The Fray of Werebirds [Discontinued]

Chapter 9 - Sirena's Dilemma

My mouth watered as I held a warm cheeseburger in my hands. Its delicious odor wafted into my nose and my stomach grumbled furiously. I couldn't take it anymore. My teeth sunk into the chewy bun and the well-done meat patty in between, allowing the cheese to melt on my tongue.

I wolfed down my meal, jamming mouthfuls of greasy golden fries down my throat and gulping my refreshing vanilla milkshake when I needed a break. Energy and optimism coursed through my body once more. Finally I sagged back on the restaurant bench, stuffed and satisfied.

"I should have noticed that bird spying on us," Sirena muttered, picking through her salad.

"It's not your fault, darling. It is I who has extraordinary skills," Gregory shrugged boastfully, tossing another nugget into his mouth.

Sirena rolled her eyes, "Anyway, I have come for an issue far more important than that."

"So those silly flocks are in conflict yet again," Gregory speculated, now sipping his strawberry milkshake, "It is particularly for that reason I have decided to detach myself from them."

"Actually, it's not about the flocks," Sirena hesitated, and then declared, "Queen Olivia has fallen."

Gregory literally spat his milkshake all over the table, missing Sirena's hair by a few inches.

"O, cruel death why hast thou snatched away my one and only sibling!" Gregory wailed to no one in particular. He took a deep breath afterwards, and said one word, "How?"

"She was very ill, too ill to even attend the council," Sirena answered, "So I went in her stead and it was there that the news of her death reached me."

"I am greatly sorry for the loss of your mother, Lady Sirena, or is it Queen Sirena now?"

She shook her head, "I'm afraid not. When I was on my way back, Tamara and four of her followers intercepted. She wanted to take my position as successor of the throne by convincing the werebirds I had died somehow. I tried to get past them but they were too powerful. I barely escaped alive. Ever since she's been using humans to go after me and make sure I'm killed."

"Wait- So you're, like, a princess?" I blurted out in disbelief.

"Not exactly, but you could say so," Gregory replied, and then continued, "I see this is quite a problem you've got. I am not obliged to fix anything that goes on within the flock, but since this threatens the life of my nephew then I guess I wouldn't mind going on a little adventure."

Sirena thanked him, "I would truly appreciate your help."

"Do you have a plan in mind?"

"I can't communicate with anyone in my flock and we obviously can't ask help from the other flocks, so I came here hoping that you had connections with werebirds who, such as yourself, aren't bound to a flock. We're going to need a good deal of power if we wanted to beat Tamara."

"Hmm... I don't exactly know a lot of werebirds," he mused. Suddenly his face split into a mischievous smile, "Or maybe I do. They're quite far away overseas, living on an island, but they're the strongest I have ever known."

"That's great!" Sirena beamed, looking relieved for the first time.

"And where does this fella fit in the story?" Gregory gestured towards me.

Sirena explained to him how I ended up tagging along. When she was done, Gregory ordered the bill, but he never got the chance to pay. Just then a stout man approached our table. He gawked back and forth between Sirena and his phone.

Finally he yelled over his shoulder, "I think this is the gal with a bounty on her head."

Soon he was joined by two more men, each looking even more aggressive than the last.

"Looks like we've got company," Gregory remarked.

"Listen pal, either we do this the easy way or the hard way," one of them cracked his knuckles.

The magician got up, carefree, and spilled his milkshake over the ruffian's head. The man stood dumb, too stunned to speak at first but then his face burned so red I could almost see steam rising.

Gregory smirked, "Of course it wouldn't be any fun unless we did this the hard way."

Things were about to get messy.