Destiny (Volume I: Shur'tugalar)

Chapter Five Part XXXIX (ED)

"Oh, you poor thing." Whispering gently, she cupped the bird into her hand. "What happened, little one? Where are your parents?"

The bird peeped forlornly, and her face softened with understanding. "Your parents are gone, aren’t they? Aww, I'm so sorry; but hey, why don't you come with me?" Holding out her other hand, she said, "You can have some of these berries."

Slowly, the baby bird reached out a pecked up a mulberry, chirping as it hobbled up Niaomi's arm. Raising small blue wings, the girl noticed a few missing feathers. "You got hurt? Well, let's make sure you're okay." After a quick pat down, she smiled in relief. "Besides for a few missing feathers, you'll be just fine."

Still peeping, the bird nuzzled into her thick hair. Laughing softly, she stroked the bird with one finger as she finished gathering berries, offering the bird one every once in awhile. Then, the reminiscence changed to show the rest of the group who'd remained on the riverbank. The kids were lying on the thick grass while the pegasi and Bramble grazed a distance away.

"I wonder what's taking Nia so long," murmured Renata, her eyes closed as she basked in the sun.

"Ahhh, she'll be fine," Nate muttered sleepily. "I just want some food."

Rosaminda sat up, picking up a few rocks to skip across the river. "Hypnos, this quest is tiring. Wish we could find the bird already."

"Me too, twin," her sister agreed. Flickering her gray eyes open, the view shifted again to show what she was seeing. There on a tree, only a few yards away, sat a gigantic bird with stormy blue feathers and a grayish-blue underside. It was almost as tall as Eragon's arm, with a huge plumed crest atop its cocked head.

The bird fixed Ren with a laser-like stare, and she softly squeaked, "Uh, guys? I think I found a thunderbird."

The others looked up and gasped at the amazing sight. The bird was enormous by any other specie's standards, and it slowly glided down to the river. Keeping a good distance away from the unusual collection of creatures, the thunderbird had a drink as the four shocked children looked on.

"So, what do we do now?" Rose hissed at her friends.

The boys shrugged their shoulders in unison. "Beats me," Nathan whispered. "If only - "

"Nia were here," his brother finished with a sigh. "She'd know what to do."

"Well," Rosaminda said boldly as she slowly stood up. "Let's try to ask this thunderbird about the rest of them." She started moving toward the animal, and after an anxious glance shared between them, the others followed.

The thunderbird rose to its full height of two feet, flapping its wings noisily and letting out a growl that sounded like thunder. As the kids inched closer, lightning began to run over the bird, making its crest stand up even taller as it shrieked in defiance.

"Hey, bird, we aren't gonna hurt you," Nate said, instinctively pushing the blonde who'd taken the lead behind him. "We just wanna ask about the Brunskulblaka's bird…you heard of her? Brunskulblaka?"

A bolt streaked from the thunderbird into the ground a few inches in front of the boy. Yelling, they all tumbled back as the great creature lifted its wings, flapping hard to climb above the treetops and circle the area. It rose higher, cries echoing like thunder as the sky began to darken. Bolts of electricity darted amidst the clouds, sparking as they struck the ground beside the river.

What did you guys do?! Loivissa whinnied, rearing as another strike of lightning hit the ground and left behind the charred and steaming remains of dead leaves.

"Accident!" shouted Renata, the wind blowing harder as thunder boomed deafeningly. Carefully, the children made their way back to the pegasi.

"Well," Nick said, grimacing as the wind got stronger, "guess we won't be flying!"

You think? Vindrlíf responded sarcastically. We go out in that, and I'll be Vindrdauth! (A/N: As told, vindrlíf mean "air come to life", and vindrdauth is "air come to death." Essentially, Vinny is saying that they'll all die if they head out in the storm.)

"Hey!" a familiar young voice shouted. The whole group turned to see Nia standing a few feet inside the forest. Ruyi was once again wrapped around her neck, hissing loudly as Gedwëy perched on her head. One shoulder was occupied by a small baby bird, eyes round with fright as it buried itself into the girl's hair, who asked, "What happened here?"

"We may have, uh, upset a thunderbird," Rose confessed, hanging her head in shame.

"Why'd you do that?" Niaomi asked, her frown wrinkling the Dragon's Kiss on her brow.

"Cause we thought it might lead us to your bondmate!" the blonde yelled back.

"I already found him!"

"What?!" four voices yelled.

"Yeah, but let's get out of here first. I guess flying's out of the question."

Rolling his eyes at Nia, Vinny said, Why, yes - it is! Is that really such a shock to you humans?

"So we'll have to go on foot," the girl said, ignoring the pegasus's grumbles like she did her brother's. "Come on."

Steadily, the group clambered into the forest and away from the angry thunderbird who was still making a storm. Ruyi was tense, and Niaomi had to loosen the darksnake's coils every so often lest she be strangled. Gedwëy darted ahead, lighting the way since the forest had grown dark with the absence of the sun.

"So, that bird on your shoulder is you kveykav-fethrblaka bondmate?" Ren queried, untying her ponytail to rake out the litter in her blond hair.

"Yes." Stopping, Nia turned around to face the group. Carefully plucking the baby thunderbird off her shoulder, she nestled him into her palm to introduce him. "Everyone, this is Ion."

Chirping softly, he looked at the children with wide white-blue eyes and ruffled his tiny crest, hopping towards them. "Awwww!" Rose cooed in delight as she stroked Ion. "He's the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

Ruyi seemed to agree, and started slithering toward the thunderbird, eyes locked on her target.

"Ruyishewa!" Niaomi said crossly, picking the snake off her neck. "Ion is a friend, not food."

Friend? Food? a whispery voice sounded from Ruyi.

"Friend," the girl said as she channeled pictures of herself, her companions, Gedwëy, and the horses, and then mental images of mice and other rodents for, "Food."

Coiling, Ruyi moved back up Nia's arm and uttered her first sentence. Yissh friend, not food?

"Yissh?" asked Nathan. "What's that mean?"

Yissh… Ruyi hissed as she sent them flickering images of Ion and other birds. Yissh.

"Bird!" Renata clapped in joy. "You mean a bird!"

Yissh…bird?

"Right Ruyi," her bondmate said. "Yissh is bird."

The sundavrilnú wrapped herself around Niaomi's neck once more, but looked at Ion, head bobbing in confusion. Yissh…is bird? Bird is food.

"Different birds," Nia explained as she showed the hatchling images of other birds like robins and sparrows. "This bird - ", a picture of Ion, "is not food."

Ruyi looked back at Ion, who watched the snake warily. Not food...this yissh not food. Ruyi not eat this yissh - different yissh Ruyi can eat.

"Correct!" Nicholas said, applauding at Ruyi's language development. The darksnake merely rested her head, deciding to sleep off the meal she'd already eaten since it seemed she wasn't having another, and her breathing evened out though her lidless green eyes remained open.