The Adventures of Dark Falcon

by SilvorMoon

What is perhaps the only series in the known universe starring Skull.

3. The Crow in the Iron Mask (part 1)

IbDisclaimer:/b Skull, Lord Zedd, and Goldar are the property of the Saban people. All other
characters are mine./i
pcenterThe Crow in the Iron Mask - Part 1
pcenterBy: SilvorMoon/center
pThe sun peeked through the window of an upper room of a comfortable house on the outskirts of
town, filling it with soft pink-orange light. Its warmth stirred up the desert air and caused a gentle
breeze to rustle through the garden out back, collecting on its way the sweet and spicy scents of
herbs. It lingered by the back door, as if enjoying the fragrance of baking bread that issued from it,
before drifting upstairs to tickle the nose of a soundly sleeping teenager.
Skull yawned and stretched as he recognized the smell of breakfast being made downstairs. Poplar
enjoyed playing the role of responsible housewife, so she often got up early to cook fresh bread for
her family - as well as for whatever peculiar friends who might choose to stay with them. This
effort did not go unappreciated by anyone, especially because she was a good cook. Getting up at
the crack of dawn to go to school had always seemed rather pointless to Skull, but it was worth
waking up at sunrise if he could be the first one to get his hands on a freshly cooked honey-nut roll
still warm from the oven.
pStill, getting out of bed was hardly an easy task, even with such alluring scents rising up from
downstairs. Today, the chore was especially difficult. He didn't feel like moving much. He had
never known it was possible to be so sore! He had spent the last few days very busily, and his
muscles, unused to such strenuous labor, were protesting. Cedar had decided that now that he had
wings, he should learn how to use them, so several hours of the day before had been dedicated to
teaching her human friend the basics of aerobatics. She was a good teacher, and Skull had grasped
the instructions on air currents and wing positions, diving and rolling, swooping and dodging with
speed that would have been surprising to anyone who had known him before. Not that he was a
flying ace yet (Cedar had been forced to rescue him several times when he had lost his grip on the
air and fallen), but his former trainer, Lt. Stone, would have been amazed to see Skull working so
hard and following orders. Still, there was a big difference between having a hard-driving
policeman chasing him with a megaphone and having Cedar there with her boundless energy and
encouragement. Skull wanted to make Cedar happy, so he pushed himself to his limits to try to live
up to her standards . . . even if it left his back and arms in agony the next day.
pEventually, he managed to haul himself out of bed and get himself ready for the coming day.
Standing on his dresser was a bowl of clean, cold water, and he splashed some of it on his face to
wake himself up. Then he went to the wardrobe in the corner to find something decent to wear.
Red, black, and purple, red, black, and purple . . . nearly all of his new clothes seemed to come in
shades of red, black, and purple. In order to assist him in blending into the Aerial society, and
because he hadn't packed for a long visit, the Wind family had taken him shopping for new clothes
made in the Tienese style. He hadn't noticed the trend when he had picked them out, but now that
they were all hanging together in the closet, it was hard not to see the similarity in coloring.
Somehow, wearing those colors made him feel just the tiniest bit more alert and able to think more
clearly, as if having even that tenuous link to the Dark Falcon gave him a little bit of his alter ego's
powers.
pHe stopped rummaging through the wardrobe long enough to cast a glance at his necklace. It was
still where he had left it the night before, coiled carefully on top of the dresser next to his
hairbrush. It was a strange thing, that necklace. He had been wearing it constantly since the day he
got it, hardly ever taking it off, even in the safety of his new home. It wasn't that he feared he
might actually need it. It was just that he had formed an odd attachment to the thing, and he didn't
quite feel comfortable without it. Even when he was wearing it, he still kept reaching up to touch
it, to assure himself that it was still there, that it hadn't been lost or stolen or imagined, and he'd
already developed the habit of toying with it in times of stress.
pNot that he particularly wanted to need to use its power again. It had been quiet for the last few
days, and he was beginning to hope that perhaps there would be no more attacks on Tien, that
Zedd had been dismayed enough by his defeat that he would make no more attempts at destroying
the planet, and there would be no more need for the Dark Falcon. Skull had never wanted to be a
hero, and he was still leery of the whole idea. It wasn't just battling monster that frightened him
(though the idea was still one that definitely held no appeal for him), but there was just something
creepy about making that transformation and suddenly becoming someone else. Even more than
that, Skull was scared by the idea that all these people's lives could be depending on him, and he
would be expected to save them. That idea was infinitely more terrifying than the idea of anything
that might just effect him alone. Just thinking about it made him want to go and hide under his bed
until it was all over.
pAfter he had dressed and groomed himself suitably, Skull ambled downstairs to find Poplar just
taking a tray of small rolls out of the oven.
p"Good morning, Eugene," she chirped.
p"Morning," Skull replied. He reached for one of the rolls, but Poplar swatted his hand away with a
flick of her wing.
p"Don't touch yet. Hot," she explained. "Vait a bit until they cool. There is frrruit on the table if you
vant some."
pSkull shrugged and helped himself to a handful of olive-sized fruits, peculiar things with bright
purple skins and soft yellow insides that tasted sort of like a banana cream pie, and he leaned
against a wall and munched on him while he waited for the bread to cool. There was nothing in the
kitchen resembling a table, and no dining room at all. The Aerials had no particular meal schedule,
and they had very little concept of time. When they were hungry, they would grab something and
eat it "on the wing." They slept when they were tired and did business when they felt like it. Time
was measured almost exclusively by the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, and clocks were a
rare curiosity rather than a necessary tool. Skull had brought a watch with him when he first came
to Tien, and Cedar had been so fascinated by it that he had finally given it to her. She may not have
been able to understand its purpose, but the idea of a bracelet with moving parts was one that she
found incredible.
p"Do you want me to do the shopping today?" Skull asked, after a moment or two.
p"If you vouldn't mind," Poplar replied. She knew that he didn't mind, since he had done the
shopping for the last three days, but it was the polite thing to say. "There is list on the hall table,
and I left the purse next to it. There should be plenty of money in it."
p"Okay. I'll go right now," said Skull. He headed for the front door, snatching up one of the rolls as
he went.
pHe found the list just where Poplar had said it would be, written on a roll of parchment in
Hemlock's neat, fluid handwriting. He skimmed over it - mostly food items, plus a few things
Hemlock needed for his magical practices and a few other odds and ends. It would be easy enough
to get everything, even for Skull. It had been made clear to him, gently but firmly, that if he was
going to be partaking of the Wind family's hospitality for an extended length of time, he was
expected to act as if he was part of the family himself, and that meant that part of the household
chores would fall to him. Since he was clumsy at housekeeping, and cooking and sewing were
completely beyond him, he had been allotted the task of buying groceries. This was, in a way, just
as important as anything else. The Aerials, with their avian nature, had much higher metabolisms
than humans, and thus needed more food to supply the energy they used, which meant that food
supplies had to be restocked often. With the money-purse slung over his shoulder, the list in one
hand and the hot roll in the other, he set out toward the marketplace.
