Taken By Turquoise

Chapter 3

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Rincón was halfway home, busy making a to-do list in her head. Hunting first, since she could do everything else once it got dark. Should she go to the saguaro field? There were often jackrabbits there, but they could be too big for her to hunt alone. Maybe it would be better to look for a ground squirrel. Or even a tasty snake-

Distracted, she only had a moment to process the black shape before it struck her from the side.

Rincón wheeled in surprise and almost struck a saguaro. She looked behind her and bit out a curse. She hadn't seen the three ravens as she'd passed them, but they'd clearly seen her. Metal rings gleamed around their right feet, which meant they almost certainly belonged to Corv's family.

Hell.

"I've told you I'm not paying protection money!" She shouted at the nearest raven.

He cackled, "We're not here for money, Rincón. We just want to have some fun!"

Rincón put on a burst of speed, trying to outfly them as they began swooping at her. Corv was the local raven queenpin, and what businesses she didn't control outright she demanded pay her protection money. She'd already visited Rincón twice, but so far Rincón had refused. That meant a mobbing every time she flew within half a mile of ravens, and the scratches and torn feathers that came with it. She needed to shake them off.

She swooped low between the cactus, flying where the ravens wouldn't be able to follow as quickly. Two fell behind, but the leader was smarter. He kept pace with her above the cactuses, clearly waiting until she exited the grove to resume dive bombing. Rincón ground her beak in frustration and banked a hard left. The leader cawed angrily as he lost ground doubling back to make the same turn, and for a moment Rincón thought she had enough of a lead to get away. But one of the two stragglers saw her maneuver from behind and caught up, striking her from the side.

Letting out a screech of pain and surprise, Rincón slashed at the raven with her talons. She shouldn't hurt him-there'd be hell to pay if she injured a member of Corv's family. But she was running out of options and, frankly, angry. Beakin' raven deserved what he got. The raven hissed and retreated, but only a few feet. Rincón tucked her wings and began to dive again when she saw a dark brown streak from the corner of her eye.

Fear pounded through her. Another raven could be trouble; she was already beginning to tire and wasn't sure she could fight off four ravens if it came to a full brawl. But when the newcomer screeched, she realized it wasn't a raven.

It was a second Harris's Hawk.

Rincón turned to see the newcomer streaking toward the ravens, screeching repeatedly. The ravens scattered. They were comfortable mobbing one hawk, but a second one turned the odds squarely against them. Cawing furiously, they turned away and retreated.

Rincón landed on the top of a saguaro and took stock. Her pack was torn and leaking saguaro juice; she'd get a whole tirade about that from Knox later. And the pouch holding her gemstones was-

Empty. With a cry, Rincón jerked her head down and saw green, blue, and white gemstones scattered all over the ground. Months of work.

Forget the fruit. Obsidian and Knox would kill her if she lost those.

Distracted, she jumped when the second Harris's Hawk landed next to her. He was a young male, about three years old like her, and small. He shared her chestnut and chocolate coloring, though he was a few shades darker. Concern darkened his warm brown eyes, "Are you all right?"