Hand of Fire (The Master of the Tane) (76 page)

              Eerily intelligent blue eyes stared at him making him feel a little uncomfortable. He felt like he was being examined. He tore his eyes away from the stare but still watched the bird cautiously. As of yet it had made no threatening moves but the horror of what had happened to his previous captors was still fresh in his mind.

Long moments passed but still nothing happened. The bird kept watching him but that was all. It didn’t even appear to be interested in his slender body. Looking at the fish, Teek realized that his own scrawny flesh would be nothing compared to the meat that it offered. Maybe he wasn’t going to become food after all. Teek felt his courage build. He looked up at the sharp blue eyes again. Surprisingly, they didn’t really look threatening. Pointing his dagger at the fish he said with the slightest shake in his voice, “What’s this for?” 

              The bird let out a soft cooing noise that sounded foreign coming from an animal its size.

             
“And what is that suppose to mean?”

             
As if in answer, it raised its head and moved it forward and back in a quick jerking motion all the time repeating the cooing sound.

             
Teek looked down at the dead fish making sure he could still catch the movements of the bird above him. His stomach suddenly reminded him that he hadn’t eaten anything since early that morning. He grinned. “You want me to eat this, don’t you?”

             
Again, the bird cooed and jerked its head as if swallowing a giant beetle.              

“I guess you wouldn’t mind if I had a little of your dinner would you?” he asked feeling a bit less shaky. “I think there’s plenty here for the both of us. After all,” Teek continued his courage growing, “you wouldn’t want to eat a person with an empty stomach. I mean, it would be like eating just the shell of the crab, right?” Teek stared up at the majestic, white bird as he slowly squatted down by the fish.

Watching him for a moment, it just breathed out another soft cooing sound and then turned its head and started preening its feathers as if it had completely lost interest in him. Taking this as an affirmative answer, Teek quickly sliced his dagger into the fish and cut himself off a fairly large chunk. It tasted wonderful. He hadn’t realized how famished he really was. In a quick minute he devoured the chunk on his dagger and then flipped the skin over his shoulder and out of the nest.
No sense in leaving a mess around here and stinking up the place
. Smacking his lips, he gave the bird another quick glance to make sure it hadn’t changed its mind and then quickly cut off another piece.

             
“You know, there really is no sense in eating me at all,” Teek reasoned in between bites. “I mean, look at me.” Lifting his arms he waved them around to help make his point. “I’m nothing but bones. Why eat me when you can have some of this tasty fish?”

             
The bird didn’t respond, working furiously now on the underside of one of its great wings.

             
Teek took another bite and pondered on his own words. Scratching his head, his eyebrows furled into a deep scowl. “Maybe you don’t like fish.” Stopping for a moment, he stared at the half eaten chunk of flesh on his dagger. “Maybe you’re just trying to fatten me up so there will be more of me to devour.” Looking back up at the bird, Teek shook the meat-covered dagger. “Is that what you’re trying to do?”

             
The bird glanced at him for only a quick moment before switching to the other wing.

             
“Well, it won’t work,” he shouted in indignation before tearing off another bite of fish. “I mean, you’ll starve to death before I get fat enough to even make me a tiny morsel. It’s useless, you might as well let me go and find someone a bit larger.”

             
The bird stopped its preening for a moment and stared down at the Waseeni boy who abruptly stopped eating and shrank back expectantly. A tense moment passed before the giant bird lifted one of its deadly talons and commenced rubbing its beak along its nails as if to sharpen them. The color momentarily left Teek’s face as he brought another chunk of fish up to his mouth.

Suddenly out of things to say, he finished his meal and then sat back against the nest completely satisfied with his stomach now full of fish. Never in his life could he remember feeling so filled up. Life in the Teague was rough at best. Many a night he could remember going to bed without any supper at all only to be greeted by less in the morning. At the thought of bed, a large yawn escaped from his mouth. The sun was already making a quick exit on the far horizon, taking with it the warmth of its bright rays and promising a cold, miserable night.
No matter
, he thought sadly looking up at the bird that now worked on its other leg.
I won’t be getting any sleep tonight anyway
.

             
Curling up with his dagger and shivering against the night chill, Teek fought with his eyelids to keep them open and glued on the bird above as its image blurred in and out of focus. Another yawn distorted his eyes with tears drawing his vision into a coagulation of dark, unfamiliar shapes. Blinking furiously, he was finally able to clear his sight only to be greeted by an empty rock tower. The bird was gone.

*   *   *

              Teek woke slowly, caressed in a feeling of soft warmth and contentment. It would have been so easy to fall back to sleep but something was desperately trying to swim to the surface of his groggy mind that, no matter how hard he tried, wouldn’t be suppressed. Finally giving in to the impulse, he moved his legs in an effort to stretch and bring himself to full consciousness. As he did, something moved above him. His eyes shot open in horrified realization as his mind instantly drained of the thought clouding haze that had gathered there giving way to complete clarity of mind.
THE BIRD
!

             
He jerked in a frenzied attempt to bring up his dagger and ward off the attack that had finally come in a moment of weakness and exhaustion. With his sudden movement, the bird quickly took to the air in a powerful flap of its enormous wings that sent a rush of ice cold air crashing down around him immediately stealing his warmth and anymore thought of attack. Clutching his arms about him in a vain attempt to control the shiver that raced through his body, Teek watched warily as the giant bird swiftly disappeared into the bright, morning sky.

