A longer chapter this time with some bits that are supposed to help with character development. Let me know if this chapter drags, it was fairly long to edit.


Chapter 6

Sam glanced up when she heard a quiet rustle of wings behind her. Turning around, she saw that Jake had returned from his sweep of the island.

“Did you find anything?”

He shook his head.

“No shelter at all?”

“Nope. This island is nothing but a big rock with trees on top. I didn't see anywhere else that looked as comfortable to sleep as here.”

Sam grimaced. On land, puffins prefer to sleep in underground burrows. Even Jake’s cave had been better than being out in the open.

“Did you check all of the leeward side of the island?”

Jake looked sheepish.

“Not really... I saw sheer cliffs on the other side so I came back because I'm bone tired after last night and just want to rest.”

“The leeward side is the most sheltered part of the island though!”

“I don't want to fly anymore. My wings ache!”

“It's not that far” said Sam.

“If I could fly I'd do it.”

Jake glared at her.

“I think here is good enough for tonight!” he snapped angrily.

Sam flinched away involuntarily, a rush of fear shooting up her chest.

Jake hung his head apologetically.

“I'm sorry Sam” he said guiltily.

“I don't know what came over me.”

"It's…okay” Sam said, suddenly struggling to get the words out. She could still feel her pulse hammering away from adrenaline.

“You've flown miles and gone a day without sleeping. Anyone is bound to get a little short after that.”

“That must be it. It’s been a long time since either of us got some rest and I think we both need it.”

“That’s a good idea” Sam said, dropping the subject of shelter. At least she’d have Jake for protection while she slept.

“It's almost dark anyways” she pointed out.

Jake sat down.

“Good night, Sam.”

“Good night.”

Sam picked a spot a respectful distance away from Jake and closed her eyes, trying to drift off to sleep. She shivered and cast a sideways glance at Jake and saw he had tucked his head under his wing beside her and was already asleep.

A few minutes passed in the cold. Sam adjusted her position, trying to get comfortable against the lumpy ground, but as hard as she tried she just couldn't sleep. With her injury, she was unable to fold her wings properly to keep the heat in, and it was freezing. Eventually, she resigned herself to looking up at the dark, low flying clouds scudding rapidly across the sky above, hoping that boredom would help ease her into sleep.

The cloud cover looked pale and had an odd luminescence from the moon obscured behind it. Time passed, and then some more and Sam knew it was getting late. Small gaps appeared in the clouds letting the milky light of the moon through. Small sparkling patches appeared as the rays reached the rough darkness of the sea. Soon the clouds disappeared altogether, leaving only a few wisps behind. It was no warmer, although it was visibly brighter as the moon shone clearly over the island.

In the quiet, Sam could hear the wind rustling the grasses and the needles of the pine trees. Looking up at the sky she could see there were a lot of stars out for a moonlit night. Everything was clear and placid above, making a sharp contrast to the swaying trees and crashing waves that washed along as far as the eye could see. Beautiful as it was, Sam was cold, tired, uncomfortable and alone.

Gingerly, she stepped over to Jake and gave him a gentle tap with her bill. Nothing happened. She pecked him. He stirred slightly, mumbling softly, but didn’t wake up. Not to be deterred, Sam grabbed his wing by the primary feathers and gave it a sharp tug.

“Ow!” Jake said, stiffening and casting Sam an indignant glance.

“What'd you do that for?”

“You weren't waking up. I thought you said you were a light sleeper?”

Jake yawned.

“I am... usually, just not when I haven't slept for a day.”

Groggily, he stretched his neck and then rolled over so that his golden eye looked lazily up at her.

“Hello.”

“Hello there” Sam responded.

“You look like you need some company.”

“I suppose I do.”

Sam smiled, relieved that Jake wasn’t angry with her for waking him.

“I can't sleep because It’s too cold. It was starting to get a little lonely staying up by myself.”

