you wish you were right now."
"What do you mean?" Curiosity infected my tone.
Fig scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "We can all tell you're in rut." He confessed.
"What? How?" An embarrassed blush painted my cheeks peach-pink.
"You smell like sex and testosterone." Fuzz deadpanned. "Dead giveaway."
I groaned rather than reply.
"Hey, we all go through it." Fig comforted, "It's no big deal."
"It sucks." I admitted, "It sucks so much. I'd fuck a tree stump right now."
The group burst into childish snickering.
"Yeah, you'll learn to handle it though. Just drink lots of water, masturbate a lot, and get plenty of exercise. Howling helps." Roo imparted.
"Luka doesn't want me to howl." I responded, "But I'll try everything else."
"Why doesn't he want you to howl?" Fuzz asked, "It's completely natural and helps relieve some tension."
"That's a whole can of worms." I laughed awkwardly before deciding to let the cat out of the bag, "Mr. Fryre wants to breed me, and Luka doesn't want to breed me. Says I have "psychological issues". So howling is off limits, presumably because his dad would hear and start pestering him about it."
"Psychological issues?" Roo echoed with confusion.
"I'm a rehab." I confessed.
A chorus of understanding ohhhhs left the birds.
"But trauma isn't genetic." Fuzz replied, "And you're huge, with nice plumage and toeclaws. You could make your master a lot of money with your fledglings. I don't see why he's so against it."
"Despite my current predicament," I countered, "I'd rather not be bred like a dog."
"Why not?" Pried Fig, "Fledgelings are a wonderful source of joy."
"I don't want kids, and I've got trauma surrounding sex. I don't want to be coupled up with some stranger and forced to breed." I was starting to feel trapped by the conversation.
"It wouldn't be a stranger." Ace revealed, "You'd get to know them first. Maybe even properly mate."
"Interesting concept, but I'm still not into it." I pushed back. "Again, sexual trauma?"
"Sex is sex." Roomba said insensitively, and something in my started to snap.
"Sex isn't sex when your alpha ties you down and rapes you." I spat.
Everyone went quiet.
Carefully, cautiously, Roo offered a tentative "I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
"It's okay." I replied, "I just really, really don't want to have sex with a female ever again."
"I don't blame you." Said Fuzz, "I was forcefully bred too, but I had a wonderful support system and a therapist to talk to. I'm sorry you went through that."
"Thank you." I mumbled. I wasn't sure what else to say.
As if to save me from the conversation, which was very much possible, Luka let loose a loud wolf whistle to summon me back to the obstacle course.
"Well, I gotta run." I offered as an excuse to leave the situation, "Catch you guys later."
"Have fun!" Called Fig as I turned tail and trotted off.
"See you later! Bye!" Ace shouted after me.
"Bye, Apollo!" Fuzz yelled.
"Bye! Nice seeing you!" Roomba called out before adding, "Sorry again!"
Overwhelmed by the positivity, I responded with a backwards wave, "Thanks guys! Bye! See you later!"
Luka worked me until I couldn't any more, then kept working me. No run was ever precise enough, was ever perfect enough, was ever fast enough. He pushed me until I felt the world spinning beneath me and had to kneel despite shouted orders to get up and run the course again.
"I'm done, Master...." I paused to gasp for air, "I can't.... I'm sorry."
"That's a good booooy." The human cooed.
"W-What?" I stuttered out between gasps, wiping sweat from my eyes.
"We came here to exhaust you, and exhaust you we did. Time to go home." He purred as if he hadn't watched me run the most difficult marathon known to man.
     The dinner bell tolled on the five-minute walk home, but Luka kept towards the house. I followed his lead, and he addressed the decision.
     "We're eating at home tonight. I don't want you around my dad right now."
     "We can't do this forever, Luka." My response came through a heavy sigh.
     "No, but we can do it for a month. And do it for a month we shall."
     "That sounds impossible." I groaned.
     "It's simple," he proposed, "we just have to stay away from the mansion and my father until you're out of rut."
     My reply was somber. "He knows where we live, Luka."
     "Then I won't let him in." The human sounded agitated, but I didn't stop.
