Hawk

By Kellios (Kellios11@hotmail.com)

A large bird flew over to my shoulder and perched itself upon me. Its talons dug 
into my skin, and I could soon see the blood staining my white cotton shirt. But I 
strangely felt no pain. It baffled me, when this bird landed on my left shoulder. I 
even tensed and grimaced for the pain which I knew would be coming once the 
bird landed on me. 

But then I remembered that if I expect no pain, I feel no pain.

Which I thought was odd... I had been expecting pain. No way around that. The 
way I squinted my eyes and tightened my shoulders to my head like a turtle. I saw 
the hawk screeching after me, and I had a gut sense of what it would do, and so I 
reacted accordingly. Then again, why would I be afraid of the hawk?

"Because we have the abilities to peck," The hawk replied and I whipped my head 
around to look at it. I stared wide eyed at it. His silk feathers glistened against the 
purple dusk, and not a breeze or sound to be heard other than my own and the 
hawk's. I let my jaw drop and the bird turned his head like a predatory, craning his 
neck and seemingly looking over my head. I knew not of nothing there, and say 
down on the rock I stood on, and let my feet dangle over the side. I heard a tree or 
two rustle behind me followed by the barks of the squirrels. I looked back at the 
tree and the hawk looked too; as if expecting me to stand on my tired feet and to 
go inspect. I did not feel like living up to his expectations, and turned back 
towards the end of the autumn sun and leaned on my palms behind me, my legs 
stretched out and crossed at the ankles. The hawk preened his feathers under his 
wings, and glanced back at me with the piercing black pupil of his eye, the golden 
iris surrounding the rest.

"Why should you peck others? Why bother picking every detail in another's' life 
when all you need is but one?"

The hawk nearly smiled and hopped off from my shoulder with a thud to the rock 
I was resting myself on, and then I felt my left shoulder buckle in pain. I quickly 
caught myself and gripped my shoulder with my arm, gritted my teeth and glaring 
at the hawk. 

"To feel other's pain," He answered simply and stepped carefully to where my feet 
were, and jumped to perch himself on my feet. I heard his talons poke through the 
tough leather of the shoes on my feet and he stretched out his wings. The pain in 
my shoulder was slowly numbing and I cursed to the Gods in peace of the hawk 
before me that caused me such pain.

"And what right do I have to be a burden to other people's pain? Or me be a 
burden to them?"

"Because they trust you?" He stared at me blankly and I almost wanted to kick 
him off of my foot, but then he would only drag my shoe along with him and I 
needed my shoe right where it was.

"Oh? And what is trust? The feel of a parent who holds your hand when crossing 
the street? The feel of a brother who just took the blame for you when you broke 
your mother's vase? The feel of a friend who stayed up all night to help you with a 
project for school? The feel of a lover holding you close the their body?"

"Is that what you define as trust?"

I almost snorted and did my foot a jerk in a feeble attempt to shake him off.

"Why ask right back with a question? And the definition of trust is different for 
everyone. Hell, you as a hawk have different trust related options than I do."

"I highly doubt that," The hawk said matter-of-factly and started to rip off little 
threads from my shoe. Angered, I made a better attempt to get him off my shoe, 
and succeeded in doing so, and he flew right up and landed on my wounded 
shoulder again, which with his weight made my shoulder surprisingly better, as if 
it were never wounded in the first place. I sat there with a puzzled look on my 
face when I was watching him, and he seemed to cackle.

"Real trust does not cause pain unto others who trusts those with their lives. 
Remember that."

The hawk took off from my shoulder and immediately the pain swarmed back 
into my shoulder and I didn't have the time to catch myself this time around. I hit 
my back against the rock and looked up at the hawk flying away into the dark... or 
what was a hawk. But, I guess the chaotic wings with a long, spiny tail gave away 
a hint.

But what am I to say?