Assassin Crow Evolution

Chapter 25: Beak-to-beak

An elder stabbed the eagle on its back. Jimmy only got a short glimpse of that spectacular move, before he had to make a sharp turn upwards, to avoid crashing into the alleyway below.

"Copying my moves, are ya?" He mumbled nearly silently.

Moments later, he met with the elder up in the air. He recognized him as one of the elders who beat his father close to death.

Jimmy wanted to thank the elder crow for swooping in, and saving him from the eagle, but he chose to stay quiet. He was too prideful to thank the elder.

The two of them just maintained eye-contact for a moment, before their attention was sucked in by the eagle once more.

"Why won’t that fucker go down?" He grunted.

The eagle, after being stabbed, had nearly crashed into the alleyway. If it had done so, this bloodbath would’ve been over, but no, the eagle did not give up.

It beamed towards the sky again, and although it took its sweet time, it eventually shifted its direction, and flew towards the crows.

"Are we fighting a tank?" He said, "If we fought a human, we would’ve killed the fucker two stabs ago... maybe its fur is protecting it?"

Jimmy’s frustration was ever-rising, and to those who paid attention, it was evident. His body was jerking up and down mid air, as if he was infested with fleas.

Despite his frustration, he charged towards the eagle head on.

"What in the name of the divines are you doing!" He heard the elder shout behind him.

Jimmy ignored the elder. He continued to nurture his attack plan as he charged towards the eagle.

Every crow who watched him charge forward, believed that he was suicidal. Even from afar, the eagle dwarfed him in size. Being anywhere close to the eagle, willingly, was a death sentence!

Unyielding in the face of danger, he decided to switch his language, and conclude his plan.

"Virena, I need your help." He said, "I’m going to get as close to the eagle as I can. When I do, hop on its back, and do your work. It won’t notice you at all, don’t worry."

"I’m not worried," she said, quite calmly.

Once Jimmy was a few feet away from clashing with an eagle, he once more took a dive.

His pupils froze in place when he saw the eagle also dive!

In a split second, the two of them were beak-to-beak, and crashed mid-air.

The impact could’ve broken his neck at the very least, but as quickly as a cat, he managed to move his head upwards by a couple of inches, avoiding what could’ve been instant death!

Two front flips after, he found himself diving towards the ground. A sharp pain spread from his head, all the way to his shoulder blades.

The eagle flew past him, and headed towards the other crows. It did not even care to chase after him, and believed that it had already dealt enough damage.

"It learned my moves?" He winced, and tried his best to ignore the pain.

Jimmy plummeted through the air for a few seconds.

With great effort, he managed to regain his balance, and landed on a rooftop. He could only hope that he didn’t break any bones as a result of that collision.

[You did not break any bones, but I highly advise that you leave the premises, or at least hide. You must recover before you indulge in any other activity. Something as little as pecking at a bug could hinder your recovery significantly!]

"No kidding," He winced, and his breathing was labored, "I think I’m gonna pass out..."

Jimmy’s vision was blurred. The slightest of movements resulted in a tough, aching sensation concentrated somewhere across his back.

In a way, he was reminded of the time he died, back when he was a human. The sensation was nearly identical, aside from the fact that he could actually move, even if it hurt him.

Regardless, he refused to pass out. His body wanted to give in, but he knew that if he was unconscious anywhere close to that eagle, he may die. It was as simple as that.

As a result, he watched the crows, and the eagle. He was hoping that they learned from his tactics, and mistakes, to the point where they could fight for themselves.

Although he had double-vision, making the single eagle look like two, he followed its movements nonetheless.

A few mere seconds later, he saw the eagle falling from the sky!

It did not move its wings, and it plummeted towards the ground head first!

"What the?" He grunted, "Did he finally bleed out?"

A line of blood did follow after the eagle as it plummeted. He could see that much. He was also well aware that none of the crows attacked it before the eagle plummeted.

The battle was over, and he believed that it was over by luck, but moments later, he saw a tiny green speck heading towards him.

It was Virena, the Praying Mantis. She was quick to land in front of him. Her sickle was absolutely coated in fresh blood.

"Are you okay?" She exclaimed.

"Did you just kill the..." He tried to speak, but his chest hurt as well now.

"I sliced its throat," She said, "You birds are nothing like us insects. You need your neck to breathe, so I simply cut its neck."

"If I tried that, I would’ve lost my head," He said, "Good job!"

Knowing that he was safe, Jimmy finally gave in to his body’s demands. He passed out.

When he woke up, it was night-time. His head hurt as if he was hit by a truck, but as he stood up, he discovered that he could move nearly freely now! His body didn’t hurt as much anymore.

A few inches ahead of him, he found Virena sitting on top of a dead rat. She was asleep, and this was no surprise, but the more he looked at her, the angrier he got.

"Where the hell did the crows go?" He asked himself as quietly as he could.