Two Birds of a Feather

Chapter 57

"Hunting patrols are back!" a peregrine falcon cried out. Everyone looked up just as the patrol returned, carrying various prey items. All but the turkey vultures went to eat. The vultures took to the air to find any carcasses nearby in the area. They liked dead things.

"Here Wendy," Tiberius murmured quietly, his voice muffled. He set down two mice in front of the young red tailed hawk. One was for him and the other for her. Getting up from where she had been resting with Zelda before the ancient turkey vulture had left, Wendy happily ate her mouse. Laying down beside her, Tiberius ate as well.

Two days had passed. Wendy and Tiberius were still hanging with Mercury and the Council. As much as they wanted to go home, they needed to save their strength for the very long journey ahead. The Council was currently waiting on the last few birds to meet up with them before they all traveled south. That's when the pair planned on traveling again.

"Hey, wanna play with us Wendy?" a young osprey asked as he and a young great horned owl padded over. Gesturing to a group of birds around their age, the owl chirped, "We're playing Mudball." Intrigued, Wendy glanced up at Tiberius. Smiling, the old hawk nudged her to her feet as he stated, "Go on kid. It's a fun game, trust me." Nuzzling him gratefully, Wendy raced off to join the other youngsters.

"If I didn't know you that well, I would've mistaken you for her actual father," Mercury remarked as he and another friend walked over. The friend, another red tailed hawk named Eisenhower, let his little sister Elisa go off to play with Wendy and the others. Scoffing, Tiberius rolled his eyes and muttered, "Well, it's a good thing you do know better than that. Trust me, I'm not a fatherly figure."

"That's a lie. You helped me and Elisa," Eisenhower chimed in, lifting his talonless foot. Nodding his head, Mercury laid down beside Tiberius as he added, "And you literally take care of Norman. He's a guinea pig." A solemn look on his face, Tiberius grumbled, "Still not father figure material." Patting the old hawk on the shoulder, the bald eagle remarked, "Wait and watch. You'll see what I mean."

"Hey, the stragglers are here!" Eisenhower trilled. He pointed up at the sky with one talonless toe. Tipping their heads back, Tiberius and Mercury saw what he meant. The last few who had stayed behind in Central Park had finally arrived. That meant the Council would be moving south soon. That also meant Tiberius and Wendy would have to split ways with them.

The new arrivals were quickly swamped by the other birds of prey. Not being a people person, Tiberius avoided the crowd and stuck to the outside, searching for Wendy. At the same time, Wendy had followed the other kids into the crowd to meet the newcomers. Trying not to get trampled, she looked around and saw birds of prey from all six of the tribes. Turning to her right, her yellow eyes widened with surprise. She at last had found a face she was familiar with. It was one of the two faces she first saw when she hatched.

Unable to contain, Wendy raced through the crowd and called out, "Daddy!"