pcenter~*~/center
pLord Zedd was in a thoughtful mood. There had to be a change in the way this war was going, and
it would have to come fairly soon. He was not in any immediate danger of losing just yet - he was
actually gaining ground daily, but the gains were slow and laborious. Monsters were difficult
things to control even at the best of times, and trying to make such a large army of them do as he
wanted was a strenuous task. Even if he was making overall progress, if any of his soldiers were
not content with how well they were doing, they could very well desert, or even revolt. If the pace
of his conquest didn't pick up soon, he might lose the war just because of the time factor. He was
in dire need of something to speed things up a bit, and his thoughts kept returning to the Crystal of
All Times. He would have had it, and Tien as well, if that Dark Falcon person hadn't arrived at just
the wrong moment and spoiled his plan. Well, he wasn't beaten yet, not by a long chalk! He had
plans for the Dark Falcon that would end his heroic career before it even got started! Now, where
was that pathetic general? What was his name again? Oh, yes.
p"Goldar!" he shouted. "Get in here and report!"
pA flash of fire swirled into being and resolved itself into the shape of an armor-plated winged
thing. Goldar bowed to his emperor until Zedd impatiently gestured for him to stand.
p"There's no time for that," he said. "Have you found any volunteers to take on the Dark Falcon?"
p"I've got one so far," Goldar replied. "He's not very experienced yet, but-"
p"Never mind," interrupted the emperor. "He is, at this point, expendable. If he wins, well and
good. If he doesn't, well, it won't matter."
pGoldar was a bit surprised. "You never said this was a suicide mission."
p"It isn't necessarily that. Let's just say that I have a Plan B standing by. Besides, what does it
matter if I feel like sacrificing an expendable fool?" Zedd replied. "That's none of your business,
and if you voice any more objections . . ."
p"Oh, I'm not objecting," Goldar said quickly.
p"Good. Go ahead and send our volunteer to Tien whenever you feel like it. In the meantime, I am
expecting a visitor . . ."
pThe conversation was interrupted, as a servant abruptly peeped through a small side entrance and
looked fearfully up at Lord Zedd. The creature was a rodentlike animal with a rabbity face and a
twitching nose, and he seem to be nearly ready to faint with terror.
p"Your majesty," it squeaked, "I beg your pardon for interrupting, but-" his voice dropped to a
whisper, "- there is an Eccubus here to see you."
p"Good," Zedd replied. "Send it in."
The servant blanched beneath its fur, but it scuttled obediently away to obey the order. Goldar
risked an incredulous glance at his ruler. An Eccubus? No wonder the servant looked frightened!
p"You are dismissed," the emperor said to Goldar. The winged primate bowed and left, but he
lingered in the doorway, covertly watching the proceedings.
pA few seconds later, the servant reappeared, escorting (from a safe distance) a very odd- looking
thing. It was roughly humanoid in shape, but as featureless as anything could be and still merit the
term and without any characteristics that would indicate its gender. It was completely matte black
from its expressionless head to its toeless feet. Its hands were simply flexible flipper-like
appendages at the end of its spindly arms, without even a thumb for gripping. Its head looked a
little too small for its body, and it had no facial features at all save for a pair of shallow concavities
in the general area of its eyes. It was only about six feet tall, but it gave the illusion of being taller.
It looked as if it had once been a very small thing that someone had taken and stretched it until it
was grossly out of proportion. Even at its widest point, a person could have easily encircled its
torso with their hands, and such hands as it had hung down past its knees. The whole thing looked
as if there was nothing beneath its smooth skin but toothpicks and rubber bands, and it moved as if
it were having trouble keeping its balance. Harmless as it seemed, there was an aura of wrongness
about it that could give even a hardened warrior a brief chill - even if they didn't know anything
about what the Eccubi were capable of.
pZedd appraised the creature coolly. He had ordered that an Eccubus be brought to him, and here it
was. He was rather pleased that he had gotten a response so fast. Eccubi were very powerful,
creatures of warped magic that lived only to destroy, but they were very rare and often short lived
. . . but it only took one a little while to wipe out a city and all its inhabitants. This one had
obviously not been feeding too well as of late, which only made it even more dangerous. There
were few things quite as hard to deter as a starving Eccubus. You had to have eyes in the back of
your head and lightning reflexes to deal with them, but the mage was confident that he had the
strength and wits to handle this thing.
p"Greetings, oh mighty Lord Zedd," hissed the Eccubus. Its voice sounded like the rattling of dry
leaves, and it seemed to emanate from its entire body. "Why have you summoned me? Have you
need of my power? It would be an honor to work with you." It took a hopeful step forwards,
teetering on its stick-like legs.
p"Back off!" Zedd commanded, and the creature cringed away. "Stay where you are, and none of
your tricks."
P"Please," the thing whined pathetically. "I'm so hungry. Have pity on me, great master, or I'll
starve!"
p"Quiet, Eccubus. I do need your special abilities, but not for myself," answered Lord Zedd. "There
is a hero obstructing my path to universal domination. If you can catch him, you can have him."
p"Ah, a hero!" crooned the Eccubus. "How idelicious/i! Yes, I will gladly rid you of this hero, Lord
Zedd."
p"Excellent," the mage replied. "Now, listen closely, and I'll tell you what I want you to do."
The Eccubus took a few steps forward, the better to hear what was being said, and listened eagerly
as the warlord outlined the plan.
pcenter~*~/center
pEven though the morning had just begun, the marketplace was already open and bustling with
customers. That was one advantage in the Aerial customs of time management - the city stayed
open all the time, as the early birds gave way to the night owls. Skull wandered through the
streets, watching the myriad feathered forms dashing all around him. He kind of enjoyed doing the
shopping. It wasn't a particularly exciting job, but it was something he could do and accomplish
fairly well. There was also the added bonus that any money he managed to save after the shopping
was done, he was allowed to keep as payment for the work. Poplar was an astute woman, and she
always made sure there would be a little left over, but never too much. Anyway, the market was
interesting, better than any grocery store back home. He was really feeling quite cheerful as he
made his way toward the heart of the city.
p"Hey, you!" hissed a voice from an alley.
pSkull stopped in his tracks and looked around. There was no one in sight.
p"W-who's there?" he asked, a little fearfully.
p"We're over here," the voice replied.
pShading his eyes from the light of the rising sun, Skull took a few steps forward and peered into
the alley. Now he could make out a few vague people-shapes hidden in the shadows.
p"Where are you off to, stranger?" asked another voice. "We haven't seen you in the neighborhood
before."
p"Uh . . . I was just, uh, doing some shopping," Skull stammered. "Anyway, I'm kinda in a hurry, so
I'll see you around, okay?"
p"Not so fast, buddy," a deep voice replied. A male Aerial stepped into visibility. He was one of the
more human types, with only a shock of black crest-feathers to show he had any avian in him at all,
and he did not look friendly.
p"Yeah," the first voice added. A second young man came out to stand next to his companion. "We
don't like strangers in our neighborhood. You aren't leaving until you tell us who you are."
p"And if you don't tell us," the third person added, coming out to stand with his friends, "we might
have to force it out of you."
