The Tale of Houri & Gladys
Houri took a deep breath in as she exited the warm kitchens. There was something about autumnal nights that made her want to do something reckless. Perhaps it was the memory of those nights long ago, stuck a noble functions during the Harvest Festivals, where her and Ollie had pranked their older siblings and parents. She supposed tonight she would have to settle for stealing eggs. As she walked she held her hands out towards the mists that rolled in at her command. She thickened them until if someone looked out the window they would not see her walking about in a night shift and if they did they might think it a ghosts form. Many of the young initiates believed in such things.
She found the chicken coops behind the vegetable patch. The cook had herded them up and got them back into their coops for the night in case of prowling foxes and Houri lifted the lid on one to peak inside. The chickens slumbered amongst the straw and only a few craned their necks to look at her indignantly as she disturbed their night.
"Sorry," Houri whispered and moved on to the next coop.
No sooner had she lifted the lid than something from within hurled itself at her. Claws flashed and wings flapped making her fall back with hissed curse, raising her hands to protect her face. Her instinct was to smoke the thing but a dead bird would certainly raise questions in the morning so she was forced to concede step after step to the attacking chicken. Emboldened the other chickens had begun to exit the coop she had left open and ran after their demonic ringleader, squawking and pecking at her slippers.
"Fuck - STOP! CHICKENS, STOP!" She aimed a kick at one but the fierce white ringleader flew for her face once more with a cry that would have made a banshee feel inadequate. The night began to fill with the mixed sounds of increasingly vulgar curses and the sounds of chicken warfare.
"I don't want to hurt you, I just want some eggs!" Why was she arguing with a chicken?! When had she begun running round the pen? She was a Dreadlord! Or, near enough, she didn't run from anything let alone a blasted--
"ENOUGH!" Lightning cracked down into the midst of the chicken gang sending then squawking in all directions. The ringleader tottered momentarily stunned and Houri snatched it up by the neck before it could do any more damage to her.
"I just want some fucking eggs!"
"Bwaack," the chicken replied, eyes rolling in different directions still dazed from the bright light.
Houri decided to take that as a
go ahead and marched back to the coop where the others had hidden themselves. She snatched up as many as she could carry in the folds of her dress with the chicken still clutched in one hand - for she feared if she let the bird go it would attack her once more. Once she had half a dozen she went to throw the chicken back into its coop when Houri took a moment to look at its determined, beaky little face. Perhaps it just hadn't wanted to be stuck in this cage.
"Look, if I take you back will you behave?"
"Bwaa-bwa-bwa?"
"No, you can't hurt my friends."
"Bwaaaaah"
"Fine, you can hurt anyone else who tries to come into the kitchen."
"Bwaa-bwack-bwack."
"Yes you can have come cake."
"Bwwa."
"Good."
And so it was that fifteen minutes after Houri had left the kitchen she returned, kicking open the door as both hands were occupied with eggs in one hand and chicken in the other. Her hair looked as though someone had raked their claws through it and a few feathers stuck up here and there. A nasty cut ran across her cheek.
"What did I miss?"
