Eagle warrior, p.4
Eagle Warrior, page 4
“And you’ll have to come here more often to see us,” said Granny.
Uncle Fraser smiled. “Well, I’d love to come back. Maybe you’ll have eagles back here too.”
Bobbie helped herself to more garlic bread. “That would be a dream come true.”
“Talking of dreams,” Dad said. “Dougie McKenzie rang to say his sheepdog has had a litter of pups.”
Bobbie’s eyes opened wide. “Can we get one?”
“Maybe,” said Dad. He glanced at Granny and chuckled. “Dougie’s father isn’t so keen on you having one of his pups. He’s still not forgotten Granny beating him and his brother nearly fifty years ago at the sheepdog trials. He said if Bobbie ends up as good a shepherd as Granny, she’ll beat them all the time.”
Granny grinned. “When do we get started?”
Bobbie felt tears rush to her eyes. She wanted to hug them all, but she didn’t want them to see her cry. Instead, she rushed up to her bedroom, where she let the tears fall. She pressed her face against the window and looked out across the fields and the moors and the heather.
Maybe dreams really could come true.
She could stay here, at home.
She was going to have a sheepdog of her very own.
Maybe there would be eagles soaring over the farm one day too.
Chapter 12
Bobbie and Granny sat in the back of the Land Rover as it bumped over the track. Tom and Rachel, the eagle watchers, sat in the front, and Rachel steered the Land Rover over the rocky ground.
Bobbie couldn’t help looking back at the box with breathing holes. The eagle, Skye, was inside. It had been six weeks since Bobbie had rescued him. Tom said the X-rays had shown that lead shot had hurt Skye’s wing, but that no bones had been broken. They’d looked after Skye for nearly six weeks, and now he was ready to be let go.
The early autumn air was crisp and bright. A week of good weather was forecast too, which gave Skye plenty of opportunity to hunt.
The eagle watchers had decided to release Skye away from the grouse moor to a place they knew he had visited before.
“He spent many months here,” said Rachel. “It’s near to the nest where he was hatched. He knows this landscape well.”
“What if he flies back over the grouse moor?” said Bobbie.
Tom sighed. “It’s a risk eagles face. All we can do is to keep them as safe as we can.”
“They’ll be safe on our farm,” said Bobbie fiercely. “I’ll watch out for him.”
Rachel nodded. “We need more eagle warriors like you to fight for all birds of prey.”
“Is that what we are?” asked Bobbie. “Eagle warriors?”
Rachel smiled. “Of course. There’s a whole army of people out there wanting to protect them too.”
Bobbie frowned. “But how do you stop people like Angus? There’s no proof he did it. He or the duke won’t go to jail.”
“It’s why we keep fighting,” said Tom. “It’s why we put satellite tags on the eagles. When they vanish over a grouse moor, a pattern is showing up. People are beginning to work out what’s happening. We’re losing our birds of prey on grouse moors like this across the country. It’s a national disgrace.”
Rachel stopped the Land Rover at the end of the track and Tom got out and poured tea from a Thermos flask for everyone. “Let Skye settle a bit from the bumpy ride before we take him out.”
Bobbie watched the eagle warriors pull on their woolly hats and old coats. She leaned into Granny. “They’re not your typical warriors.”
Granny smiled. “No. But then again, neither are we.”
“Right,” said Tom. “We’ll release Skye over there.” He pointed to the top of a hill where the wind rose up from the valley. “Skye will get a good view of the land from up there. And there’s plenty of food about.”
“We’ve put a dead deer’s body out for him to eat while he builds up his strength,” said Rachel.
They all walked up to the hill where Tom put the box on the ground. He handed Bobbie a pair of leather gloves. “Would you like to be the one to let him go?”
“Me?” said Bobbie. “Can I?”
“You saved him,” said Tom. “I think it should be you.”
“It’s only right,” said Granny. “You and this eagle have a bond now.”
Bobbie pulled on the gloves while Tom opened the box and lifted Skye out. There was a hood over his head to keep him calm.
“Just mind the feet,” said Tom. “The talons can really hurt. The beak isn’t so bad.”
Bobbie held the feet together in one hand and folded her other arm around the eagle’s wings.
“I’m going to take the hood off now,” said Rachel. “Just hold tight for the moment.”
Rachel slipped the hood from Skye’s head and Bobbie could feel the eagle tense up. She could feel his wings strain against her and his strong legs trying to pull free from her grip. He scanned the sky and the valley beyond.
Bobbie felt a fierce love for him. This bird had brought her family together. He had taught her to be brave and stand up for herself. Now he fought to return to the wild sky.
A sudden gust of wind rushed up from the valley.
“Now,” Tom said.
Bobbie bent her knees and used all her strength to throw Skye up into the air. He exploded from her arms and his huge wings pushed the air back in her face.
He flapped hard until he caught the rising thermals and flew higher and higher until all they could see was his dark shape against the sun.
Bobbie smiled and closed her eyes. She spread her arms wide like wings, feeling for the wind as it tugged at her coat and lifted the ends of her hair. And in that one moment, it felt as if the world had dropped away and she too was high in the air above the mountains.
She was soaring with the eagle, flying high and flying free.
Our books are tested for children and young people by children and young people.
Thanks to everyone who consulted on a manuscript for their time and effort in helping us to make our books better for our readers.
Gill Lewis, Eagle Warrior
