Hawk -- the first piece

I opened my eyes. The crimson sun rose unusually. It looked the same, but something was definitely wrong. The world smelled wrong. I looked around me. I was in a forest. I’m in the forest. I need to get out of here quickly, before the wolves devour me. I tried used my arms to help me stand up, but again, something was wrong. I looked at my ‘arms’. There, right in front of my very eyes, was a pair of wings

Something in the grass suddenly darted away. A wolf was near. In a few quick seconds, I surveyed my whole body. I was, without a doubt, a bird. To be precise, a red hawk. Why? I asked myself. The answer came almost automatically. Because I killed a red hawk yesterday. I stabbed it in its heart. I deeply regretted my action, but would it make a difference now? With a wolf stalking me, will regretting make a difference? It might, but only a little bit. I would die feeling sorry for myself. Is there any thing I can do now to make a huge difference? Something like saving my life? Yes, of course, I can escape, but can a hawk out run a wolf? No, but it can out fly one. I began to flap my wings. No good, I’m not flying. I could hear the wolf advancing towards me. A soft paw step. I flapped my wings again. Yes, I could feel my light body rising bit by bit. But, it was too slow. I flapped my wings harder. I’m still not fast enough. Faster! Faster! FASTER!

Swish! I was flying. The wolf howled angrily behind me. I flew clumsily through the sky. “Hey!” another hawk screech when I bumped into her, “you’re flying like a new born!” “I am a new born, sort of,” I muttered to myself. The hawk stared suspiciously at me. “You’re not really a hawk, are you?” I stared back in surprise. “How did you know?” “I saw you, you appeared out of nowhere!” “I… … I… …” “What are you?” “Well I’m… … I’m a human.” It was the hawk’s turn to be shocked. “Human! The hated species! I’m going to claw every single feather from your skin!” I flew as quickly as I could.

Just as I was feeling happy that I was flying, I flew into a tree and fell to the ground with a small thud. “Groan… …” The hawk swooped down. “Are you okay?” she asked. I groaned again. “Sorry, I was just playing, I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she cried. “It’s not your fault. I’m clumsy.” “You are not really a human, are you?” she asked. I hesitated, the said, “I am.” And I told her about my story. “You’re the one who killed Hawkstar!” “I… … was stupid back then, but I got my punishment, okay? Look, I’m a hawk now!” “Well… … I you want to live as a hawk, then you’ll have to learn to fly properly and catch your won prey. Nobody’s going to feed you. I’m Hawkrain”

For the rest of the day, Hawkrain taught me about maintaining balance while I was in the sky and how to ride a rising current. I was interesting. I managed to catch my first prey at evening. “You learn fast,” Hawkrain said. I was happy. I flew as high as I could, as if I was chasing the clouds, the sent myself flying towards the ground. Ah! To feel the wind in my body! Just as I was about to hit the ground I changed direction and flew towards the sky. I circled in the sky for a while to catch my breath then began to fly upwards again. “WATCH OUT!” Hawkrain yell. But all was too late. I felt a bullet penetrate through my body. I plummeted downwards. Help, I yelled silently. But, there was no use. Death was all that lie in my future. A stunning impact, a blinding flash of light.

Thump, thump, thump. What is that sound? Can it be… … can it be? … YES! That sound was, without a doubt, the beating of my heart! Thump, thump, thump. The sound, oh! How I love it! I opened my eyes. I was back in my room, face whiter than apiece of paper.

Evening soon came. I went to the forest just in time to see a hawk plummet towards the ground. That was I. Another hawk circled in the air, screeching loudly. The hunter reloaded his gun while his dog went to fetch ‘my’ body. “STOP!” I yelled. The hunter did not hear me. I jumped onto him as he pressed the trigger. A pain shot through my hand as the bullet pierce through it. “FLY AWAY! HAWKRAIN, FLY AWAY!” I yelled. Hawkrain understood my words. She flew away. I thought that it would be the last time I would see her, but when I went home one day, I found a hawk sitting on my windowsill. It was then when I finally found my best friend.