P"Um, uh, um . . ." Skull stammered, looking around desperately for an escape. "I gotta go now.
Bye!"
PSkull took off running as fast as he could. Unfortunately, he was no match for the Aerials in speed.
The one with the black feathers transformed into a crow and flew after him, while the other two
ran to cut off his escape from the sides. The crow landed in front of him and changed back into a
human, and Skull found himself surrounded.
p"Stupid! You can't run away from us!" the crow-man said. "In case you didn't know, I'm Obsidian,
and these are my pals, Onyx and Jet."
P"We're the Blackbirds," Onyx said. "We own this part of town, and we don't like intruders!"
P"Why are you running away from us, huh?" asked Jet. "Do you have something to hide, maybe?"
P"What kind of bird are you, anyway?" added Obsidian. "A turkey?"
p"Look, he's wearing shoes!" said Jet. "He's no Aerial at all! He's human!"
p"Listen, guys, I can explain!" Skull stammered. "I'm not doing anything wrong, really!"
P"Don't lie to me," said Obsidian. "I can see right through you. You're an outsider, an invader! We
don't allow outsiders on our turf, do we, guys?"
pThe other two Aerials shook their heads. Skull paled.
P"What are you going to do to me?" he asked fearfully.
pObsidian laughed cruelly. "Just watch!"
pSometime later, Poplar was busy sweeping the kitchen when she suddenly heard a strange sound at
the front door. Curious, she went to open it, and Skull staggered in. The purse with all the money
had been stolen, and Skull was left only with torn clothes, a black eye, a split lip, and bruises too
numerous to count. Poplar gasped in shock.
P"Hemlock, Cedar, come qvick!" she called. "Eugene, vat happened? Are you all rrright?"
p"I think . . . you'll have to . . . get someone else . . . to do the shopping today," he replied, and
passed out on the floor.
pcenter~*~/center
pThe Eccubus wandered through the shadows and back alleys of the city, watching all the people,
feeling the tingling of their life-auras brushing his sensitive skin. They never noticed him, never
really saw him even when he was standing in plain view. It was a talent of his - of his whole race,
in fact - that he could make himself appear to be whatever the viewer expected him to be. To
some, he would appear to be an ordinary person, out on legitimate business. To others, he would
appear to be a tree, or just a shadow. No matter what they thought he was, he would always be
something perfectly ordinary, too dull to pay any attention to. It was a very small magic, but a very
effective one. Like this, he could stalk anyone he wanted and have them in his power before they
knew what had hit them . . . The Eccubus sighed. It was extremely tempting to try to snatch one or
two of these unsuspecting citizens and make a quick meal of them, but he knew none of them
would give him what he really needed. He was weak, now, and he needed a real, substantial meal
to give him back his strength. Once he had renewed his energy, he could take down the others at
leisure. For now, though, his best bet was to follow Lord Zedd's plan. If it worked, the powers of
the Dark Falcon would he his, and then . . . the Eccubus positively vibrated with anticipation. All
he needed now was someone to help him set the trap . . .
pSuddenly, all his senses snapped to attention as he felt a difference in the auras that were drifting
past him. Most of the people of this world had cheerful, pleasant auras that were of little interest to
the Eccubus - except, perhaps, as possible future snacks. Just now, though, he had felt some new
sensations that were more to his liking. There was someone very nearby whose aura thrummed
with anger and fear. Perfect! That was exactly what the Eccubus wanted. There were other auras
like it nearby, but none were as strong as the first one. Laughing to himself, the Eccubus tottered
towards them.
pMeanwhile, the Blackbird gang was relaxing in a back alley, celebrating their recent victory and
their newfound cash.
P"We showed that human a thing or two," laughed Jet. "Bet he never shows his featherless face
around here again!"
P"If he does," Obsidian replied, "we'll just have to teach him another lesson. Tien's had enough of
outsiders."
P"Are you sure we didn't overdo it a little bit?" asked Onyx nervously.
P"What do you mean, overdo it?" snapped Obsidian. "We let him off easy. He's lucky we didn't give
him more than bruises."
p"Where do you think he got the money?" Jet asked thoughtfully, casually spilling his share of the
loot from hand to hand. "You think he's got some friends around here or something?"
P"Aw, he prob'ly stole it," Onyx replied. "That's all the outsiders want, anyway."
P"You got that straight," said Obsidian. "They come here trying to take over and steal everything
that belongs to us. You know, Hemlock's getting old and crazy, thinking we can make peace with
them. If I were a general, I'd get the soldiers back out there and start wiping them all out."
p"Perhaps I could be of some help in that situation," hissed a voice.
All eyes turned to the dark end of the alley. There was someone there that they hadn't noticed
before, someone who looked a lot like an old man draped in a black hood and cloak. His face was
hidden in deep shadow, and his voice was barely a whisper.
P"Who are you?" asked Obsidian suspiciously.
P"A friend. A man of power. I can help you," the stranger replied. "I am a believer in the superiority
of the Aerial race. I can give you the power to protect it from the invaders who would destroy it."
p"If you have a power, why don't you use it yourself?" Obsidian asked.
p"I am too old. I need a young, strong warrior to do the job . . . someone like you," the old man
replied. "What do you say, young man? Won't you listen to my offer?"
P"How do I know you aren't lying to me? Show me some proof, first, and then I'll decide,"
demanded Obsidian. He took a step closer, his eyes locked on the cloaked figure.
p"Not with them around," the stranger replied. "This deal is between you and me."
Obsidian immediately turned to his friends, fixing them with a cold stare. "You heard him, guys.
Get lost."
p"But, Obsidian . . ." Jet protested. He and his friend exchanged looks. There was something about
this odd old man that they didn't like.
P"I said get out of here!" said Obsidian. Reluctantly, his two friends walked away, leaving their
leader alone with the mysterious stranger.
P"Good, good," said the stranger. "Now, come closer and see what it is I have to show you."
