Two Birds of a Feather

Chapter 59

As soon as Elisa had told him what was going on, Tiberius had raced as fast as he could back to the clearing. He arrived in time to see Harry strike Mercury in the face. Now the mad hawk was turning his talons towards Wendy, his own daughter.

That was not going to happen.

Anger filling up inside him, Tiberius rushed forward and body slammed the smaller hawk. Harry had no idea what hit him until it was too late. The other birds of prey kept their distance, afraid. Mercury was already being taken care of by Zelda and other healers. Huffing, Tiberius turned to Wendy.

Tears running down her face, Wendy was curled up into a tight ball. She trembled with fear, shaking like a little leaf. Believing Harry was no longer a threat, Tiberius padded over to the young red tailed hawk. Nudging her face gently with his beak, he rasped, "You okay kid?" Shivering, Wendy looked up with sad eyes. She was absolutely heartbroken right now. Sighing softly, Tiberius nuzzled her cheek as he rasped, "I'm so sorry." Crying quietly, Wendy sobbed into his feathers. The pair just stood there in silence.

Then came the screech of pain.

Wendy jumped at the sound. It didn't take her long to realize that it had come from Tiberius. Unbeknownst to everyone, Harry had gotten back up on his feet and attacked the old hawk from behind. Luckily, Tiberius was able to throw off his attacker. But the damage had been done. Wendy could smell blood and she could see that Tiberius wasn't putting weight on his right leg.

Wincing in pain as he stood protectively over Wendy, Tiberius felt like there was a wildfire in his right flank. He could smell his own blood. He stole a quick glance at his wound. Sure enough, it was bleeding. Harry had struck his right side hard and he had struck deep. Glowering at the other hawk, Tiberius hissed threateningly, hoping Harry would back down.

He did not.

"Move out of the way," Harry snarled, his feathers bristling. There was a crazed look glowing in his eyes as he glared at Wendy. Whimpering, the young hawk pressed herself against the earth, trying to disappear. She wanted to be invisible. Pacing back and forth, Harry continued, "This is between her and me."

"She's a kid. I will not let you lay one talon on her," Tiberius declared, holding his head high. He kept himself in between Wendy and her insane father. The old hawk meant every word he said. Harry was not going to touch Wendy, not even one talon. Standing his ground, he growled, "You can walk away now and no one else gets hurt."

"My mate is dead! How am I supposed to live with the fact that she's gone and yet this child somehow survived?!" Harry shrieked. His feathers stood on end like a tornado had raced through them. His bloodstained talons digging into the dirt, he screeched, "I'm telling you, she was supposed to die that night!" He added sinisterly, "And I'll fix that."

"Over my dead body!" Tiberius retorted. With that, he lunged forward and tackled Harry. Zelda and Eisenhower quickly pulled Wendy to safety. They tried to shield her eyes from what was going on but she could see glimpses through their feathers. She could see Tiberius and Harry fighting. Harry fought savagely, lashing out wildly. Tiberius fought with the ferocity of a grizzly bear and the agility of a mountain lion.

"It's gonna be okay Wendy, you're safe with us," Mercury rasped, his face wound taken care of thanks to the healers. Wendy huddled beside the bald eagle, Eisenhower and his little sister Elisa laying next to her. Zelda stood in front of them, protecting them if the fight got out of hand. Everyone was keeping a safe distance from the duel.

Avoiding a strike aimed for his face, Tiberius spread his wings open and sent a gust of wind and dust in Harry's eyes, temporarily blinding him. Taking this opportunity, the old hawk grabbed the other hawk by the throat with his beak. Flipping Harry over onto his back, he pinned his opponent to the ground. Even as the younger adult struck him with talons and beak, Tiberius refused to release his hold. Soon, Harry's attacks slowed down as he started losing air. "Tap out now or else," Tiberius muttered, his voice muffled, "I don't wanna kill you." Desperate for air, Harry didn't hesitate as he tapped his opponent's shoulder three times.

The fight was over.

Releasing his hold, Tiberius backed away. He prepared himself for a possible sneak attack. However, Harry was too busy gasping for air. The fight had left him. Standing up with the other Council members, Mercury went over to Harry so they could decide his fate. Panting heavily, Tiberius limped over to where Wendy was. The young hawk was so scared she was sobbing. Not even Zelda could help her. Curling up around Wendy, the old hawk nuzzled her and rasped, "I got ya kid, it's okay I got ya." Crying, Wendy buried her face into his chest and continued sobbing. Tiberius patted her on the head, trying to calm her down.

All the while, the sun sank below the horizon.