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Vidia Captures the Hawk - Chapter 3 - Beaky the Hawk
The fast-flyers were already at Tinker Bell's training site the next morning, when she touched down behind them. Their attention was held by a crudely-made, life-size model of the hawk. It hung 3 feet off the ground by twine cords at the front & back, attached to a branch higher above. The wings were extended, as if in flight, and the tinkers who built it even painted a beak and angry eyes on it.
"What do you think?" Tink smiled, stepping around them.
"It's sure ugly." responded Wisp. There were nervous chuckles from the flyers.
"Yesterday you learned mostly defensive flying tactics," proposed Tink, "But today we'll see if you can do some offensive tricks. Everyone into the air, in front of Beaky the Hawk." They all jumped into the air. "Spread out a bit."
"As fast-flyers, one of your talents is the ability to make a vortex." Tink continued. Several vortices appeared near the flyers. "Okay, one at a time... uh, Wisp. How large can you make your vortex?"
Wisp tightened her lips and squinted her eyes, as her vortex grew to 20 feet in height. Leaves blew in trees for many yards around.
"Wow, that's more than enough!" Tink admired, over the noise. "Make it small again." Wisp drew it back down. "Can you turn it on its side?"
Wisp looked puzzled. "Never done that before..." She frowned in concentration, as the vortex tail pulled strongly to one side. She shook her head as she collapsed the vortex, and re-started it on its side. "This is easier."
"Good." said Tink. "Point the open end at Beaky, and quick as you can, make it big!"
Wisp's vortex enveloped the hawk-model in a rush of wind, and drove it spinning on the twine cords like a pinwheel. The fast-flyers all gasped in surprise, and murmured between themselves.
"Excellent!" Tink cried. "Now turn your back to Beaky, as if he was chasing you, and try it again."
Wisp laid herself out in the air, as if in flight, looked over her shoulder at the hawk-model, and whipped another vortex at the model, with similar results.
"Flitterific!" declared Tink. "I'd like you all to take turns at this exercise." The fast-flyers collided and fumbled in mid-air, eager to be the next one to try, until they worked out a pecking order.
"What you're doing," explained Tink "Is similar to what humans call Wake Turbulence." She let them each go at it for a while, the stronger ones giving advice & encouragement to the weaker ones.
"Okay, let's try another one." Tink broke into their fun. "Wisp?" Wisp zipped over. "You're out in front of Beaky," Wisp assumed the position, "Use your wind control to give him a big down-burst."
Wisp looked over her shoulder, flicked her hand, and a blast of wind from above send the hawk-model swinging wildly. The fast-flyers "Ooo"ed and "Ahh"ed. They jostled for the chance to try it out.
"You can imagine what a down-burst would do to a real hawk." Tink explained, as the flyers took turns. "You can also try side-bursts. However, you don't want to use an up-burst. That would put the hawk above you, where she could dive."
"There's a subtle variation to the down-burst." Tink continued. "If you pull your wind forward and down, at the same speed the hawk is flying, her wings will stall and she'll drop."
Tinker Bell let them blast away at the hawk-model for the remainder of the morning. After a while, it became obvious the fast-flyers were trying their best to break it. To the tinkers' credit, the model was holding up well despite the abuse it was taking.
"Lunch time!" Tink called. The fast-flyers all looked hyped. "If you think that was fun, wait until this afternoon. Eat lightly, you'll be flying."
Tinker Bell led the fast-flyers out of Pixie Hollow, to the border of Summer Glade and Autumn Forest. They landed near 3 large crows, on the backs of whom sat Beck, Fawn, and Nolli. Tink approached and asked if they were all ready, and got affirmatives from them. As the crows flapped into the air, she turned to the fast-flyers.
"Given how difficult it is to persuade hawks to play nice with fairies, the animal-talents have been teaching these crows to fly like hawks." The flyers burst into grins. "They're not as strong, or fast as a hawk, but I think you'll find them more interesting than Beaky. They'll try to catch you if they can, so use everything you've learned."
Tink smiled, gestured "upward", and the fast-flyers shot into the air. From above, the 3 crows began hawk-like dives. Each one targeted a different fast-flyer, and the chases were on. The flyers who weren't targeted, fell in behind the crows, calling encouragement to the ones out in front.
For a while, the mock air chases looked like choreographed chaos. The animal-talents gave instructions to their crows, which emulated the tenacity of hawks. The crows managed to "tag" a few of the flyers, but the fast-flyers' new skills became more fluid and instinctive.
The fast-flyers began working more as a team. Whenever a crow got close to a pursued flyer, the trailing flyers would use their wind control to knock the crow around. This turned out to be a major source of confusion and frustration for the crows.
After about a half hour, the animal-talents landed the crows for a rest. After they stopped panting, the crows gulped down water, and clucked to their fairy handlers.
Fawn turned to the fast-flyers. "The crows told me, they're glad they're not hawks." she said with a grin.
"I think that should be enough crow-practice." declared Tinker Bell to the flyers. "We don't want to start a fairy/crow war. I trust you all learned something?" The fast-flyers all made agreeable comments. "The nets are just about in place," she continued "So you'll want to see them now, and do some trial runs."
