Winging It

[Poko]

They had left her. They had left her all alone with the curmudgeony old owl. Now he was trying to order her around as if she were some kind of mini masked soldier.

?Unless of course, you?re unable,? He finished with a note of uncertainty. Poko had not been listening.

?What?? Poko glanced up briefly from where she sat on the fallen pine. She had been in the middle of re-tying her foot wrapping which had become rather loose. She kept it bound tight so the toe would not get snagged, but it still hurt to put all of her weight on it. She sucked in a breath of air, wincing as she pulled the wrapping tight again.

?Hrrr-hum!? He cleared his throat with some annoyance. ?I asked if you are capable of climbing trees, Miss Poko.?

The moonlight was dim. Poko could only just make out his massive shadow. She considered her sore foot.  ?Maybe. Why??

?The ground is not safe and we can see much better from high up.?

Poko raised a brow at him, knowing he could see her more clearly than she could see him. ?I?m in a tree now. This one wasn?t so safe??

Noonahootin made another huffing sound, but Poko could not make out his face. ?I do not believe the moles will know which tree we are in,? replied the owl. ?We would be far enough from the soil.?

The ferret looked a little apprehensive. ?Just how far from the soil we talkin???

The dark silhouette of a wing gestured toward a huge tree ? the largest one whose top touched the edge of the moon. ?I would prefer not to leave you on your own, in the darkness. If you are up there with me, you should be safe. I can see anything that approaches from any direction, and it will be easier to spot our friends if they come out of a different tunnel.?

Poko chewed her lip. She did not like either of her choices, but the tree did appear safer than the pitch blackness of the forest around her. She wished the others had left a torch at least. ?Okay, but it might take me some time.? She hopped down, favoring her right foot and walked with a slight limp toward the towering pine. She flexed her paws, pricking the pads of her palms with her claws to test their sharpness. Satisfied, she reached up and sunk both sets of claws into the bark, splaying them wide. She stepped up with the claws of her right foot and found purchase. Carefully the ferret dug the two larger claws of her left foot into the tree. It was not too bad. She could do this.

Bit by bit the ferretmaid worked her way up, tossing her head to push back the hood of the hedgehog costume. Risk?s hat kept her head plenty warm without it. Its blue tassels swung back and forth around her cheeks as she progressed. Her claws scrabbled quickly once she got into a swinging rhythm, and after a short period of time she met Noonahootin, waiting near the top.

?That was some speedy climbing with your lame foot. Quite impressive for a non-squirrel.?

Poko grinned and plopped down, legs dangling on either side the chosen branch. She sat panting a moment before the chilling wind reached her and made her curl up with her back against the trunk. She drew her costume close and sniffed. ?Whaddaya see??

?Many things.? The owl answered ominously.

?Moles?? The young ferret peered into the darkness, squinting, but could not make out anything but the tops of trees highlighted by pale moonlight.

?No, Miss Poko, no moles, and I?m sorry, there is no sign of the others as of yet.? His head continued to turn this way and that, actively seeking any signs of movement. It made Poko feel oddly at peace, knowing he was so attentive.

?Did you see?I mean?do ya think Zevka and Gashy?re gonna be alright?? Poko knew there was no way the owl could predict the future, but she had always heard owls were insightful. Perhaps he could make an accurate prediction.

Noonahootin looked down at the ball of spikes curled at the base of the branch with wetly shining eyes. ?I have the highest confidence in my guardsbeasts. They have been well-trained for all types of situations and battles. If anybeast can bring our friends out alive, it is them.? His tone was kind and fatherly, and Poko relaxed despite the eerie reflective gleam of his long, black talons. ?Did I ever tell you about my son Persecutes??

?Uh?no?? The owl had actually spoken very little to the ferret aside from scolding remarks and Poko was not sure where this was going.

?Never has there been a greater warrior in all the world! Strong, strapping lad! He grew even larger than his mother! Died valiantly in battle. My eldest daughter, Venia, she too was also a magnificient warrior! Great fighter! Made her father proud!? Noonahootin nattered on happily as his head continued to turn and search the darkness around them, reminding Poko of a doll she once had whose head twisted off.

