Claws

Gold

APOLLO

     Several months passed in the same manner. My master and I woke up, trained, ate, and competed. The first few weeks were littered with near-victories and prize money that made its way into Luka's savings account. Constant aches and pains in my body were nothing compared to the longing I felt in my heart and my loins as I pined for my would-be mate.
     Then the rut passed. My aches and pains grew stronger, more taxing, and my seemingly-boundless energy waned. Along with the rut went my irritability, however, and the constant need to jump my master's bones.
     For the first month out of rut, my performance suffered. I found myself slipping from silver and bronze medals to fourth and fifth place. Little, if any, prize money was awarded for the runs I completed. One run, which I recalled with intense embarrassment, wasn't completed at all— a simple slip while weaving was all it took to twist my left ankle, and a simple shriek of pain was all it took for Luka to pull me from the event.
     Eventually, my mojo came back to me. Towards the tail end of the season I began to pull bronze medals once again. We trained tirelessly, but it seemed that silver and gold were just too far out of reach.
     "Maybe I'm just not supposed to win." I lamented from the trunk of Luka's SUV.
     "Apollo!" My master chastised, "No negative self talk on the way to events."
     A tiny huff escaped me. The human let go of a hearty sigh after me.
     "You're a beginner, Apollo." He reminded me, "The fact that you're pulling fourth and third places is wonderful. There're handlers that have been doing this their entire careers that we're showing up."
     "It doesn't feel like it." I murmured, "There's a reason why we need the prize money. Agility season is almost over, and we barely have two hundred thousand."
     "First of all," Luka quipped through a laugh, "Two hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money—"
     Before the human could continue, my sharp tongue cut him off. "How much is Kennedy?"
     I knew the answer, and so did he. My master sighed.
     "Two point four million." Luka kept his eyes trained on the highway ahead of us to avoid meeting my gaze in the peeling rear view mirror.
     The words that came from him next were small and cautious. "We'll find a way to pay for him, Apollo."
     Blue eyes began to sting as I watched fields of pasture fly by. A single word leaked out of me. "How?"
     Luka's brown eyes locked with mine through the reflection. Just a tinge of sadness betrayed him. My master said nothing, but we both knew what the answer was. Silence settled over the remainder of the journey.
     This time, our run was located in the industrial sector of a small town. Fields and pastures became rural homes, rural homes became suburbs, suburbs became shopping centers, and finally shopping centers became warehouses, factories, and undesignated buildings.
     Dawn made the industrial zone appear empty. There was one otherwise nondescript warehouse that wasn't vacant, however. Dozens of new-model vehicles with heavily tinted windows filled the parking lot. A single blond flight feather laying discreetly on asphalt indicated the presence of the event.
     Our black SUV was parked between a crimson hatchback and a gray sprinter van. Without word, Luka existed, opened the trunk I sat attentively in, and retrieved my collar from his luggage. The black strap of the device was secured tightly, high on my neck. I winced as the leather synched and pinched the delicate skin. A bit more gently, Luka worked my hands into a pair of Kevlar gloves and fastened a buckle around the wrists. Lastly, my muzzle was affixed over my mouth and nose. His brown gaze met mine uncomfortably. After sharing blood with Luka, it was easy to tell that he was trying to hide his guilt.
We entered the warehouse through a set of steel double doors. Once inside, I noticed the crowd of humans and birds producing a cacophonous intermingling of voices. Looking around the environment, I noticed soundproof padding completely covering the walls of the warehouse. Far in the back, an agility course was illuminated under bright LED lighting.
     Like always, it was my responsibility to carry both my backpack and my master's trusty duffel bag. Like always, I clung to my master's side as he socialized. Like always, humans pulled apart and inspected my unusual red plumage.
Not like always, however, my master lead me to a human whose scent was vaguely familiar. Fresh coffee and a comfortable morning mist. A medium-sized Hispanic man with black wavy hair to his shoulders. Dressed in a leather jacket and blue jeans, he casually had his arm around a black-winged bird, who looked me over with curiosity.
