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(Oh, thank you, MH. You spoil me so
)
"Very well," Aspspur gave one last, long stare at Nightstorm before gesturing towards the trees above with an outstretched wing. "I suggest you be careful," he smiled without amusement. "I wouldn't want somebody to fall to their death."
With that, Aspspur spread his gigantic wings and alighted onto a thick oak branch a little ways above their heads, quickly switching direction and darting into the embrace of a large cherry tree. "Follow," he commanded.
Deathstorm followed with a word,his son behind him.
It took several minutes of branch hopping, leaping through thick pockets of twigs and leaves, to reach their destination. The path they traveled was well worn, as if it had been used for quite some time to climb into the depths of the trees. At last, Aspspur halted, making room on an extremely thick ash branch for the newcomers. "You've just crossed the point of no return," he commented coolly. "If you choose to back out now, the only way is down." A twig snapped and toppled to the forest floor forty feet below for emphasis.
"Now that we're all nice and cozy," he smiled at the chickens, squashed side-by-side on the branch. "Let me welcome you formerly to our camp." With a strong, well-muscled wing, he opened a window through a curtain of maple leaves, exposing a network of branches where several trees canopies intermingled.
In front of the small group was a camp in the middle of the canopy itself. All around, chickens hopped from branch to branch, wings well-muscled from flight and balance, bringing food and supplies to where they were needed. In the corner, a few chicks, no older than a half-moon, were hopping playfully among the twigs under the careful supervision of a broody. Platforms of nest-like gatherings of twigs and leaves were placed all around, bases for the dens and sleeping quarters. Very few of the structures had roofs; the canopy above protected the entire camp from bad weather.