Jake grinned below her. Sam found herself looking deeply into his sharp, golden eyes and could tell he was fully alert. She saw a deep intelligence and empathy in his gaze and for the first time she was struck by how elegant he was. Stretched out languorously on the grass, Sam could see his whole body from a new vantage point. She admired the power of his swept wings with their black feathers and white wingtips and then allowed her gaze to move upwards, following the sweeping curve of his throat up to his bill. It had a rich, golden yellowish color to it, with a red spot at the end of the lower mandible as it curved smoothly and purposefully forward to its sharp, killing tip. Sam could see that Jake's jaws sealed smoothly and tightly together, giving the impression of sleekness and aerodynamics. Masked by fear, her former perceptions of Jake had been of brute strength and savagery. Now that she looked again she saw that he was not merely a predator, but an elegant, and magnificent bird. One look at him told her that nature had intended him to soar. 'What a wonderful a flier he must be' she thought.

“What are you looking at?” Jake asked, standing up.

Sam let out an embarrassed grin.

“Um…I was just...admiring your...beak” she said awkwardly.

“Heh” Jake laughed, seemingly amused.

“You like it?...Compared to a Puffin's it looks kind of dull. Yours has more colors.”

Sam was could feel heat rushing to her face now.

“It’s…not the colors” she admitted.

“It’s the shape I admire. It looks…purposeful” she finished lamely, not sure what adjective to use without being awkward.

Sam cast her eyes to the ground uncomfortably, unsure as to why she felt fixated on Jake’s bill. He was so close to her, a predator, and she wasn’t afraid! More like giddy, or perhaps even a little excited? She had no idea why.

A cold blast of wind interpreted her thoughts, ruffling both their feathers. Sam shivered involuntarily at the cold and fluffed up her feathers. A flash of empathy crossed Jake's face.

“You look cold” he said, as he stood up, cast her a pointed look as he plucked away a loose primary feather, and cradled his neck comfortingly around her. Sam embraced the soft warmth and smiled at her friend as he shielded her from the wind with his body.

“Thanks” she said, leaning affectionately into the embrace. They stayed like that, looking up at the stars in silence for a few moments before Jake spoke again. Surrounded by his neck, Sam could feel his voice as much as hear it.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

"Why’d you go on a second migration?”

Sam paused a moment, taking a second to collect her thoughts. She guessed she trusted Jake enough now to tell him why she’d left in the first place.

“Well…in recent weeks it’s been horrible at Egg Rock, the colony had been attacked by predators a bunch of times and the council took the mass panic as an opportunity to vote in a massive power grab, and now they control everything on the island.”

“Hmm, that sounds familiar. The council already had a lot of influence when they voted me off the island as a fledgling.”

“It’s all the same birds on the council, except now it’s worse as they’ve cut a deal with the gulls and skuas, enforcing daily sacrifices to keep themselves safe. The council picks the weak, and ones they don’t like. The majority went along with it, assuming they wouldn’t have to make the sacrifice. I fled the island when one of my old antagonists as a chick made the council. I was planning to go back once spring ends, as most of the predators lose interest once the year’s chicks become fledglings, but I can’t fly now. They’d feed me to the predators in a heartbeat. It’s terrible, but I almost don’t want to go back, even though all my friends and family live there. It doesn’t seem safe anymore.”

“You’ll get better.” Jake encouraged her.

“You’re young, and will be able to take care of yourself by summer.”

“You said you never went back after they banished you, right?” Sam asked.

Jake nodded solemnly.

“I've only been gone for two weeks and I already feel homesick. I can’t imagine living away for that long.”


Jake let out a heavy sigh, stretching his wings out to their full length and placing one of them protectively over her, meeting her gaze with his own.

“You have to understand that while Egg Rock once was home for me, I can’t go back there. I can help you get home, but I'm an outcast, and won’t be accepted if I return.

Sam gave Jake a funny look.

“What's to stop you? If you come back there's nothing the council can do about it, and they know it.”

“Everyone on Egg Rock is afraid of me. I might even cause a panic, challenging the council directly. Forcing myself back into a colony that hates and fears me will never lead to anything more than a grudging acceptance. That’s not a way to live.”

“Who cares? They can panic all they want. As soon as our story gets out they'll know you're okay and the problem will go away on its own.”

Jake smiled a bit, clearly seeing through the naivety her words. Even Sam had to admit they sounded hollow.

“I’ll get you home. Let’s leave it at that for now” Jake said, yawning sleepily.

