There was no warning. The blow that compressed her body and made it impossible to breathe
arrived with no betraying sound, no visual clue. Dascha was stunned into
momentary paralysis. Her body hung limply,
and her mind spun around her skull in confusion. She could feel her fur
rippling as she was lifted up into the air. The small cat was helpless and afraid.
There were too many things that she had experienced before
for her to stay coherent. Even though the talons of the bird held her firmly
and without injury, Dascha could once again feel those earlier talons that had
pierced her body and had caused her to bleed so badly that she had almost died.
All of the fear and pain that she had felt on that long-ago day crashed into
her mind, momentarily overwhelming her ability to think and plan.
Only a split second had elapsed when she moved past her
stunned amazement. << Not this crap
again! What is with these blasted birds? >> she thought as she
twisted her lithe body into action. There was no way she was going down without
a fight.
Stretching as far as she could, the small black cat
attempted to sink her claws into the legs of the bird that held her. In the
back of her mind, she was surprised that
she knew it was a bird. There were flying reptiles and other things that were
capable of swooping down and grabbing her,
but she had known instantaneously that it was a bird.
It was all up to her. There would be no rescue from this
attack. No flying Savior. She needs to be able to do this for herself.
Spitting and yelling at the top of her voice, Dascha was
stopped cold by an amused comment from
her captor.
<< You need to
build up a little bit more muscle before that’s going to work. >>
<< Glenfrey! Why
on earth did you grab me like that? >>
<< Because we
need to talk and you don’t exactly get email,
do you? >>
<< You could
have just had Henley call Zhanna, you know. >>
<< This is not
about witch business. This is stuff about
familiars, and we don’t talk to our
witches about familiar business. >>
Dascha turned that over in her mind for a short while,
thinking through the ramifications and possible meanings for the things that
Glenfrey had left unsaid. She noticed that the steppe eagle had begun to land
on a rocky outcropping and held her questions until they were settled on the
ground and she could regain her feet.
Standing up and walking on slightly shaky legs after
Glenfrey had released her, the small black cat seated herself about 3 feet away
from her friend. Carefully wrapping her tail around her paws, she looked over at the huge bird and waited for him to talk.
The time she had spent with Glenfrey and his witch, Henley, had taught her that
attempting to hurry the bird would simply lead to additional delays.
Shaking his wings out and then settling him across his back,
Glenfrey brought first one eye and then the other to bear on Dascha. Of all the
things that she could have thought that he would say, what came from him next
was so far down her list that it didn’t even appear.
<< Why have you
not joined the gathering? Are you not going to
the trials? >>
<< What trials?
>> she asked.
<< The familiar
trials. The ones starting soon. Everyone is gathering by the gateway without
you. Did the other familiars not tell you about this? >>
<< Glenfrey,
there are no other familiars with any of the witches in the village or even in
the villages around where Zhanna lives. >>
The large bird considered what she had said. His thoughts
came slowly back, << No familiars.
That sounds like it is a bigger problem than I thought. >>
<< What did you
think the problem was? >>
<< I thought
perhaps that you had managed to annoy the other familiars to the point that
they weren’t telling you or bringing you to the trials. After all, you do have
a bit of a mouth on you. >>
<< Ha! Who was
the person who wanted to teach me how to be snarky? I’m simply applying the
lessons that I’ve learned. >>
Glenfrey totally ignored her retort, instead choosing to
answer a different question.
<< We can
explore the whole issue of why there are so few familiars later. However, we
need to hurry if you’re going to make it back to the gateway before it opens
and closes. >>
Dascha stared at her friend. He was not fidgeting, he was
not looking sleepy and inscrutable. In fact, as best she could read the
expression of a different species, he looked concerned and perhaps even a bit
worried.
<< What are the
trials, Glenfrey? And why do you look worried? >>
<< The trials
are how familiars get training and establish rank. They only happen sporadically, and there are a good bunch of
instructors for this one. >>
The young cat watched as the eagle started to move uneasily
from foot to foot. Deciding that she would not subject him to a
cross-examination, Dascha simply asked, <<
How long do they last? And what do I tell my witch about why am leaving?
>>
<< I just tell
Henley that I need to go to a meeting of familiars so that my training can be
kept up-to-date. He has no problems with that,
and you can always tell Zhanna to call him if she wants more information.
>>
<< <>
>>
Dascha had adamantly refused to leave without telling Zhanna
in person what she was doing. The flight back to Zhanna’s house was made
quickly. Even so, Glenfrey had gotten more nervous and irritable during the trip. Dascha knew something else was going on but
wasn’t exactly sure how to bring the subject up again.
Glenfrey landed heavily on a fence post that was part of the
boundary to the garden of Zhanna’s grandmother. The older woman had been
weeding the garden as they arrived. With no sign
of nervousness or fear, she moved over to confront the eagle.
Standing less than a foot away from the dangerous beak of
the large predator, the small but sturdily built woman gazed deeply into the
eagle’s eyes. She held that gaze for just a moment before a slight smile
appeared on her face, and she turned to address Dascha.
“We had better go talk to her right now. You will have to
hurry to be on time.”
Now completely confused, Dascha followed the older woman
into the house and through the hall to the
large kitchen. Zhanna was seated at the kitchen
table with books opened up in front of her and an intent look on her face.
Hearing her grandmother’s footsteps, she looked up with a smile.
“I am almost done with my homework, Baba. Do you want me to
help with supper?”
“Not yet, dear. I still have weeding
to finish, but I think that Dascha needs
to talk to you first.”
The young witch looked startled. Her eyes flew to her familiar, and she immediately went down on her knees reaching a hand out to the cat. << Is something the matter, Dascha?
You could’ve called me, and I would’ve
come! >>
<< No,
everything is all right. Glenfrey came to tell me that I need to go to a
meeting and it is one that I didn’t know about before now. I might need to be
gone for several days, and I didn’t want
you to worry. >>
Zhanna’s eyes grew a little bit wider, and her expression shifted to deeper alarm. << Is it something I did? Are you in
trouble? >>
<< I’m not in
trouble, at least that I know of. Well, unless you count the mice that I
dropped into that mean girl’s bag at
school. >>
<< You did that?
Boy, was she mad. She screamed and ran and then was embarrassed. I hope that she
doesn’t find out it was you. >>
In the background, there was a smothered laugh from the
older woman, but Zhanna was focused on
her familiar and ignored her grandmother.
<< Glenfrey says
that you could call Henley if you’re worried about it but that it’s just
something that happens once or twice a year. I think he really wants me to go
because I’m so new at this and there are no other familiars in the village.
>>
A wave of love and acceptance exploded from Zhanna through
the familiar bond. Dascha felt like she was gently held and petted. She could
feel the edge of worry underneath that wave that was Zhanna’s feeling of her
own inadequacies in their partnership. Sending a mental purr back at her witch,
the familiar tried wordlessly to reassure the person that she loved above all
others of her faith and devotion.
The trembling smile that showed on Zhanna’s face was the
only thanks that Dascha needed.
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