Free Web NovelChapter 27: A coward’s war
The six crows that remained after the ritual shared different statuses across the community. One would never see them together in other cases.
In this cold morning, they didn’t remain in the meadow to further pay their respect. One could respect a dead crow only so much. No, each and every one of the six crows had some sort of interest, or even an agenda that they stood behind.
Hammer Beak, the same elder who delivered the speech, remained in the meadows. So did Zed and Gutling, the other two elders who, in a way, were under Hammer Beak’s command.
A unique crow, who went by the name of White Blade, was also there. He was a three-year old albino crow who was revered in the community as a talented assassin. He was considered talented, because he had evolved four times already. Two of his evolutions were dedicated to the way of the blade.
Gordon the Vast was the fifth crow. More recently, he was recognized as the most stable crow in Jimmy’s family tree.
Jimmy was the sixth. Virena remained on his back.
The funeral didn’t affect him as much as it affected the other crows, so it was fair to say that he wasn’t here to pay his respects.
He approached Hammer Beak, and directly asked, "Who are we at war with?"
"It’s none of your concern," Hammer Beak said, "Your family banished you, young one, and although we don’t have a rule for your kind, you should consider yourself banished from our community as well. I only invited you to this funeral because you helped us kill that filthy Dry Eagle, but do not think even for a moment that your contribution puts you up to the rank to demand answers from me."
"Damn... what sort of grass blade ran up your ass?" He squinted, irritated.
Hammer Beak did not respond right away. He looked at Jimmy, and then he looked at the sky.
"Perhaps not everyone is deserving of a burial?" Iron Beak muttered.
Shortly after, he rushed towards Jimmy with his blade blazing forward.
Jimmy fully expected this, so he jerked his kitchen knife upwards.
Their blades clashed!
Jimmy’s kitchen knife was hardly a match against a vastly thicker dagger, so he was nearly stabbed in the face. The tip of the opponent’s blade missed his pupil by a hair strand.
Hammer Beak swung the second time, but to his shock, his blade was yanked out of his claw.
Cling!
Hammer Beak’s blade flew two feet away. Shortly after, he saw the mantis on Jimmy’s back spin some sort of steel weapon around.
"How dare you, bug!" He shouted.
In a split second, both Jimmy and Hammer Beak were on the ground. They could barely bring themselves to stand up afterwards.
Gordon the Vast towered over them. His beak, who quite commonly was also shaped like a hammer, nearly reflected the sunlight that shone above their heads. He had knocked them down.
"Behave yourselves," Gordon the Vast demanded, "I haven’t traveled over many cities to see you self-righteous rat droppings fight."
Turning to the two other elders, he said, "Now I believe that my brother asked a very important question. You will answer him, and I want you to explain how this war won’t wipe at least half of us out."
As Jimmy stood up, he whispered, "Well, this is not the Gordon I remember."
"Us?" Hammer Beak parroted once he managed to stand up, "Neither of you are one of us. Your brother was banished by his own father, and as for you... you and those cowardly siblings of yours, abandoned our community a long time ago! How dare you demand answers from me?"
"You don’t want to answer?" Gordon followed along, "Alright, let me do it on your behalf, old man."
Turning to his brother, Gordon then said, "These old men, who have one foot in the grave already, have declared war on a human. A Fire Mage, if I understood it right? The same man who had sent that eagle after us yesterday. The same man who from what I heard, killed Ferocious Wing, the biggest crow to have ever existed. The mage killed plenty of us crows, but of course, this time it’ll be different. This time we’ll win, and this time, we actually won’t lose half, if not all of our community in the process. It makes a lot of sense. We’re chasing the war our father was beaten for."
The sarcastic remarks behind Gordon’s words were as plain as day. He managed to get everyone frustrated without discrimination. Even Virena, who did not understand the language of the crows, could tell that Gordon was pushing every boundary there was out there.
The debate would’ve stretched forever, or at least until one crow killed the other. Hammer Beak may have fallen on his back physically, but mentally, he would never give up on his ideas.
In the meantime, a bird flew towards them, barrel rolling across the air just for the fun of it. Unburdened by the hammer he held with his claws. He croaked, sang, chirped, and switched between languages as if it was nothing.
Before he landed, he heard Hammer Beak shouting, cawing his lungs out, "I’ve been through wars, I fought in them, and I can assure you, moron, that every war had meaning! I survived them, and I’ll survive this war as well, but you, Gordon, hear my words, you will suffer a worse fate than your brother!"
"War war war," The bird mocked him once he landed close to the murder of crows, "Your wars may have had meaning, Hammer Beak, but you lost almost every time."
The bird who dropped by uninvited, sent shivers down nearly everyone’s spines. He was Maron, a massive raven who even towered over Gordon in height by a whole foot. His size could be confused with that of an eagle’s.
Maron then approached Hammer Beak, and lifted his hammer near him, "If you wish to wage war against us ravens, Hammer Beak, I welcome it. But know that this time we won’t spare you. We won’t agree to another peace treaty, like the last one you cowards pushed on us."
