by Don P. Bick
Chapter 39
The wind blowing off the sea, northwest of the Sea of Turmoil, was as strong as they remembered it when they traveled across the same plateau on the way to the eagle's talon, several weeks earlier. Some of the trees were dropping their leaves now, as fall drew near. The falling leaves presented an obstacle to the travelers they would rather have done without. Even with the falling leaves, wind and one fairly violent rain storm, the seven made good time from the eagle's talon, back to the plateau northwest of the Sea of Turmoil.
The weather held out as they re-crossed the pass. It stayed too warm to snow, while they retraced their steps through those ravines and canyons. In the pass they moved as quickly as possible, now knowing the route, as well as constantly concerned and thinking about the possibility of snow. They didn’t want to get caught in another snow storm in the event the weather made a sudden change.
One thing that greatly expedited the return trip was the rafts they had already build and left on the river banks. They were all exactly as they had been left. They were able to quickly cross the rivers without any delays or difficulties. One thing that did change on the return trip was their constant watching of the skies behind them, in the event more birds tried to get one of them.
Two weeks after setting out on their return trip they reached the sea. Much of the area between them and Serpent Isle was unexplored; at least it was unmarked on the map they carried. They had no idea what to expect or which would be the easiest route. They figured they would follow the coast as best as possible. The only problem with that plan was the wind. It never stopped in this area. They could only hope that as they traveled farther north it would let up. Fortunately, the temperatures were still fairly mild, even though the wind coming off of the water made it feel colder than it really was. In any event, they all had to wear coats during the day, due to the chilly air temperature caused by the wind. It would have been really cold if the temperatures weren’t as mild as they were.
One thing no one had expected, or counted on, was the bird. Eagle stayed with the group, and in the two weeks it took to backtrack across the pass became a permanent member. Each day they expected him to go his way and each evening he was there to eat with the rest of them. It got to the point where they expected him there every time they turned around. When he wasn't a couple of times they became concerned, but then eventually he would show up.
Bran and Druc were delighted to see he ate other things besides fish. They watched him eat wild berries and fruit, as well as leaves from some of the trees and bushes. Actually it seemed he could, and did, eat most anything, although he was particularly fond of fish.
Eagle had been accepted by all the members. Even Gena, who always went out of her way to feed it the scraps after each meal. The only person who was a little wary and stayed away from the small bird as much as possible was Twil. Perhaps it was because of his size. Twil wasn't much taller than the bird. In a few weeks he would be shorter than Eagle. Perhaps that was the reason Twil avoided standing near the creature.
Eagle tolerated them all without ever showing any anger or rebellion. But it really couldn’t be said that he was close to any of them, except Druc. He traveled and lived with the others, but he worshiped Druc. Eagle treated him as though he was one of his parents. No matter where Druc went, there was the bird.
Eagle no longer shied away from any of them, as he had at first. He was right behind Druc on the walks and at night could be found sitting in a small tree or perched on a rock within a few feet of the Saturnian.
The only real difficulty they had experienced with the winged creature was when Gena drew the line about him coming into the cave with them for the night. It had taken place in the pass at the same cave where they had stayed during the snow storm. Eagle was right behind Druc that night when they went in to go to bed. Gena would have none of it. Without the slightest fear she walked up to the creature, grabbed his long beak and dragged him outside. The bird began to protest and follow her back inside after she released him. Gena turned and glared at him while pointing her finger to a rock near the entrance to the cave. She turned her back to walk back into the cave and the bird followed once more. The others couldn't believe what she did next. She turned and walked right up to the bird, got down on her knees, and looked the bird right in the eye. Then she began walking forward on her knees, backing the bird up, until they reached the rock she earlier had pointed toward. Then she reached down, picked Eagle up by his legs and placed him on the rock.
They had all commented about how stubborn the large birds were, especially over something they considered their territory. The others, sitting in the cave watched as Gena pointed to the rock and talked to the bird as though he was able to understand every word. She walked away and the bird stayed on the rock. In fact, he was still there in the morning. He never budged during the entire night. Eagle must have recognized how much more stubborn Gena was than himself. No one commented as Gena made three trips out to bring things to Eagle during that evening, instead of her normal one.
