Chapter II: Sharing Heat

...

Meanwhile, a very worried and very pregnant Maureen redressed herself after a check up from the medicine bird.  The pine marten was getting closer and closer to her due date and yet, she was more worried than joyful.  Weeks had passed with no word on what had happened to the war party that had stormed out a month before.

Justin's wife, Kali managed to smile often when in the company of friends, but she worried much for her husband.  She sat up many nights with her egg, wondering what life as a mother will be like, without the father there to help.

Orion's wife, Caryn had been staying with Kali and Maureen since the husbands left.  She held her egg as well, praying it hatches into a healthy chick, and that her Orion will be home to hold their baby in his arms.

The medicine bird was walking Maureen back to Kali's hut when the two of them saw the commotion growing in the village square.

At home, Kali and Caryn cuddled together, using their combined body heat to warm their eggs and enjoying each other's company on top of it.

Caryn lifted her neck to let a playful Kali preen her feathers.  Thanks to Kali and Maureen, the cardinal had opened herself up a bit more to allow these lovely females to have her in ways not even Orion could imagine.  She felt guilty at first to enjoy such feelings without him, but Kali always calmed her worries with a well-placed tongue or claw.  Their closeness broke when Maureen came in, "Girls! Come out! The elders are crowning Nestor as the new chief!"

Kali gasped, "New chief?  It's already been that long?" The loving and kind blue jay could already feel the despair in her heart. She realized that this meant, with great certainty, her Justin would never come back.  She cried, "My love, my friend..."

Caryn put her head on her friend's shoulder, "This doesn't mean our husbands are gone, Sweet Feather." She blushed using one of her husband's names for herself with her best friend.  "It may only mean they won't be home to see their chicks hatch, but they will be here, we have to stay positive."

Maureen nodded, "Yes, Kali. Stay positive, like you've been this whole time, dear."  She hugged the sobbing blue jay.

Kali wept more, but now as she felt the warmth of her two closest friends comforting her. She smiled and touched her beak, first to Caryn's beak, then to Maureen's cheek.

Maureen couldn't help but laugh as the blue jay's black beak tickled her face. She gave a soft kiss to Kali's brow.

Kali licked Maureen back before she spoke, "Thank you, both of you. You are truly the most caring friends I could have now."

The commotion outside the hut continued to grow.

Caryn took it upon herself to break the tension in the moment, "I suppose we should all go out and see our new chief."

Kali agreed with a sigh, not wanting to leave this three-way hug session, "We should, it's Nestor isn't it? Gregor's son?"

Caryn nodded in answer, "Yes, that strapping young eagle all the hens in the village fawn over. Personally, a little too aggressive for my tastes."

Kali tittered softly, "Well, that's what comes from being a chief's son, I guess."

Maureen added, "I've caught that one looking at my breasts the few times we'd crossed paths in the village."

The blue jay snickered, "Well, to be fair, you are the only lady with breasts in the village. You do stand out, love."

Maureen giggled at that, "Yes, fair, I suppose." The marten jill started to stand so she and the ladies could leave. "AAH!" She cried out suddenly as she felt a sharp cramp in her belly. The jill dropped to her knees as she held her gut.

Kali was the first to hold her, "Maureen!"

...

Outside, in the village square, Nestor stood before the villagers as the elder sparrow smeared the nearly naked eagle's body with traditional markings to denote his status as leader.  A claw mark was drawn on his chest to show his bravery as a strong warrior, a sun symbol over the eagle's groin to display his virility, finally the sparrow dabbed a feather in blood and smeared it over the eagle's face, over the eyepatch that Feroz had made for Nestor.

Tilo, the medicine bird, walked up to Nestor carrying the ceremonial headdress, fashioned from the feathers shed by the previous chief.

The eagle had to kneel for the headdress as he was so much larger than the small brown bird in front of him. He held back the little chuckle he felt from the moment.

With the headdress on, and Nestor back to standing straight over the diminutive bird, Tilo looked to the village elder.

The older sparrow gave a simple nod.

With the nod from his father, the young sparrow blushed visibly and he turned his eyes to the sky then slipped his small hand underneath the eagle's loincloth.

Nestor suppressed the chuckles, then the shiver he felt from the smaller male caressing his genital slit until the eagle became erect, into the small bird's gentle touch.

Tilo was surely glad his brown feathers hid most of the blush, though nothing could stop that nervous twitch of his tail-feathers.

The village elder spoke clearly, "Now that you are officially crowned new village chieftain, Nestor, you must show the people now your virility and prowess.  Now as your lovely bride is already begat by your seed, you must choose an unmarried female from our village folk; she shall be your bedwarmer for when your mate cannot attend to your needs, and also help to raise your fledgling."

Nestor nodded while the medicine bird dutifully pleasured his new chief to prepare him for the act.

Vera didn't seem very pleased with this outcome, though.  She was fine sharing him with Feroz, but now another female in their hut?

Nestor ignored his cousin's glares.  A smirk formed on his curved beak before he turned to the elder sparrow, "Does my bedwarmer need to be a female?"

The sparrow balked, then relented, "Err, no, our chief may choose a male bedwarmer instead, if he so wishes..."

The eagle smiled then as he turned to his dear friend, "Feroz... come."

The vulture should not have been surprised, considering what he and the eagle had shared over the past month, yet, he still could not help the small blush which set his old featherless cheeks aglow.  He stepped forth from the background, amid hushed whispers from the crowd.  Despite his years of service, there were still those who distrusted vultures for the lowly scavengers they were perceived to be.

Nestor threw a burly arm around his old friend, "I choose Feroz, here, to be my bedwarmer."  He spoke it, loud and proud so the murmuring crowd would hear him. The vindictive eagle looked aside to his pregnant cousin.

Vera's frown never left her face.  This was worse...  now that vulture would be in their bedroom, everyday, and she'd hoped he would leave once Nestor had been crowned.

The old sparrow sighed, he would never understand the youth these days, but it was not in his place to get in their way, "Very well then..."  He turned to the crowd, "My feathered brethren, we present to you, your new chief, Nestor Aquila!"

The people all cheered their new chief, as he took his new lover's beak in hand then planted an especially passionate kiss on the vulture.

Feroz trilled pleasantly as he proudly embraced his chief and accepted the eagle's tongue as it wrapped around his own.

And Vera stood there, both angry and embarrassed...  Nestor had never shown her such affection, not even as they worked on making their egg, the egg she would lay soon.  Where there was jealousy, the harsher sting of betrayal made itself known.  She realized now, she was only a means to him...  He did not love her, only wanted a son from her.  Feroz, that filthy scavenger, he was who the eagle loved.  She quickly left, her fists clinched in silent rage, before the people could see her begin to weep.

...

The people later dispersed, as Nestor had taken Feroz back inside, so the vulture may continue to honor his beloved chief.

Outside, the sparrow elder patted his son on his shoulder.  The old bird gave a proud smile to him, "My son the shaman, I've never been more proud."

Tilo still visibly blushed at the end of his beak, "Thanks, Dad." He said it sarcastically as he casually wiped Nestor's leaked precum upon his father's tunic. The sparrow turned to return to his medicine hut when Kali ran towards him.  He sensed something was wrong, "Kali?  What's wrong?"

The blue jay had to catch her breath, "It's Maureen... She's having her baby!"