The siege was over!
Ruby could hardly contain her excitement. All though breakfast she had been more talkative than even before, discussing the variety of celebrations that would take place in the coming days along with the latest news on when classes would resume their normal schedules. Even now as she walked down one of the many long tunnels that made up the inner structure of the Great Tree, she felt a slight jump in her step. All is well, and soon the tree will return to its former vitality, she thought to herself. What a glorious time!
For a while Ruby continued like this, skipping her way through the various paths and corridors, greeting everyone she met along the way. After a while however, she began to notice a smell. An earthy must, almost ferrous in nature. It wasn't particularly repugnant, but it was still quite bad, and went beyond the usual scents that pervaded the tree.
She stopped then and looked around but finding nothing continued on. She was almost back to her hollow now, but the smell was still quite explicit. What was it? Examining the ground closely as she walked, Ruby pondered if someone might've dropped a slain vole from breakfast and forgotten about it. She was so intent on finding the source that she didn't notice Digger walking down the tunnel in front of her.
"Hello Ru- Ah!"
They both toppled over as Ruby, who had been scanning the floor, ran head first into Digger's breast feathers.
"Sorry Digger!" said Ruby, standing back up. "I should have been paying more attention."
"It's alright, I'm not hurt or anything." Digger quickly got to his feet. "Glaux, what's that smell?"
"You've noticed it too! I'm trying to find the source. I thought it might be a dead vole on the ground, that's why I bumped into you."
"Oh… Well I didn't notice anything until just now, so it's probably not down there." Digger motioned behind him with his head.
"Oh, that's odd." Ruby furrowed her brow. Had she missed something earlier?
"Well, I wish you luck on your search. I'm off to take a bath, haven't had one since before the war. Bet there's a mountain of dirt under all my feathers."
"I see, well take care then."
"You as well." And with that the young burrowing owl walked off down the tunnel, leaving Ruby puzzling over what to do next.
How could Digger have only just now noticed the smell? It had been painfully obvious to her for nearly half an hour now. Was he the source of the smell? She knew her friend well enough to be accustomed to his usual scents, and while he may have smelled a little more dirt-like then usual, it was nothing like what she was looking for.
All of the sudden a horrible thought occurred to Ruby. She too had not bathed since the onset of the war, and Digger had said he only noticed the smell after he ran into her. Could it be? Was she the source of the smell? Glaux, that had to be it. Digger probably knew it and didn't want to be rude.
She turned at the next junction and made a rush for the nearest outwards exit. The sun had just about completely set, and owls were beginning to go about their nightly activities. Landing on one of the many large branches that stuck out from the Great Ga'hoole Tree, Ruby examined herself, and good Glaux was she a mess. Not only were there more feathers stuck together than not, but a variety of rusty brown streaks and splotches presented themselves all across her primaries and belly feathers. Blood stains. She realized with a start. No doubt from the countless Pure Ones we killed during the final ambush. What I thought to be a dead vole was actually the dried lifeblood of dozens of slain owls! Ruby felt a cold shiver from nape to tail. She tried not to think about how much of the blood was her own.
This was as good as time as any to bathe, and Ruby knew just the place. Spreading her wings, she lifted off into the moonlit sky, setting out for a point about a mile in from where the land met the Sea of Hoolemere. There, a dense thicket of fir trees surrounded an unnamed pond. Unnamed because as far as Ruby knew, she was the only owl aware of its existence. Not that it was some big secret or anything, it was just that no one had ever asked where she went to bathe. If one of her friends were to do so, she would surely tell them, but until then it would remain her own little space. I ought to name it before someone else does, she thought. Perhaps I'll think of one while washing.
Touching down near the water's edge, Ruby was pleased to find the pond exactly as she remembered it. About forty feet across and two feet deep at the very center, the body of water was perfect for what she intended to use it for. It was just big enough for her to completely submerge herself while still being small enough to retain the sun's heat through the night. Ruby couldn't wait to get started. She hated feeling dirty, but being so dirty she smelled? The very thought made her gizzard churn.