Now that she was warm surrounded in gull feathers Sam was beginning to feel tired as well.

“It's getting late.” Jake remarked. “I want to go back to sleep.”

“Me too.”

As Jake stood up and folded his wings, she felt the cold wind once again and shivered as Jake stepped briskly back to his old sleeping spot.

“Um…Jake?” she asked tentatively.

“Yeah?"

“Do you mind if...can I...um…sleep under your wing again?”

Jake brightened, seemingly happy that she trusted him enough to sleep so close together.

“Sure thing!” he said.

“You don’t have to be shy asking about stuff like that.”

Sam smiled shyly, suddenly glad for the offer of warmth. She scrabbled quickly over the rocks to where Jake was sitting and sidled gently up next to him. He put his wing gently over her and Sam murmured in appreciation. Surrounded by soft down and feathers, she could feel the blood heat of Jake's body around her. He keened softly and comfortingly to her as the hazy tendrils of sleep began working their way over her fatigued body and mind.

She relaxed entirely and let Jake lull her gently to sleep. She had almost slipped into another world when her dreams were shattered by a noisy protest from outside.

“What is it?” She asked anxiously, fearing that something was wrong.

Jake stuck his head under their wing.

“You were right. We should have looked harder for shelter” he said miserably.

Listening carefully, now Sam could hear gentle patterings of rain outside.

“There probably wasn't anything better on the other side of the island anyways”

“Still” said Jake as a bead of water rolled slowly down his neck, “let's not do this again.”

It was raining hard now, and Sam could feel Jake grimace at the cold, pressing his wing tightly around her for warmth. Despite the excellent waterproofing of their feathers, both Jake and Sam could feel the coldness of the water seeping and soaking into the ground. This was rainwater through and through, and Sam could tell it was a lot colder than the surrounding ocean. She was warm, and mostly dry but she couldn't help feeling for Jake who was taking the brunt of the rain squall. She pressed herself further into his warm down feathers and willed the rain to stop.

Mercifully, after a few minutes the squall passed. Jake stood up and shook himself off, water droplets beading up and rolling delicately off his feathers. He sat back down in the dry patch where he’d been sitting and they tucked in again, both relieved that the rain had stopped. Neither Sam, nor Jake were awake long enough to see the sky clear away completely. It had been a long and wearisome twenty-four hours, and finally, for the first time, both of them could get some sleep.

.........

When Sam woke up, A fish's blank stare was the first thing she saw. Blinking away sleep, she glanced quickly around and saw no signs of Jake. 'He must be off hunting' she surmised. She picked up the fish gratefully having had no dinner the night before and gulped it down. When she had finished, she tread across the clearing to higher ground, looking for a better vantage point.

The first thing she noticed stepping into the breeze was that it was much warmer than it had been last night. There was a bit of fog, but it was burning off fast with the sun and Sam could feel the beginnings of a warm, southerly sea breeze. She reveled in the heat of the day and then set her sights on the sky, trying to pinpoint the large telltale whiteness of a gull. She scrutinized the surrounding skies carefully, looking for a solid two minutes before she spotted Jake soaring in a parabolic loop just for the fun of it. Coming out of the loop he angled downwards in a dive and then soared back upwards and twisted rapidly around, diving down again before cutting upwards to hang smoothly in midair, wings outstretched to their full length. After a moment, he descended again and skimmed deftly above the tops of the waves.

Sam watched him playing in the air for several minutes, enjoying the sight of his aerobatic antics until he noticed her watching. Suddenly his swooping flight straightened and became purposeful. Heading straight for her, he stopped, plucked something delicately out of the water, and then continued, landing skillfully in front of her with a flourish of wings.

“Good morning Sam!” he said happily.

“Good morning”

“Are you ready to fly today?”

Sam felt a rush of excitement flow through her at the thought, almost matching Jake's own enthusiasm.

“You’re taking me to Cooper Island, right?"

“Yeah” said Jake.

“I'm ready. We can go any time you want.”

Sam motioned at the big fish Jake had placed at his feet. It was still wriggling.

“You're not ready. You still haven't had your breakfast” she teased.

Jake looked down at his breakfast writhing on the grass and then gobbled it down, swallowing the entire thing whole and alive.

