Roy forced himself upright and fixed his gaze on the giant eagle standing on the grass across from him.
The two humans and the bird stared at one another, locked in a long standoff. In the end, the giant bird radiating powerful magic was the first to break the tense atmosphere.
The Thunderbird stood on the grass and flapped its two pairs of enormous wings seemingly out of thin air. With a cry, thunder suddenly roared across the sky, and several terrifying lightning bolts crashed into the grass around them.
Aisling jumped at the Thunderbird's movement, thinking it was about to attack them, and hurriedly pulled out her wand. But after the thunder died down, she realized that none of the massive bolts had struck anywhere near them. They had all hit the distant hill instead.
Aisling and Roy looked toward the hill that had just been struck by lightning, only then noticing a group of wizards in matching black uniforms lying on the ground. They knew these people all too well—they were the enforcers who had been pursuing them for days.
The Thunderbird cried out, drawing Aisling and Roy's attention back, then gave them a friendly nod.
"Thank you. How did you know they'd been trying to kill us?"
Roy spoke sincerely, expressing his gratitude to the enormous Thunderbird before him. Upon hearing his thanks, the Thunderbird raised its head proudly, then swayed as it walked toward Roy, who was sitting on the ground.
The massive Thunderbird slowly ambled over to Roy, its feather-covered body completely blocking his view.
Roy looked up at the Thunderbird watching him with a grateful gaze and asked curiously.
"What do you want me to do?"
The giant bird lowered itself and gently pecked Roy's hand resting on the ground with its beak, then