She tested the water with one foot, disturbing the glassy surface of the pond. It was almost perfect. A little cold, but no matter. She stepped in further, digging her talons into the sandy floor to keep her balance. After about four feet she stopped, both her legs and the tips of her tail feathers were now completely submerged. Dipping in her left wing, she began preening the feathers, making pristine each individual primary. Once she was satisfied, she moved on to her right wing and from there to the fluffy tufts that coated her legs. After a while though, Ruby realized the water was simply too shallow where she was standing, and that she would need to go in deeper if she wanted to purge the slashes of rust from her torso.
Slowly, she waded deeper into the pond. A twinge passed through her as the water made contact with her lower body. Ruby sighed. She would eventually have to clean that region, so she might as well get it over with. Carefully with one wing she brushed over the down between her legs, wincing slightly as her rough flight feathers grazed her most sensitive spot.
"Hello Ruby!" said a cheerful voice from behind her.
Ruby whirled around and stood up as straight as she could. "D-Digger!" She sputtered. "What… What are you doing here?" Ruby did her best to act nonchalant, but her heart was still racing.
"Just looking for good spot to bathe. Seems like we had the same place in mind."
"Yes… I suppose it does. Do you come here often?"
"Certainly, it's one of my favorite spots."
"Oh… I see." Ruby's feathers sank a little at this.
Digger looked at her sideways. "Are you alright Ruby? You seem out of breath."
"Yes yes I'm perfectly alright. I just… wasn't expecting anyone."
"Oh sorry… I didn't mean to intrude. I'm sure there are plenty of other places to take a bath." Digger began turning to leave.
"No no, it's no big deal. I wouldn't want to keep you from your favorite pond."
Digger turned to face her. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable."
"Nonsense! Unless you're uncomfortable with it of course." She gave him a half-hearted smile.
"Oh… Are you suggesting we bathe at the same time?"
"I… Um… Were you not suggesting that?"
"I was just going to wait for you to finish."
"And what, watch me? Well I'm not sure how I feel about-"
"No! Of course not. When you put it that way it sounds creepy." Digger looked away. "I just thought I'd let you finish cause… Well, you know…"
Now it was Ruby's turn to look at him sideways. "No Digger, I don't know. What's the problem?"
"It's just…" Digger took a sudden interest in a stone between his feet. "Male and female owls don't usually bathe together."
"Digger," Ruby chided. "We've known each other for how long now? If it were just any random owl I would think twice, but you? We're past that. And besides, it would take twice as long if you had to wait for me."
"If you say so." Digger didn't sound convinced, but he stepped into the water all the same. He settled on a spot about five feet away from Ruby, angling himself away in an attempt to be polite.
They both went about washing themselves for several minutes. Drawing out the scents and stains from countless days spent fighting and burrowing beneath the Great Tree.
As they went about their business Ruby couldn't help but feel a little curious. Every so often she would steal a glance at back at Digger, watching as he straightened his dripping primaries, sifting between each feather before shaking out the droplets with a flap of his wing. His coat glistened slightly in the soft light of the moon. His eyes like a charged amber, vibrant and focused. Had he always looked this… striking? Perhaps after weeks of staring at nothing but dirty, malnourished owls anything remotely decent looked good to her, but nevertheless, he was certainly a sight for sore eyes.
Once Ruby was satisfied with her own coat, having removed as much superficial evidence of war and toil as she could, she chanced yet another look back. And in doing so, she was able to catch a glimpse of Digger's own eyes watching her, right before he looked away. Ruby felt herself blush. At least she wasn't alone in spying.
"Ruby?" Digger's voice made her jump a little.
"Yes Digger?" she said, turning to face him.
"I… Um… I couldn't help but notice that you've got some clumped-up feathers around your neck."
"Oh," She glanced down at her breast and shoulders but didn't see anything particularly messy. "You mean like… here?" She gestured with her beak towards her chest.
