A Case of the Missing Eggs!: Chapter 1

The cool morning air had covered two large female kukuri’s pelts with a light blanket of frost. Small flakes of snow, barely visible to the naked eye, glittered in the sky as they fell to the ground. The  snowy landscape twinkling in the pre-dawn light like a thousand diamonds. 

They would not last long however as the temperature was starting to rise as the sun started to peek over the horizon. Streaks of yellow, orange and pink were soon making their way into the darkened sky. The light had awoken a small song sparrow that started to sing praise to the rising sun. The sparrow's song was carried throughout the forest that surrounded the clearing for miles to come. 

 As the sun rose a little higher the light chased away the shadows and brightened the dull landscape of frost and snow. The rays were warming the air, and starting to melt the frost on Ryoko’s light hazel coat as the sun ascended higher into the sky. Her eidos feathers, as beautiful as a sunrise or sunset, had melted the frost coating them and a droplet fell onto her cheek.

She raised her head with a start, still blurry eyed due to sleep and let out a large yawn. Blinking her eyes to focus on her surroundings she watched as the sun. The sky was free of clouds today. What a lovely sight! 

Beside her another female kukuri slept. This darker hazel coated kukuri, much like Ryoko, had been gifted with eidos feathers. Zuli’s feathers were of different hues of blue, tipped with yellow and small yellow spots, much like the sun in the sky. 

As Ryoko started to stand the noise of shuffling woke up Zuli as she pried one eye open to glare at her companion. She shuffled her head away from the sun's rays trying to get another moment of sleep before she had to get up herself as it was time to hunt! 

Shaking off their coats of the dew both kukuri prepared to head out. //Before they could however a large bird of prey descended upon them. A Stryx! Snow swirled about the trio as the dragon-like bird flapped her wings, slowing her descent. 

Belladonna landed in the clearing before the two kukuri. Her brilliant purple feathers shone brightly as they caught the sunlight. Her galyx markings make the feathers shine a purplish pink colour. 

“I am Belladonna, Lady of Death, The Wise Witch, and Sorceress of Sol” bellowed the mighty Harpia. In a more pleasant tone she added “but you may call me Bella,” she bowed to them slightly.  

Unsure Ryoko and Zuli introduced themselves. There were a few tense moments before both relaxed in the presence of Bella. 

“What is a Stryx like yourself doing so far from home?” questioned Zuli. 

“Yes, we would very much like to know” Ryoko chipped in quickly and as politely as she could. 

“Just passing through. I was asked by residents in a town nearby to look into the recent disappearance of kukuri eggs. As I am better in the sky than on land, I require assistance in catching the thief” she all but spat the last word like venom on her tongue. 

“You two are the first I have come across to be awake at this hour” she said composing herself. 

The two kukuri’s looked at each other a moment before agreeing to help. 

Pleased Bella flapped her wings a few times before getting airborne into the sky. Snow that was resting on the branches of the trees nearby scattered in the gail she created. “Follow me” she shrieked at them. She circled around them a few times in the air to get her bearings and headed off. She only flew a few hundred yards away to make sure they were following before continuing. Stopping every so often to make sure they were behind her. 

They followed her to a small village. Bella had landed outside the border and walked awkwardly to the house when they caught up. A large stable in the back held a few distraught kukuri couples and their empty nests. 

 “I do not have a good sense of smell to follow the culprits scent” Bella noted as the pair came closer. “I can follow the tracks leading far away from the property and yet the trees still get in the way if the brush is thick enough” she said in dismay. “I am not even sure I was following the right ones even” she trailed off. 

Regaining her mood to chat Bella boasted that “The snow makes tracking easier from the sky, especially if it is one set of tracks,” her tune turned sour as she continued.  “Though one still needs to know what they are tracking. The deep snow made this difficult to see the actual track and if they crossed others I would have to swoop down, if I could, to check and see if they were the ones I needed to follow. If I could land without destroying the tracks themselves.” she grimaced. 

Zuli thought of how Bella’s wings brought the snow flurry when she took off from the clearing and dumped snow on them. She did not doubt the Stryx’s words were true.