"Mateo, good to see you man!" Luka exclaimed as we arrived to the other human. The pair shook hands, and suddenly Mateo's eyes were on me.
"Good to see you too, Luka. This is your bird?" Without pausing, the other human guessed, "Apple? Arrow?"
My master chuckled, and gave him the word he was looking for, "Apollo."
Mateo facepalmed. "Apollo, why can't I ever remember that?" A few innocent laughs came from the man. "Anyways, you know Void. We're hoping to get her eighth gold today."
"That's impressive!" Luka hummed.
The human's continued to chat, but I drowned them out in favor of the new bird in front of me. Void was petite and feminine, with a sparkly pink muzzle that came with matching gloves and a bird collar strap. Her hair looked soft and fluffy, styled into a puffy afro that looked well groomed. Her uniform was much like mine, except mainly yellow with blue accents. She stood a good ten inches shorter than me.
"Hi." I chattered out in our shared tongue.
Luka raised two surprised eyebrows.
"Hello." Void clacked her teeth back at me.
Both of our noses were working hard from a respectable, human distance. I could smell.... shea butter and blueberries. It was easy to see that she wanted to greet me the real avian way. The way her dark brown gaze hyperfocused on me and her weight shifted subtly from foot to foot was a dead give away. I mirrored her body language to communicate mutual interest.
"That's a first." Luka murmured in awe. To Mateo, he said, "He's usually very shy. I think this is the first time I've seen him acknowledge another bird at an event."
Mateo hummed back, "Void is the same way. It's good to see her showing some interest in him."
I watched as void looked from her master to mine, searching for permission to greet me.
"Mateo, what do you think?" Luka asked as if Void's question was obvious. Maybe to him, with years of research under his belt, it was.
"Of what?" Mateo sounded confused.
"They want to meet." My master clarified, "Can they?"
"Oh, of course!" Mateo answered happily.
Unlike all the other birds I had met, Void took only one step towards me. The look on her face asked me to meet her halfway. One equally-cautious step from me, and we were face to face. Slowly, as not to spook her, I lowered my face to her right shoulder and sniffed. Void returned the favor by investigating my collarbone.
After about a minute of mutual investigation, I took a step back. Black and red wings gradually expanded until half-extended. My left wing was offered to her, flights first. I wanted to show her my red plumage.
A surprised mrrrrp! came from the female. She offered her right wing in the same manner. At first I was perplexed by the action— until I noticed a single, half-red feather. To the right of the vein was jet-black, and to its left was cardinal red, slightly brighter than mine.
Mrrrrrrrrrp! I offered back.
"May I....?" My low rumbled asked as politely as it could.
Just like that, the smaller bird took two swift steps towards me and face planted into my chest. A happy laugh left me, and I ruffled my wings against hers to return the gesture. Wide, slow strokes of her forehead against my collarbone left the sweet smell of blueberries and shea butter.
"I think they like each other." Mateo chuckled blithely through his words.
"Just a little." Luka joked.
"My name is Void." A throaty purr, almost akin to a growl, was the pronunciation.
"I'm Apollo." I introduced in English. I wasn't sure of the Avic for it.
Void cocked her head before letting out a wrrrrrp. It was my turn to cock my head now. Again, Void went wrrrrrp.
"Werp?" I asked in confusion.
"No," she clacked her teeth once, before enunciating clearly, "wwrrrrrrrrpp."
I tested the new word out on my tongue a few times.
"That's your name, hun." Luka whispered to me.
"Oh!" I chirped, "wrrrrrp!"
"Got it." Void hummed in English. "You're not fluent in Avic, are you?"
"I think I'm pretty good!" I countered quickly.
"You didn't even know your own name." The female teased.
"It's new." I groaned.
Great first impression.
Void giggled. "I can tell."
I decided to change the topic. "Where are you from?"
"Terra Acres." She responded simply, before countering, "You?"
