Perched on a low branch of an enormous swamp tree was the Swamp Eagle Floris and Alvis set out to kill. The two boys were laying in some tall grass behind the thick overgrown vegetation and hanging vines from the trees. Their armor concealed them very well and acted as camouflage, making it harder for the wildlife to spot them. They could see the Swamp Eagle, but it couldn't see them.
"Look at the size of that thing! Are you sure you want to go through with his, Floris?" Alvis whispered nervously.
Floris, after getting a much better look at his target, swallowed nervously, "I'm less sure now than I was before. Killing this thing will not be easy."
The monstrous bird stood at a height of twenty feet. It was covered in black and golden feathers with razor-sharp talons nearly thirty inches long; its eyes glowed an ominous yellow with slits as black as night. Just looking at this feared creature made the two boys' blood run cold.
Swamp Eagles were at the top of the food chain of the swamp and they didn't fear people like most other animals. Even giant Swamp Lizards had learned to keep a distance from humans over time, but Swamp Eagles were different. They were terrors of the skies and Floris and Alvis learned to fear them long ago when one attacked the village and killed ten villagers and destroyed three houses. These animals were forces to be reckoned with and underestimating them could prove to be a fatal mistake. Not much was known about them other than they were very territorial and just as carnivorous. Even differentiating the males from the females was a mystery.
"It's not too late to turn back, Floris." Alvis whispered, a hint of desperation and fear in his voice.
Floris remained silent for a moment as he considered his options. There was truth in what Alvis was saying and he wasn't wrong when by saying they were in over their heads. But there was danger in living and letting live. The Eagle was not far from the village and it had almost certainly heard the commotion coming from the villagers. If it were allowed to heal, the village would be a safe bet as the Eagles' first target. Floris and Alvis were the only ones strong enough to wield weapons or fight anymore and they alone were no threat to a starving and freshly healed Swamp Eagle. The choice wasn't exactly a good one or a smart one, but it was the only one they had. Floris nervously exhaled his breath that he had been holding for some time, then looked at Alvis, "We don't have a choice. Given the chance to heal, the village is going to be the first place that monster attacks and taking it on when it's fully healed is an impossibility. We have to take it down now when it's sick and wounded."
"You know...you've had some bad ideas in the past, but none of them compare to this." Alvis whispered.
Floris grabbed the poison from the belt going across his torso and started applying it to one of his arrows, "In this situation...I don't think there is such a thing as a 'right choice', Alvis. We either deal with this thing now when it's injured, or we deal with it when it's healed."
Alvis sighed nervously and looked at the eagle again, "Well...If we fail we only lose our lives."
"And likely be eaten afterward." Floris said without emotion.
Alvis hung his head in silence for a moment, "Thanks for that, Floris. I feel so much better now that you've brought that up."
"Just trying to help! Anyway, I'm ready when you are." Said Floris.
Alvis nodded and started to move through the bush.
CRASH!!!
Splintered wood flew through the air and the loud creaking of a tree collapsing haunted the air behind the two boys, followed by the loud undeniable sound of a Swamp Eagle's call: a terrifyingly loud shriek that echoed through the trees and made the boys' hair stand on end.
The two hunters laid low in the vegetation and stared at each other with fearful, yet speechless expressions. They both came within mere centimeters of their deaths and they never even saw it coming. Within the blink of an eye, the Swamp Eagle destroyed the base of a tree trunk, making the tree crash down on the ground behind them.
"I told you this was a bad idea!" Alvis yelled frightfully.
"I never said it wasn't!" Floris replied.
The two hunters rose to their feet and readied their arrows. Neither of them predicted the Eagle would still be able to fly and were caught completely off guard by it. The tips of the trees swayed from the flapping of its wings and the wind hustled hauntingly through the canopy.
Another shriek gave away its position and Floris pointed at it as it was swooping down to grab them with its talons. The two boys rolled out of the way, letting the bird pass by. It shattered a small boulder and furiously flapped its wings at the two boys, knocking them off their feet from the powerful wind its wings created.
Floris managed to roll behind a tree to use as cover and readied his bow. He skimmed the area around him, looking for a good place to hide and spotted a cluster of large boulders he could use as cover. He waited for the bird to make another pass, then darted as fast as he could for the
safety of the giant rocks. He dove into a small carved out crevis between the boulders and watched as Alvis ran to join him. Just as he was about to reach the rocks, however, the Eagle landed on top of them and blocked his entrance.
Alvis slid to a stop on his feet and quickly rushed in another direction. The bird hopped off the rocks and started chasing him on foot, scratching at him with its talons, missing him by mere centimeters. Alvis managed to squeeze in between two trees, which managed to stop the Swamp Eagle for a brief moment. However, the bird quickly found a way around them and was on Alvis' tail once more.
Floris took the opportunity to ready his poisoned arrow. He knelt down in the shadow of the rocks and vegetation and patiently waited for the perfect shot. Due to a lack of knowledge of how the bird's body acted, his target area was small and was going to be hard to hit.
Suddenly, a dreadful howl of agonizing pain echoed through the trees. The Swamp Eagle had managed to stab its talons through Alvis' left shoulder and was dragging him out into the open. It threw him through the air for several meters and started to slowly approach its wounded prey. As it got closer, it spread its wings out and lowered its head, opening its giant beak.
For the first time, Alvis truly knew what fear was. The inside of the eagle's beak was full of needle-like teeth that would tear his flesh apart. He desperately tried to scoot back on the ground, but the bird stomped on his leg, preventing him from getting away. He screamed in terrified horror as the bird's beak drew closer and closer to him and he prepared himself for the worst.
FWING!!!
Seemingly from nowhere, an arrow pierced the Eagle's right eye. It shrieked in pain and backed away from Alvis in a hurry. It flapped its wings ferociously and shook its head violently from the pain. It gave Alvis one last hungry look and took one step towards him before collapsing to the ground.
Alvis stared in speechless shock at the giant bird, then looked at Floris as he ran to him.
Floris started examining Alvis' wounds and reached for a potion on his belt.
"I thought I was a goner there for a minute." Alvis stated plainly as he stared at the Swamp Eagle laying in front of him.
"So did I. Hmmm....your wounds aren't as bad as I was expecting. A few potions and some rest will see you on your feet again by nightfall tomorrow." Floris said. He grabbed one of the potions from his waist belt and helped Alvis drink it. He then poured the remaining drops on Alvis' wounded shoulder.
Alvis flinched a little as the potion made contact with his open wounds, but the droplets soothed him shortly after. Floris then wrapped Alvis' left arm around the back of his neck and helped him to his feet. Then, they started their walk back to the village.
"You know, Floris...I think I'll pass on the next time we have to face one of these." Alvis said.
"Let's hope that never happens." Floris responded.