Chuck and A-Ziz: Chapter 1

Big hopeful eyes pierced her heart and her resolve melted away like ice under fire breath. Those babylike orbs contained so much anticipation and joy, it was near impossible to say no. With a deep sigh she caved. “Fine Ziz, we can go look for your favorite snack but you have to behave ok” The youngling eagerly nodded.

Sheera leaned back against the wooden wall of her hut, smiling to herself. The little ball of fluff was new to their company and probably the oddest member yet. Ziz looked like he might be a harpia when fully grown but under all the downs it was hard to tell. Only the little beak protruding from the thick plumage gave indication of his future built. Color wise he might as well be the offspring of a parrot, there was not a hue of color not to be found on his cloudy tapestry of feathers.

Her eyes wandered towards the trees next to her cabin where a harpia perched and nibbled at his feathers. Chuck, the large brass colored harpia was a magnificent sight with his creamy colors and imperial crest. He was an easy going stryx with tons of patience and a soft spot for cuddles. Chuck got along great with the Ziz and took him under his wing with great care. The baby had so much to learn and was full of energy. It was no surprise even Chuck had moments where he was glad he got a moment of silence without the fluff ball pestering him. Sheera chuckled to herself, they were an odd family.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the impatient squawking of Ziz who once again stared at her with big beady eyes. “Alright, let me grab my stuff and off we go. Go grab Chuck” she encouraged the little stryx. Sheera had not even finished and Ziz was already running towards the towering harpia on his perch.

Sheera grabbed her backpack and hiking pole before shutting the door to her warm cabin. From the corner of her eyes she saw Ziz pecking at the toes of Chuck, who was breathing out very slowly, trying to remain calm. At some point Ziz managed to hit a painful spot and the big harpia jumped into the air growling. His large wings flapped downward, blowing Ziz across the snow like tumbleweed.

With low growls the yellow harpia planted his feet in the snow, shaking his feathers off of snow and gave Sheera a look of mild accusation. “I know boy, he is a handful” she returned. Walking over to the stunned baby laying in the snow she pinched his fluffy cheeks “But you can’t be mad at a baby like that, can you?”. Ziz gazed at his big brother with the biggest puppy eyes he could muster. Instantly Chuck’s ruffled crest flattened.

“Alright boys, let’s get going and find those snacks” Sheera moved forward decidedly, knowing Ziz might have forgotten about his snack and preferred a game of snow fight. Better to redirect his attention. Chuck followed her steps, walking rather awkwardly through the snow. To a harpia his size the high snow was no hindrance, but going by foot was not his nature. However he knew the little mushrooms they were looking for could only be spotted from ground level.

Behind Sheera and Chuck the little Ziz struggled to keep up. After an initial burst of energy and motivation the youngling had realized that walking through snow was rather exhausting. “C’mon Ziz, we’re gona eat all the mushrooms if you aren’t fast enough” Sheera goaded. Immediately the small one perked up and came running after her and Chuck. The fact that Chuck served as a snow plow to make a comfortable track for Ziz was also helping.

They reached small cluster of big mighty Douglas’ firs. The branches of those old trees hung low, laden with snow. It was thanks to their wide arms that at the very bottom of the firs around their trunk a small circle of earth was nearly free of snow. That was the place to look for the meaty tasting mushrooms.

Just before the trio reached the trees Ziz who had followed in the back burst out of the track and sprinted towards the trees. One could not really call it sprinting, Sheera noted mentally, as the deep snow and frantic flapping looked anything like a graceful sprint. Chuck and her watched with amusement the many times Ziz tripped and toppled headfirst into the snow, only to jump back up and continue. The two continued walking normally and reached the trees around the same time as Ziz.

Ziz flopped onto the ground, catching his breath. The brass colored harpia approached him and lowered his head to be on the same level as the chick and gave him a soft nudge with his head. The little one eagerly leaned against the other, recovering from the energy-intense spritn. One hot second later though all the chick energy was back at 100% and Ziz pushed himself up. Sheera was already standing by a tree and carefully moved aside the lower branched to get a better look at the ground.

Ziz came running and accidentally brushed against the branches Sheera was holding. The snow slid off them and hit the ground with a poof. The chick did not realize their job had just become harder and started pecking at the now snow-covered floor. Sheera swallowed down her irritation and when her eyes met Chuck’s she had to chuckle. He gave her the same look she had given him earlier.

The yellow harpia seized the chance of Ziz being distracted to scavenge his way through the trees. His size made it tricky to pick up the fragile mushrooms while also dodging under small branches. Chuck recalled the first times when he would end up shaking down the entire snow from the tree and ended up in a shower of ice and snow.

Just last year Chuck and Sheera were the only ones out here. He had grown to enjoy her company immensely and even if the wilderness was lonely, even together, they were happy. Then Ziz had suddenly appeared and their calm, structured daily routine had become a mess. However Chuck would not want to miss It for the world and as annoying as the chick could be, he loved Ziz just as much.

While Sheera babysit Ziz and helped stow away the mushrooms he did find, Chuck covered the rest of the trees. The pile of mushrooacams at the center of the clearing was constantly growing and he felt quite proud at the sight. The sun was approaching the horizon when they stopped. “Great job guys” Sheera applauded. “Now let’s get home and make some dinner, you deserve it”.

The path back felt even longer than in the morning. This time Chuck was in the lead with Sheera following. Ziz had run out of energy 5 minutes into their return trip and had dropped into the snow dramatically. His pitiful chirps filled the crisp air until Chuck finally caved and offered his tail. Ziz was quick to roll onto his feet and jump onto the silken yellow tail. While Chuck moved on Ziz held onto the feathers and stuck out his wings in a happy gesture. Sheera shook his head, what an odd family.