     "It won't work!" I despaired, "There's no use, Luka, he's going to get what he wants. He's going to breed me to some random bird and it'll be Riya all over again—"
     "Stop!" He commanded, "It will not happen, so stop jinxing yourself!"
     "How can you be so sure?" I prodded, "You heard what he said on our ride here. He wants fledgelings from me. Fuzz already told me that he was forced to breed, so what's stopping your dad from doing the same thing to me?"
     Luka whipped around faster than I'd ever seen a human move, and with the same speed, placed a tightly-gripping hand on each shoulder.
"I'm stopping him from doing that to you! What don't you understand? I am your Master. I am here for you, Apollo. I have your best interests in mind." He yelled not a foot from my face.
     With the same intensity, I yelled back, "Separating me from my pack, from my mate, from the only home I've ever known was in my best interests?"
     A jarring slap hit me across the face. For several seconds, I was stunned.
     While in my stupor, the human growled, "Don't you dare speak to me that way! I have given up my entire career for you, Apollo! I have given up my entire life's work for you!"
     A low, grumbling growl built up in my chest. Fangs bared at the human. He gulped but held his stance.
"I am so fucking tired," I snarled in my tongue, "of humans always thinking they know best."
     "Get used to it." Luka spat back, "Because I do know what's best for you."
"Like hell!" I hissed back in avic. My shimmering wings arched behind me and I felt a raspy breath enter and exit my body.
     "No!" Luka scolded, "Don't you dare!"
     Another huge, unsatisfying breath cycled through me. My entire body moved with its weight. A petite, tan hand clamped over my mouth, and pointed fangs bit into it. Its owner's strangled screech prompted me to release it, and Luka stumbled back as if he'd been punched full-force in the chest.
     My master's barely-human whimpers and whines did nothing to slow my ragged gasping.
Am I having a panic attack?
     No. This feels different.
     Erupting from my chest was the most inhuman sound I'd ever made; a snarling howl left me with such ferocity the human in front of me clutched both his bleeding and uninjured hand over his ears to shield himself from the noise.
     In the distance, another howl sounded out. Then another, and another, until every bird in the ranch had joined in. A few cut off prematurely as if silenced by irked masters and mistresses.
     It was a cry of desperation, of resentment, of anger, and of sorrow.
     When the sound finally ceased, I locked eyes with my master.
     And I ran as fast as I could.
Trembling, over-exerted legs could barely outrun the human marathon runner chasing me. There was one part of my body that still worked fine, however, and they caught wind as I ran. Testing wings outstretched little by little, as tail feathers on my calves expanded outwards like fans.
A leap and a flap, and I found myself lifted up before tumbling back to the earth. Running legs barely caught myself, Luka still hot on my tail. Again I tried. Again I failed. On the third attempt, I used all of the remaining strength in my shaking legs to shoot myself into the air. My wings caught me next, and with one, two, three giant flaps I was over the trees around us.
"Apollo!" Luka cried out from beneath me.
I ignored his calls in favor of the night sky. For as long as I possibly could, I flew, and gained altitude until I was suspended amongst the clouds. Water vapor doused me in mist as I soared through the clouds under the full moon.
Experimenting with my motions, I found that a circular flap was best for propelling myself forwards. Bringing my wings to an upside-down V near my face sent me hurtling to the earth at extreme speeds. When I finally caught myself with my parachute wings, I felt like they were going to rip right off.
Flying was exhausting. After forty minutes of playing around I was struggling to keep my frame aloft. I was running on fumes.
Not too far in the distance, a bustling city that smelled remarkably like food caught my sights, and I set my sights there. Not fifteen minutes later, I was flying in the clouds over skyscrapers. Despite it being the dark night, the city was lit up like a Christmas tree.
As carefully as my exhausted body could, I eased down to one of the tallest skyscrapers and landed on the roof.
Okay, I didn't land per say, but I did hit the ground running, fall, flip over several times, and found myself hanging on for dear life to the edge of the building, dangling over the precipice below me. Impossibly, I dragged myself back up with what little strength I had left. Both my claws and toeclaws dulled significantly as I scrambled up the side of the concrete building. My body landed with a hard thud on the roof of the skyscraper.
Utterly wiped out, I let my heavy eyes drift closed in the strange new place.