Obsidian did as he was bidden. As he drew nearer, he saw the old man reach into the sleeve of his
cloak and withdraw a mask of gleaming silver metal that shone even in the shadows. Eerie lights,
like moonlight on water, seemed to flash from it and cover the walls of the nearby buildings with
silver reflections. The glow highlighted Obsidian's glossy feathers and made his eyes shine
strangely, but oddly did nothing to illuminate the old man's face.
p"What is it?" asked Obsidian, reaching out as if hypnotized to touch the smooth, cool metal.
p"This," the old man said with authority, "is an article of power. Wear it, and you will receive the
strength, speed, agility, and endurance to destroy any foe. Are you interested?"
P"I could be like the Dark Falcon?" asked Obsidian.
P"Greater by far! You can't imagine the kinds of things that will happen if you accept my gift."
Even in his astoundment, Obsidian was still a bit suspicious. "This thing must be pretty powerful . .
. maybe too good just to give away. What's in it for you, old man?"
P"Just watch," said the Eccubus. His hand shot out, lightning fast, and went, ghostlike, straight
inside Obsidian's chest. The Aerial screamed in pain and fear, and then there was a sudden flash.
When the light died down, there was only one person left standing there. Obsidian laughed,
looking down at the mask he held in his hands. His eyes had turned completely dead black.
p"Yessssss!" he hissed, in a strange, double voice. It was as if he and the Eccubus were both
speaking the same words at the same time. "This will do very well indeed! Already, I feel my
powers returning. Now, to find the Dark Falcon . . ."
pcenter~*~/center
pSkull was pulled back into consciousness by the feeling of something cold and wet pressing against
his sore face. He opened one eye (the other was swollen shut at the moment) and saw Cedar
leaning over him with a concerned look on her face. He realized that he was lying in his bed again,
and Cedar was cleaning his bruised and bloodied face with a cool, damp cloth. He ached all over,
worse by far than he had felt that morning, but he felt a bit better than he had before he had
blacked out. When he tried to stir, he felt his movements being constricted by bandages, and a
sharp scent of herbs on the air suggested that someone (probably Hemlock) had applied medicinal
salves to the worst of his cuts and bruises. Even so, his battered hide would probably have turned
some interesting colors by tomorrow . . . red, black, and purple, probably.
p"Are you all right?" asked Cedar worriedly.
Skull resisted the urge to say something sarcastic. Cedar meant well, and she didn't deserve to be
snapped at.
p"I think I'll be okay," he managed to say, despite the fact that it made his face hurt even worse to
talk.
p"What happened to you?"
P"I got jumped by a bunch of punks . . . they attacked me because I'm a human," Skull replied.
"They beat me up and stole all the money . . ."
pHe was suddenly struck by an anxious thought: what if the necklace had been taken? He reached
for the place where it usually hung, but it was gone! Panic gripped him. If those punks had gotten
a hold of his magical talisman . . . He forced himself to calm down and think, and as he did so, he
realized that he could still feel the cord of the necklace against his throat. He grabbed the cord, and
the pendant slid back into place from where it had fallen next to his shoulder. Skull gave a sigh of
relief. Cedar took no notice of his momentary panic. She was talking, almost to herself.
p"It is the war that is doing this," she said seriously. "People are beginning to become very
suspicious of outsiders. Zedd looks like human, so some Aerials think that humans are dangerous.
They begin to think that all outsiders are invaders. A few are saying they want all outsiders to be
destroyed. The Blackbirds are a street gang. They distrust even other Aerials, sometimes. They do
not like my father because they think he is weak."
pSkull closed his good eye again. He was still feeling a bit lightheaded, and he really wanted to go
back to sleep again. He remembered, in a hazy sort of way, how he used to behave long ago, when
he and Bulk were still trying to be bullies. They had been obnoxious and insulting, and had
occasionally relieved a few school nerds of their lunch money, but they had never done anything
this bad to anyone. Still, he resolved that he would never, ever try picking on someone weaker
than himself, if such a person existed. This was miserable.
p"Aw, poor Eugene," Cedar said. "Are you still hurting? Papa left you some medicine to drink.
Here."
pSkull caught a whiff of something unpleasant, and he opened his eye again to see that Cedar was
holding a ceramic bowl of greenish goo under his nose. He accepted the bowl and took a sip, and
just barely resisted the urge to spit it out again. The stuff was excruciatingly bitter, but he gulped it
down with a shudder. For a moment, he felt like he was going to be sicker than he already was,
and then all his pains seemed to suddenly subside.
p"Is good medicine, that," said Cedar. "Feel better now?"
p"Yeah. Thanks," Skull replied. "Do you think it would be okay if I just rested here for a while? I
don't really feel like moving."
p"Of course. You rest, get better. I will go do shopping for you."
p"Thanks," Skull replied.
PHe closed his eye again, and listened to Cedar's quiet footsteps as she left the room. In more
distant parts of the house, he could hear a quiet murmur of chirping conversation as Cedar
explained the situation to her mother, and then there was the sound of an opening and closing door
as she left the house. Then the house became quiet. Poplar would be sewing this time of day, and
Hemlock was probably in his private study, going over whatever it was that he studied from those
ancient, dusty tomes of his. Skull lay there for a while, just listening to the silence. It was boring,
but somehow, he couldn't quite calm his thoughts enough to fall asleep. Finally, he gave up and
got out of his bed. Moving stiffly and painfully, he wandered downstairs.
As he came to the parlor, he saw Poplar sitting in her favorite chair, stitching a seam on one of
Hemlock's old robes. She gave Skull a concerned look as he passed by.
p"Eugene, arrre you sure you should be moving arrround?" she asked.
p"I'm not going far," he assured her. "I just want to go out and sit in the garden."
p"All rrright, then, but don't strrrain yourself. Come back in if you get tired," she instructed him.
pSore as he felt, Skull smiled a little as he walked out into the garden. It was nice to have people
who actually cared about his well-being. His own mother probably would have given him a
scolding for getting into a fight in the first place. He sat down on top of the low stone wall that
surrounded the garden, picking a shady spot beneath the branches of a spreading conifer that grew
in one corner and just relaxed for a while, enjoying the sight and scent of the flowers and herbs.
p*iThis day isn't going so well,/i* he thought to himself. *iI've already gotten myself robbed and beat
up, and it isn't even lunchtime yet! What kind of hero am I, letting myself get pounded by a bunch
of street thugs? How am I supposed to protect Tien when I can't even take care of myself?/i*
p"bEr, ahem!/b" said a voice from above him.
pSkull looked up. Sitting in the branches of the tree was a glowing bird made entirely of colored
fires. It stared down at him with its hypnotic blue-green eyes.
p"bHello, Eugene,/b" he said. "bI'm back. Did you miss me?/b"
pSkull was a little annoyed by the question. Trust the self-centered thing to ask him that! It probably
hadn't even noticed that he was injured.
p"Oh, yeah," he said. "Our lives just haven't been the same since you left us."
