The Hawkmother

Chapter Two: A Decision Is Made

Nibbles had slept through the night, and upon waking, that was her biggest concern. She was a light sleeper, unlike her brother, and usually always awoke when Grenadine came home from scouting. But she had not done so the night before, which meant only one thing: Grenadine had not come home.

"Jareth," she spoke loudly, panic rising, as she shook her brother. "Mother isn't home yet."

"Whaddya mean?" The orange cat asked groggily, stretching as he blinked the sleep from his eyes.

"Mother didn't come home last night. I slept through the night."

"You never do that when people come by."

"I know! That's because nobody came by last night!"

"Maybe she just went and stayed with Sharpwing. Hawk business, or whatever," Jareth said bitterly, reaching for the loaf of bread and pulling off a chunk.

"You're a barbarian sometimes," Nibbles huffed, jerking the now mangled loaf from his paws. "She might have stayed with Sharpwing. He should be by soon. Let's just have some breakfast, and we'll go from there."

She handed Jareth a fish and mushroom tart, sitting down at the table to eat her own. Between them she set a few nuts and berries from Ashlimb, and a couple of cherries from Grawff. Her sword sat nearby, within arm's distance.

"Are you expecting an attack, Nibbles?" Jareth asked, eyeing the quill. He was genuinely curious, and Nibbles had bristled until she noticed that was the case.

"You have long claws, you're always prepared. It's good to be prepared at all times, don't you think?"

Jareth simply hummed, eating his breakfast and wondering if his sister was right and they truly did have something to worry about. Grenadine was always home when she said she would be, so this was new behavior. But he figured he could ask Sharpwing when he stopped by if he knew anything.

The siblings waited about in their hollow, and the sun was almost at noon-high when their brother stopped by. "Where's mother?" The hawk asked, peering around the hollow as if she might be hiding.

"Well," Jareth started, looking at the anxious Nibbles, "we were hoping she was with you. She never came home last night," he explained.

Sharpwing ruffled his feathers, "It might just be taking her longer than normal. Sometimes those she visits don't act in the quickest fashion. She'll be home by the end of the night, I'm sure of it." Their brother did not stay to socialize, taking off again shortly after he had arrived. The siblings watched him go, wondering how he could be so carefree that their mother wasn't home when she said she would be. Maybe Sharpwing was right. There was nothing to worry about.

They couldn't have told you what they did all day, they spent it mostly waiting and watching the sky for their mother's return. When she did not appear towards supper time, Jareth and Nibbles went into town to see if anyone had heard from her.

"She's a hawk, darlings. She probably needs some space, that's all. Don't worry too much," Ashlimb reassured.

"Sharpwing wasn't worried, either," Jareth said.

"Neither should you be! She's a fine bird, your mother. She'll be alright."

They wandered around the market square for a while, kicking rocks, with Nibbles occasionally stabbing blades of grass with her new sword.

"I know where Hawkmother went," a voice chattered high above them. "Heard it from some birdie friends, yes I sure did."

Above them, Leahleaf the sugar glider peered down from her treetop home, giggling.