FATE VI The Winged Helper

THE black, gray falcon watched the laughing humans warily. The one with the bow he was most concerned about, but the others seamed harmless. Well… the girl did anyway.

That one with the sword looked like a skilled warrior. So did the one with the bow; and this particular bird had learned early on about bows? The men with black and red armor and shields had them. He hated those men ever since they had hunted down his family and killed them. But now he watched in fascination as the black haired boy spun his sword in blurring circles. As they walked on the falcon flew quietly from tree to tree following them. He liked the girl with the blue dress. She seemed very nice. And he wondered what she had in her pouch.

Harias tossed a large nut into the air and batted it away with Silverlight. The second time he did it, Deodar whipped if an arrow at it. It stuck with a little plock! and then, both thudded to the ground. Harias’s jaw dropped. Deodar merely picked up the arrow and looked at the nut in disappointment. Then he muttered to himself,

“It didn’t split. Phooey.” He removed the nut and all of a sudden something gray and black swooped down, snatched from his fingers and disappeared. “What was that!?”

The falcon was startled at himself for what he had just done. He had been foolish to go after that nut when he had just seen what the archer did with his bow. The human could have been brought him down in one second with one of those well aimed arrows. But he hadn’t had lunch yet and these were his favorite nuts. They were to him like eating crackers as an appetizer. He followed again to see if the girl had more nuts.

The trio had now reached Buckland. Now precaution was most important. The walked between the houses to prevent being seen easily. Presently they stopped and watched. There were almost no signs of life on the roads. All three lay flat as a battalion of soldiers march hotly by. Thara lunged for ward when she saw captain Foltindon leading them, nose in the air. Harias held her back and Deodar clapped a hand over her mouth to keep her silent. When they had past she calmed down and said coldly,

“He is the man that ordered my fathers death.” Deodar and Harias saw the hatred in her eyes as she said it. Then, leaving the subject, Deodar asked,

“Where to first, Harias?”

Harias thought for a moment.

“I’d like to stop at a certain blacksmith shop.”

Deodar nodded.

“You lead the way.”

The three stole silently around the houses till they came to Gennabrick’s blacksmiths shop. Harias’s heart sank at the sight. The windows and door were boarded up. Harias dreaded to think of what Lamord’s soldiers might have done to him. Then the horror of it hit him. He ran to the nearest window and began tearing at the boards that covered it. One of them came loose in his hand but the others were nailed securely. He pulled out Silverlight and smashed the boards in a single blow. Deodar and Thara watched him disappear through the window then followed after. Once they had crawled through they saw Harias standing stalk still in the middle of the room. Cups and bread crust and broken plates were scattered on the floor. Cupboard doors were open or broken of and the contents broken or scattered. A chair was tipped over. The forge works had been smashed

and torn apart. Tools were lying everywhere. The shop had been rampaged. Harias stood shocked in the center of all of it.

“How could they have done this? It was all he had. All I had. They’ll pay for this.” he slammed his fist down on his palm. “I’ll make them pay.” He growled to himself. Exiting again through the window, the three contemplated what to do next.

Finally Deodar said,

“It’s getting dark. We should find a good place to camp out before we do anything else.” They found a good oak and Deodar shot up into the foliage like a squirrel. Presently they heard him call out, “Wow! You can see the whole town from up hear! Uh- oh! Here come a detachment of scouts.” He dropped down quietly and helped Thara to a good foot hold on a branch so that she could climb the rest of the way on her own. The Harias scrambled after her and then Deodar, shaking his head at Harias’s un-speediness. They scrambled as high as they could and just in time. The soldiers came marching directly under the tree. They were archers. Most likely going hunting for the king’s table that evening. Harias could have spat. They had probably taken everything that the people had and now had to fend for themselves. “Serves them right.” he thought, “after all they’ve done.”