"Blue Moon Ranch." I revealed.
"Ooooh," the second lionheart hummed, "I've heard that's a fancy place. I'm guessing you were bred there? Are you some big agility whizz?"
"Nope, I was caught." Void's eyebrows furrowed at this new knowledge. "My master's father owns Blue Moon."
Void's expression grew even more confused. "Well, I'm from The Sanctuary originally, and Luka bonded with me there." I attempted to clarify.
"But if your master is from a wealthy family, why does he have a wild-caught lionheart instead of a captive-bred?"
I was a little bit offended at her notion. Were wild-caught lionheart not as good as captive-bred?
My face must have given up my thoughts, because Void began to backtrack rapidly, "Not that there's anything wrong with being wild-caught! I'm just saying most wealthy handlers use captive-bred lionheart, because we're purpose bred for specific jobs."
"So you're captive-bred?" I asked inquisitively.
"Yep. For agility." The female hummed proudly, "I come from a long line of champions."
"Void is due to come into season next month." Mateo informed Luka. Void's black wings curled around her frame from the sudden embarrassment.
"That's a shame," My master hummed, "Apollo just came out of Rut about a two months ago."
Blush flushed my cheeks, and just like Void, my wings encircled me.
"How much were you wanting?" Mateo asked.
I found myself cocking my head in confusion.
"Oh," Luka replied, "he's not up for stud right now."
Both Void and I'd jaws dropped.
"What?" Mateo asked innocently at our reactions.
"Apollo has never been bred before." Luka told Mateo as if it was any of his business. Pervasive scenes of Riya entered my head.
Did she count?
"Neither has Void. First time for everything." The other handler stated nonchalantly.
I chittered and growled to Void, "Are you hearing this shit?"
"Yep." She chittered back ruefully. "I am so sorry about him."
I could have sworn that a coat of blush was still adorning my cheeks as I completed my practice run with Luka. My rut might have been over, but the thought of breeding a female still made me feel equal parts repulsed and interested.
Foam blocks engulfed my form as I completely missed a long jump. As I sank beneath the royal blue cubes, I spied Luka shaking his head. Fighting out of the sea of foam was a battle that sapped all of my strength— I was definitely glad that I wasn't going first at this event.
     When it came time for Luka to guide me across the above-average difficulty course for our official run, however, I still didn't feel very prepared. As always, I ran sans shoes, and got some dirty looks from other contestants who knew exactly what I was doing— Luka and I's method had been begrudgingly accepted by the announcers of the sport, to many handlers' dismay.
This event's announcer was a small Asian woman in a navy suit. She yelled through a shiny, silver speakerphone, "On your marks,"
Luka and I locked eyes and stiffened.
"Get set,"
I could feel my muscles winding up like a coil.
"GO!"
My master and I exploded off the starting line.
First to be vanquished were two tire jumps in a row. The first was catapulted through, and the second was completed with a precise dive.
At Luka's guidance, "Tunnel!", I was directed to the left where a large blue tunnel came next, and I noticed the fabric obstacle was twice the length of a normal tunnel. When I finally made my way back into the light, I was face to face with ten evenly-spaced weave poles.
Luka chanted, "Weave, weave!" and I took them fast and furious. The crowd whistled and clapped as I wove like my life depended on it.
A teeter totter came next—easily my least favorite obstacle. The ginormous contraption squeaked and groaned as my weight was shifted over it. As the opposite end of the seesaw clanked against the ground, I was off again.
My master commanded, "Rope!" and with the point of two fingers I was guided to the right where an obscenely long tightrope laid. The rope swung and quivered as I quickly made my way across the foam pit beneath it.
A hearty whistle caught my attention. Two beige fingers pointed me back towards the main course, and I sprinted headfirst towards a long jump at Luka's motion.
"JUMP!" The human hollered at the last second as my right foot hit the last available purchase.
Tightened wings pressed even further into my back— extending them would have only slowed me down— and I soared over the pit. More cheers from the crowd almost distracted me from my run.