PThe sarcasm was lost on the Firebird. "bThat's nice. I'm glad at least isomebody/i appreciates
my magnificence./b" He swooped gracefully down from the tree and perched on Skull's shoulder.
He was noticeably warm to the touch. He craned his elegant neck around so he could inspect the
human's injuries. "bI say, old chap, you look a frightful mess, has anyone told you that?/b"
p"No, but thanks for telling me," Skull replied. "I never would have noticed."
p"bWhat in the world did you do, anyway?/b" the Firebird continued. "bDid you lose a fight with
one of those monsters you were so worried about?/b"
p"Nah, there haven't been any monsters lately," Skull replied. He briefly explained the reason for his
cuts and bashes.
p"bWhy didn't you transform?/b" asked the Firebird in surprise. "bReally, I gave you a set of
perfectly good powers. Why didn't you use them and beat some sense into those cretins?/b"
pSkull thought about that for a moment. "I dunno. I guess I just didn't think about it. Besides, when
I made my wish, I asked to protect the Aerials, not beat them up."
p"bHumph!/b" said the Firebird derisively. "bIt seems to me that you'd be doing the Aerial race a
favor by getting rid of those hooligans. Really, you could have done it quite easily. If you
don't want to give them the beating they deserve, you could have at least taken a few
warning shots at them - scare their pinfeathers off. That would teach them not to go
assaulting innocent people./b"
p"Cedar says they're already scared," Skull replied thoughtfully. Maybe it was true that the hoods
deserved some form of punishment, but the Firebird's offensiveness made Skull want to disagree.
"They already thought I was an enemy. I don't need to make them hate me more than they already
do. The last thing I need is more enemies."
p"bYou have no sense of self-preservation,/b" said the Firebird. "bHonestly, Eugene Skullovitch,
you're going to be of absolutely no use to anyone if you insist on behaving like such a
pacifist. What do you know about defending a planet?/b"
p"Well, nothing," Skull answered. "I was trying to tell you that before, and you wouldn't listen to
me."
p"bWell, if you don't know what you're doing, you shouldn't contradict people when they try
to give you good advice,/b" the Firebird replied. "bNow, I, on the other hand, have been
everywhere and seen everything. You are lucky I've decided to stay here a while and help
you out./b"
p"You have? I though you were going to some Higher Realms or someplace like that."
p"bI was there. Now I'm back,/b" the Firebird replied.
p"What's the matter?" asked Skull. "Didn't they want you?"
pThe Firebird turned and bit him sharply on the ear.
p"Yowch!" Skull cried, pressing a hand to his newest injury. "What didja go and do that for?"
p"bThat was to teach you to mind your own business,/b" answered the Firebird primly. "bDon't be
impertinent to me, human. I iam/i a powerful near-immortal, you know. I could incinerate
you just like that! By the way, you taste terrible. When was the last time you washed behind
your ears?/b"
p"Hey! It's not my fault they haven't invented showers here, yet," Skull protested.
p"bHumph!/b" said the Firebird. "bA likely excuse. You need someone to keep you in line, young
man, and I think I should be the one to do it./b"
p"Okay, whatever," said Skull. He was starting to get tired of the bird's high and mighty attitude,
and anyway, his head still hurt. "Do you mind if I go inside? I still don't feel so good."
p"bOh, go right ahead,/b" the Firebird replied. "bDo you think there might be anything good to eat
in there? Ambrosia and nectar is fine if you like that sort of thing, but I've always preferred
the things you mortals eat./b"
pSkull sighed. It sounded as if the Firebird didn't plan on going away any time soon. Could anything
else go wrong today?
pcenter~*~/center
pCedar ventured out into the marketplace. Ordinarily, she would have enjoyed the trip - the sights,
sounds, scents, and the companionship of the many other people around her - but today her mind
was on serious issues that dulled any enjoyment she could have taken from the excursion. She was
worried about her friend and what had been done to him, and what he might decide to do in
response. Fond as she was of her human companion, she knew that bravery wasn't one of his
strong suits. Would this incident disturb him enough that he might decide to leave her and her
people? He was unhappy with the burden he had been placed under, and having to defend himself
against the very people he had been told to protect couldn't possibly be making him feel any better
about his task. He hadn't intended to stay here forever, after all. That much had been clear from
the start. Someday, he would want to go back to his own people, and it wouldn't be fair of her or
anyone else to expect him to stay in such a dangerous and unhappy situation. How much would it
take to make him decide to give up his mission as a lost cause and go back to his own time and
place?
pHowever, as she walked, other things began to creep into her mind. People were talking, gossiping
as they always did when they got together in large groups. There was an old flocking instinct left
in the Aerial people, and they loved to get together and talk. Mixed in with the usual chatter about
the prices at the fruit-vendor's stand and who had been seen flying with whom last night, there
were whispers about the Dark Falcon. After all, he had only shown up a few days ago, and nothing
else so exciting had happened in quite a while. The Dark Falcon was mysterious, and the
townspeople loved a good mystery. Cedar could hear them as they traded guesses as to who he
might be and where he came from.
p"My cousin vas there, and she saw the whole thing," one woman was saying. "He drrropped right
out of the sky in a burst of fire."
p"No, he didn't!" a different lady said. "He vas flying. He had a tame Firebird there to carry him."
p"Don't be crrrazy. There's no such thing as tame Firebirds," a man replied. "First, Firebirds can't be
tamed. Second, there's only von at a time."
p"Not true!" said the second woman. "I have uncle who is scholar, and he says there are hundreds
of Firebirds - all descended from the One True Firebird, Fenikus."
p"I think Dark Falcon is really old Fenikus himself in disguise," the man said. "Remember, the old
legends say he vill come and prrrotect his people in time of need. It's about time he came to fulfill
his duty."
p"My husband thinks Dark Falcon is just von of us - a grrreat varrior who vas chosen by Fenikus to
save us," said the second woman.
p"I heard somevon say that Dark Falcon is mighty sorcerer," the first woman said tentatively.
"That vould explain the tame Firebird," said the second woman. "A sorcerer could tame a
Firebird-child, if anyvon could."
p"If Dark Falcon vere sorcerer, he vouldn't need tame birds to carry him. He could just poof-appear
verever he vanted to be," said the man.
p"He probably doesn't need it," said the second woman. "Is just for convenience. See, he battles
great monster vile his bird handles the small vons. Besides, you know how much sorcerers love to
show off. Probably he just vanted von to look good."
pThere was laughter, and the shoppers drifted apart.
Cedar had listened to the entire conversation with some amazement. She hadn't actually taken the
time to stop and think about how the rest of the world might see her and the Dark Falcon - she had
been too busy trying to adjust herself to the idea. Now hearing the idle talk of the townsfolk had
given her a surprise. Was that really how people saw her? Did they really believe Dark Falcon
didn't need her? Hadn't they actually watched that first battle? It would have been Dark Falcon's
last battle if she hadn't been there to save him from Goldar. He couldn't even fly without her help!