“I am now” he said, mere seconds later.

Sam blinked in shocked silence for a moment, not believing something so big had disappeared so quickly.

“T…that was fast!”

Jake smiled self-consciously.

“Oh!...I'm sorry you had to see that! I didn't expect you to be up so early, I should’ve eaten sooner. Sorry for keeping you waiting.”

“I don't mind waiting at all!” Sam said, noticing that Jake seemed a little embarrassed.

“Enjoy your food. You don't have to rush on my account.”

“I didn’t rush…”

“That took you no more than a second or two!” Sam teased.

“Thank you for getting me that fish, by the way” she added, remembering her gratitude for an early breakfast.

“No problem. There are fish in abundance here.”

“Probably because there are no birds. All this time we’ve been here I haven't seen anyone.”

“There are too many trees for seabirds and it’s too far offshore for the land birds” Jake observed.


“Yeah” Sam said.

“Are you ready to go?” Jake asked.


“Yeah. How long will the flight take?”

“Probably all day. I don't know how fast we'll be traveling but it’s safe to say it won't be as quick as I would be on my own.”

“Oh” Sam said, suddenly feeling dismayed.

“How is that going to work?”

“I’ve been thinking about that” Jake said.

“I could carry you easily enough, but I thought you might prefer to try and ride on my back.”

“I'm not sure that's going to work” Sam said dubiously. Jake’s expression dropped.

“Still, I'm willing to try it!” she added hastily, realizing that if it did work, she’d definitely prefer riding to being carried.

Jake brightened visibly as he sat down, motioning with a wing for her to climb up. With some difficulty, she scrabbled awkwardly upwards, just managing to make it onto his back without using her wings. Once she was settled, Jake stood up gently. So far, so good. Then he tried to spread his wings, and she lost her balance.

“Jake, careful!”

Sam felt a shoot of pain as she tried instinctually to correct her imbalance with her wings. Falling now, she tried to stop her descent by grabbing on with her beak.

“Ow! That pinches!” Jake exclaimed.

Sam let go and promptly slid off Jake's back, tumbling down to the ground.

“Sorry” she said, looking up at him in embarrassment. Perhaps grabbing on as hard as she could was a little excessive.

“It’s okay, it didn’t hurt that much. Let’s try again.”

Sam climbed back onto her friend and this time she was able to stay on until Jake made a trial flap of his wings. As she fell, she grabbed at his feathers again, but ended up hanging awkwardly by her beak. Jake grimaced but didn't say anything. Sam felt a rush of embarrassment and let go, falling roughly down to the grass again.

“This isn't going to work. There's nothing to hold on to!”

Jake nodded in agreement.

“I didn't think it would, but it was worth a try.”

“I'm sorry I bit you” Sam apologized sheepishly.

“It's alright. The officials at Seascape bite a lot harder. Yours was a cute little nip in comparison.”

Sam smiled despite herself.

“So how are you going to carry me?”

“Okay…I want you to stand here…like this” Jake said, directing her gently with a wing.

“Perfect.”

Sam held her pose and looked up at Jake. Gently, he spoke, grinning reassuringly down at her.

“I'm going to pick you up with my beak now. Try not to be afraid, I promise I'll be gentle.”

“Okay” said Sam, reminding herself that Jake was her friend as he brought his huge jaws down towards her. He opened his bill wide over her body such that she would be nestled sideways in his mouth. Sam caught a quick glimpse of his pale tongue before the jaws came shut around her. Despite reminding herself that Jake meant her no harm, Sam couldn’t help the apprehension she felt as she allowed the predatory beak to close over her. Very gently, she felt him begin to clamp down, slowly and delicately applying pressure until he could lift her off the ground. She could feel the bony edges of his jaws pressing against her stomach and back now, and the wet warmth of Jake's tongue supporting her from beneath, softening the hard edges of his lower mandible. She could also feel his ridged palate pressing gently on her back, it’s rough warmth discernable even through her feathers. Held firmly in Jake’s massive jaws, she couldn't help feeling like she was about to be a snack.