The gray falcon swooped angrily. He hated these red and black archers, and now they were coming to his tree. He flew with full force at one of the black helmets and knocked the unbalanced soldier to the ground. The archers immediately scattered and drew their bowstrings taught. The falcon soured high and looked back just in time to see the arrows coming up at him. He dodged and swooped and dived straight toward the ground. Thara gasped, thinking he had been hit. But the gallant bird leveled just above the ground and flew off to safety. Thara’s gasp had betrayed the trio’s position and the archers looked up. Harias and Deodar needed no other urging to decide it was time to move. They dropped down in the midst of the enemy forgetting about their weapons. Harias landed on top of one and dealt a stinging blow with both fists to the one next to him. Deodar whipped out his dagger and severed the bowstring that was a bout to send an arrow hurtling at his friend, then kicked the archer into its comrade knocking them both to the ground. Now the hawk came into the fray flying so close to the ground his wing tips nearly touched the grass. He smacked head on into one of the enemy knocking him completely off his feet. The soldiers were not equipped to fight this team, and were not prepared for an attack. The scattered helplessly and sought cover.

No one had known at the time, but Thara had constructed a sturdy sling during her stay in Deodar’s tree and had become very skilled with it. She let fly a big stone at a soldier. It clanked of his helmet and he turned to see where it came from just to get another right in the jaw. Now she let out a full barrage that nearly exhausted her supply of pebbles. One flew right past Deodar’s head and smacked the soldier he was about to slug. THOK! The soldier yelped and clapped a hand on his jaw as he fell straight backwards like a felled tree. Two others whacked an archer on the hand then a straight one to the cheek. No one knew where they were coming from but the three combatants were grateful of their help. Harias neatly tripped a fleeing archer and sent him sprawling in the grass. The falcon attacked with beak and talons and before long the trio’s fierce onslaught scattered the enemy in all directions and sent them fleeing for their lives. Thara sent a hefty pebble hurtling after them. WHANK! A soldier’s head wobbled like a bobble head and he lazily flopped to the ground. Thara dropped to the ground with a grim look on her face and twirling her sling. Deodar, clutching a bleeding arm, half heartedly chuckled,

“We sure showed them didn’t we.” The falcon landed gracefully on Thara’s shoulder. She smiled at the fierce falcon.

“I think we’ve found ourselves a fourth crew member.” The bird let out a happy earsplitting screech.

“Kyyyyyrrrraaaaaahh!” Thara’s face cringed and she clapped her hands on her ears and so did the others. After the sound stopped Thara announced,

“This heroic bird needs a name; and I believe I shall call him Talonjay.” Deodar nodded approval, concurring,

“It fits him perfectly.” He leaned forward toward Talonjay and said, “Well Talonjay, how do you like working with an archer?” Talonjay reached out and pecked Deodar’s nose sharply. “Yow! Why’d you have to do that?” he looked at his nose whining, “I think it’s bleeding.” Harias and Deodar exploded.

“HAHA!!!!”

“Good shot Talonjay! You-HAHAHA! - landed one right on the- HAHAHA!- on the button!”

FATE V

Deodar’s home was actually a tree; A huge, giant sequoia that he had hollowed out to make a room. The door was made so that if one were only passing by he would never guess that three young people were eating lunch inside the trunk. But if he examined the trunk closely, he would find that there was a knot in the bark that would push in, causing the door to come ajar. Because the trunk was so tall, Deodar had installed sort of loft where his bed was and most of his food stores. There was also a small rope ladder leading up into the foliage of the tree. Down on the “first floor”, there was a small two man size table against the east wall which served as an eating table and also a working table. In one corner there was a small barrel stocked with thin yew rods used for making arrows. Next to it was a sack of yellow feathers for fletching. Deodar unshouldered his bow and quiver and set them on an oak chest.

“I’ll get us some food going. Do you like cooked apples?” he said. Thara immediately stood up and pushed Deodar out of the way and began bossing the other two around like slaves

“That’s a woman’s job. Harias go and get some fire wood. Deodar, get a pan and ladle.” As Deodar turned to do as she bid, Thara slipped his dagger from its sheath as neatly as you please. Deodar returned with the afore mentioned items and noticed what she was cutting with and looked at his belt. A look of puzzlement came over his face as Thara snatched the pan and ladle from his bewildered hands and began placing the apple slices in the pan. Harias came in and announced,

“I brought the -” before he could finish his sentence Thara had grabbed the three small logs and kindling and was stuffing them in the small stove. “- wood.”

Before too long Thara had the meal ready. All three sat down and Thara ladled them delicious cooked apples and gave them each a thick peace of the scrumptious bread she had baked. The apples melted in there mouths and the bread was steamy and chewy. Harias leaned back in his chair and his eye lids drooped in satisfaction. Thara sat down grinning, awaiting their opinion.