Cedar was a highly emotional person, and now she was starting to go from worried concern to
anger. It wasn't fair! Dark Falcon got the fame and glory, while she was just a figure in the
background, hardly even worth noticing. She didn't even have a name! Listen to them calling her
"it"! She was just a thing to them, a tame animal that did as her master bid her. Cedar sighed and
ruffled her feathers... She didn't like the situation at all, but there wasn't much she could do about it
at the moment. Later, when she was done with her work, she could talk it over with Eugene. He
would sympathize with her. He would help her find some way to fix all this. It was a good thing,
she thought, that Eugene didn't think of her the way these people did.
pcenter~*~/center
pThe Firebird caused a bit of a stir when he entered the Wind residence. He had perched himself on
Skull's hand like a tame hawk, and had taken quite a while to arrange his tail feathers until they
were ijust so/i before he would allow Skull to bring him inside where someone might see him. He did
look rather grand like that, with his luminous feathers streaming out in the slightest breeze and
casting rainbow lights in all directions. As the pair entered the front door, Poplar glanced up from
her sewing. Her beak dropped open, and her amber eyes widened to what seemed like an
impossible size.
p"Vat is that?" she asked incredulously.
p"Well, um, this is the Firebird," said Skull. "He's kind of here to visit."
p". . . Oh," said Poplar uncertainly.
p"bI do sincerely apologize if I am intruding," said the Firebird grandly. "Forgive me. I don't
mean to cause any inconvenience to you, dear lady, but would it be too much to ask if you
could perhaps find something in the way of refreshments? Some bread or fruit, perhaps? I
don't like to be a bother, of course, but . . ./b"
p"I'll get something right away," Poplar replied. Still looking dazed, she fluttered into the kitchen.
She was so flustered, she ran right into her husband before she realized he was there.
p"Vat is the hurry?" he asked. "You look shaken. Is something wrong?"
p"I . . . there is . . ." Poplar stammered. "You have to see it for yourself, Hemlock. Ve have a guest
vaiting in the parlor, and I must find him something to eat."
P"A guest?" asked Hemlock worriedly. He ruffled his feathers in concern as he headed for the
parlor. He was not quite prepared for what he found, which was Skull sitting casually in the
second-best armchair with an astounding glowing bird on his shoulder.
p"Vat in the vorld . . . ?" asked Hemlock in astoundment.
p"Oh, hi, Hemlock," said Skull tiredly. "This is the Firebird. Firebird, this is Hemlock."
p"Pleasure to meet you," the Firebird said, nodding graciously.
p"The Firebird?" Hemlock repeated. "The real Firebird? Incredible! Vat is he doing here?"
P"I dunno, maybe he likes me or something," said Skull.
p"bI'll admit, he is at least interesting,/b" said the Firebird. "bI haven't decided whether or not I
like him yet, but that's understandable, considering our short acquaintance . . . It seems to
me that we've met before. Are you the one I healed when that dreadful monster showed up
and disrupted things the other day?/b"
p"Yes. I thank you for that," said Hemlock, still stunned but remembering his manners. "Velcome to
my home, noble Firebird. It is a very great honor to have you here."
p"bI know,/b" said the Firebird, preening his feathers in a show of modesty. He was very pleased with
the attention he was getting. "bI take it, then, that you are someone of importance? Forgive me
for not knowing, but I've been out of circulation for a while./b"
p"Yes, the people have elected me as their leader." Hemlock replied. "Vy have you come here,
Firebird? Is it because of the var? Have you come to save us, as the old legends say?"
p"bThat,/b" said the Firebird grandly, "bis for me to know and you to find out. It is not for mortals
to pry in the affairs of greater beings./b"
p"I see," said Hemlock. His crest feathers pricked in annoyance at the bird's haughty attitude.
In that moment, Poplar returned bearing a tray of fruit and rolls.
p"Here you are, honorable sir," she said, with a slight curtsey.
p"bJust set them down over there,/b" Firebird said, gesturing at the coffee table with a flick of his
wing, "band then both of you go away. I have important matters I wish to discuss with my
friend Eugene./b"
p"As you vish," Hemlock replied. He bowed stiffly to the bird, and then swept out, beckoning for
Poplar to follow. As he left he said to her, "You know, there is only von bad thing about legends."
p"Vat is that?" Poplar replied.
p"The truth is never as grrreat as the stories say."
pMeanwhile, with the others gone, the Firebird swooped over to the table and picked up one of the
rolls in his claw and tore off a small chunk with his sharp beak, taking care not to get crumbs on
his snowy plumage.
p"bNow,/b" he said, "blet's get you straightened out. If you're going to be representing me to the
rest of the planet, I want you to look good. You've got to start having a little self-confidence,
young man./b"
p"What for?" Skull asked. "I'm no hero. If you'd actually been there in the battle, you woulda seen it
for yourself. I would have been toast if it hadn't been for Cedar."
p"bIs that so?/b" the Firebird answered disapprovingly. "bWhy weren't you doing your part?/b"
p"Well, I was, but-"
p"bNo objections. You listen to me. You are a ihero/i, Eugene Skullovitch. More importantly,
you are imy/i chosen warrior. If you're going to do this, you are going to do it right./b"
p"Then tell me how you want it done," Skull snapped. He couldn't be blamed for losing his temper,
not with everything that had happened today.
p"bI'm going to. Now, listen carefully. If you're going to be an effective hero, you've got to
learn how to do things for yourself. Stop depending so much on other people. I gave you
what you need to defend yourself, so start taking some responsibility. You don't need any
help, and you'll be much more effective - and successful - if you're more self-reliant./b"
p"Aw, I don't know . . ." said Skull uncertainly. "I'm still new at this, and Cedar's always so good at
knowing what to do . . ."
p"bStop,/b" the Firebird interrupted. "bHow are you ever supposed to learn anything about the hero
business if you're letting Cedar do all the work? I'm telling you, things will be better in the
long run if you learn how to take charge./b"
p"Are you really sure I can do that?" Skull asked.
p"bOf course you can!/b" the Firebird replied. "bI chose you, didn't I? I wouldn't have made you
the Dark Falcon if I didn't have complete faith in you./b"
p"Well, if you're sure . . ." said Skull reluctantly. "I guess I could give it a try."
p"bYou do that,/b" Firebird replied. "bTrust me. I've been around. I know these things./b" He
swallowed the last of the roll he had been eating and reached for one of the odd purple fruits, but
he stopped in mid-motion as something seemed to catch his attention.
p"bMy phenomenal extrasensory abilities are telling me that there is a disturbance going on,/b"
he said. "bThis, I believe, would be a perfect time for you to go out and apply what I'm
teaching you./b"
p"But I don't want to!" Skull protested. "Shouldn't we look for Cedar? She's already downtown.