Next came a series of hurdles, then a bird walk, another tunnel, more tire jumps, and finally I faced my final obstacle.
Luka was fairing much better than I was. Sweat soaking through the human's Blue Moon Ranch t-shirt was the only sign of excursion. I, on the other hand, was panting furiously and drenched in sweat. This obstacle course was long and unforgiving.
"Zig-zag!" Luka commanded, and I launched myself onto an S-shaped series of thin metal pillars extended up from a pit of blue foam blocks. One hop, then, two, and three, and four, and five, and at long last I found myself a one jump from the finish line.
My body reeled up for a strong jump— and slipped. Flailing through the air, I tumbled headfirst across the finish line. Laughter erupted from the crowd like pyroclastic flow from a volcano. Heavy blush coated my cheeks and my wings enclosed my frame at the sound.
The announcer interrupted the cacophony of laughs, "One minute, thirty-two seconds!"
My time was the fastest so far. Joining the laughter was uproarious applause and whistling. A few lionhearts in the crowd began yipyipyipyiping for me as well, which softened the blow of my embarrassing finish.
Luka lead me back into the crowd with a gentle hand on my right forearm. We easily melted back into the sea of birds and humans. About a dozen other birds of all shapes and sizes ran the course, making seventeen total contestants.
The crowd hushed when the last team took to the starting line— Mateo and Void. They had earned quite a reputation of their stellar performances, and everyone was on the edge of their metaphorical seats to see what the pair would accomplish on their latest run.
At the announcer's "GO!" Void was off like a rocket. She and her master bounced through obstacles like a ball in a pinball machine. They ricocheted in and out of tunnels, through tire hoops, over bird walks, and over hurdles. I found myself mesmerized by her speed and agility. The way her powerful legs ate the distance between obstacles, the incredible amount of focus she exhibited, and the immaculate obedience she showed to her handler made my heart flutter and my pulse quicken.
Kennedy would have loved to watch me run.
I couldn't help but get lost in the memories of soft blond feathers and the scent of pine. That was, until I heard the crowd react to a devastating mistake.
Blinking myself back to reality, I realized Void had fallen from the tightrope into the sea of foam blocks.
"Penalty!" The announcer shouted into her speakerphone.
It wasn't just a penalty, however, it was also a death sentence for your run. Not only did the mistake cost you a two second penalty, the time it took to crawl out of the hole sent you flying to last place.
I felt bad for Void. Disappointment infected her and her human's faces while the man yelled for her to get back on the track.
"Come in Void, you can do it! Get up!" Mateo's voice betrayed his frustration.
Eventually, Void was able to claw her way out of the pit. She shook off the stress and replanted her feet on the ground. Mateo commanded her to the next obstacle, pointing her in the right direction with his index and middle fingers. The pair were off like a shot once more.
When Void finally crossed the finish line, the announcer hollered, "One minute, fourty-nine seconds!"
Defeat consumed Void's features. Mateo guided her off the track while rubbing her back in small circles and reassuring her that her second run would be much better.
     "The winners are as follows:" The female human announced to the crowd.
     "Apollo, with one minute and thirty-two seconds!"
     Crushing my ribs, Luka was on me like white on rice. "Oh my god!" My human squealed, "We won!"
"Peaches, one minute thirty-five seconds!"
Luka planted a big smooch on my cheek, complete with a muuuuah!
"Angel Food Cake, one minute thirty-six seconds!"
Nuzzling my jaw on the top of my master's head, I felt pride swelling up in my chest. A hand that couldn't have belonged to Luka landed on my left wing, and my eyes popped open to see who it could have been attached to. Mateo stood with a huge smile on his face, a hand on my wing, and a hand in the air waving. My master and I separated quickly.
"Big win!" Mateo congratulated us. Luka received a tight hug with a pat on the back, from which it was easy to see that the Hispanic man had a good foot on him, and likewise a couple inches on me. Mateo released Luka and took a step towards me with outstretched arms.