"No, more around your nape. Here I'll show you…" Digger began wading towards her.
"On my back?"
"Yeah, if you turn around for a moment I can… Yes, right there, just along your back."
She began turning her head around to have a look for herself, but Digger stopped her.
"I can ge- I mean… if you want, I can just get it for you. No big deal, and it looks like it goes pretty far down, hard to do yourself."
"Okay, thanks Digger." Curious as to what he would do, Ruby faced back forward and folded in her winds so they wouldn't get in the way. "So you're just going to- Oh…"
A surprisingly pleasant shiver ran through her as Digger dragged his beak down her back.
"Everything alright?" asked Digger.
"Yeah, I'm fine. It was just a little… sudden is all. Please continue."
And so he did. Each repetition sending more and more tingles up her spine. After about a minute, Ruby was sure the clumps were gone but at the same time didn't really mind if he kept going a little longer. It certainly felt nicer than when she did it herself.
"There. That should do it." He stepped back.
Turning back around, Ruby smirked at him. "Well I hope you didn't mess up my feathers up too bad." She smiled. "Thanks Digger."
"Yeah, don't mention it…" He looked off to the side, as if he was only half confident in what he was about to say. "Hey Ruby, not to pry or anything, but I take it you've never been preened by another owl before?"
Ruby was somewhat taken aback by this. "Well I… Umm… I'm sure my parents preened me when I was an owlet, but other than that no." She regarded him carefully. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, just curious I guess…" Digger didn't meet her gaze. "Say, uh… How was it? Being preened I mean." He gave her a weak glance, ready to regret asking the question altogether.
Ruby opened her beak as if to say something but then closed it. She stared at him thoughtfully. "Now that's two questions Digger. Before I answer your second, you have to answer one of mine. It's only fair."
Digger gave her an odd look. "Okay."
"And you have to answer honestly."
"Of course!" he said, sounding slightly offended.
"Just making sure. Now Digger, were there actually any clumped-up feathers on my back?"
"Umm… Well I..." Digger looked like he wanted to disappear. "Not… Not exactly."
"So no?"
"Well from a distance they looked a bit ruffled, but once I got closer they seemed just fine."
"I see." The faintest hint of a smile touched Ruby's cheeks. "So if they weren't ruffled, why did you offer to preen them?"
"Umm…" Digger was grateful for his feathers, as they prevented Ruby from seeing how much he was blushing. "I guess they looked… pretty."
"What was that?" she said, not catching the last word.
"Your feathers, they looked pretty."
"Oh" was all she said, but she too was blushing quite hard. She couldn't remember ever being called pretty by a male before.
They stood there for a moment, Ruby eyeing the burrowing owl in front of her with renewed interest and Digger wishing he were anywhere else.
"I should go," he muttered and turned to leave.
"Wait! I still haven't answered your question."
"What?" Digger paused.
"You asked me what it felt like to be preened and I said you had to answer my question first, which you did, so…" Before he could walk away, Ruby leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "I'll show you." And with that she poked her beak into his back and began dragging downward like he had done.
"What are you-" But his words were cut off as tingles shot out from where her beak parted his feathers. He let out a sigh as he realized what she was doing.
For a minute or so he let it happen, allowing himself to bask in the feeling. More than anything though, he was happy that Ruby seemed to have enjoyed his preening and was now returning the favor.
"You know," She paused for a moment. "I didn't mention it before, but your feathers also look quite nice."
"Oh, thanks." He stiffened suddenly.
"Hmm?" She removed her beak from his feathers, having felt him grow uneasy.
"R-Ruby?" He turned to face her.
"Yes Digger?" She said, staring into his brilliant orange eyes.
"You've got a little something on your… your…" He stepped closer, his belly feathers brushing against hers. "Your beak."
"My… beak?" She glanced down to see what he was talking about.
Digger moved in even closer, pressing up against her. Slowly, he wrapped his wings around her.
"Digger wha-" she started, looking back up at him. His face was very close now.
