The first thing they noticed was the anger on the chained up bird's face, his small beady eyes full of hatred as he glared at Willow, clearly having identified her as the one who had bound him with magic in the first place; unfazed, the witch held his gaze for a few moments, then gave Derek a questioning look, the young man shrugging slightly in response before he turned to look at the bird again.
"As I was trying to say while you guys were fighting us", he patiently started, giving them both the feeling that it wasn't the first time he was trying to explain, "we were just about to let your flock mate go. There was no need to attack us, and surely no need to try to kill our friend here by dropping her."
"She's your friend, so that makes her our enemy", the bird gave back, briefly looking at the demon, with so much contempt in his eyes that it made her rise an eyebrow; she had a moment to ask herself if the fact that she was helping the Pack was enough to make her look at him like that, then he spoke on and answered the question without her even needing to ask. "And anyway, you should be glad we almost took her off your hands. In our Flock, we kill cripples like her."
"Watch your tongue", Willow told him, in that certain voice she only used when highly angered, somehow managing to sound both deadpan and full of barely held back rage, "or you'll lose it."
"I'm not afraid of you, witch", the Donnervogel spat while Derek looked at her in surprise, having never heard her use that particular tone before, "and just so you know, our Flock would make short work of the likes of you, as well."
"Not sure what exactly you are referring to", Willow dryly gave back, feeling how Pat placed a calming hand on her back, but not even glancing at her lover, "the fact that I'm Jewish, gay, or a witch?"
"Let us all keep our calm", Derek threw in before the bird could say anything in reply to that, "and I can assure you that our friend here is very capable at fighting. I've seen her fight, believe me, you don't want to end up standing against her. And the same goes for our redheaded witch, here."
"It doesn't matter, does it", the bird snarled in reply, "because even if I would best the cripple, her witch friend would find a way to stop me from taking my rightful kill."
"Nobody will kill anyone", the Alpha gave back, giving Willow a sharp look when she looked as if she wanted to reply something, "because, as I've been trying to say for the last ten minutes, we will let the two of you go. You and the member of your Flock we captured earlier."
"If you think that this will bring peace, you are mistaken", the Donnervogel snarled as an answer, making even Pat, not the most tactful person at the best of times, roll her good eye at his lack of diplomacy, "we will not stop until we got our vengeance. A life for a life."
"You've already taken three lives", Derek gave back, his voice now icy cold as well as he glared at the bird, "so why are you still attacking us?"
"One of us is worth ten of you", the bird spat, holding the Alpha's glare and matching it with the intensity of his own, "we will not stop until our desire for vengeance has been satisfied."
"This is not leading anywhere", Pat finally got in a few words as well, surprising the rest with how level-headed she seemed to be about the whole situation, especially after how the Donnervogel had spoken about her, "just let them go. If you keep holding them captive here, they'll just attack again, and it'll be a sign of good will to set them both free."
"You can take your good will and shove it", the Donnervogel spat, prompting the taller woman to give him a brief, but hard look – before she, after Derek had nodded his agreement to her words, turned and walked off without another word, Willow following her a second later, by now knowing her well enough to figure out that she wasn't as calm about the whole situation as she was acting.
Since she also knew though that, if she tried to make the demon talk about her emotions too early, she'd only cause her to lock her out even more, she remained quiet as she followed the taller woman to Alexia's house; there, Pat made her way to her travel bag and, still without saying a word, got out a new pack of cigarettes, moving to the window and opening it before she removed one of the cancer sticks from the package and lit it up, without bothering to use her lighter, the size and heat of the flame just another sign for how angry she was.
"Goddamned bird", she finally snarled, still standing with her back to the witch as she glared out of the window, with enough ferocity to make any shapeshifter who happened to glance her way look away again quickly, "I swear, if I hadn't known it wouldn't lead anywhere, I would have strangled that bastard with my bare hands."
Figuring that now, it was save to approach her and to talk to her, Willow did just that, moving closer to her and placing one hand on her shoulder; the taller woman briefly glanced at her, then stared outside again, gritting her teeth so hard that her jaw muscles were clearly visible beneath the skin.
"Don't let him get to you", the redhead advised her, even though she knew perfectly well that this was easier said than done, especially for someone with a temper as short as her partner's, "once we dealt with this, we'll never have to deal with those birds again, so what they think of you—"
"I don't care what he thinks of me", Pat interrupted her, causing her to fall silent in surprise, "they're some sort of warrior race, so of course they would have no use for a one-eyed person, even if that person can hold their own in a fight. It was the way he was talking about you."
"Oh", Willow gave back, not all too smart, but not knowing what else she could say; for a few moments, silence filled the room, then the demon turned to face her at last, looking a bit calmer when she went on.
"I know I tend to be overprotective of you", she let the redhead know, reaching up with her free hand to tenderly caress her cheek, "can't help that. Part of the girlfriend-demon-package. And the way he looked at you while he told you the Flock would make short work of you… He would have torn you to pieces without hesitation if he'd been given the chance."
"You're right", Willow had to admit after a moment of thinking back to the confrontation, remembering well how much hatred she had seen in the Donnervogel's dark and beady eyes when he had stared at her, "and he didn't get to explain why he dislikes me so much. I doubt it's just about us helping Derek and the Pack."
"Probably not", the demon grumbled, finishing her cigarette and putting it out on the heel of her boot before she pocketed the stub, not wanting to throw it out the window and litter the area around the house with it, "it's either the witch thing, because they obviously don't like magic, or the fact that we're together."
"Or a mix of both", the witch sighed, not liking the thought that her mere existence could inspire so much hatred, "that must be like the worst thing ever to them if they despise both witchcraft and gay people. How charming."
"Indeed", Pat agreed, momentarily looking angry again – before two triumphant shrieks could be heard from Derek's house, making them both flinch as they instinctively connected the sound to an attack by now, both of them relaxing again though moments later as they realized what it really had meant.
"They left", Willow was the one to say it out loud, "so Derek did set them free. Maybe it really will help to put an end to this."
"I doubt it", the demon clearly wasn't as optimistic, giving her another glum look, "don't ask me why, but I have the feeling that things will only get worse before everything gets better."
"Let's hope you're wrong", the redhead sighed, then moved closer to her partner and embraced her, once more unable to keep herself from thinking back to the moment the demon had fallen after the bird had let go of her, a shudder briefly running through her as she thought of what would have happened to her lover, had she not been able to come up with the spell, the horrible conviction that Pat was right and that everything would get much worse all too soon now rising within her as well, making her wonder what else the Pack might have to endure before the whole situation would be resolved.