Despite his care, Jake couldn't help drooling somewhat and Sam could feel the slaver on his tongue soaking into her feathers and dripping on her from his drool soaked palate. She felt a thrilling rush of fear as he lifted her gently into the air, his effortless movement reminding her just how easily he could eat her if he wanted to. Another thing she could feel was the sharply curved tip of his bill pressing painfully into her.

“Ow!... Ow!… Jake! Your bill is digging into my back!”

“Mmgmph!” said Jake, his hot breath gusting out around her as he readjusted his jaws to make then more comfortable for their occupant.

“That's better” Sam said, sighing with relief.

Letting her down, Jake closed his bill, eyeing her hopefully.

“So, do you think that's going to work?”

“Yeah” said Sam, realizing with confusion that she sort of liked it!

“Besides getting drool soaked, it’s actually pretty comfortable!”

“You ready to go then?” Jake asked, clearly eager to be in the air again.

Sam shivered, the wetness of Jake's drool in her feathers making her cold in the stiffening sea breeze.

“Yeah, let's” she said, ironically wishing to be back in her friend's mouth for the warmth.

Jake picked her up again, and once they were settled he launched himself into the air, flapping rapidly to gain altitude. Turning north east, Sam noticed he had caught a thermal rising up from the island below and was rapidly picking up speed. It was impressive how much smoother and more powerful his flight felt compared to hers. Sam almost felt a little jealous at how easily he could stay aloft.

Looking down, Sam watched giddily as the shore of Hen island rapidly slid past below them. The water changed quickly from specked brown to green to deep blue as the seabed fell away one hundred feet below. She smiled reassuringly at Jake and felt her spirits soar as they raced along towards their next destination. It was wonderful to be in the air again, even if she wasn’t doing the flying herself.

After an hour though, the elation of being in the air again was wearing thin. Even though being carried was a lot less unpleasant than Sam had expected, it still wasn't very comfortable. Although carefully and thoughtfully positioned, Jake’s beak still pressed uncomfortably into her back. His quavering hot tongue was wet and slick below her and she was soaked in Jake's saliva everywhere his mouth touched her. Sam knew he couldn't help drooling in this position, essentially licking her non-stop, but it would still be nice if there was a little less slaver soaking into her feathers. She’d have to wash them out again when they made it to Cooper Island.

After a few more minutes, Sam noticed Jake start to descend towards the ocean below. There was no land in sight, but after three hours of being cramped in the same position, she was relieved that he was ready for a break.

They touched down less than a minute later. Sam sighed in relief as Jake gently let go of her. The cool rush of the seawater was a bit of a shock after the warmth of his mouth, but it still felt good to get motion back into her stiff body as she worked her legs, swimming in a tight circle.

“What'd we stop for?”

Jake worked his bill for a moment, opening and closing it a few times before answering.

“I thought you might like a rest, and I want some lunch.”

Sam smiled gratefully.

“I was going to ask” she said, carefully rinsing her feathers in the cool blue water.

Jake paddled buoyantly in a circle around her.

“Can you swim?”

“Yeah, but not underwater. Not with a broken wing.”

“Okay. Wait here and I'll go try and find some fish.”

Jake took off and a short way away Sam heard him loose a piercing scree of delight. Plunging downwards at something, she saw him flapping his wings quickly just over the water, but she couldn't see what he was excited about. Half flying, half dragging, he lugged something huge over to her and dropped in the water with a big splash.

“Look at this of beautiful fish I caught! Oh, what luck! It was just lounging at the surface- it must be two feet long!”

She looked and saw that it was a beautiful fish indeed and it was every bit as big as Jake claimed. She couldn't help smiling at the sight; she had never seen Jake so brimming with excitement before.

“That IS big. How'd you kill it so quickly?”

“I dragged it backwards through the water by the tail- drowned it.” Jake said proudly.

Sam was impressed.

“We can share it. This is too big for me to eat by myself.”

“Okay.”

Jake set to one end while Sam started on the other. She was very hungry, but stopped out of surprise when the fish jerked sharply away from her. She looked up and saw Jake tearing at it savagely, ripping off huge chunks and greedily swallowing them whole.

“Jake!”

He looked up at her with a bit of food still dangling from his beak. Noticing that he had pulled the fish away he dropped his piece and pushed it back towards her.

