Meet Lilly

Lacey made her way up the side of the mountain toward where Silvia was working. "How's it going?" She called out as she climbed over the last few rocks to where Silvia stood looking around at the boulders she had made into smaller rocks.

"What are you making here?" She asked. "Just smashing rocks." Silvia replied. "Isn't it awesome." She added as she walked over to another big boulder.

"You may want to stand back a little so you don't get hit!" She suggested as she got ready to hit the boulder. Lacey backed up a few feet and watched. Just as Silvia hit the boulder, she noticed

the nest of sticks, leaves and feathers on top of the rock. It trembled and slid off and down the side to the ground as the boulder split into pieces. "WAIT STOP!" She yelled, as she saw the nest fall.

Silvia stopped with her hand in mid air ready to strike again. Turning around she looked at Lacey. "What is the matter?" Then she heard a loud squawking coming from a few feet away, turning back around she saw the nest and hurried over to it.

Lacey followed her as they peered over the edge that came up to their waists, in the nest that was meticulously lined with sleek black feathers.

They saw sitting in the center a baby bird with white fluffy down tipped with silver with its beak pointed to the sky Squawking as loud as it could.

The sound filled the air, ringing off the tops of the mountain, the girls covered their ears, but that didn't stop the baby bird's squawking. "WHAT DO WE DO!" Yelled Silvia over the noise. "Take cover, NOW!" She screamed as she sensed the birds flying in their direction.

"The parents are coming fast!" Silvia quickly started, stacking rocks to build a makeshift shelter. "Quick, climb in!" She shouted to Lacey as she set a large boulder on the top for a roof.

Lacey climbed inside Silvia grabbed a boulder and slid it into the last opening as she climbed in.

They could hear the many wings flying above them, as the girls peered through the cracks in the rocks they watched the black birds circle around the still squawking baby bird.

One broke off the circle of birds and landed beside the nest, the girls stiffened, it put it's beak into it, then lifted it's head and took off again, they soon disappeared and the sound of wings was gone.

Silvia pushed the boulder aside and they climbed out, the baby bird was quiet now, they investigated the nest again, it lay in a small ball and she could sense that it was scared.

"Did they abandon it?" Lacey asked, looking at its small shivering body. "Maybe." Silvia mused. "I will come back later and see if it's still here." She told Lacey then girls left, leaving the baby bird behind and started for their tree.

Later that night Silvia headed back to check on the baby bird, when she got close she could sense it was still there, she could also sense that no more adult birds had come by either.

She peered into the nest to see the small white fluff ball laying still in the bottom of it, she reached in and picked it up cuddling it in the crook of her arm she went back to the tree.

Lacey sat up to the table in the small cabin neatly placing the fresh meat on the sharp thin sticks, her dress flashed yellow as the door opened and Silvia came in, she turned to see her, white caught her eye and she gasped, Silvia shut the door and walked to sit beside her at the table.

"Why did you bring it here?" She asked, staring at the small bird.

"It's helpless, they just abandoned it." Silvia whispered, running her hand over its small body to calm its ruffled feathers. "uhh… but you know what they grow up to be?" Lacey reminded her.

"But I can train it to help us." Silvia announced, looking down at it, it let out small squawking noises, she sighed and stood up to place the meat on the fire. "But what will we feed it? Do you even know what it eats?" She asked.

"No…But I bet it will eat meat, but we must cook it first, we want it, eating someone." Silvia chuckled, placing it on the bed and heading back outside, her dress had already gone back to blue.

She turned around to look at the small bird, to her surprise it's eyes were open, the red eyes stared at her in wonder, a shiver went up her spine.

The meat was soon done, but Silvia hadn't returned. She set it on the table and looked at the bird, who was watching her carefully, Silvia came back a moment later.

"I made a small cage outside for it." Silvia announced, going and picking it up and heading back outside, Lacey sighed again and sat down to eat, she was half done when Silvia returned.

"Meats done!" She told her, Silvia nodded but went up the ladder, Lacey sat there still eating as Silvia made noise up above, she came back down in a rush and grabbed a stick on the way out. After she was finished eating and had cleaned up, she sighed again.

Silvia was excited about this bird. "Hopefully it didn't turn out to be a mistake later on." She thought as she went outside the cabin to the porch, to see how it was going, Silvia sat by the cabin, a good sized wooden box beside her with the small bird inside, she had a piece of meat in her hand, holding it out for it.

"How's it going?". "Great! It loves this meat." Silvia grinned as the bird took it carefully from her hand, her dress faded yellow, again Lacey sighed.

"She was sighing a lot lately." She thought. "Be careful." She smiled, "Well I'm going to go for a walk before it's dark." She told Silvia, she nodded in reply, but was too busy to look at her, Lacey left the tree walking towards the beach.

To be continued-