"I'll get it for you," he said. Then, without warning, his embrace tightened, and he pressed his beak into hers.
Her eyes widened in alarm and she let out a muffled grown. For a moment she was frozen, unsure what to do. But slowly, as the warmth from Digger's body seeped into her feathers, she began to relax. She returned his affection by wrapping her own wings around him. She felt Digger's tongue slip into her beak, and she closed her eyes. His saliva was surprisingly sweet, no doubt thanks to the milkberry tea from last night's feast. As he held her, and she held him, Ruby began to forget the outside world. The feeling was almost euphoric, awakening something deep inside her.
Digger himself felt quite the same way, enjoying immensely the feeling of exploring his friend's mouth. He opened his eyes to peak at her and was greeted with a pair of stunning yellow irises. Has she always been this… this beautiful? Digger thought to himself, unable to look away.
Once the need for air became too much to bear, they pulled their beaks apart, a strand of saliva connecting their tongues for a brief moment before breaking. For ten long seconds they stared at one another, taking in what had just happened.
"Digger?" Ruby said softly.
He took a moment to respond, still being somewhat transfixed by her gaze. "Ye… Yes Ruby?"
"We've been friends for so long, yet we haven't really had any time to ourselves." She nuzzled his chin with her head. "I think it's time we really got to know each other."
"Uh, what do m-" But before he could finish Ruby tackled him with second, much more violent kiss.
There was a sizable splash as they both toppled over, Digger landing on his back with Ruby on top of him. He flapped and sputtered in alarm, foiling her advance.
"That kinda hurt," said Digger, but he couldn't hide his sheepish grin. "Do you plan on getting off me?"
Having fallen towards the shore where the water was only an inch deep, Ruby didn't see any reason to let him get up. "I mean I would, but I happen to be quite happy right where I am." She looked at him slyly. "Plus, this way you're much more… accessible." As she spoke, she pinned Digger's wings down with her own and lay her body across his. "You very warm." She murmured, rubbing up against his breast feathers.
"Hey, um, Ruby…" he mumbled, still a little shocked by the whole situation. "Whatever happened to that second kiss? Heh…" He looked up at her hopefully.
"Oh yes, of course. I'll get right to it." Ruby then began crawling backwards, dragging her beak over his chest and along his belly.
"But my face is- ahh!" Suddenly a bolt of elation shot through Digger, the likes of which he'd never felt before. Looking down, he caught a glimpse of the short-eared owl's tongue licking a patch of feathers just below his belly right before another jolt of ecstasy confounded his senses. "Ruby!" He grunted, a little louder than he intended.
"Yes?" She looked up from her work. "Is there a problem?"
"What are you doing?!" he sputtered between gasps.
"Giving you that kiss you wanted, granted it's a little lower than the first. I figured you wouldn't mind."
Digger tried to get a hold of himself. "Are- Are you doing what I think you're doing?"
"That depends… What do you think I'm doing?"
"Ruby…" Digger began to stand. "We really shouldn't-"
Ruby jabbed her tongue into his cloaca before he could get any further, driving in as deep as she could. "Ah!" was all he could manage before collapsing back into a sea of bliss.
Every neuron in Digger's brain screamed in delight. The feeling was truly wonderful, so wonderful that it took nearly every ounce of his willpower to not give in.
"Ruby stop!" He gasped, pushing her off. He stood up as fast as he could, trying to shake the tingles still dancing up his spine. "Kissing is one think, but this?" He shook his head. "We'll be full-fledged Guardians soon. We're better than this." He kicked the water with one foot, sending a spray over the rocky shore.
Ruby stared at him in surprise. "Digger, I- I'm sorry. I thought you liked it."
"Of course I liked it, that's the problem!" He looked away. "I… I just don't want us to do something we'll regret."
There was a long silence between them.
"Do you want me to leave?" Ruby said finally.
"What? No, well… Maybe… Oh, I don't know." He let out an exasperated sigh.