Morning
? Teek quickly turned himself about drawing his bearings from the pinnacle at the north end of the nest. Sure enough, the sun was rising, not setting.
I must have slept all night
.
But the bird
,
it was on top of me
. His teeth chattered against the cold.
I wish it still was
.
Obviously it wasn’t trying to kill me or I never would have woken up
.

             
Pushing himself against the nest’s north side in an effort to block off the wind and catch a few of the rays coming from the new sun, Teek noticed a pile of large, white feathers laying untouched by the wind in the middle of the nest. Checking the sky to assure himself his deadly friend wasn’t about to return, he scrambled over to the feathers and quickly gathered them about him. He could still feel some of the warmth left by the bird’s body heat as it absorbed into his own settling his shivers down to small rumbles.

             
He felt overjoyed by the thought that the bird possibly
was
paying him back for helping it escape Brak and Zel’s trap by the lake. Maybe it was even trying to help him. Thinking back to the fish the night before and the feathers he now had spread across him, it felt too much like coincidence not to be true. “Thank you, Twee!” he shouted, echoing his voice off the surrounding mountain peeks.

             
Gathering up the leather thongs twisted amongst the nest’s innards, he quickly went to work tying the feathers together into a rather handsome and warm cloak. Holding out his handy work for inspection, he had to admit he was rather pleased with his ingenuity. Placing it around his shoulders, he tied it to his neck and curled it around him bringing instant protection and warmth against the harsh north wind. It was then that he realized the fish carcass from the night before was gone.
I guess it does like fish
.

             
A loud shriek echoed through the air announcing the great bird’s return. Teek watched it circle with anxious anticipation hoping his earlier thoughts would prove true. As with the night before, something suddenly dropped from the bird’s clutches landing another fish mere inches from his feet. Settling on its perch, the bird made the familiar motions for eating and then eyed Teek and his new cloak with a look that made him think of satisfaction.

             
Without preamble, Teek dug into the morning meal not in the least bit upset at having to eat the same thing as the night before. “Thank you for keeping me warm last night,” he said between bites. “I’m sorry about what happened this morning. I have to admit, I thought you were trying to eat me.” Teek looked down rather sheepishly. “I guess that was dumb, huh?” Looking back up into those piercing blue eyes he suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. “Wasn’t it?”

             
With a quick flash of white, the bird dropped down in front of him sending Teek scurrying back against the far side of the nest and almost toppling him over the edge. Teek instinctively fumbled with his dagger in the slight chance of defense but halted his motion almost immediately as the bird ripped into the fish and gulped down a huge chunk in the same head-jerking motion it used to get him to eat.

             
“That’s it,” Teek breathed, trying to slow down his racing heart. “Eat up. There’s plenty for all.”

             
The bird turned its gaze back to him and let out a small cooing sound repeating its head jerks with an empty beak.

             
“Oh,” Teek stammered, “you want me to eat more. Okay.” Moving slowly forward, he gingerly placed his dagger into his side of the fish keeping his eyes locked painfully on the huge mass of feathers and razor sharp beak above. Suddenly dropping its head, Teek jerked as it ripped another piece from the side of the fish and gulped it down in the same head-jerking motions. Relaxing a bit more, Teek followed suit, cutting off his own chunk and bringing it up to his mouth. With a large grin, he bit off another big piece and quickly swallowed it to the bird’s obvious delight as it let out an ear-blasting cry. Both continued the feeding frenzy and in no time, the fish was picked clean leaving nothing but a pile of cartilaginous bones.

             
Satisfied with his meal, Teek looked up at the magnificent creature perched before him and couldn’t help the feelings of awe at its beauty. “Thank you for dinner last night and for this fine breakfast.” The bird remained still staring back at him. “And thank you for not eating me. It...it means a lot to me and my family.”

             
Teek suddenly felt his hand reaching out towards the birds plumed chest. The giant bird didn’t move. He knew that in one swift dart of its head it could snap his hand right off but he kept moving it forward. Closing his eyes, he deliberately closed the gap between them. Finally, his hand touched the soft, white feathers. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the underside of the deadly beak above and then carefully moved his hand down the plumes on its chest. A warm, cooing gurgled from above lent Teek a little more courage and he stroked its fine white feathers more vigorously.

             
Finally feeling confident with his newfound friend, Teek relaxed completely. Stepping back so he could look up into its eyes he no longer felt like a worm about to be eaten. “My name is Teek,” he said extending his hand. “I’m from the Teague Swampland.”

             
Rearing back its head, the large bird let out a deafening cry and then bobbed its head back and forth. Teek couldn’t help but laugh at the gesture thinking it somewhat playful. Looking at his outstretched hand he chuckled. “I guess it’s probably best if we don’t shake hands.” The bird only cooed. Teek moved forward again and scratched its chest. “You need a name. I’m sure you probably have one but I don’t think I could pronounce it even if I knew it. Let’s see, what would be a good name?” He stopped his rubbing, to the bird’s obvious disappointment, and stepped back so he could look up once more into its eyes. Holding up a finger, he said, “I know. How about Tchee? Yes, I think I like that, Tchee. It kind of just rolls off the tongue. Tchee. What do you think?”

             
Looking down at the young Waseeni boy the large bird’s eyes seemed to smile. Then raising its head again, it bellowed out another cry and then bobbed its head back and forth.

             
“Well,” Teek said removing his hands from his ears, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

             
Tchee continued bobbing her head back and forth in response, eliciting a delighted laugh from Teek who joined in with her. Both bobbed their heads to the obvious joy of the other until Teek finally slowed down, his smile fading away. Looking up at her, he noticed that she had also stopped and was now watching him carefully.