She could-"
p"bI'm not interested in what she can do,/b" the Firebird replied. "bI'm interested in what you can
do. Now, get out there and find the monster!/b"
p"Oh, all right," said Skull. Looking thoroughly displeased with the situation, he shuffled out of the
room.
pMoving somewhat stiffly, owing both to his sore muscles and his newly-acquired bumps and
scrapes, he trotted upstairs towards the roof with various thoughts spinning through his brain. Part
of him was just a little worried that perhaps Cedar could have been caught unawares by whatever
had alerted the Firebird. If something had happened to her, he really would be alone, an idea he
didn't relish at all. Even with her help, he wasn't quite sure he felt up to battling a monster today,
not after everything else that had gone wrong. The very idea made his insides tie themselves in
knots, the way they did on exam day when he knew for certainty that he knew absolutely none of
the answers and was probably in all kinds of trouble. But this was worse, much worse. With every
passing second, the familiar litany played itself more loudly in his mind:i I can't do this, I can't do
this, I can't, I can't, I can't . . . /I
pOr could he? The Firebird certainly thought he could, and he figured the Firebird probably knew
more about the matter than he did. Anyone would know more than he did, he figured. He didn't
suffer any grandiose delusions about his intelligence. He had always relied on those who were
stronger and smarter and more confident to tell him what to do and give him simple tasks that he
could understand. He had never really seriously thought of doing anything by himself. Hadn't
people been telling him all his life that the area between his ears was generally empty space? But it
had felt different, being the Dark Falcon. The Dark Falcon knew what he was doing. While he was
the Dark Falcon, it was ihe/i who was strong and smart and confident. Skull recalled how he had
been able to defeat that monster, Goldar, with relative ease - Goldar, who had given even the
Power Rangers problems! Once he had figured out what he was supposed to be doing, it had been
almost effortless . . . and it had been fun. Maybe Firebird was right. Maybe he didn't need any help.
Maybe there had been a hero inside all along that he had never known about.
p*iAll right, then. This time, I'm going to do this right. I'm going to win this fight, and I'm going to
do it alone!/i*
pFor a moment, Skull stood up on top of the house, looking out into the city. Living out there were
hundreds of good people who were counting on him not to make any stupid mistakes. Out there,
too, was a monster that could presumably destroy him if he idid/i make any mistakes.
p"Well, here goes nothing," he said to himself. "Firebird!"
pIn a multi-hued flash, he transformed into his new and not quite comfortable form, the Dark
Falcon. He took a running leap from the roof and jumped, letting his shiny purple and red wings
catch the air just as Cedar had taught him, riding the wind currents up into the air, guided by the
sensation of something not as it should be . . .
pcenter~*~/center
pThe monster was having a marvelous time! He had never known that ransacking cities could be so
much fun! Somehow, he had always thought it would be a little more difficult, but here he was on
his first real mission, causing chaos and setting people to running and screaming, just like the
professionals. Maybe he was really suited to this line of work after all, no matter what his trainers
said. Maybe he would do well at this. Maybe the emperor would give him a reward or make him a
general! He laughed the cruel laugh he had been practicing the night before, getting ready for this,
as he watched yet another fire start as he cracked the whip he wielded and sent out cascades of
magical sparks. The fires he started would burn on anything - even water, even stone. That was
how he had earned his name: Firestrike.
pWhat he did not know was that somewhere very close by, someone was watching him and
planning her move. The moment Cedar had heard the sounds of a commotion, she had taken to the
sky, and was now observing the chaos from a secluded area on the roof of a building. What she
saw was a monster dressed in blue and silver armor and grinning a toothy grin. He was wielding a
long, barbed whip, snapping it at everything in reach, and where it struck, blue-white sparks rose
up in clouds and created small blue fires wherever they landed. A few brave people were trying to
douse the flames with buckets of water or suffocate them with dirt, but all their efforts merely
seem to make the flares blaze hotter and stronger. Everywhere was panic as the townsfolk
scrambled to collect their most precious belongings from burning buildings or corralling young
fledglings that shrieked and cried in terror. To add to the confusion, the fires were putting out
thick grey-blue smoke that made seeing difficult and breathing next-to-impossible. It seemed to
permeate everything, as if it had a mind of its own and was deliberately seeking to choke the life
out of anyone who came within range.
p*iFire is such a terrible weapon,/I* Cedar thought. *iWell, I know how to put a stop to this!/i*
p"Firebird!" she said aloud.
pA wave of rose-gold fire washed over her and reshaped her, changing her from the form of a
human girl to an eagle-like being, a creature made of fires that were as good as those
conflagrations that burned below her were evil. She fanned her new wings, preparing to swoop
down on the invader in her city and teach it a lesson it wouldn't soon forget.
pMeanwhile, the Dark Falcon's attention had been attracted to the scene. Even before the shouts
and explosions had been audible, even before he had seen the haze and the uncanny blue glows of
the dark fires, he had been warned that something was amiss by the scent of smoke on the air, a
detail that would have escaped him completely in his natural form. He soared serenely above the
destruction, hidden from view by the smokescreen, trying to decide the best way to go about this.
Suddenly, he had seen a blink of light that was not blue, but more like orange or pink, and he
swooped down lower to get a better look.
p"Cedar!" he exclaimed in some relief. He really had been worried about her.
p"Oh, there you are!" she said. "I vondered if you vould come. There is a monster setting fires
down there - I vas just going to trrry to stop him ven you came."
p"It's okay. I'll handle it," he assured her.
p"Vat you mean, you'll handle it?" she replied, puzzled.
p"I mean, I think I can do this myself. I want to do it alone this time."
p"But . . . I don't understand. Ve are partners. Ve are supposed to do this together. Don't you vant
my help?"
p"Not now. Just stay here where it's safe. I don't think I need you this time." Skull tried to say it as
gently as he could, but the words were hard to say for him. They didn't feel right, somehow. As
soon as they were out of his mouth, he found himself wanting to take them back - he was almost
sure he was blushing with shame - but the Firebird's stern lecture was ringing in his ears. He had to
learn to be a good hero. Tien was depending on him. Surely Cedar could understand that, couldn't
she? Before she could say another word, anything that might make him lose his nerve, he leaped
from the ledge of the roof and let his wings slice through the smoke as they carried him down to
earth.
pAs he neared the ground, he flipped his wings upward in the neat little maneuver that Cedar had
taught him, the one where that let him make almost a complete halt in midair before he dropped to
the ground - the one where he had wrenched his shoulders and fallen flat on his back the first six
times he had tried it. This time, however, he performed it perfectly, landing with no sound at all as
the soles of his purple boots touched the soft, sandy street.
p"Hey, you!" he shouted at the monster. He didn't dare say anything more - using words with more
than one syllable would have revealed the rather ignominious fact that his teeth were trying to
chatter.
pThe monster paused in his fire-starting long enough to see who had spoken. Standing there behind
him, in a place where no one had been before, there was now a very unusual someone. He was
dressed in dark colors, and in the thick smoke he seemed hardly more than a silhouette.
p"Who are you?" he asked.
p"I am the Dark Falcon!" the stranger replied. "You'd better stop what you're doing right now and
get out of here or I'll . . . I'll . . . I'll do something really bad to you, so you'd better give up and go
home!"
pThe monster regarded this Dark Falcon person with some confusion. "Oh. So, you're a hero,
then?"
p"That's right," Skull replied, glad he had been able to make some kind of impression on his
opponent. Maybe he was getting the hang of this hero stuff after all!
p"Well, if you're a hero, it means I'm supposed to try to destroy you, right?" asked Firestrike.
