The feathers had me guessing they were bird-like critters. Which reminded me of when I had a pair of Japanese bantams. One time the hen and her clutch of chicks (only some of which were biologically hers, the rest were from eggs she'd just ended up incubating as we had a number of chickens and only a few of them were broody) were up the driveway foraging for food when someone had the audacity to walk past the house.

The two large dogs that I had at the time went charging up the driveway barking ferociously at the potential would-be interloper.

The hen saw them coming, and seeing no immediate escape route (I don't know why off to the side didn't occur to her, chickens don't seem to be the smartest things in general), she fluffed her wings and charged at the dogs.

Both of whom skidded abruptly to a halt, cartoonishly back-pedalling all the way, before turning tail and fleeing.

I got the story from JJ once he managed to stop laughing long enough.

So while reading this I imagined something like that but much deadlier and less amusing XD