Ruby walked over and stood next to him. Neither of them had the courage to look at each other.
"You tasted pretty good, by the way. A little musty, but that's to be expected."
Digger stared at her. He squinted, as if couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"It was also a lot saltier than I thought it would be," she continued. "Much like the fish we catch in the Sea of Hoolem-"
"Okay! I get it." He glared at her. "I'm sure you're no different."
"Oh Glaux no! I take pride in keeping clean, especially that region. But take no offense, I wouldn't expect a male like yourself to hold to such high standards."
"Excuse me?" Digger puffed up a little at this. "A male like myself? For Glaux's sake Ruby, we were at war!"
"I meant no offense!" Ruby tried her best to keep a straight face, but the gleeful sparkle in her eyes gave it away.
Digger bit his tongue. He knew exactly what she was doing, and it was working. Maybe she's right, there's no harm in a little fun so long as nobody finds out. Digger looked back at the short-eared owl, who was pretending to not be paying any attention. Her feathers were still glisteningly beautiful from the moisture of the pond. To sprink with it, he thought to himself.
"Okay Ruby," Digger said as he snaked his wing around her lower body. "I'm afraid I can't just accept such baseless accusations. At least not without some evidence."
"Well I suppose-" Ruby began.
But before she could finish Digger swept her feet out from under her with one of his legs, and she fell back first into the water with a splash. "Sorry Ruby, but I'm driving this now." He positioned himself so that his beak was just above her breast and slowly began preening down her body, working his way lower and lower. As he went, he could hear murmurs of pleasure from Ruby's beak, which encouraged him to keep going.
"You're better at this than I thought." She said appreciatively, each nip at her feathers sending shivers down her spine.
Once he had gone over all the feathers on her breast and belly, he moved lower still towards the feathers that covered her most sensitive region. Slowly, he dragged his tongue over the delicate down surrounding her vent. Ruby let out an involuntary "Eh" as Digger's tongue brushed over her cloaca. He could feel her whole body shudder each time he passed over her flower.
He looked up at her, his beak sticky with her fluids. "I don't know Ruby, you taste pretty salty to me."
"Well how can I…heh- help it when I'm around such a…h-handsome male?" She flashed him a weak smile, her brain still buzzing with pleasure.
"Oh, your just making excuses now." And with that, Digger drove his tongue into her as deep as it would go.
Ruby's talons clenched as a wave of elation washed over her. "Ahh… Digger… that feels… amazing… don't stop…"
Upon hearing this, Digger began sliding his tongue in and out of her cloaca, each time sending unimaginable waves of bliss though her being. With each repetition, Ruby could feel herself being pushed closer and closer to the edge.
"Eeh… It- it's too much… I- I'm…"
But right before she reached her limit, Digger stopped altogether. Before Ruby could comprehend what just happened, he was on her, his beak pressed into hers. Ruby just lay there, letting Digger's tongue go wherever it pleased. The taste of milkberries was all but gone, replaced with the subtle fishiness of her own fluids. The longer she lay there, the more she wanted the moment to never end.
Finally, Digger pulled away and stood up, looking down at the blissfully intoxicated short-eared owl in front of him. He felt an urge build up inside him, a feeling he had only ever felt in small doses before. He hadn't realized in until now, but every time he got close to Ruby—weather it was on their deadly missions to Saint Aggie's, or just passing each other in the halls of the Great Tree—he felt an uncanny attraction. Was it love? He couldn't be sure. Whatever it was though, it was stronger now than ever before, overpowering his senses and enveloping his mind.
Ruby eyed him, not sure what to expect. Not a word left his beak as he slid his wing under her and rolled her onto her front.
"Digger…" She mumbled as he laid her down in the shallow water breast-first.
He made no response, instead he positioned himself behind her and began ruffling her tail feathers.
"Digger," she said a little louder. She turned her head to look at him with one eye. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes Ruby, I'm sure." His tone was intimidatingly confident.
