She's struggling to run a mine.
He's desperate to be accepted by a family.
Rincón and Cedro are two Harris' Hawks deep in the Sonoran Desert. Rincón is the leader of a small mining operation fighting to get off the ground. Unable to hire more help...
Cedro knew he was in trouble when he returned late that afternoon and all three members of his pack were at the nest. He was grateful he'd at least caught a ground squirrel on the way back, but somehow he doubted it was going to be enough.
Mentally bracing himself, he landed on the edge of the nest and dipped his head to Esmeralda, "Afternoon," He said as politely as he could, presenting the ground squirrel to her.
She gazed at it for a moment, and then kicked it out of the nest with one sweep of a taloned foot.
Well, this was going to be worse than he'd thought.
"Where were you?"
"Patrolling. I circled the edges of our territory a few times and then went hunting."
"And that measly ground squirrel was all you found?"
"It's afternoon. Not much was out."
"And who told you patrol and hunt?"
"No one," Cedro paused, then added, "I didn't feel I needed orders for the tasks I do all the time."
He knew the second the words left his beak that they were too insolent. Esmeralda hissed and slashed at him with her talons, gashing his right wing when he tried to duck away. Cedro bit back a cry as pain shocked through him, and dusty blood began trickling through his large chestnut primary feathers to stain the cactus below.
He looked up to meet Esmeralda's furious gaze, "You are not even an official member of this pack yet, and you already think you know enough to determine your tasks?! I tell you when to hunt, when to patrol, and when to brood the eggs! Your ignorance meant I had to sit on the nest, which meant we couldn't do a group hunt, which means that squirrel is all we have to eat tonight."
Unwilling to anger her further by asking why Trueno and Agudo hadn't been able to go hunting, Cedro simply bowed his head and stared at the cactus. Had it only been a few hours ago that he was happily selling gemstones with Rincón? He tensed as he felt Esmeralda step closer and lean in, "You ever try something like this again, and you're out of my pack. Understood?"
"Yes," Cedro ground out.
"Then bring me that ground squirrel and get out. Come back tomorrow morning at dawn. I'll have new orders for you then."
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Cedro returned as instructed the next morning. It was cloudy, the dreary skyline matching his mood as he waited for another day of menial, thankless work.
Trueno was sitting on the nest, and the big male stood when Cedro landed. Egg duty, then. Cedro sighed internally-
But then Esmeralda swooped down and landed next to Trueno. The pair exchanged a brief caress of greeting, and then Esmeralda settled herself on the nest. Only then did she look at Cedro, "You're going hunting with Trueno and Agudo," She said, "I don't expect you back until you've caught at least three rabbits. Go."
