Friend or Killer?

Chapter 4

"...I'm telling you, it was the scariest thing I have ever witnessed in my entire life!" Mel exclaimed. Nodding his head rapidly, Buddy added on, "We're not making this up! We all saw this with our own two eyes!"

Shaking all over where he was sitting next to his girlfriend, Max relaxed a little when Gidget rested her head on his shoulder. It helped a bit. But it wasn't enough to make him forget what happened. After the bird had dived and the beagle howled at a warning, chaos broke out. The beagle had been struck first, disemboweled right where he stood. The next target, a Boston terrier, had his face clawed up. At this point, people were scrambling to get their dogs. A St. Bernard decided to play hero and charged at the bird. However, the attacker was too quick and the next thing anyone knew, the large dog was on the ground bleeding out after his paw and eye had been severed from his body. Pepe had almost been snatched but Duke had grabbed him in time. The Newfoundland mix would've been attacked if a black Labrador hadn't gotten in the way. By the time the bird had left, three dogs were dead and many more were injured.

"I think I'm gonna be sick after hearing that..." Chloe mumbled, her face turning an awful shade of green. Pops gently patted her on the back and she surprisingly allowed him to continue while Norman went to get her some water. Pepe wasn't in Max and Duke's apartment, instead up at Leonard's where the poodle was trying to calm him. Sweetpea had fainted, Ozone had turned pale and Snowball's fur was standing up here and there and everywhere. Max could feel Gidget shaking next to him. He licked her forehead, soothing her fears. Rubbing his forehead, Snowball sighed quietly before asking, "Did any of you guys get a really good look at this killer bird?"

"Not really," Max admitted.

"I'm pretty sure Pepe did but he's not going to be talking for awhile. I didn't get a chance to look at it. All I know is that it's big," Duke answered.

"There was no way I was sticking around long enough to get a look at it! That thing was on the hunt yet it didn't eat any of the dogs it killed!" Buddy exclaimed.

"None of you got a good look at it?!" Snowball shouted.

Mel slowly raised his paw in the air. "Oh boy, here we go..." Chloe muttered.

"I didn't see much," Mel spoke quietly, shuffling his paws, "But I saw that it was pretty large and it had big talons that glinted in the sun." Staring at his paws, he mumbled, "It also had... red tail feathers..." Those words clicked a piece of the puzzle in everyone's minds. At that exact moment, they all heard someone arrive at the open window of the apartment.