Ruby gulped and turned back around, silently preparing herself for what was to come. She felt a giddy excitement deep in her gizzard, as this was by all means uncharted territory for both of them.
Slowly, Digger nudged up behind her and lined up his lower body. Brushing aside her tail feathers he pressed his vent into hers.
The moment their cloacae connected Ruby felt a rapturous warmth run through her, as if the water in the pond and the air outside had both suddenly risen to the perfect temperature. It wasn't until he began moving and pressing into her at an accelerating rhythm that the feeling turned into pure euphoria.
Bolts of elation burst into her mind like fireworks. It was a feeling better than she had ever imagined possible. She wanted nothing more than for Digger to take her away in a sea of bliss, for him to fill her with his seed.
"Digger… it feels so good… whatever you do… don't stop…" She shut her eyes tight as waves of ecstasy bombarded her mind.
Digger himself was feeling much the same way. As he slid his flower back and forth over hers, he began to lose track of the outside world. All that existed at that very moment was him and Ruby. Nothing else mattered. As his mind buzzed with feral passion, he couldn't help but admire the beautiful owl that lay before him. She's truly stunning, he thought. And I get her all to myself. I've got to be the luckiest owl in world.
Closer and closer they came to the final amorous release. Ruby moaned as the pressure building up within her became unbearable, nearing the pinnacle of their love.
Right as she could take it no longer, Ruby swiveled her body around to face Digger, she was careful to keep their nether regions in contact all the while. Now on her back, Digger pressed into her with the lovestruck vigor of owl who has almost reached his limit. She wrapped her wings around him, pulling him in for a final kiss as they both climaxed simultaneously.
Digger gasped. He felt himself convulse as the wondrous feeling of mating overwhelmed him.
Feeling his warm fluids rush into her, Ruby reflexively pressed into her mate as she too was swept away by the feeling.
For the moment, all was pristine, the world flawless. She and digger were somewhere else, somewhere far away from the pond and the Great Tree and the Guardians and the war. A place where any and all problems could wait. A perfect stasis, where all they would ever need was each other.
Then, as quickly as it had come, the feeling fell away, sinking into waterlogged pebbles beneath them.
Digger collapsed, keeling onto his back beside Ruby. For several minutes they simply lay there, panting as they stared up into the night sky.
"Beautiful, aren't they?" said Ruby, tracing a constellation with the tip of her wing.
"Not compared to you they're not." Digger said, turning to look at her.
Ruby snorted. "That's got to be the cheesiest thing I've ever heard leave your beak."
"Well it's true!" he insisted. "After staring at you for so long all I can see is just a bunch of white dots."
"That's because they are a bunch of white dots Digger," Ruby giggled. "It's the simplicity, the natural spectacle that makes them beautiful."
"Hmm…" Digger mused thoughtfully. "Well I'll take a stunning short-eared owl over a natural spectacle any day." He pecked her lightly on the cheek.
She smiled at him, then frowned as she looked down at herself. "Glaux, so much for getting clean."
Digger glanced down. He too was coated in a sticky layer of secreted fluids from the waist down.
They looked at each other and laughed.
Once they were clean, Ruby and Digger stepped out of the water and sighed. Both were still a little light headed from their recent copulation, and neither wanted to say goodbye, but they knew they would be late for chaw work if they didn't get going.
Digger glanced back at the pond, then back at Ruby. "So, um… it probably goes without saying, but what happened here never leaves this po-"
"Of course not! Not a word. Not ever." Ruby shuttered at thought. "Although… I have a feeling that, should we happen to meet up at this very pond yet again, we'll have some most needed catching up to do. Perhaps next week?"
"Absolutely!" Digger said, "I'll be looking forward to it."
She beamed at him, then glanced at her feet. "Digger…"
"Yes Ruby?"
She looked up at him, her eyes full of love. She wrapped her wings around him in a soft hug. "Thank you."
"Anytime," he said, returning her embrace.
And with that they turned and went their separate ways, soaring off into the night.