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Feathers of the Crowned Bird

By Brandon Armstrong

1,835 Words

Home, it was somewhere out there...

Okunitka stood atop the world, a paw shielding his eyes from the scolding autumn sun. The savannah stretched out before him, golden grass dotted with the occasional emerald-green lake and shriveled tree. From atop the mountains, the animals were merely specks. Yet, no matter where he looked, his village was nowhere to be seen. Why'd he even bothered? His village was beyond the horizon, two days ranging at best.

The Wild Dog sighed, dropping to his haunches. A cool breeze rushed by, causing his orange, white, and black splotches of fur to lash. He went to grab his pendant, but he'd left it at home. The valley of Odum-Slangiin was neutral land between the nomads and the savannah, so he couldn't bring the pendant. All he had was a leather loincloth, cracked in the sun. Even that was bare, though that was for a different reason.

"Oku?" Came a woman's voice. The Wild Dog turned. His eyes skimmed over a vast, green valley full of rivers, lakes, and trees. His gaze then ascended into more mountains. Then, he looked down from his rocky perch. Below, his new mate, Haidessul, was waving up to him. He gazed down at her, a smile stretching across his muzzle.

"My mate, are you ready?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. She nodded, her long, orange fur fluttering worse than Okunitkas. Haidessul was so beautiful to the Wild Dog, a Kono Wolf of the nomad tribes from across the mountains. A beautiful wolf like her was the last thing he expected to see at that shallow lake, gathering water. She had no one then, and he offered to shelter her, and from there, things blossomed between them.

Clutching his spear, Okunitka braced, and jumped off his perch. He hit the ground, his legs beant, taking the force of the landing. He looked up to see his mates outstretched paw. He took it, and got to his hind-paws. They came muzzle-to-muzzle, and the Wild Dog stole a quick kiss. Their breaths mingled into an overwhelming stench of old meat, though it was common to them, and they continued to embrace each other.

"C'mon, it's only going to get hotter." She said, glancing toward the sun. It was low in the sky, still young. With that, they set off west, down into the valley, following the ancient nomad trails.

Quickly, the baking, sand-blasted rocks of the mountains gave way to light grass and, eventually, shrubs and small trees. The vast canvas of tan giving way to greens, browns, and most importantly, azure-blues. The Kono and Wild Dog moved with haste, their spears and slings rattling as they half-jogged, half-sprinted down the slopes.

The scent of thick foliage and earthy prey came to them, calling them over. The soft grass under-paw was a nice bit of relief, though the terrible wrath of the sun still blistered their bodies. They stopped under a gnarled tree to get their bearings.

The land around them was fertile, inhabited by predators, prey, and the prized Grey-Crowned Crane. Haidessul had spied a big, shallow lake from their cave that morning, and pointed in the direction she thought it to be. Okunitkas nodded, he'd glimpsed the same lake, and it was the perfect territory of the bird. As quietly as possible, they moved on, crouching low to the ground.

A wall of thorny shrubs stood before them. Okunitkas stopped, eyeing it, but Haidessul did not. The Kono Wolf grew up in lands not too different to this, she did not fear a little hedgerow. Okunitkas, on the other hand, didn't like it, being unable to see what was ahead of him. He gulped whatever saliva hadn't dried up, and pushed on, not wanting to seem weak in front of his mate. He watched Haidessul get to all-fours and lift-up part of the bushes with her spear, creating a hole. Okunitkas tried wrenching a thorny stick out of the way, only to cut himself deeply upon the dagger-like thorns, drawing an unending stream of deep red blood. The Wild Dog cursed profusely, like a stuck boar.

"Oku! Give me your paw." Haidessul demanded, diving back out from under the bush. The Wild Dog sat there, clutching his bleeding paw, a low whine from his throat. Haidessul snatched his paw and examined it, then, with her free paw, reached into the pouch on the Wild Dog's loincloth. She pulled out a length of hide, and proceeded to wrap it around her mates wound. Okunitka kneels down, making it easier for her. He winces as the hide wraps tighter around his paw, but manages to mask it, mostly. Haidessul looks him in the eyes, noticing his pain. She smiles and leans in, pressing her muzzle to his. The Wild Dog's ears perked, and the pain seemed to leave his mind.

Then, Haidessul froze, her ears perked. Okunitka was about to ask what she'd heard, but it answered before he could speak. A long, low growl rumbled from the other side of the bush. A familiar growl, one known on the savannah as well as the steppe. A lion.

Okunitka's breathing intensified, he tried to remain as still as his mate, but the pain in his paw was too great. He shook with pain, and continued to whimper. The growling got closer, then further, then closer again. It was pacing alongside the bushes. Okunitka couldn't understand why it hadn't pounced yet, the ones back home would have by now. Then it struck him, looking down at his paw, he realised it had the sense not to crash through the thorns.