Is he going to—
Without warning, I was being embraced. The strange human squeezed me tightly and hummed an embarrassing, "Good booooy, Apollo! Good job!". My eyes grew wide when the human literally ruffled my feathers and planted a tiny kiss on my forehead. Void stood behind Mateo, hiding a smirk on her face with her pink-gloved hand at the scene.
"That was our first ever gold!" Luka rejoiced to his new friend.
"That's amazing!" Mateo seemed genuine, "Maybe you'll make it two golds by the end of the night. There's four runs today; two on this course, then two on a scrambled course after the intermission."
"Four runs?" I whispered to Luka with all seriousness, "I was not made aware of this!"
"You'll survive." My master joked back.
     On my second run, I ran one minute and thirty-one seconds. I would've won gold again if it wasn't for Void, who found her mojo; she ran one minute and thirty seconds. Still, I scored silver, and found myself with two shiny medals around my neck.
      Intermission was an hour long at this event. In the meantime, Mateo and Luka ate breakfast together. Mateo had scored a paper bag full of fast-food breakfast sandwiches before the event, and was eager to share with my master. Void and I even got to eat a bite of the delicious, albeit nutritionally devoid, delicacy.
     Mateo and Luka had the pleasure of sitting on metal chairs that looked rather uncomfortable. Void and I, however, had to sit on the floor per event rules. Void sat with her back to the wall and legs outstretched. I sat to her right about two feet from the wall, criss-cross. Our masters sat across from me, to Void's left.
    Our muzzles and gloves had been removed so that we could eat comfortably. Mateo and Luka held onto them, and I couldn't help but think Mateo looked a little ridiculous holding sparkly pink gear. Then again, I was the one in spandex booty shorts.
     I watched with interested as Void politely dug into a sizeable helping of deep-fried liver with actual silverware. Noticing my gaze, she stopped, and offered me a slice. A hearty purr was my thank you as I accepted the gift, plucking it off of her fork with outstretched claws. In return, I offered her a bite of the entire human forearm that Luka had packed for me. She declined with thinly-veiled disgust.
     "Suit yourself." I hummed, unbothered.
     "I don't know how you eat that." The female's face scrunched up with revulsion as the sounds of a hunk of meat being torn apart with my teeth squelched and slurped.
     "I don't know how you couldn't eat this." I purred, "It's delectable. Way better than fried liver."
     "That's a person, Apollo." She looked about ready to throw up. The half-eaten plate of liver was set to the side.
     "That's a person too." I nodded to the liver.
     "Let me rephrase this," she clarified, "What I'm eating is like a chicken cordon bleu. What you're eating is like an entire dead chicken, feathers and all."
     "I don't see your point." I mumbled through a mouthful of flesh.
     "Oh my god, that is disgusting...." Void murmured and covered her eyes.
     "It's natural." I countered.
     Void scoffed. "Yeah, like shitting in the woods and wiping with a leaf is natural."
     Both of our masters laughed so hard they choked on their human food. My eyes rolled.
     "In his defense," Luka began, "he had to survive on his own for several years."
     "What do you mean, sir?" Void's head cocked to the side in confusion.
     My master's eyes trained on me. "Would you like to tell her, Apollo?"
     I shifted uncomfortably from my seat on the floor.
     "Umm...." I stalled for time, "My first master...."
Was shot to death.
     I decided on, "....didn't make it. He died a day or so after I changed."
     "Holy shit, I'm so sorry." Void seemed upset with herself. "So you had to hunt for yourself? That's why you can eat that?"
     I nodded my head. "I spent a lot of nights hungry. Which is good I guess, because it helps get everything down."
Silence touched the group. Soon after, Luka broke it. "He's a rehab." He told Mateo, "Apollo has a pretty significant aggression history. He's still a work in progress, but he's getting better every day."
I thought back to the human I killed on the rooftop in Veridian.
Luka seemed to read my mind. "We've had a setback recently, but recovery is never linear."
