Is my sister waving at me? I groan as I fly along above the treetops near the car so that I can keep an eye on them. I try to pretend like I totally cannot see her as I fly so I can see the gap that is the road, and now I am flying out of sight. I know where the lake is, but it is not always easy to tell from up here if I am going in the right direction. <I can't believe my parents let her come. Sure, I don't have a lot of fancy moves, but I was hoping to show off.>
Shiners, who was following from the other side of the road, laughs, <You know it would have looked more suspicious if they went for a drive but left Sarah at home without asking her,> he says. I give my head an annoyed shake. Sometimes I hate how practical Shiners can be.
Thankfully, my sister does not seem to be able to see me through the trees, but I do see a disappointed look on her face. This would be so much easier if my sister was not so bi... r... scattered-brained and I did not have to hide from her. It would definitely look too suspicious if I flew alongside the car the whole way.
Shiners chuckles, <If your sister is going to be such a headache, just tell her. She can't be that bad,> he says.
I just shake my head at this. <She has a tendency to tell people about a secret she won't tell them,> I say, remembering that Christmas gift.
Shiners gives a mental wince. <John, sorry Mike can't come out right now, he got himself stuck as a wolf, but not allowed to tell you,> he says, making me do a full-body shiver and fluff my feathers out at the sudden fear of it happening.
I grumble, <Maybe she would be fine, or worst-case, people just think she's telling a story, but it definitely wouldn't be good for my nerves, and there's always that chance someone might think it's true.>
Shiners glances over to me and nods his head. <True, well, she will figure it out eventually,> he says as we soon near the lake ahead. We're flying over a rather deserted, barely drivable dirt logging road, so there should almost never be anyone. I hope. It would be my luck for there to be some junior forest wardens or a birding group out and about. The air currents feel a little deader out here at the higher elevation, but it is still flyable. It makes me wonder how bad it could get.
I love flying. I think the cold didn't weaken my love of flying, since it still feels new to me. The joy of the world below me, being carried by the air, is what I am learning to love most of all. The less time I have to worry about survival, the more I can just live in the moment. I worry that I might not be able to show off, but right now I feel like I could impress a raven with my flying skills. I miss being human, but would I miss flying more?
As they drive alongside the shore of the lake, I do a quick flyover and thankfully see no one else. I look back to Shiners, who was flying far enough behind me that it doesn't look odd. <You see anyone that might photograph us?> I ask curiously, as I see only one flash of color, but it turns out to be a really old, mushy cigarette box.
Shiners laughs, noticing my gaze. <Watch out, cigarette boxes will attack unprovoked,> he says as I give my head a shake at his joke. I do one last circle and see nothing else noticeable as I turn back and see my family has gotten out of the car, my sister excitedly pointing at me. Shiners gives a small nod as he banks to the side to land in a tree near them.
As I circle above the group, Shiners laughs slightly. <Your sister seems rather excited to see you, she's convinced you're the same eagle from the other day. Your parents are trying to tell her eagles don't travel that far,> he says. Looking down, I wince. Oh yeah, they look nervous as they say something to my sister.
I decide to save my poor, unfortunate parents from my sister as I give out a SKREE!! and bank in the air, trying for a tighter turn than usual. The way the air flows and pushes against my feathers feels both uncomfortable and cool. Let's see how good this can be. It seems to work, as my sister stops talking to point and giggle, and Shiners adds, <Now she thinks you're trying to say hi to her.>
I groan, shaking my head and feeling my heart race a little from panic. <Wonderful... this is just going so splendidly. You think if I dropped her in the water she'd be so traumatized she'd forget it all?> I half joke as I swoop down low to the water, flying over it and just letting myself forget about my fears and enjoy showing off.
I take a small risk and drop lower so that the tips of my wings lightly touch the water. It throws me slightly off balance, but I flap to gain some height. Shiners laughs. <Dude, you're crazy, but your parents and sister seem to be loving it. Your mom keeps smiling, though she gives the occasional wince.>
I give out another skree as I take off back up into the air and look around. <Hey, you think I should make a catch? I don't want to risk catching a fish, not even sure if I can, but probably best not to do it now if I don't want to risk embarrassing myself.> I think, imagining myself belly-flopping into the water.
Shiners shakes his head. <Maybe try it somewhere safe first, like near the shore,> he says as I start looking around for something to eat, maybe show off my hunting skills. It's then that I see a rabbit near the edge of the shore and grin. Ohhh, dinner, I think as I circle over it, keeping an eye on it.
I give a look over at my family as Shiners calls. <Your family seems to have noticed something is up, and your dad looks excited, so does Sarah. Are you really going to catch yourself dinner?> he asks as I nod my head. I do a longer bank over the trees until I'm in line with the rabbit and then come straight in, talons outstretched, ready to catch it.
I fly straight in and come in hard, but this time I'm ready for it, not letting myself panic, just a bit more. But before I can get close enough, the rabbit looks up, spots me, and takes off, causing me to land roughly but safely, having missed it.
I grumble, wincing at that. Great... an attempt to show off, and I fail. It's at that moment I feel something land before me, and right there is a dead rabbit... and I suddenly have a bad feeling.
Oh god no.
