Taken By Turquoise

Chapter 2

Soundtrack for Episode:

Cedro fussed with a stick on the edge of the nest. Trueno had brought it in earlier and, though Cedro hadn't said anything, it was an awful fit. It was too short, for one, and so thin it kept falling out of place. He wanted to throw it out of the nest entirely, but he was afraid to invoke Trueno and Esmeralda's wrath.

"Cedro."

He flinched and turned with the stick still in his mouth, smacking Esmeralda in the face. She hissed in surprise and pain, and he dropped the stick, "Esmeralda! I'm sorry! Are you all right?"

"Not now I'm not!" The female Harris's Hawk stood, wincing, and puffed her chest feathers out in annoyance. She towered over him, almost twice his size. Two gleaming white eggs were settled on the nest at her feet, "What's wrong with that stick?"

"I was just trying to arrange it, it's too short and-"

"Leave it. It's fine."

Cedro gave it a doubtful glance, but he didn't dare argue. Esmeralda was the Alpha, and he wasn't even officially third consort. He didn't get to disagree with her on anything, "Of course."

"Sit on the eggs. I'm going hunting with Trueno and Agudo."

He heard fluttering wings behind them, and Cedro turned to see Esmeralda's first and second consorts land on the edge of the nest. Trueno, thick and muscular, greeted Esmeralda with a quick preen to the top of her head. He was massive for a male Harris's Hawk, just a little smaller than she was. She returned the gesture affectionately, eyes adoring. The pair had been mates for fours years now and they were always...cuddly.

Agudo, wiry and only just bigger than Cedro, was a newer addition to the pack. He'd joined two years ago and, though he wasn't as close to Esmeralda as Trueno, he still seemed confident of his status. He eyed Cedro with contempt, "Think you can watch the eggs, Third?"

Agudo never called Cedro by his real name, "Yes, I'm sure I-"

"Because you were just a ragged pile of feathers when I found you, starving and lonely and begging to join our pack. How can I trust you to care for anyone else if you can't keep yourself alive?"

"He can probably handle sitting, Agudo," Trueno nudged his fellow consort, "And we all know how good he is at letting everyone else hunt for him."

Agudo snorted, "Don't remind me."

"Cedro will be fine with the eggs," Esmeralda said firmly. Cedro lifted his head a little, surprised at her defense, but then she added, "He knows the punishment if anything happens to them."

They all looked at him for a long, tense moment, and Cedro nodded quickly, "O-of course! I'll protect them!"

"Good," Esmeralda took off without another word, and Trueno followed. Agudo eyed him for an extra moment, and Cedro looked down. He felt unnervingly like the prey they hunted.

Only once he heard the wingbeats that meant he was finally alone did Cedro look up again. He stared despondently at the stick. His parents had warned him. They'd drilled into him again and again to find an Alpha that didn't want multiple mates, or at the very least to make sure he was first consort. Otherwise his life could be spent battling for his Alpha's love, breeding rights, and even food. And what had he done? He'd come into an area he didn't know, almost starved trying to hunt in unfamiliar territory, and joined the first pack that would take him. A pack with two consorts ahead of him, and an Alpha that hadn't even officially decided if he was worth keeping. He was spending his time brooding eggs that weren't his, patrolling a huge territory alone, cleaning a nest that somehow got filthy even though its chicks hadn't hatched yet, and keeping watch on near-freezing desert nights while the others huddled together for warmth.

It was getting harder and harder to listen to the voice that whispered he'd made a mistake.

At least he had a family now, he told himself firmly. He'd loved his parents and siblings, and their absence had nearly driven him mad when he'd left to find his own pack. At least he had other hawks to socialize with, even if they were often less than friendly. And at least he had a pack he could serve. He'd always liked being part of a larger cause.

It was fine. It was all going to be fine.

Afternoon dragged as he sat on the eggs, shifting positions restlessly every few minutes. There wasn't much variety in scenery. Esmeralda's nest was constructed in the fork of a massive grey-green saguaro cactus. The cactus blocked much of the view, and what wasn't obstructed was blocked by a sloping reddish hill covered in brown scrub. The highlight of his afternoon was a crimson red, black, and pale yellow king snake that briefly slithered out between two bushes. Other than that, it was quiet.

Fluttering wings finally broke the tedium, and he looked up to see Agudo on the edge of the nest with a tan rabbit leg was clutched in one talon.

Cedro dipped his head, "Welcome back. Looks like it was a good hunt!"

Agudo just nodded impatiently, "Get up. Esmeralda sent me to brood the eggs and bring you a snack."

Cedro stood up and flapped his stiff wings in a brief stretch. He bent his head to take the rabbit leg from Agudo, but the latter screeched and slashed at Cedro's face with his talons. Cedro stumbled back, hot blood already pooling beneath his eye. Red briefly stained his vision until he blinked it away, and he looked at Agudo in disbelief.

"You eat when I say you eat, Third," Agudo hissed, "Get out of here."

Cedro opened his beak to protest, to retaliate somehow...and shut it again. Agudo was a little bigger than he was, not to mention older and higher ranked. Esmeralda wouldn't care if they fought, but she'd never take Cedro's side. And if he got injured, Cedro doubted this pack would care for him a second time. A fight could wind up fatal.

So he turned and fled off the nest, face and pride stinging. It would be all right. He'd find somewhere on the edge of the territory to clean up, and then he'd go hunting. Things always looked better with a full stomach, right? And maybe by sunset the pack would at least tolerate his presence.

Maybe.

He turned north and headed toward the edge of the cactus grove that marked the boundary of their territory. Lost in thought, the cawing was a background noise for almost a full minute before it registered.

Cawing?

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Insert the "This is Fine" meme here (just kidding)

Hello again! Thanks for returning and getting the intro to Cedro, the second POV character in my story. I had the hardest time naming him. His name means "Cedar" in Spanish-I wanted a name that evoked strength and stability. Rincón's name means "corner" or "nook", which I liked for a hawk who runs a mine.

But enough about names, because I know you're ready for the weekly bird fact! Esmeralda being larger than her three consorts is typical for many species of raptors (birds of prey). Female hawks tend to be larger than males, often by a large margin. The exact reason for this is unknown, though several potential explanations include:
1) Not having to compete with males for the same types of prey
2) Being able to compete more effectively with other females for mates
3) Being better able to defend their nests from predators

Check out this article for more information:
https://www.audubon.org/news/most-female-raptors-are-bigger-and-stronger-males-why

Thanks again for reading! See you all next week!

Music Credit: Over the Dunes, Jon Sumner