"Oh no!" Seeing the massive eagle coming for a dive, Kigen was awestruck. How could there be such a huge beast. It seemed to be larger than the one he had just fought.
Not one to stick around, Kigen quickly descended into the foliage. He couldn't help thinking that if the previous eagle was mommy, then he'd just met daddy, and daddy was pissed. However, was it pissed enough to make mommy's mistake?
Shooting forward like an arrow, the eagle came following Kigen. Due to the damage done by mommy, the foliage was not as thick as Kigen would have hoped. He quickly bobbed and weaved as he tried to move from one tree to another.
The eagle was not slowing down, but it seemed to be quite skilled in the air. Even with its speed, it still managed to avoid even the little twigs as it flew.
Looking behind occasionally, Kigen had to admit he was impressed.
Just as he was moving around a branch, a loud screech sounded behind his back. The next moment, he suddenly felt concussive waves come crashing on his backside, tossing him against the branch he was about to go around.
As he turned, writhing with pain, he saw massive claws coming at him. They had already been angled, and they were just inches away.
Acting on instinct, Kigen's wings fluttered all at once, instantly removing himself from the path of the claws. Seeing Kigen manage to evade, the eagle banked, looking to gain some momentum.
In these critical moments, Kigen had managed to stabilize himself long enough, and now he was coming down hard, ready to take the enemy's eye away.
Puff!
This time, his fist found the hard end of the beak. The beast had seen his actions from a far, and as he came closer, it had actually intended to bite him. Luckily, he was fast enough to evade the bite.
The eagle was knocked back a step, while Kigen was sent tumbling down. Looking at his hand, it was completely mangled.
With depressing realization, Kigen decided there's no way he could overcome this foe, not at his current level. All he could do now was run away.
Seeing the offender tumbling down, the eagle managed to leverage in the air, turning and following the little thing.
Seeing his enemy in hot pursuit, Kigen smiled. While the eagle was unparalleled in the skies, under the canopy of trees of the rainforest, no one had his kind of movement speed and maneuverability.
Zooming here and there, Kigen seemed to be taunting the eagle. With the beating of his mid wings, he could instantly change direction. If he needed a burst of speed, the hind wings were there to give him the boost he needed.
Seeing this, the eagle faltered in its pursuit, seeming to give up. Turning around, Kigen slowed down gleefully. That's when he saw the look coming from the eagle. Give up? Did not seem to be the case.
Screech!
As before, the eagle unleashed a sound attack that sent concussive waves towards its target. Before he could react, the attack had already landed, sending him hurtling towards some trunk of a tree. He could barely hear, and his brain felt as though it had endured a severe beating.
However, Kigen knew the enemy was out there, and he was vulnerable, so he couldn't remain in this state for much longer. Beating his wings, he suddenly moved from his position, until he ended up striking another tree trunk.
While he had been cautious, he still felt a fair bit of pain on his body. This helped him recover some, and he hoped, he had managed to put some distance from the eagle.
By now, he had managed to gain some stability, he opened his eyes to look around.
Inches away, the eagle was just about to tear apart the offender with ugly momentum. The massive claws were just centimeters from his face.
With a yelp, Kigen beat his hind wings violently, moving up and above the claws, once more dodging. However, the eagle came plowing down on Kigen, its massive frame sending him sprawling across the forest floor.
The eagle's wings flapped about as it turned to face the offender on the ground. It seemed to be preparing for another strike. On the ground, Kigen could feel multiple fractures, or whatever the plant version was, on his body.
Seeing the eagle's movements, Kigen did not want to find out whatever hell it was preparing. He suddenly accelerated up, headed towards the clearing he had spotted. The hind wings propelled him higher and higher, leaving the eagle in the dust.
However, the eagle was not falling behind. Changing direction quickly, it turned around and chased the offender, priming itself for another concussive attack.
For every small distance he managed, Kigen was grateful for it. He moved with blitzing speeds, until he was high enough. Banking in the air, he turned to where the mother tree was. With all the power he could muster, he dashed towards where he knew was home, and safe.