?My Cleite, on the other claw, became a scholar of all things!? Noonahootin turned his wide-eyed gaze on the ferret earnestly, ?Mind you, I am educated myself, naturally, but at the time I was so disappointed in him. My family has been warriors since the dawn of our line! All he wanted to do was cram his beak into book after book without ever looking up! He'd travel far, as far away from me as he could get once he got old enough.?

?I can understand why?? Poko muttered too low for the captain to actually hear.

?Wound up at Redwall Abbey, of all places. Well, blah blah blah, I'll admit, but after his mother passed, he came home and blah blah, we reconciled. A father can only blah blah blah so long.? Poko?s eyes glazed over, but Noonahootin did not seem to notice. He had a truly captive audience. ?I realized I had been comparing Cleite to Prosecutes blah blah blah. Cleite's mother was a wanderer in her younger years, so blah blah and blah.?

Poko rubbed her eyes tiredly, deaf to his ceaseless prattle. At last he paused long enough for her to break in with an urgent question. ?Is it true that if you yawn wide enough, that you can dislocate your own jaw?? At the very idea she yawned so wide her face seemed to vanish entirely. She felt at her cheeks with some alarm.

Noonahootin sighed, recognizing at last her complete distraction. He yawned himself then gazed out at the horizon which had lightened considerably. Had it really been that late in the night when they awoke? Poko seemed to notice too.

?Hey, I can see better!? She got up and came to stand beside the great bird, ?Is it morning already?? They both watched as the sky grew steadily brighter at the Eastern edge. It was a beautiful view stretching out before them with pink, purple and light blue colors, speckled with bright white pinpricks of stars. Unfortunately the stars were not the only white things in the sky.

?Hoo! Hoot-HOOT!? Noonahootin cried out in alarm. ?It?s the harfang ? I can see her ? and she?s coming right at us!?

?Oh scat!? Poko quailed, ?Whadowedo???? She clamped a fistful of feathers in both paws.

Noonahootin arched his wings, causing the ferret to duck and release her grip.

?You must conceal yourself! Run, now!? He made a shooing gesture. ?I will lure her away! You must find cover!?

?But what then?? Poko whined, seeing a rather large flaw in this plan.

?Once I lose her, I shall come back for you!?

?But what if you don?t??

?I will keep you safe, even if I must spend my last breath doing so!? The old owl puffed out his chest resolutely, honored to go down fighting. Poko was not so keen on the idea.

?Wait a second ? there?s got to be a better way! Isn't there something I can do to help??

"She draws near; I cannot allow her to see you! Go!" The brave Captain tested his wings with a wince of pain.

Poko?s mind raced. How could she, a ferret barely fourteen seasons old help fight an owl five times her size? None of the fighting moves Vanessa and Zevka had taught her would do her any good here! The white dot was becoming distinctly winged as the snowy owl approached. It was as if she knew exactly where they were. Poko danced back and forth on her feet with anxiety. She felt a sudden and intense urge to pee. There was Zevka?s knife, sheathed at her side, but what good would that do her when her opponent flew through the air with eight curved daggers of her own? She could throw it at the white owl, but Poko had no confidence in her aim, and would hate to lose her only means of defense.

?Think, Poko, think! You?ve seen birds brought down before!? She clenched and unclenched her teeth. She had seen a fox capture a pheasant with a net once. That silk fabric back at the camp would have been perfect?if it wasn?t back at the camp.

Poko felt her clothes, her vest, and the costume, emptying the many pockets: Jerky, pine nettles, candy, a cork, a piece of charcoal, her pipe kit, and a tiny pouch of tobacco. Useless! All useless! Noonahootin clucked his beak once at her fruitless search and turned to face the oncoming threat. Poko crouched near the trunk of the tree, willing the captain not to fly off to his doom just yet.

?Wait - wait - I...." She snatched Risk's knit cap from her head and looked at it goggle-eyed. "I?ve got it!" She pointed a finger meaningfully at the hat, a grin born of sheer terror and excitement splitting her features.

Noonahootin was unconvinced. ?Enough nonsense. I must face her now, before it is too late. Do not draw attention to yourself!? He ducked down, ready to take off.

?No wait!? Poko pleaded. She gestured wildly at an adjacent pine, explaining a half-baked idea to the owl in a high-pitched babble, but the captain took off, having reached the end of his patience with the ferret child.