Ryoko meanwhile looked at the ground to the multitude of tracks leading every which way. The ground was littered. Most were kukuri tracks much like herself and Zuli. It was finding possible smaller tracks that would be hard to see. If the culprit was small even.  

Another kukuri couple quickly approached the trio as they were inspecting the multitude of tracks. 

“Lady Bella” they called “while you were away more eggs have been stolen!” they cried in union. 

Bella had ushered her two companions to follow the couple inside to the scene of the crime. After some much assurance that her two companions were there to help the distraught couple of course. The couple allowed them to come inside their home. 

As Zuli and Ryoko followed the couple inside Bella paced back and forth outside. She herself was too large to enter so she peered in from little windows. Inside the stable, it was divided into stalls, towards the end were larger stalls for the nesting couples.  

The other distraught couples bellowed their dismay as they cried over the loss of their eggs as the two passed by them. Their nests empty. They were in too much grief to notice anyone around them. 

“This way” the father of the newly missing eggs said as he led them to the end. 

Bella was annoyed. Silly human contraptions! They need to make these things bigger! She huffed to herself.  

“What do you see?” called Bella to her two kukuri companions. “Anything out of place?”

Ryoko and Zuli hushed her as they took their time to explore the fresh crime scene. The parents clutched each other as they watched Zuli and Ryoko carefully as they inspected the hay bed. 

Once they were done assessing what they could they thanked the saddened couple. It was decided between the two of them before returning to report to Bella that Ryoko would stay to comfort the couples and then provide protection to the last full nest. 

Zuli popped out from the stable and declared what they found. “Nothing, I am afraid” she said dismayed. “The scene only smelled of the parents and hay.” 

“Blast!” Bella screeched to no one in particular. A few small birds flew from the ground to nearby shrubs for cover. “No tracks, no smell, no evidence, physical or otherwise!” she shrieked. 

Zuli had backed up a bit to give the Stryx some space before announcing that she would take the initiative to do a ground search and that Bella could keep an eye out on the outside of the barn while Ryoko took to guarding inside. 

Bella stopped and thought for a minute before agreeing, her feathers still ruffled in agitation. 

After one last glance back Zuli got to work, carefully inspecting all the tracks surrounding the property so as to not destroy any evidence. 

She sighed as all the smells overwhelmed her nose. Tracking whoever did this is going to be hard. 

Most were deer and rabbit tracks. Her tummy rumbled as she has not eaten yet today. The sun was almost in the sky now so she would have to go hunting later at dusk. Oh how she could be taking a nap right now! 

Grumbling she followed this other set of tracks. Before long a fox den was before her. She peered inside but no one was home. Could they be the culprit? She highly doubted it. 

Sighing, she continued to sniff the ground for clues. Finding none she returned to the others back at the village. 

When she was almost there something in the snow caught her eye. Going over to inspect it she carefully made her way over to it. A feather! One that did not match any of the kukuri she has met at the stable she recalled. 

Carefully nipping it between her teeth she brought it back to the others.   

When Zuli came back from her expedition with the feather still clasped in her mouth Ryoko perked up from where she was sitting near the nest of eggs, excusing herself to the dove with the remaining clutch. 

Bella noticed Ryoko leaving the stable and excused herself from the newly bound couple she was talking to. 

“What have you found?” questioned Bella eyeing the feather.

Zuli spat it out for the others to inspect “I do not know what sort of creature this belongs too” she replied in earnest. Ryoko took a look at it up close. “Whatever it is, it is not kukuri, it is so soft to be one of our kinds feathers” she hummed. 

Bella took her turn to inspect the feather “Nor is it of any type of Stryx that I know of either” she said defeated. “I wonder what it could be...” she trailed off. 

“That is a familiar’s feather!” quipped one of the kukuri that Bella was just talking to. “An Emie feather, they like to steal eggs!” he explained when all three companions gave him a confused look. 

Realization dawned upon them. “Of course!” gasped Zuli. “The rare flying rabbit familiar!” 

Excitement ran through them as they now know what and who to look out for. The hunt was on!