“Well?”

“Oh! It’s amazing! The bread’s delicious!”

“Fantastic! Best apples I *gulp!*ever had!”

Before long the three young people were lounging around on full bellies. Harias lay in the “loft” half asleep. Deodar sitting in a chair whittling a stick with his dagger (which he had managed to pry from Thara’s sleep grip), and Thara was conked on the mattress. It was paradise.

Harias had fallen asleep and dreamed that he was facing Lord Lamord in a fight to the death. They lunged and parried. Swung and blocked. Lamord came at Harias head on and Harias side stepped and slapped his enemy’s wrist the flat of his sword, relieving Lamord of his blade. But every time Harias defeated Lamord, another would appear behind him and so before long he was battling five, six, seven, even eight Lamords! In a thrice they had him pinned down and stabbed him all at once! Harias yelled in pain! He was bleeding from several small puncture wounds. Thara and Deodar had heard his yell and dashed up the rope ladder. Harias was thrashing about left and right in his sleep, spurred on by the pain and the dream. For a second they stared at him in shock then Thara rushed over and tried to calm him down. Harias in his sleep thought she was another Lamord attacking him and knocked her aside. Deodar jumped in to help and tried to hold him still. Thara examined his wounds. Seeing them not terribly serious she went back down to get a wet cloth and wiped the blood from the wounds. Harias woke up in hysterics, shaking all over and at the point of crying.

“Don’t let them get me! Please! I can’t fight them! Help me! Please! I can’t, I can’t...” he broke down into sobs. Thara looked at him with soft sympathy.

“You poor man! It’s all right Harias. It was only a dream. Only a dream. You’ll be alright.” Deodar held up a small bundle of arrows.

“So that’s what the wounds are all about. He must have rolled on these in his sleep.” Thara murmured,

“Tell me Harias, what was the dream about?” Harias’s voice was very trembly.

“It was Lamord. I can’t fight him, Thara. He’s to strong. I wanted to help you. I live here too. But I can’t defeat him. He’s to strong.”

Thara was alerted by this. Was he giving up? Can he really not do it? No. It was just a dream. He’ll be better when he gets some food.”

Harias munched gratefully at Thara’s bread and sipped at the cool water.

“Better, Harias?”

“Yes. Thank you Thara.”

“You rest now. You’ll need your energy later.”

Thara went down stairs where Deodar was filling his quiver and checking his bow string. They were about to go on their “tour”.

“How’s the old lad now?” he asked.

“He’s fine. The wounds bandaged up nicely and should heal very quickly.”

Deodar twanged his bowstring and listened; then nodded with satisfaction.

“Perfect. I’m ready when you are.”

“So am I!” Harias was standing beside Thara all geared up and ready for action.

Thara jumped.

“How did you get down here with out us noticing you snipe? You should be resting like I told you!”

Harias jibed sarcastically,

“Don’t worry “mother”. That awful smelling goo you slapped on me is working like a charm.”

“Oh you -” Thara shoved Harias good-naturedly and pretended her dignity had been hurt. “Your “mother” is going to slap some in your face if you don’t watch your mouth!”

Deodar was laughing so hard he had fallen out of his chair. Harias went on jibing.

“Of course, the bendy peace of itchy bark you used as a bandage was rather uncomfortable.”

“You big fibber! It was not bark! It was nice clean cloth!”

“And what possessed you to cook the bread so long? It was more burnt than a…a…uh, Thara? Why are you gripping that ladle so viciously? You’re not going to… Ahhhh! Ouch!” Thara smacked Harias two hard ones to the head with her ladle. Now Deodar was writhing on the floor laughing harder than ever. Thara stomped to the door and strapped on her pouch. Then said hotly,

“I’m ready to go if you’re through making a ridiculous spectacle of your self Deodar.” Deodar was laughing so hard he couldn’t answer or even get up. She glared at Harias who was rubbing his head furiously. He whined,

“What are you looking at me for? You’re the one that nearly knocked me out with that solid iron ladle of yours!” there was a moment of silence then both of them started giggling. Then laughing. Then howling! Both of their faces at that moment were so ridiculous that they couldn’t help it. Deodar had now calmed down enough to put his gear on and the trio ambled out of the house laughing happily.

None of them knew that they were being watched.