The Story of Tiberius

Chapter 27

The second he heard those gunshots, Tiberius was taken back to when he and his sister were only a week old. He had heard that same sound right before both of their parents had died. He could see their faces, covered in blood. His mother's light brown eyes, staring right at him, glazing over like frost on the bark of a pine tree. Shaking all over uncontrollably as he heard more of them coming from the TV, the young hawk let out a screech of terror and dove under the couch, heading straight for the wall.

Confused by what just happened, Alfred got down on the floor as quickly as he could. "Emma, can you turn off the TV please?" he asked. Grabbing the remote control, the four year old child did what she was told while the old man peered under the couch to find a very frightened Tiberius. The hawk had pressed himself against the wall and was trembling all over the place. His eyes squeezed shut, he was letting out terrified shrieks. Looking under the couch with her grandfather, Emma asked quietly, "Grandpa, what's wrong with him? Is he okay?"

"I don't know, I can't explain this... where's Rosa?" Alfred replied. Lifting his head, he found the young female hawk perched on top of a shelf. Though she wasn't as bad as her older brother, she was trembling a little and letting out tiny squeaks. She would often glance at the TV, like she was expecting the gunshots to ring out again. Recalling what he had been told when he had bought the two red tails four months ago, the old man put two and two together and finally answered a question that had been nagging him for the longest time. Shaking his head quietly, he mumbled, "The poor little things..." Getting back down so he could see Tiberius who was still having his panic attack, Alfred motioned for Emma to get up on the couch. The old man then let out a sharp yet quiet whistle.

Hearing the whistle, Tiberius quit shrieking. Resorting to little terrified squeaks, he lifted his head. Shaking, he sniffed the air. The whistle had reminded him a bit of a similar sound that his parents would make whenever he got frightened. For a moment, he believed that his mother or father were there right now. However, he knew that couldn't be true. He had witnessed their deaths with his own two eyes. Closing his eyes as tears ran down his face, the young hawk shook even more. He was like a leaf clinging to a branch, fighting against a huge gust of wind. Just then, he heard the whistle again. Feeling a little comforted by the sound yet still frightened, Tiberius took a tentative step forward and let out a tiny shriek. When the whistle came again, he took a few more steps forward and shrieked again quietly. The third time it happened, the young hawk stuck his head and shoulders out from under the couch as he squeaked. At that moment, two hands grabbed him.

"Easy sweet boy, I got you," Alfred whispered as he placed Tiberius on his lap. He ran a kind hand from the hawk's shivering head to his back and then repeated. Shaking, the young hawk jumped a little when Emma started petting him too but eventually relaxed. Flying down from her perch, Rosa nuzzled her brother's face gently. Comforted, he let out a tiny and quiet purr.