?I'll make the call of the thrush when I have it ready!" she yelled after him desperately.

Clearly Noonahootin had had no intention of listening to whatever cockeyed plan might have formed in the ferret?s young and inexperienced mind. Poko herself was unsure whether she could pull it off in time, yet it was all she could think to do in the moment. She began pulling the hat apart with a fervor born of desperation. The hat began to unravel and Poko felt herself choke up, realizing she could be destroying the one thing her friend had left for her.

?You always helped me out before, Cookie. I hope your hat can do the same.? She looped the loosened yarn in her hand. ?Come on, come on?? The shrill shriek of the harfang caused her to convulse with a sudden shudder. She heard the captain answer with his own blood-curdling cry and renewed her efforts. The hat came completely apart and she grabbed the two loose ends tight in one paw while she snapped part of a dead branch off the trunk of the tree with the other. Finding she needed both paws, she seized the looping circle of kinked up yarn in her mouth and started tying one end as well as she could to the broken branch. The other end, she tied around the branch on which she stood, paws trembling violently.

Once she secured both ends, she transferred the loop from her mouth to her paws and let out a length so that the dead branch dangled. She took a deep breath and pursed her lips, beginning to twirl the piece of branch in a quick circle. At the sound of another painful shriek she let the branch fly. It struck the other tree?s limbs, but then fell through the springy smaller branches. Poko cussed and began reeling it back in. The awful struggle between the two owls was audible and the young ferret felt warm tears begin to run down her cheeks. Her arms burned as she finally recovered the branch again.

Once more she planted her feet and pursed her lips, her nostrils flaring as the broken branch circled. She aimed and threw with all the momentum she could muster. The broken piece of branch fell across a thicker branch on the far tree and looped around twice before it stopped. A gasp of joy escaped her and she pulled tentatively on the yarn. The broken branch came alive and snagged sharply in the crook of the larger branch. Poko pulled it tight, trussing it up snuggly on her end.

It was ready.

The ferretmaid cupped her paws to her mouth and twittered the sweet call of the thrush she had memorized. Her father was no longer there to answer, but soon enough a great brown blur of feathers did. Captain Noonahootin of the Yew guard had recognized her plan at last. He dove and faltered just past the tight string, making himself an irresistible target for the snowy owl that was hot on his trail. With a violent twang and a surprised screech the white owl collided with the colorful blue yarn, ripping a swath of feathers from her chest to her neck as she was jerked into a violent backwards somersault. Noonahootin rounded on her as she fell, stunned, through the air. He raked her deeply with his talons and the harfang screeched, coming to life again and struggling to right herself and escape. The captain was relentless, but the snowy owl managed to break away at last and make a hasty retreat.

They could not have hoped for a better outcome, and yet the owl captain faltered and spiraled down to the forest floor.

?Mister Noonahootin!? Poko cried out in alarm as he rapidly descended, barely slowing his fall. The ferret sprinted for the trunk of the tree and slid down to the bottom as rapidly as she was able without falling herself. The ferret tore across the snow over to the heaving body. ?Mister Noonahootin, are you okay?!?? She began to cry when she saw blood on his feathers. He lay on his back, wings splayed across the snow as feathers floated slowly down around them like the snow.

Noonahootin?s sharp little beak panted openly and his eyes rolled. His blue poncho was ripped and scored in multiple places and his talons opened and closed spastically. Poko feared the worst. She shook him.

?Captain! Captain!? If she had been faster ? if she hadn?t missed that first throw ?

?Yes, Miss Poko?I am?I am simply?exhausted,? the owl finally managed to answer. The young ferret threw herself on him in a hug. ?Oh ho ho!? he chuckled, then sighed a cooing ?Hoot hoot.?

?I thought you were gonna die!? Poko rubbed the tears from her face, still looking worried.

?No not today, though I am sure tomorrow morning I might wish it were so!?

?You saved my life?? Poko croaked in a small voice.

?It has been an honor to fight alongside you, Miss Poko.?

Above them something caught her eye and Poko grinned as a long piece of blue thread floated down into her outstretched paw.

?Hey?my hat came back!?