Mateo mused, "He'd be a wicked little protection bird. Especially with those toeclaws. You don't see many birds with those."
"I love his little toeclaws." Said Luka, "They're so cute. I have half a mind to paint them."
     Paint them?!
Mateo hummed, "Red would be nice. It would match his feathers."
"Please don't paint my nails." I begged, "That's one line I would not like to cross."
None too soon, intermission was over. Mateo and Luka affixed our basket muzzles and Kevlar gloves. Just like that, we were back to our runs. On our third runs, Void and I were awarded bronze and fourth, respectively. By the final run, however, the competition was worn out.
Luka pulled me to the side and whispered in my ear, "You have a chance to win this, Apollo! Pull out that last bit of energy you have and give this run your all, okay?"
Drenched in sweat, I nodded my head. When it came our turn, Luka slapped me on the back to get me into gear as we made our way to the starting line.
The details of the run were not particularly remarkable. I will say that I ran hard and fast, gave it my best, and crossed the finish line with sweat dripping into my eyes.
"Well folks, something remarkable happened here tonight." The announcer spoke into her speakerphone, "The race has ended with a tie."
My ears perked up.
"We shall award both first-place teams with a gold medal." She imparted.
The crowd listened with bated breath.
"First places goes to Void, with one minute and forty seconds,"
Mateo patted his bird on the back with a huge grin adorning his features.
"And also with one minute and forty seconds, first place is again awarded to Apollo!"
The audience exploded with applause.
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod!" Luka screeched, "TWO golds in one event!"
My master literally jumped onto me and clung with his arms and legs like a spider monkey. I was knocked back about a foot by the collision and flapped my wings to stop us from careening into the ground. Luka hopped off of me with the grace of a ballerina, turned around, and high-fived Mateo perfectly.
Mateo hollered "Hell yeah!", picking up his bird and spinning her around in a circle.

••••••••••

Almost all of the handlers congratulated Luka on our big wins on our way out. Pats on the back, high-fives, side hugs, and handshakes were plenty when we exited the warehouse.
As Luka loaded me up into the SUV and unbound me in the noon sun, our newest friend approached. Mateo, without Void, greeted Luka with a wave.
"Hey Luka, do you have a minute to talk?" The other human asked politely.
"Sure," My master agreed, "let me just put up my bird real quick."
Darkness encased me as the metal door of the trunk closed. Ears perked as the humans conversed outside of the SUV.
"There's a lot of things I like about your bird." Mateo confessed, "I think he would make a good addition to my lineages."
Luka hummed, "That would be a question for Apollo."
"You're his owner." Mateo laughed through his words before continuing more seriously, "Luka, you need to realize that your bird is not a person. You are the one making these decisions, not him."
The shorter human went quiet, and Mateo continued, "It's been a while since a wild-caught lionheart came on the scene, and I've never seen a wild-caught make waves like this. I'm sure you know that they're healthier than captive-bred— it would be a disservice to the species not to breed him."
"I'll talk to him about it." Luka caved.
Mateo sighed. Continuing, he said, "You're limiting yourself. You could really make a name for yourself with this bird."
My master was starting to get irritated, I could tell. "Mateo, please drop it."
"Luka—" he started.
"Bye, Mateo." The shorter man asserted his boundaries.
"Lu—" Mateo began again.
"I'll see you around." Luka cut him off again.
All at once, Mateo blurted out, "Sevenhundredthousand!"
Luka stopped in his tracks. In the car, my jaw dropped and eyebrows raised.
More calmly now that he had gotten the attention he wanted, Mateo repeated, "Seven hundred thousand. I will pay you seven hundred thousand for a live cover. It doesn't even have to be any of my other girls, we can just do Void. They already like each other."
"Mateo, I don't know...." Luka relented.
"Take my card." Mateo handed my master a little paper rectangle. "Call me. We can talk about it more later."
A sigh. The flap of a leather wallet opening and closing. Then, "Okay."