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A
Clan SteelClaw Thanksgiving
By Cairo and Malachi
Llewelyn leaned over the stove to check the temperature
of it once again. She frowned when she found it wasn't hot
enough. She smiled and with a wave of her finger, she sent a tongue of
fire into the oven. It roared like a dragon.
"That should take care of that." The gargoyle smiled.
"You know, Llew," Vashkoda grumbled, "I really
don't get this whole thing." With great slams of her fists she was
pushing stuffing into a very large turkey. It was one of three. Silver
had spent the rest of the morning
cleaning them, Athena made the dressing, and now it was Vash's
job to stuff the birds.
"It was a year ago that we became a Clan." Llew
explained. " I thought it might be fun to celebrate it with a big ol’ dinner!"
"Well, I think it's a great idea!" smiled Sabrina.
In her talons she held a bowl a cranberry salad she had been making.
Mad Brooklyn slammed open the kitchen door. He looked
at the contents of Sabrina's bowl, and smiled.
"MMMM, Cranberries!!" Mad Brooklyn said. He tried
his best to take a taste of the salad, but Sabrina always moved it out
of his reach. They played this game of keep away for a while, until at
last MB's right talon hit its mark. Triumphantly, he wolfed a few
berries.
"Great!" he said, smiling broadly at his mate's
scowl. "Almost as good as this!"
Playfully, he planted a kiss on Sabrina's lips.
She giggled.
Kahreen had been washing dishes this entire time.
But when she saw Mad Brook wrap his talons around Sabrina's waist, Kahreen
smiled catlike to herself. Suddenly the younger lovers found themselves
under a shower of dirty dish water.
"Hey!" They cried.
"Hey," Kahreen smirked. "Someone had to cool you
two down. You are almost as bad as me and Flynt."
THREE NIGHTS AGO…
"Hmmm." Thaylog said, holding his chin in thought.
"A Clan celebration?"
"Yes." Llewelyn explained. "To celebrate our Clan
being a year older."
"Like a…" Diamond started, "Like a-"
"Birthday." Ed filled in.
"No." Llewelyn corrected. "More than that. It will
be a time to celebrate us being a Clan in the first place. For all we've
been through... to-"
"You mean," Cairo said, "a time to give thanks to
creation."
All were surprised at the sound of Cairo's gruff
voice, she did not chat
much. Still, at times, in her eyes there shone all the mysticism of
the east. Only Ed smiled knowingly, for many a night he and the scorpion-tailed
one had debated on spiritual matters.
"Well, that's kind of the idea." Llew agreed.
Thaylog was quiet for a moment. "Flynt, what do
you think of this?"
"It seems a strange custom to me." Flynt stated.
"But it may be a worthwhile effort."
"Alright." Thaylog nodded. "Llew- Do what you need
to do to prepare."
"I'll need help." She said.
"The whole Clan will help." Thaylog responded.
No one knew exactly who started the idea of hunting
turkeys. Perhaps it was WhiteCrow, or a whim of Ansalong who was always
cursing at damned birds. Eventually, over the course of two nights
it was decided that the flock of turkeys was to serve as the main course.
Flynt was glad to have an excuse to get rid of them
for they seemed to love to roost on him during the day and leave their
mark. He sharpened his axe carefully when Kahreen walked over to him and
hugged him.
"Isn't that a little overkill?" Kah teased.
"No." Flynt smiled, cupping her cheek. "I owe them."
Both the lovers laughed at this and at themselves.
Everyone spread out in all directions. Flynt found
himself flying alone. He searched the skies for his quarry, but there seemed
to be nothing in the direction he had chosen to search. He sighed and was
just about to return to find the others, when he found himself being bombarded
by dark feathered objects.
"Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!" The flock of turkeys called
as they rained down around him.
"Rrahhhhh!" He cried, his eyes blazing. He swung
his axe all about him, cleaving birds this way and that. They pecked him
with their beaks, and raked his skin with their claws.
"I survived the fall of Atlantis, I won't be defeated
by a flock of turkeys!"
"Ahhh!" He cried as he felt one cursed bird try to
peck him in the eye. He grabbed the turkey by the neck and broke it in
one squeeze.
The turkey flock, sensing their inevitable defeat,
fled from the ivory
gargoyle. Flynt was tempted to give chase but he spied some of the
turkeys on the ground. He glided to the ground and picked up three of the
largest birds.
"Looks like there will be plenty of food for the
clan celebration!" He said in triumph. Then he gave out a fierce roar of
victory.
The splendid meal lay on a grand dining table. The
entire Clan was seated by rank around the table with Thaylog at the head.
The spread before them was amazing. First there were the turkeys, three
of them, golden brown and succulent. Flynt shouted "Drumsticks!" and quickly
removed them from the first turkey just as Thay was about to carve. The
other turkeys were generously divided among the others as the table continued
to be set by Silver and Athena. There was honeyed hams, roast beef dripping
with hot gravy, fancy dressing, sugared yams smothered with butter, fresh
green beans, hand-mashed potatoes, cream gravy, wheat rolls, biscuits,
cranberry salad, red, green, and blue jello molds, sweet pumpkin pies with
whipped topping, warm pecan pies, piping hot apple pies, and cornbreads
piled high, and of course after dinner mints.
"Well, Llew." Thaylog said, "You've done quite a
job."
"I couldn't have done it without everyone's help,"
Llew explained.
"Indeed," Thaylog said. "Once again the Clan has
come together, as always we will. And, so, we all have reason to be thankful."
Everyone nodded in agreement. The night was spent eating, retelling
clan
adventures, and laughing. All ate until they thought they could eat
no more. Finally, weighted down with the nights feasting, the heavy
gargoyles ambled slowly to their roosts.
"I couldn't eat another bite," Flynt sighed as he
got comfortable, "but I
look forward to the leftovers..."
"I know what you mean," agreed Mad Brook rubbing
his full and expanded belly, "if I wasn't so sleepy, I'd..." His thought
was cut short by the rising sun.
When the sun rose, a dark flock came into view on
the horizon. They swooped over the mansion, and at last settled into
their respective roosts as the fattest, most obnoxious turkey also took
his favorite roost, right on Flynt's stone head.
"Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!" It cried.
Happy Thanksgiving Sibs!! ^_^
By Cairo and Mike (Malachi)
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