Man it’s good to be stretching my wings again. The missus is watching the chicks today so I’m on chow roster.
Perfect day for hunting. The cloudless sky has let the sun heat the Earth and the thermals are out in force. I’m taking this one up another 500 meters and I’ll start my soaring there. I love hunting in the mid-morning. The shadows are near perfect and help pinpoint any motion way down at the bottom. Barely a breeze so it’ll be easy to hang in place as I scan back and forth. And the rodents are all hungry too, so they’ll get careless while they graze. Might even catch me a big jack rabbit if fortune favors me.
Man the lift today is fantastic. Hardly moved a muscle getting up here. This looks like a good place to soar from. I can see the rocks over towards the river where the rabbits hang out and the grasses below with the gopher colony. Good thing I saved all that energy. I’ll need at least 4 or 5 kills today to keep the family fed and the trip back to the nest is all uphill plus cargo.
Not a lot of motion yet. Just some grasses shifting in the breeze. Patience is my middle name. I can do this all day if I have to.
There! What’s that? Looks like a gopher. Yes! Now let’s watch what it does. Still too close to its hole for a sure kill. Gack! It’s gone back down. Next time little one.
Think I’ll move over a bit towards the rocks. Not much happening in the grasses. Maybe some bloody sparrow hawk has spooked them.
Something moving, something big. Just laying on that rock sunning itself. Bad move my friend, but don’t stop. I’ll drop a bit.
Marmot! This is better than rabbit. It’s almost too big for me. Just a bit lower…. NOW.
Lay my wings back and drop like a stone. This is the best, the plunge for the kill. I’m like a lightning bolt. The ground rushes to meet me and at the last second possible I open my wings just as I sink my talons into its spine. I hear a snap as the back breaks and the marmot goes limp. I’m thankful for the easy kill.
It is big, almost too big to lift. I’m famished and it’ll make my return easier if I eat a bit first. Fat back legs. Yum. I rip off large chunks of flesh and gulp them down. The blood is delicious, the meat warm and fresh.
I quickly gorge myself. Lots left over for the family. Time to go. This part is hard work, the flight home, but I love pitting my wings against the marmot’s pull to earth. One or two beats and I’m back in my air. I’ll use the thermals too on the quick return and then it’s back to the hunt.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Rick, I love it. Your story is about a rapture off hunting for his family. He loves flying, and he fancies either rabbit, marmot or maybe even a sparrow.
I love the whole piece. I smiled to myself the whole way through. I was so with the bird abd plunging like a lightening bolt. I would say you really enjoyed writing this piece. I love the casual language, in fact I love the whole thing.
No comments on improvement!
Kerry says:
Story of an eagle out on a successful hunting trip to feed his family on a perfect day for thermals.
You have certainly burrowed into the mind of the eagle Rick. I particularly enjoyed your description of the dive and eating the kill.
Your second sentence felt out of character for me with the rest of the narrative. The eagle doesn't seem to get quite so casual in the rest of the story. but it's a minor grouch.
Thanks for another good one.
Heather says:
Great story, Rick. Somehow I feel as if I've just soared through the skies and watched the earth from hundreds of feet up. You are an eagle who makes even the most routine event a compelling adventure. You're off for the hunt, you do a great job while you search and ride the thermals, you catch a big beautiful prey. You're a family man.
I love how I got captured into the story. Your eagle is so PRESENT. The description puts me right in the scene, right in the air with you. I love the humour and zest of your character.
Can't find anything I'd change.
As advertised by your title, The Hunt, is a perfect little slice in the hard-working life of this bird of prey. A good provider for his family because of his hunting prowess.
I felt I was there with this bird because of good scene description and moment-by-moment dialogue, even when his gullet was full of tucker.
Improvement? Another exclamation for third paragraph start..."oh my god" instead of repeating "Man.
That's all, a little gem.
Post a Comment