The eagle was undaunted, turning and pursuing without stop. By now, Kigen was not just an offensive pest, or some prey it was going after. To the eagle, the little critter had to die. The nest was torn apart, and even its partner was dead.
Seeing the eagle in hot pursuit, Kigen proceeded to push himself. Faster and faster, he descended towards the mother tree. All his wings were folded and fluttering, accelerating him further.
After a few flaps of its massive wings, the eagle was also making good time as it dived after its target. Its massive aerodynamic body zoomed across the skies, gravity further aiding in its pursuit.
Kigen looked behind him, only to find the furious looking face of the eagle nipping at his heels. Terrified, he fluttered his hind wings harder and faster, sending him hurtling through the air.
Eagle and fairy were neck to neck, eagle almost about to claim it's prize. That's when the two divebombing, the branches and twigs of the mother tree suddenly came into view. To Kigen, this was refuge, home. To the eagle, this was a nuisance.
As the king of the skies, the eagle had tangled with a few branches and twigs in its time. Therefore, it knew how to react. Using its powerful wings, the eagle furiously thrust its wings, generating wind to blow away the branches.
However, no matter how hard it tried, there always seemed to be some new branch or twig that would magically come into place. As the eagle beat its wings harder, the more it found itself entrenched deeper into the mess.
Seeing the pandemonium happening behind him, Kigen had stopped and turned around, to check what was happening. At first, he didn't quite get it, but suddenly, it all seemed to click.
Like him, the mother tree had some tendrils coming off her, striking into the eagle. No doubt, they were sucking the life out of the eagle. Kigen had to admit, those tendrils should not be called tendrils, more like vines. They were massive, and they seemed to be growing with intensity.
Kigen did not know how to react. The massive vines thrust their way into the eagle. As the beast struggled, they continued on and drilled into its body. The fighting spirit of the bird seemed to weaken, and its flapping came to a halt altogether.
Once it died, the consumption process seemed to quicken. The beast seemed to be literally sucked from the inside out, and only skin and bones, and feathers were left. Before long, not even the feathers were there. Then the bones, and finally, the skin.
All this seemed to happen so fast, in a matter of minutes. As he watched, rather than being horrified, Kigen was fascinated. Matter of fact, he began feeling hungry, which reminded him of his incomplete meal.
Once mother was done with her meal, Kigen lifted off and went to retrieve the eagle. From a far, he could see a vulture circling his meal, but the majority were down below, fighting over the fish.
Quickly, he dived to the eagle, and went underneath the thing. Using great effort, he tried to consume as much of the eagle as he could. He knew the vultures were nearby, and he had to finish up fast.
Willing himself to run the strange energy, he felt both energetic and powerful. He could feel that he was draining more and more of the eagle's body into himself, until there was nothing to drain.
There were still the feathers, the bones, and some skin, but he was not concerned with that. For now, he had a more pressing issue, or rather, issues.
For starters, he had overextended himself. He seemed to realize he did not have infinite stamina. When running that strange power in his body, while it fills him power, it drains some stamina. Now he was feeling very tired.
Secondly, he saw the newly hatched baby eagle squawking nearby. If he let it be, the vultures were not going to be gracious at all. All this time, he had thought of eagles of enemies, but he had exhausted his anger. Now, looking at the two babies, Kigen did not want to leave them to fate.
Perhaps, because he too was an orphan, he always had a special place for orphans. He still remembered how useless he felt leaving the baby mice behind. He could not imagine leaving the new baby eagle, especially since he was directly responsible.
Looking at the nest, there was still some sections that remained intact. The eagle had been very destructive, but it did not intend to destroy its home completely. Using some twigs, grass and branches, Kigen was able to piece together a small section, where he placed the little baby eagle on.
Mustering all the strength his tired body could take, he mounted the skies once more, this time, pulling on the makeshift nest he'd just put together. On it, a small little bird was loudly squawking, unaware of its fate.
Only one problem, where to place her?