Of Penguins and Puffins 8

Chapter 8 The Bronze Owl

“Yes…its perfect…no one knows about Puffin but me and the other criminals around here” Penguin thought to himself staring at his blade bloodlustingly. “And they seem to want her gone any-”

“Oswald! Stop lagging behind I want to get that owl and get out of here as soon as possible this place gives me the willies” she sighed annoyed.

Owl? That’s right the birds, he had nearly forgotten about them. She was the only one who knew about them. He needed her and he knew it full well. A rather thorny situation at the very least. Then again, if some unknown criminal could find out about something like these birds, if they were as valuable as they seemed to be then find out about the other thirteen birds whereabouts couldent be all that difficult.

“Here…” her voice was faint and distant even though she was standing only a few feet away from him. She had been nothing but a pain since she showed her face anyway, he thought to himself raising the sword bearing umbrella above her from behind, eyes void of any expression at all. The world seemed to move in slow motion as it came down straight towards her neck.

CLANG

She had turned to the side just as the blade came down. It completely missed her striking the cement grave. Oswald finally snapped back to reality as if the clatter had awoken him out of his trance.

“Oswald watch where you swing that” she grumbled over her shoulder

What? He looked seeing her staff had been struck down only about a few inches away from where the blade had. It was after a moment of staring he realized it was in attempt to break the cement away from the base of the owl. Puffin had been so involved in her work that she didn’t even realize that he had just tried to kill her. Wait…what?

Oh dear lord he had. He blinked slowly backing away dropping his umbrella to the ground backing away from it as if it were a venomous viper. He couldent believe himself. Why? Was he really going insane? For crying out loud he as upset, yes she was annoying at times but it had never consciously crossed his mind to actually kill her. His eyes darted around anxiously trying to figure things out.

Great. He never felt sorry for anything he had ever done, and of course the first time just had to be sorry for something he'd done to this….woman. This fickle, annoying, quirky, amusing, oddly attrac-….oh god in heaven no. The same sickening feeling began returning as he nearly tripped over his own feet. It was impossible, there was no denying it anymore. He had a thing for Puffin. HE Oswald Cobblepot had something for this…Finchella.

“Finally!” she exclaimed as the heavy Bronze owl fell to the ground. It was made to appear perched on a stump, wings spread out wide as if preparing for flight. Its beak was wide open and its eyes made of two large pure opals. He could only stand there staring at those ominous eyes that seemed to look straight through his soul. Those accusing eyes that seemed to read him like an open book. It was a rather unnerving feeling but it wasn’t just the eyes, those graves were to similar for his liking as well.

“Erm…yeah” Penguin muttered unable to look her in the face at this point any longer “Get it and lets go..”

“Ozzy? You ok?” Puffin blinked cocking her head to one side, already in the process of packing the owl into her bag, her staff laid carefully next to her.

“Im fine just…feeling kind of sick an-”

“nnaaww Isnt that sickeningly cute?”

That voice. It was a voice far to familiar for Oswald’s liking, and far to close as well. That damned voice was right behind him. He knew it better then any voice and knew all to painfully well it belonged to the absolute LAST person he wanted to see epically with what was going on right now. He turned silently and palely to face a dark silhouette perched atop a tombstone. He didn’t need to see anymore then that to identify who it was.

Selina Kyle, more well known however these days, as Catwoman.