Strawberry Jam and Mochi

A shabby wooden shack stood in a clearing deep within the forest, muffled conversation leaking through the gaps in the walls into the wilderness around it.

Avalon crouched behind a bush at the edge of the clearing, checking around for any patrolling guards before turning his attention to the wanted poster in his paws. This was the place alright, the hideout of the Raticate gang that had been causing trouble in Capim Town. List of crimes included theft, vandalism, extortion and banditry. The reward would be substantial, but the risk was well worth it in his eyes. A surprise attack at night would be the best choice, so he hunkered down to wait for sunset.

It hadn't even been a minute before the door of the shack opened and a cheery looking Delibird waddled out. A few shouts followed her before the door slammed shut and the criminals inside went oddly quiet. Wasn't that the new mailmon in town, what was she doing with outla-

BOOM!

The roof of the shack flew up into the air and the door ripped off it's hinges as a massive eruption of fire sought to escape from every opening of the shack. The deafening sound shook the trees around the clearing and rattled Avalon's skull, causing him to stand straight and lock up in primal fear with eyes glued onto the smoking structure. The roof landed back down atop the shack and collapsed in from the momentum.

"Hoot! Weren't meant to be that strong, did I mess up the labels? Oh! Howdy there hon! Sorry about the fright, y'all alright?" The Delibird had walked up to Avalon while his head had been occupied with unsuccessfully deciding between fight or flight. He slowly looked down at the suddenly terrifying bird smiling up at him. Instincts failed again and he fell on his back stiff as a plank.

"Oh shoot!" The mailmon rushed over to check on Avalon for any wounds or injuries, taking her time to check his large fluffy ears as well. She hummed a calm tune as she worked, it felt familiar somehow, but he couldn't place from where. His eyes began to water from the mixture of terror and nostalgia, but he managed to hold it back and sat up to address the stranger.

"W-who are you? What just happened?" Avalon looked from the Delibird to the smoking ruin on the shack. Thankfully it seemed nothing was actually on fire, simply scorched from the explosion.

"Name's Debby! Proprietress of Delibird Deliveries in Capim Town!" Debby puffed her chest proudly before glancing back at the ruin as well and answering the second question. "Them's Raticate stole mail from us, so I paid back the favor. Y'all really gotta make sure thieves get the message. Tamperin' with mail ain't a federal crime here so I gotta make sure they learn their lesson."

Debby's words clicked in Avalon's head. Federal crime? And that tune felt like-

"Y'all are a guildie, so I figure y'all are here for the bounties. They won't be puttin' up a fight for a while, so feel free to take them in. Ain't got the inclination to become a bounty hunter myself." His thoughts were interrupted by Debby's eerily accurate assessment, he hadn't even shown her his badge.

He finally gathered his thoughts and managed to squeak out "A-are they even alive?" That kind of force would've left anyone as barely more that gibbets on a wall. It seemed excessive for simple mail theft, and Debby didn't even seem to realize that as she had kept her cheery expression like the two had just crossed paths in town or something.

Debby tilted her head in confusion at the question. "Hoot? Why wouldn't they be? T'was just a lil' Present. Granted a tad stronger than I wanted, but still just a Present." It seemed the concept of bombing someone's house didn't include the possibility that the bomb-ee would likely die. Either this bird wasn't a human after all, or she was unhinged beyond measure, Avalon thought to himself. The thought did not make him feel any better.

Debby started digging for something in her tail bag, soon pulling out a small box she offered to Avalon. "Here, a little somethin' for y'all. Sorry for the scare again, didn't realize y'all were around. I oughta get back on my rounds now, ain't got time to dally."

Avalon took the small box, not daring to refuse. It was light, but the dread of what it might contain felt heavy on him. After Debby had flown away and his heart beat had calmed down, he carefully peeked inside to find... Mochi.

He carefully took a bite to find it was real, strawberry flavored too. Today had been quite a rollercoaster so far, he thought as he ate the rest. Perhaps he should just turn in the bounty and not dwell on it.