10 – New Clues
Sup people, hope I don't get tired of wtiting, because, even though you artistically express yourself, you don't have anything physical to show for it in the real world. Enjoy!
Team double x was just taking a break under a tree, when a ringing was heard. They frantically searched for its source until, finally, Iris discovered, that it had been coming from her own belt. She checked some compartments on it and discovered an earphone, which she quickly put on.
"Hello! Raven! Report!" she heard yelling on the other side and immediately recognized the voice as Captain Skipper's.
She had pretty clear idea what the call was about, "My name is Iris, what is it? And if this is about us running off, I'll throw this thing into the lake," she snarled.
"No it's not. What I want to know is, if you know any bird feeding grounds or popular dumpsters?"
'Right, just because I'm a bird, it doesn't mean I hang around those flying recycling bins called pigeons,' she thought. "I'm a vegan, not a freegan, I don't dig in trashcans, but yes, I could have a look around, maybe ask some questions?"
"Excellent, I want you and your team checking every bird feeding area in the park, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, waste time with any other place," it made her slightly angry, they were supposed to be two individual teams, and yet he was telling her what to do.
She quickly thought of the best thing she could do, that would drive the penguin leader crazy "Aye aye, captain," she finished with a giggle, it might've worked, but it didn't matter. He was still above her by rank, so she had to follow his orders.
"Come on team, we gotta find ourselves a snitch," she told her team and they followed her as she headed towards some nearby trashcans. They hid in a bush, which allowed them to observe the metal containers perfectly.
It didn't take long for a human to throw a garbage bag away, and that quickly attracted some scavengers, well actually, it was only one, a rather obese pigeon. "Any volunteers?" the raven asked.
"A cat always gets what it wants, but I can't promise he'll be as talkative as we want him to be, when I bring him here," replied Sienna.
Iris rolled her eyes, "Forget it, I'll do it," she fixed her suit, "Just make sure you grab him before he starts making any moves.˝ She flew out of their hideout and descended on the closed trashcan, behind the pigeon, "Excuse, but you mind if I keep you company?" she asked, in an innocent tone.
He turned around, chewing on a piece of lettuce, but his beak dropped, seeing the raven. She fluttered her eyelashes, so the seduction would be even more effective, "Uh no, I mean yes, I mean, you're welcome to stay," he said in a thick New York accent.
"Thanks," she replied and flew over. She landed right next to him, "So, got a name?" Iris asked, seriously invading the other bird's private space.
"F-Frankie, I MEAN, it's Francesco," he lied, to sound more sophisticated, "And the miss, would be?"
"Iris."
"Like the flower?" he asked.
She smirked, "Exactly," and pushed him off the top of the trashcan. In his surprise, he failed to open up his wings and end his descent. The remaining team members took this as a clear sign, and rushed in to catch the bird.
The badgers positioned themselves right where he was about to fall and grabbed each other's paws. They acted like a trampoline and launched Frankie into the arms of Sienna, who caught him in a tight hold. He wasn't going anywhere.
Realizing what had just happened, he began struggling to get out, "Nice try, but you know, a cat likes to play with its prey before eating it," she said.
He gulped in fear, and stopped. Iris descended and landed in front of him and the badgers joined her at her sides, with their arms crossed on their chests. Frankie waited there in silence and watched the girls' smirking, "What do you want from me?"
"Now, now, so what, a girl talks you up on top of a trashcan, then takes you captive, and you assume she wants something? *Giggle*, aren't you the smart fellow."
Frankie gulped again, fearing the worst. "I want information."
"What kind of information?"
"The kind' that'll get you eaten if you don't answer," the wildcat said. She felt the bird trembling in her hold.
"Sienna, try and control yourself," Iris demanded.
"But it's just so hard, I can't remember the last time I had poultry this fresh," She sniffed Frankie's neck and then made a taste test, by licking his feathers, "Delicious."
"Okay, okay, I'll talk, I'll talk!" Frankie yelled, tears escaping his eyes.
The raven smiled, "Okay, I want to know where all the pigeons will be for the next hour."
"There's a tourist bus that'll make a stop at the Marionette theater, it's filled with old ladies, they always carry bread around to feed us, well actually, the bus already stopped."
Something seemed off, "So why aren't you there?"
"Are you kidding me, everyone's there. I rather use this time and dig through some garbage, than fight for crumbles."
Iris looked at Sienna, who shrugged, and gave her a nod. The wildcat let go of the bird and Frankie flew off as fast as he could, "Crazy bitches!" he yelled, disappearing in the distance.
"What are we waiting for – Yeah, let's go!" the badger twins raced off in the direction of the theater, but Iris hesitated.
The wildcat noticed, "What's wrong, don't you want to find Alexander?"
She winced, "I'm not so sure anymore. What if we catch him right in the middle of killing someone, or maybe he'll attack one of us, or maybe…" she looked away.
"You're afraid he might not recognize you," guessed Sienna.
"Well yes, it took me all I had, to even approach him. It was a crush, and a stupid one at that, and I don't think I even want to try having a relationship with him anymore, if something happens… or even if it doesn't."
"You're in love with a psychopath, I know how that feels."
Iris looked at her with a "NO YOU DON'T" look, but remembered, that the wildcat was with Rico, "Oh, right."
"So are we catching up with the badgers, or are just going to stand here and mope?" Sienna received a grin from the raven as an answer and they ran after the twins. "By the way, nice acting back there," commented the wildcat.
"Thanks, you weren't bad yourself."
They quickly caught up, mostly, because the two had come to a stop not far after getting on the other side of a nearby hill.
"What's wrong?" Iris asked, but Stacy only raised her paw, pointing straight ahead. The raven looked and her eyes widened. The entire hillside in front of them was soaked in blood. Gray feathers and torn up bodies everywhere. It was truly a horrific sight. They watched the scene in shock, but the black reptile was nowhere in sight.
"I guess we should go find some clues," the bird suggested and they all slowly approached the site of the massacre. They didn't want to step on any of the blood, so they observed from afar. "There are what? Thirty birds?"
"Forty-nine," corrected Sienna.
"Actually, it's fifty – That female there was carrying an egg," said the badgers.
Iris looked away in disgust, and noticed a trail, like someone had dragged a bird away, leading from the scene, "Follow me!" she ordered. They moved quickly, completely focused on the blood, and soon reached the edge of the park. They followed the trail with their eyes a little further and saw where it ended, there, in the middle of the street…
Meanwhile, with the penguins, they had dragged the unconscious inspector X out of the lake and had just finished eating all the fish floating on the water's surface. "Great Arthur Conan Doyle, of course!" exclaimed Kowalski and received confused looks from his team mates.
"What's with the outburst?" Skipper asked.
"Can't you see it, well no, you can't, but we smelt it, the stench, the methane producing bacteria, isn't it obvious?"
The Captain looked at his other two teammates, who just shrugged, "I guess not, explain yourself soldier!"
"The monitor's in the vast underground sewer system, that's where he got the bacteria, he drank sewer sludge," explained the lieutenant.
The captain rubbed his bottom beak, "Are you sure?"
"Do the funds, for the prize money, for Nobel prizes come from TNT sales?" seeing, that he wouldn't get an answer, he did it himself, "Yes, yes they do."
"Ok, then let's go find ourselves a sewer lid."
Can you imagine, you get the Nobel peace prize and the prize money, which comes with it, comes from dynamite sales, ironic, isn't it? Hope you liked it, review!