A lot of feathers

The pain wracked his body as he cracked open an eye, the other mysteriously sealed shut. Blinking, he looked up at the roof of the cave, wondering if he had somehow managed to survive the fall, only to be dragged into the home of some scavenger, to wait to die before being devoured. Slowly, he began checking himself, twitching his fingers and wrists, then bending his elbows, his left shoulder spasming as he tried to move it. Leaving it, he tested his legs, finding no new pains and that they seemed to work just as well as his arms, injured shoulder excluded.

Lifting his hand slowly, Chris poked the side of his head, feeling the unmistakable crust of dried blood, the sharp smell of iron the flooded his nose only confirming his suspicions. Moving slowly, he sat up, his head swimming as he fought back the urge to vomit, not wanting to sacrifice anymore of the precious little water he had left in his body. Looking around the cave, his eyes widened at the site of a nest, the carefully woven branches covered with small pieces of cloth and animal hide, as well as several large brown feathers, and what looked to be the remains of eggshells in the center.

A soft chirp to his side made the young man swing his head around, immediately regretting the sudden movement as the taste of bile flooded his mouth. With a shudder, he **** himself to swallow the disgusting swill, waiting patiently for the cave to stop spinning, his open eye going wide once again as he stared at the magnificent figure before him.

Standing at an impressive 5'9", the obviously female creature carefully pruned her feathers, seemingly oblivious to the young researcher as he watched her. She stood serenely as she worked to maintain her beautiful plumage, giving Chris ample time to inspect her. Apart from her larger size, she looked like a typical anthropomorphic eagle, her long, slender arms and legs ending in scaled claws, the scales extending to just below the elbows and knees. He watched in fascination as her razor sharp hooked beak gently picked through the feathers, occasionally plucking one out, letting it fall to the cave floor.

Almost as if reading his mind, she extended a massive seven foot wing from her shoulder, carefully pulling it around her with her fore-claws, the brown and white feathers gleaming in the meagre light that filled the cave. Finished, she retracted the feathered appendage carefully, the eagle suddenly seeming to take notice of the human for the first time. Watching him inquisitively, she ruffled the snow white feathers on her chest, giving the man a brief glimpse of the anthro avian's breasts, her golden eyes watching him with interest.

Moving as slowly as before, Chris pulled his rucksack off his back, opening the zip carefully so as not to startle the magnificent creature, the metal zipper suddenly coming loose in his hand, making his look down in confusion, nearly screaming as he stared at the bag. Shredded was an understatement, the large rips in the nylon making it look like someone had run a lawnmower over the backpack multiple times. With a soft click of her beak, the eagle suddenly introduced Chris to the tools of his backpack's destruction, her scaled hand pressing against his chest as her talons tore easily through his shirt.

Chris felt a rush of adrenaline course through his battered body as the avian loomed over him, her beak shining in the fading light. Remaining perfectly still, Chris found himself contemplating the irony of his situation. Saved from certain **** by the very creature he had come to this gods-forsaken land to study, only to meet to his demise by that very same savior. He blinked in surprise as the eagle clicked her beak again and lifted her claw from his chest, hopping back several feet, staring at him with those strangely captivating golden eye. The spell was suddenly broken as a loud screech echoed through the air outside the cave, the light suddenly vanishing as another form blocked the entrance, landing with practiced ease in the mouth of the cave.

Chris watched in fascination as the slightly smaller bird clicked and chirp triumphantly as she displayed her kill, the limp form of a coyote clutched in her arms. The two seemed to converse for a time, the second bird occasionally peering over the first's shoulder to stare at Chris, before the larger of the two suddenly screeched, flapping her wings wildly as the other dropped the carcass, backing off as she tore into the coyote, expertly stripping away flesh and organs until she found her target. With a sickening rip, she wrenched the coyote's liver from its body, trotting triumphantly over to Chris, who watched in morbid fascination as she snapped her beak shut, swallowing half the liver before kneeling before him, offering the young man the other piece.

Her beak still dripping with gore, she seemed to watch Chris intently as he took the still warm piece of meat, swallowing nervously before biting into it. He reveled in the soft, moisture rich flesh as he ate it, swallowing hungrily despite the foul metallic taste. Eating carefully so as not to waste a single morsel of the bitter meat, he panted slightly as the two avians watched. A series of squawks and chirps from the pair suddenly found the coyote's chest being noisily broken open, the beak of the smaller female expertly removing the heart, again biting it in half, blood spraying from the arteries to splatter messily on the floor, before the eagle kneeled before Chris and presented him with the meat.

Taking the meat from her, the two chirped happily to each other as he ate, the young man sighing to himself as he finished, looking down at his blood-soaked hands. In a sudden flurry, the two avians descended on the corpse, tearing at the meat and flesh, messily devouring their kill. Shaking his head slightly, Chris suddenly started, grabbing at his back and riffling through the contents. Finding his note pad and a pencil, he quickly scribbled down the strange ritual looking over at the two females as they dug into the dead coyote. The smell of blood seemed to fill his head as he felt himself begin to sway, his vision blacking out again as he began to topple, the two looking up in surprise as words left his mouth.