They all thanked the crows and animal-talents, and flew for Pixie Hollow.
Bobble was head-first, up to his hips, in the tinker shop's rope-braiding machine. The batch of nets that just left the shop had depleted the stores of rope, so their machine needed to be in top shape for the overtime it would soon be running to replace missing stock. He was just tightening a pinion gear, when he heard someone clearing their throat forcefully nearby.
Bobble struggled his way out of the service access hole, and climbed to his feet, swaying a bit as his blood-pressure re-adjusted. A purple-clad fairy stood nearby with her back almost to him, arms crossed, and viewing the tinker shop with apparent disgust.
"Miss Vidia." he noted with surprise. "What brings you to our shop of tinker toys?" He smiled cautiously at her, busily wiping his hands on a scrap of moss. She turned to him.
"I need some small containers, with tops."
Bobble thanked his lucky stars, as Vidia seemed civil - almost polite - today. "Right this way, Miss Vidia." He led her out of the shop, and into a large storage shed in the back. "The smaller containers should be along the left wall. Do you know what size?"
"No. I'll know when I see them." They fluttered along the shelves, until she stopped and reached for a small bamboo container (about milk-quart size, if scaled-up for humans), with a tethered stopper-lid.
"The cooking-talents use a lot of those," explained Bobble, "For sugar, salt, spices, ..."
Vidia pulled off the lid and looked inside. "These will do." She took 3 more. "Now, I need some way to carry them, and keep my hands free." She eyed Bobble's waist.
Bobble felt nervously self-conscious, until he realized "Oh! The belt. This way." He led her to a smaller shed, which held tinker gloves, boots, heavy garments, and other wearable gear. He rummaged through a pile of tool belts, and pulled out one with loops large enough to hold Vidia's containers. When Vidia tried on the belt, it became obvious that it would almost fit Clank.
"Oh, dear." declared Bobble. He turned back to the pile. He pulled out one that was a good fit for Vidia, but lacked the large loops. "We're not out of ideas yet. Follow me." He led her to a small room off the side of the tinker shop, which held a pedal-powered heavy-duty sewing machine, amongst other things.
While Vidia watched, Bobble cut the loops from both belts, and sewed the large loops onto the smaller belt. Vidia tried on the custom belt, slipped the containers into the loops, and gave her hips a shake to make sure all was secure.
She gazed at Bobble with the slightest hint of satisfaction. "Good work, Phineas." She then vanished through the door in a gust of wind.
Bobble blinked, stunned, at the spot where Vidia stood a moment before. "You're welcome, Miss Vidia." he replied.
The apothecary shop seemed vacant when Vidia walked up to the counter.
"Mr. Wong?" called Vidia. She pulled the 4 containers from her belt and set them on the counter.
"Ah, Vidia." Wong appeared, smiling in the doorway behind the counter. "Is it time already for a refill?"
"I'm afraid so."
Wong left Vidia at the counter for a moment, then returned with a packet of her special herbal tea. "Freshly prepared, a few days ago."
"Thank you, Mr. Wong. I... have another request."
"Whatever I can help with." he smiled.
"You have... ground mustard, for poultices and such, don't you?"
"Certainly."
Vidia pushed the containers toward him. "I need some."
Wong's eyebrows went up. "I don't think I have that much on hand." He stared at the containers.
"What other strong spices would you have?" Vidia asked.
"Black, green, & white pepper, cayenne pepper, ground chili peppers..."
"Those will do." She pushed the containers again. "Just mix them up."
"Very well, then." He gathered the containers with a puzzled look, and entered his workshop. He returned minutes later, but suddenly paused, holding the containers.
"Vidia, you won't be using this on the hawk, will you?" he studied her eyes.
"I'd rather not say."
"Oh, Vidia." He looked disappointed, and spoke as a parent would to a child. "You're better than that. You don't need this."
"In case you forgot, this is a HAWK we're dealing with. Not a pigeon." she retorted. "Clarion has authorized any resources."
Wong sighed. "This is under protest." He deposited the containers before Vidia, who quickly slipped them into her belt, then picked up her special tea.
As she turned to leave, Wong said "Queen Clarion will hear of this."
Without turning or stopping, Vidia declared "By the time she does, this will all be over. One way or another."
Wong slowly shook his head, as Vidia jumped into the sky.
Tinker Bell left the fast-flyers doing practice-runs in the area with the net traps. She casually flew back to her training site. From a little distance out, her site appeared to have undergone some demolition. She glided-in close to the base of the large tree, and spotted her hawk-model laying on the ground, wings twisted and broken; half buried in torn leaves.
"Beaky!" she cried, in surprise, "What happened?" Tink landed next to the hawk-model, and examined the twine cords. They were not cut, but seemed to have been torn apart by excessive force.
She looked up at the torn twine cords hanging from the branch above, and the other branches which had been stripped of most of their leaves.
"Vidia." she said to herself, with a smile.
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More fast-flyer action in Chapter 4.