"Go around there." Haidessul said, pointing to a thicket of less thorny bushes. Okunitka looked to her, an eyebrow raised. She did not answer, and instead pushed him towards the thicket, accidentally knocking him over.

There was a thump as the Wild Dog hit the ground. The couple held their breath.

There was a deafening roar, scattering the birds and small game. Haidessul took her spear into both paws and stood atop her mate. She mimicked a feral-wolf protecting a pack member with its own body. Okunitka grabbed her leg and hauled himself up, taking his shorter spear into his good paw.

The bushes began to thrash, and the two of them knew to move. They turned and ran for the thicket that Haidessul had pointed to, diving in head-first. As Okunitka's tail disappeared into the foliage, the lion burst through the thorns. The Kono Wolf sat there, unable to take her eyes away from the great lion. She jumped, feeling a paw clutch her own. She turned to see Okunitka clutching her tightly, a look of pain and fear on his face. She forced a smile, and wrapped her arm around him.

They sat there for what felt like an eternity. The pain pulsed harder through Okanotla's body as his heart beat faster. Haidessul held her mate tighter and whispered a protective incantation to herself. The Wild Dog cursed again, sighing.

"I can't take it." He mumbled, letting go of his mate and crawling away. Haidessul gasped, and tired to grab his tail, missing. She watched as her mate got to his knees and poked his head up, out of the thicket.

Okunitka scanned their surroundings. The lion was pacing around, snorting, tracking their scent. It would only be a matter of time, if they didn't do anything. He hastened himself, turning to see the shallow lake they had seen from the mountain.

The Wild Dog's eyes lit up, he nearly shouted to Haidessul. His breath caught in his throat, seeing the big, beautiful bird of yellow, white, black, and crimson red feathers. The Wild Dog couldn't keep his primal fascinations at bay. He was enthralled by the crimson red tail-feathers of the bird, the symbol of love and mating for his people. The very reason they were here.

"My mate, come quickly." Okunitka urged as quietly as possible. Haidessul turned to see the Wild Dog waving her over. She crawled to him on all-fours, and when her mate poked his head back up, she followed.

She was just as awed as her mate, watching the crane wander aimlessly at the edge of the water. It stopped, drank, and repeated. It should've been easy, if not for the monstrous lion. They both dropped back into the bushes again, staring at each other.

"What do we do?" Okunitka asked. They both sat there, the Wild Dog thinking. Haidessul's smile stretched across her muzzle.

"We sneak." She whispers, clutching her spear tighter. She bolted, completely silent, toward the shallow lake. It took a moment for Okunitka to process what had happened. He caught himself, reaching for the sling at his side, and followed his mate.

Without warning, Haidessul burst from the thicket, spear clutched tightly. Okunitka followed close behind, his shorter spear in one paw, and sling in the other. He watched as the Crowned Crane turned, seeing his mate as she thrust her spear through its neck.

Okunitka stopped in his tracks, watching the bird fall to the ground. His mate stood over it, growling. His heart pounded, the thrill of the hunt quickly fading from his body. His mates body eased as she turned and smiled. Her paws were coated with dripping, crimson blood.

Okunitka began towards her, but another roar caused him to freeze. He turns, but too late. The lion cascaded back through the thorns, spotting them. Haidessul's stomach drops, she howls her mates name, getting to her hind-paws.

Okunitka drops his spear, taking a jagged stone from the pouch on his loincloth. As the lions muscles twitch, ready to pounce, Okunitka loads the stone into his sling and begins swinging. Around and around, once, twice, thrice, becoming too fast to count.

The lion charged. Haidessul clutches her spear again and runs to defend her mate. Not knowing this, Okunitka stands his ground, and finally lets the stone fly from his sling. In the blink of an eye, it met its target.

The stone struck the lion in the head, embedding itself. The lion roared and bucked, stopping its mad charge. Okunitka reached to grab his spear, but Haidessul had been too swift. His mate pierced the lion's body with her bloodied spear.

It ceased to move. No breathing, no heartbeat, no twitching final moments. Okunitka panted, his maw hung open. Without a second thought, he ran to his mate and clutched her tight in his arms.

They embraced each other like this for a minute, letting the fear and tension wash away. Something touched Okunitka behind the ear. He stepped back, seeing Haidessul stare at something on his head. He reached back, and his fingers ran along thousands of barbs. A feather.

"The red looks good on you, my mate" Haidessul smiled, handing him another feather, yellow this time. The Wild Dog slips the feather behind her ear. A smile beamed from his muzzle.

"As it does you, my dearest mate."