The Tree Shepherd's Daughter by Gillian Summers Page B

"Don't move, kid."
    The other one held out an arm encased in a thick, stiff
leather glove. "Come, Ariel, come to me," he called out.
    The first man motioned cautiously to Keelie. "Don't
move. She's dangerous."
    Yeah, now you warn me.
    The hawk turned its head from the men to look once
more at Keelie. This must have been the bird that had
flown away during the raptor show when she'd arrived yesterday.
    Above her, the trees whispered to each other. She felt
their touch in the breeze against her cheek. Feather light.
    Feathers. She sensed that the hawk wasn't going with
these men, but maybe she would come to her.
    Ariel the hawk turned her golden eye to Keelie and
as their eyes locked, the two connected. Understanding
flowed between two hurt souls, bound in pain. At that moment, Keelie knew she had a friend at the High Mountain Renaissance Festival.

    She edged closer to Ariel. "Will you come to me?"
    The hawk bobbed her head as if saying yes. Ariel
inched her talons down the fence closer to Keelie.
    "Move slowly," the gloved man called. He drew the
glove off and tossed it to her underhand. It fell at her feet.
Ariel shifted her weight back, as if ready to jump on it,
then settled down.
    "Put the gauntlet on, then put out your arm. Be careful, her talons are as sharp as knives."
    Keelie tugged the glove onto her hand, moving carefully so that she wouldn't scare the hawk. She was glad for
the protection from Ariel's sharp claws.
    Ariel bobbed her head up and down, examining her,
then launched herself toward Keelie and landed on her extended forearm. She was large, but not as heavy as Keelie
had thought. She kept her head back, afraid of the wicked
beak so close to her face. Ariel lowered her head and leaned
forward. Keelie mirrored the move, and Ariel touched her
forehead to Keelie's.
    "Holy cow!"
    "Will you look at that?"
    Ignoring the wondering cries of the men, Keelie and Ariel
touched, feather to skin, until at last Keelie raised her head.
    "We both should've flown free when we had the
chance," Keelie whispered against the smooth head.

    At the raptor mews, Keelie learned Ariel's sad story from
the two men. Some teenage boys had shot at her with a BB
gun, and the pellet had permanently blinded her left eye.
    No longer able to see to hunt, she had been brought
to the raptor rehabilitators. Since Ariel could fly, she kept
attempting to escape. Each time she'd returned when she
was hungry, but her impaired vision put her in danger of
being injured.
    This was the first time she'd flown to a person, and the
men seemed in awe of Keelie as they flanked her on the
walk to the mews.
    "Thank the stars and the planets, Ariel has returned to
us," said a tall, slender woman with odd, brush-cut hair.
Keelie recognized her; it was Cameron, the lady who had
held the snowy owl the day before, and the only other
woman at the Faire with short hair like hers.
    "You must be very special. She lets no one touch her,
other than Tom and me." The woman motioned with her
head toward the man who had given his leather glove to
Keelie.
    Warmth rushed through her at the praise. Wind from
the rising storm flipped a curl onto her forehead, but she
didn't dare brush it away.
    Cameron turned toward the men. "Have you been introduced to Keelie Heartwood?"
    The men stared at her intently.
    "Is she, now?" one said.
    The other nodded as if he'd learned something special.
"Makes sense."
    The woman frowned at the wind-whipped trees over head. "Storm's getting closer. Let's put the rest of the birds
up.

    The men hurried away. Keelie's shoulder ached from
holding up the bird. She rolled her neck, trying to get the
blood moving again. "How did you know my name?"
    "We met yesterday, remember?" Cameron shifted her
birdlike gaze to Keelie. "Have animals always liked you?
Did you know you also have a gift for healing?"
    "I've never been around any animals, other than my
friend's cat." She didn't answer the question about healing.