“Sorry” he said sheepishly.

“It's okay” Sam said, regaining her composure.

“Somebody's hungry, that's for sure.”

“All this flying is hard work” Jake said defensively, snatching the hunk of meat he had dropped and swallowing it with a slimy ‘schlk-ulk!’

“We'll need to eat if we actually want to get there” he continued, before lowering his head back down to eat.

Sam watched Jake pull gently on a bit of fish on his side but he couldn't free it without yanking it away from her again.

“Could you grab the tail and pull for me?”

Sam did as she was asked, pulling as hard as she could against Jake. Despite back peddling, he still dragged her forward as he yanked on his end. Finally, an enormous piece of fish came free and splashed down into the water.

“Thanks.”

Sam watched speechless as he picked up the piece, which must have weighed almost as much as she did, and swallowed it in a single gulp. His neck bulged disgustingly as the meat squelched audibly down his throat. Having lost her appetite a while ago, she just watched as Jake ate, shocked by how much food he was consuming. He must have eaten two thirds of the fish or more already.

Despite her revulsion at his greedy gulping, Sam found it weirdly exciting to watch. It felt strange. She was even beginning to hope he’d swallow another big piece just so she could watch it sliding down his neck one more time. Please, one more time! She felt a rush of embarrassment at this thought, although she didn’t understand why. Quickly, she averted her gaze from Jake, hoping he hadn’t noticed her staring at him.

Jake however, didn’t seem to notice as he pecked at the fish a bit more, plucking a few smaller pieces off before finishing.

“There's still a bit left” she observed.

“That's because you didn't eat enough!” he teased.

“I ate my fair share. YOU didn't eat enough!”

Jake laughed.

“Those are pretty big words coming from a puffin!”

“Oh, stop it!” Sam said, giving him a gentle shove. Jake splashed playfully back at her but she darted away from him. He may be a better flier, but Sam had him when it came to swimming, even on the surface.

“What do you say about getting going again?”

“In a minute” said Sam.

“I still want to stretch out a bit more.”

Jake waited patiently, taking the time to smooth out some of his feathers while Sam paddled around and got some blood pumping back through her body.

“It's a shame we have to leave this here” she said, gesturing towards the fish.

“Eh...someone else will eat it. It won't go to waste. Let’s get out of here.”

Sam recollected herself, folding her wings carefully back together to keep from accidentally wrenching the broken one and swam back towards Jake.

“Okay, I'm ready to go, now.”

“Alright!” Jake said, gently plucking her from the water.

After he had positioned his jaws at her direction such that they would be as comfortable as possible, they took off again. Jake banked to the right, heading towards Cooper Island. Although there was no land in sight, an avian sense of direction told them both it was the right way.

...........

The sun was already down when Anthony set down on the rocky windward side of Hen island.

“Here's the plan” the head gull said primly.

“Jake is probably heading for Cooper Island, which is the closest land from here. We will begin our flight there tomorrow, and search the island the following morning. I figure that keeping a rapid pace, we could catch Jake by noon, the day after tomorrow.”

“You told me he’d be here!” Anthony interrupted breathlessly, still recovering from the rapid pace the head gull had set from Seascape.

“Jake isn’t stupid. He likely has some destination in mind, and it won’t be here. Cooper island is the next logical step.”

Anthony frowned dubiously.

“It looks to me like the track’s grown cold.”

“Far from it, my friend. Jake will learn the price of his insolence, if I have to chase him halfway across the Atlantic.”

Anthony sighed inwardly, but knew not to say anything. There was still the chance of a reward in this.

“After its done I get paid?”

“Yes, provided you comply with the rest of our agreement.”

“Well, seeing as this agreement requires me to trust your word, I suppose you’ll just have to trust mine.”

“That is acceptable. Don’t forget that you are to assist only, in Jake’s capture. I will take him down myself. Cross me and the consequences will not be something you live to remember.”

“Right. Don't join the fight until the homicidal maniac gets his fill. Got it.”

“Is there anything you take seriously?”

Anthony thought about it for a moment.

“Not really, no.”

His stomach gurgled.

“Can we get a snack?”

The head gull sighed.

“We strike tomorrow. Get some sleep.”