"Wow. That oughta be fun. Okay, hero, take this!"
pThe monster lashed his whip, and Skull spun out of the way. The tip of the lash struck the ground
instead, and a small fire sprang up and started burning merrily.
p*iWhoa, gotta watch that,/i* Skull thought.
p"Hold still, would you?" the monster demanded. "How'm I supposed to set you on fire if you don't
let me hit you?" He took a step towards Skull and cracked his whip again, and once again, Dark
Falcon jumped out of the way.
p"Is that what you're doing?" Skull asked. "Just setting fire to stuff?"
p"Yeah. I mean, do I really need to do anything else?" the monster replied. "Anything I hit with my
whip will catch on fire, and it'll keep on burning no matter what. These fires will never go out
unless I'm destroyed . . . and that's not going to happen, since I'm going to burn you up, too."
p"You've got to catch me first," Skull replied, dodging yet another strike.
P"Yeah, that's true," the monster agreed. "Boy, I wish you'd quit jumping around like that. It would
be a whole lot easier if you'd just let me incinerate you and get it over with."
P"Who says I'm supposed to make this easy for you?" asked Skull, once again narrowly missing a
crack of the whip.
P"Well, I've got to destroy you, so you might as well just give up," the monster replied. "Anyway,
you're really starting to get on my nerves. I can't catch you if you won't hold still."
p"I'm not gonna hold still," Skull replied, "so it looks like you're stuck." He dodged the whip yet
again, but this time his feet snagged on a stone, and he found himself in a position he'd often been
in before - tumbling head over heels until he was lying flat on his back in the dust. The monster,
seeing that it now had the advantage, closed in for the attack, grinning wolfishly.
P*iHere it comes,/i* thought Skull despairingly, cringing. He was trapped. There was no way to
escape, and now the monster was going to change him from a Dark Falcon to a cooked goose. If
only he hadn't told Cedar to stay out of this . . .
pSnap! The whip came down, and Skull felt a sharp sting in his side where the barbs bit through his
protective suit - but that was all. The sparks fizzled out without striking anything that even
resembled a fire, not even a whiff of smoke.
p"What the . . . ?" the monster wondered, staring accusingly at his whip. "What's going on? Why
didn't it work?"
pFor a moment, Skull was a little confused about that himself. Then he thought, *iWell, of course. I
AM the Firebird's warrior - of course the suit is fireproof!/i*
pIn frustration, the monster began slashing at his enemy, relying just on the fierce barbs on the whip
to do his evil work. Skull felt the first lash and cringed, but he recovered quickly and managed to
roll out of the way when the second strike hit. On the third lash, he actually reached out and let the
whip wrap itself around his wrist, and then he grabbed and yanked.
The monster hadn't expected that move at all, and he went sprawling headlong in the street. While
he was still thus incapacitated, Skull scrambled to his feet and brandished the weapon he'd
appropriated.
p"Okay, sparky, let's see how iyou/i like it," he said, and cracked the whip at the monster's posterior.
p"Yipes!" squawked the monster. He leaped to his feet and ran ineffectually in circles, trying vainly
to fan out the fire as it trailed plumes of smoke behind him. Finally, realizing that he was going to
have to have help if he wanted to prevent burning to death, he shouted, "I'll get you for this, Dark
Falcon! I'll be back!" He disappeared in a cloud of blue fire and smoke.
pFor a moment, Skull studied the whip thoughtfully. Then he touched both of its ends together and
watched it set itself on fire, letting it burn itself into a pile of foul-smelling ashes.
p"Cool," he said. "I beat a monster all by myself! Maybe I really am a hero."
He turned his gaze upwards to the top of a nearby building, just able to make out the moving glint
of gold-pink light that was Cedar. It was time for the Dark Falcon to make an exit, and he still
needed her help for that.
p"Up, up, and away!" he exclaimed, and waited for her to come down and pick him up. It didn't
happen. Louder, he repeated, "Up, up, and away!" There was still no response. Finally, in
exasperation, he shouted, "Oh, come on! Would you give me some help already?"
In response, Cedar swooped down and scooped him up roughly in her eagle-talons.
p"Ow! That hurt!" he complained.
p"Humph!" said Cedar.
pAs soon as they were out of the sight of the city-folk, Cedar pitched him back into the street, so
hard that he actually went skidding along through the dust, ploughing up a small furrow in the
ground with his nose. He sat up dazedly and spat out a mouthful of sand, while all his injuries and
sore muscles protested the rough treatment.
p"What did you go and do that for?" he asked.
pIn response, Cedar gave him an angry tirade. He didn't understand a word of it, because it was all
in her native language and he had not yet been able to learn it, but judging by her tone, it was
probably just as well. The only word he could make out was ikricheek/I, which was generally used
to denote an idiot, an oaf, someone who couldn't be trusted to do anything right. He had heard the
word over and over, and he'd had it applied to himself a few times, but never before by Cedar.
p"Cedar, what are you talking about?" he asked, hurt.
p"Figure it out if you're so smart," she shouted back. "Have fun being a hero, Eugene Skullovitch.
You are perfectly welcome to do it without me!"
pAnd she fluttered her wings so hard they stirred up a cloud of dust that made him choke. By the
time he could see straight again, Cedar was already flying away, leaving him to walk home alone.
P"Cedar, I'm sorry! What did I do?" he called after her, but he got no answer.
pSkull sighed, and, with a couple of whispered words, changed back to his more natural form,
battered and bruised and utterly dejected. He picked up the little effigy of the Firebird he wore
around his neck and held it up so he could address it.
P"This is all your fault," he told it. "And you know what? I'm tired of listening to you. I think it's
time I found someone to talk to who knows what their doing."
pHe sighed again and dropped the necklace. He didn't feel well, and it was a long walk home . . .
and he knew he wasn't going to be very happy with what he found when he got there.
pThe End . . . for now.