Each night after that Eagle spent the night as close to Druc as he could get, but only after making sure there was no conflict with Gena.
Bran even seemed to take a liking to Eagle. Druc teased him that the only reason he liked the bird was because they had to fish longer to catch enough for them all to eat. Those evenings of fishing Eagle seemed to like the best. At first, every river or stream they came to Eagle wanted to stop and fish. Of course that wouldn't have been a problem with Bran and Druc. They were more than willing. With regret they had to pass many places that looked liked good fishing spots and continue on, much to the consternation of the bird. Eagle soon realized they only fished in the evening, and then not all evenings.
Each day Eagle also seemed to be progressing in the flying department. He hopped less and flapped his wings more. In just the couple of weeks since they had left the eagle's talon he had learned to fly some fifty to one hundred yards, all in one flight. And he was finally able to reach the lower branches of some of the larger trees, rather than fly just a few feet above the ground all the time.
The first day after leaving the eagle's talon, they ran into one of the tiger animals. The group had plenty of warning that he was approaching. Eagle began making a lot of racket by chattering and flapping his wings, and then he went to hide behind Druc. They were walking across a large meadow at the time of the attack. Bran and Twil both shot him in the mouth with their crossbows and killed him before he really got very close.
That night the subject came up regarding Eagle and whether they should permit him to continue following them. It was obvious at that time he intended to. After discussing it for a while they all agreed the bird was free to do as he chose. They were not encouraging him to follow and neither would they discourage him from following. They all thought he would tire and go his own way eventually, probably during the next few days.
He didn't, and so was considered a volunteer and permanent member of the quest. Besides, as Druc pointed out, Eagle could be good protection against many of the animals they might run into, such as their recent experience with the tiger type beast, he added. That brought a round of laughter from them all, remembering how the frightened bird had hid behind Druc earlier that day.
Druc was a re-charged man since he miraculously recovered from the ordeal inside the cave. Although he was quiet and contemplative most days, he was filled with energy. He also had a look in his eyes of deep determination. When the others were tired and ready to stop for the night, it was Druc who coaxed another mile or two out of them. And he was the first to get up each morning and the last one to go to sleep at night.
He was still unable to recall how he came to have the golden staff, although he thought about it constantly, trying to grasp those forgotten memories. The staff was never out of his reach. Most of the time he held it in his right hand, even when they were just sitting around the fire at night he would be holding it. He was taking his charge to heart.
> He had studied the staff and the intertwining snakes in detail. The workmanship was exquisite. There was no way to determine who had made it or how long ago. Since the Vulcan on Serpent Isle were the only ones involved with metal in the world, he suspected they had been involved in its making, at least to some extent. But he couldn't be sure. Druc didn't know why the Isle was named Serpent Isle, but since the staff had two serpents on it he was almost positive the staff originated with them some time in their past.
It was late in the afternoon when they reached the shore of the sea. Druc talked them all into going up the coast a couple more hours or until they could find better shelter. It was windy and all they had for wind breaks were the larger trees just off the beaches. The trees weren't much protection at all in this particular area where the wind blew relentlessly at high speed.
Up the coast they found a small cove surrounded by large boulders. Behind two of these they found a spot that was as much out of the wind as they dared hope. There were no caves in this area that they were able to find so the boulders were the best alternative for their camp. It was still too windy to start and maintain a fire throughout the night, even in the sheltered spot they chose. Gena was also more tolerant of Eagle that night than usual, allowing him to sleep in the sheltered area with the rest of them, so he would be out of the wind as much as possible. It was an interesting sight to watch. Eagle didn't come within the sheltered area until Gena fetched him by the beak and positioned him near Druc and out of the main strength of the wind. Once Gena had a hold of his beak, the bird made no protest whatsoever. After Gena had positioned him, he stayed in that spot the balance of the night.
That evening they settled on cold fruits and vegetables for their dinner. They spent a little time each day, while on the other side of the mountains, replenishing their store of fruit, vegetables and berries, so had a good supply with them when they reached the sea.
The only good thing about that first night on the coast was that the weather could have been colder, and wasn't.