Greetings

//Greetings,// A voice said, and I opened one bleary eye, startled. There, not ten feet away sat an Elflad. //They are wondering if you are almost ready to start hunting again,// he said.

//You’re an Elf!// I said, stupidly. I never did wake up well.

//Yes,// he said, //we have a colony here. As I understand it, you are closer to civilisation than you were when you started the hunt. We saw most of your hunt last night, but I waited till this morning to greet you.//

//Well, good morning, then,// I said. //Who all is here?//

//Oh, a whole host of Spearmen, and a passel of Ghosts. Plus my family, of course. We tend to live fairly far apart here in the mountains, so the nearest family is several miles away.//

I peered through the branches, and then looked back at the boy, //What is your name?// I asked, //I am Jonathon…//

//We all know who you are,// he laughed, //and my name is Tzentauri.//

//Glad to meet you,// I said. //and, if you could, I need some information, and I know that Elves are experts at information.//

//Yes?// he said, squatting down with one foot each on two branches, and his tail going up in the air to a third branch.

//There was this Ghostlad, yesterday, and he helped me kill a Dragon. and I want to know his name.//

//Why not just ask?//

//I…. ummmm… I’m embarrassed.//

//Embarrassed? To ask a question? Is that typical for Eagles?//

I sighed, and proceeded to tell Tzentauri about we Eagles and how easily we were embarrassed. Finally he nodded, //Very well,// he said, and started to climb down.

//I’ll start hunting,// I said. //I’ll be back tonight.//

I was very tired when I flew back to the tree the next night. I had caught a Dragon near the ground, and wing crippled him with one pass. Then I caught another flying high and just badgered him until he landed. He had no idea I had been anything except a nuisance until the first Ghost scurried up his back.

//You have returned,// Tzentauri said, when I landed.

//I have. A good day for hunting. Two down. What of your hunting?//

//My hunting…? Oh, the name.Yes, I found it out. He is called ‘Scraggle Weed’… which is a better name than it sounds. The Scraggle Weed is a small plant found in the mountains, which grows in very difficult places. And so the name…//

As Tzentauri went on and about the Scraggle Weed, I busied myself committing the name to memory. Perhaps one day I would be King of the Eagles and would need to know how to keep people’s names in my memory.

//… at the bottom of the tree.// he concluded.

//What?// I said.

//Scraggle Weed. He too enjoyed talking to you yesterday and, with a group of his friends, is waiting at the bottom of the tree for permission to come up.//

//Well, why didn’t you say so?//

//I just did say so,// he said, looking confused.

//Come up, Scraggle Weed,// I said, forgetting to say the name in Ghost (which was one of the things that Tzentauri had told me.)

Soon whispered clackings could be heard as several Ghost lads (or lasses, one could not tell with Ghosts) crept up the tree. //Jonathon!// the boy in the lead said, //You gave us no Dragons today!//

//I brought down two Dragons,// I protested.

//Yes, but far from our sector,// Scraggle Weed said, settling himself on the bark just above me, while other Ghosts clung all around him and me.

//Well, that was where they were!// I said, laughing. Then, remembering something, //Say, I have a question for you…// I looked at Tzentauri, //for you both. There are these… paintings on some rocks. I have seen three of them so far. Huge paintings… do you know what they are?//

//Surely,// said Tzentauri while,

//Of course,// Scraggle Weed put in. //They are our sculptures.//

//The Ghosts?//

//Yes.//

//Sculptures?//

//Yes. They involve no paint. We actually make them by spitting on the rock.//
//Spitting?//

//Yes. Our spit can partially dissolve some rocks, and so we make those pictures.//

//But how… how can you see them?//

//We always put them where they can be seen,// Scraggle Weed said.

//No, I mean, when you are making them.//

//Oh, we don’t need to see them then. We know what we want to sculpt, and we just sculpt it.//

//Wow,// I said. //But they are huge!//

//Yes. They take a long time, and many Ghosts working together. We have to go over the same picture several times before it can truly be seen from afar.//

Several times? I thought. Wow.

//So, who are your friends?// I asked, and he introduced me around. I still ended up not knowing which were boys and which were girls, though… with names like ‘Crushed Gravel’ and ‘Badger’… well… who could tell? I did begin to get an idea of their life, tho which, for most of them, was outside a lot of them time. They had the forts which they shared with the Spearmen, but they spent most of their time outside, scouting for new places for roads, new places for forts and, most of all, Dragon lairs.

//Are there other Eagles here?// one Ghost (which I thought was a girl, since she was called ‘Scented Spruce’) asked me after we had pretty much done discussing Ghosts.

//No, not now,// I said, //I just came to visit my brother and his family; and then they asked me to help with the hunt.//

//And a good idea that was. We have killed more Dragons in the last two days than we usually kill in a month… outside of smoking out a lair, that is.//

//Really?//

//Yes,// Tzentauri said. //The Dragons are not very obliging as to come to the Forts just to be killed, and up to now no one has been able to get to them in the air.//

There was a bit of a pause and then Scented Spruce asked me, //Do you have any family? I mean, Eagle family?//

I was tempted to stick my head under my wing, or take off, but I knew that wouldn’t work the same way with Ghosts and Elves as it did with Eagles, or even with my Farmer family, so I tried to face the question bravely. //Sort of. There was a mother and father Eagle who kidnapped me, and raised me. Up until a while ago I thought of them as my real Mother and Father.//

//Oh, you must hate them,// one of the smaller Ghosts said.

//No, no… not really. You see, their egg had died, been killed really, and so the Mother… they don’t have many children, you know, and they have them a long, long way apart… anyway the Mother saw me on the mountain, climbing, and she just couldn’t resist. They aren’t supposed to do it, but all the Eagles know you can transform a Farmer or Fisherlad or whatever.//

//So, did they get in trouble?//

//Well, no. I didn’t tell anyone.//

//Why not?//

//Because he loves them, idiot,// Scraggle Weed said, seeing my discomfort. //So, have you ever built a nest?//

I laughed, //No, that is just for when you mate and the girl needs to lay her egg.//

//We’re going to mate,// Scraggle weed said, moving over to Scented Spruce, //Spruce and I…when her time comes. I can’t wait.//

At this I did put my head under my wing. How could he talk about that!

//Where are you going to hunt tomorrow?// Tzentauri asked, after a few seconds.

//I think I am going to go Northwest from here. That is where they seem to have been coming from. Maybe they have a lair or something there./

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Von