Warriors With Chickens: Book One: Into The Forest

Chapter 9

"Alright, keep your head low, and your body straight out." Goldenstar clucked very quietly to Sunquill. In response Sunquill quickly adjusted his posture, looking intently at the fat mouse he was preparing to catch.
"Once you get up to it, be sure to put your foot on its head or back to keep it from running away while you dispatch it." Goldenstar tutted.
Sunquill crept closer and closer to the little snuffling creature, its whiskers barely twitching, it had no clue he was approaching it. Finally, after a pause to check the direction of the wind, Sunquill sprang, his head low and his wings slightly out, he rapidly sprinted towards the mouse. The mouse lifted its head just in time to scurry away, but Sunquill snatched it by the tail and pulled it off the ground. He dropped it again and pecked it on the top of the head, stunning it.
He finished the kill by placing his foot atop the mouse's head and pecking hard three times, killing the mouse with a high pitched squeal.
"Fantastic!" Goldenstar clucked in response. "Your first mouse, and it was a decent clean kill too."
"Thank you Goldenstar." Sunquill peeped awkwardly, not wanting to think about the several failed attempts to catch nearly every prey animal in the forest.
It took a few moments, but quickly Sunquill found himself awash with excitement.
I just made my first kill. He thought excitedly.
"Well, you've caught one animal, I suppose you would like to try for a few more." Goldenstar clucked proudly.
"Yes please." Sunquill peeped.
Although Goldenstar spent the afternoon trying to help Sunquill catch something else, the red and brown cockerel still never came close enough to catch anything.
"Well, I suppose we should return to the camp and give your mouse to Flowerpetal. Her eggs will likely hatch very soon." Goldenstar clucked.
The two returned to the camp in relative silence, but Sunquill's little comb was still red with excitement the whole time he carried his furry little prize back into the camp.
Once they got to the camp Sunquill was quick to go to the nursery to deliver the mouse to Flowerpetal.
Upon entering the den Sunquill was met with the same warm feeling as usual.
"Here you go Flowerpetal." Sunquill peeped, laying the mouse at her chest.
"Oh, thank you very much." She said before snapping up the mouse in one movement.
As the little red cockerel strut out of the den he couldn't help but overhear two chickens clucking nastily about him.
"Well look at that." The mottled brown rooster he recognized as Leaffall clucked. "The pettyhen cockerel helping with a broody hen. Don't see that everyday."
"I just hope for everyone's sake that he doesn't take a mate of his own. We have enough damage done on our warriors, let alone what he will do to her." The blue colored hen he knew was called Slateriver replied with a prrt of laughter.
"Sadly enough I bet he assumes every hen in the Flock is his own." Leaffall clucked with equal humor.
Sunquill found his beak fall open and his comb go red with embarrassment at this exchange.
"It's alright Sunquill." A voice clucked from behind the red cockerel. He turned to see Tallcomb looking down at him, a knowing look in his orange eyes.
"They still hate me." Sunquill snorted kicking some dust with his little foot.
"They don't hate you, they just don't understand you. There is a very important difference." Tallcomb shook his head.
"Well in this case I can't see it." Sunquill peeped dejectedly.
"You come from a very different world from them and the rest of us. Just give them time to understand you, and that you are equal to them and the rest of us." Tallcomb tutted wisely. "It just takes effort."
"I suppose you're right." Sunquill peeped with his head up, for the first time meeting Tallcomb's gaze.
"Hey Sunquill!" Longquill peeped from across the camp.
"Go on, I think your friend needs you." Tallcomb clucked, nudging Sunquill.
Sunquill quickly strutted over to Longquill and lifted his head in greeting.
"We need to clean the elders den." Longquill peeped in response.
"Alright, when did Longspurs tell you that?" Sunquill tilted his red head.
"Not long ago." Longquill peeped. "Why?"
"Well where is he?" Sunquill cheeped. "I haven't seen him."
"What was that pettyhen?" A deep cluck sounded from behind Sunquill, scaring him into jumping around to face the powerful red rooster behind him.
"Oh I just didn't know where you were." Sunquill peeped innocently, hoping not to anger the rooster. Regardless of what Tallcomb had said, this warrior did hate him.
"Unlike on the farm you came from, there is little need here for you to know where every rooster in the area is." Longspurs growled, spitting out "farm" for emphasis, almost like he was trying to say it for the first time.
"I'm sorry." Sunquill muttered, shuffling away nervously, the rooster reminded him all too vividly of Major.
"There is no need for 'sorry' simply realize that your business is to learn, not inquire on the affairs of senior warriors. If your intention is to become a warrior, if you naught ever get that far, you must quickly figure that out or return to where you came from." Longspurs clucked intensely before stalking away."
"Well that was uncalled for." Sunquill peeped still uneasy.
"Well, he can get that way, he's as angry as a copperhead, and that's on a good day. 'Longquill! Catch that deer over there! Longquill! How did you not catch that pigeon it was only on the top of the highest tree in the forest? Of course I saw the mouse go into the tree roots, now uproot the tree and get it out!'" Longquill imitated with a prrt of laughter.
"And his spurs are as long as tree branches." Sunquill joked, as they both pattered to the elders den.
"I know, I bet that's what he used to crack out of his egg when he hatched." Longquill cheeped humorously.
"I'm surprised he can even walk." Sunquill peeped, beginning to walk with his legs so far apart that his feet no longer landed in a strait line, exaggerating the way Longspurs would walk if his spurs were truly as long as they joked that they were.
"The two continued to joke until they were at the entrance to the elders den, and Sunquill realized that he really could fit into the Flock, all he needed to do was learn.