Problem-Solver breathed more evenly. She had the child
alone now, giggling naively.
Problem-Solver landed a few feet away from the
infant and looked out over the rim of the canyon,
searching for Swift and Acrobat. If they did not complete
their quest, then all of Problem-Solver’s work would be for
nothing. Not seeing the boys, she ruffled her feathers and
laughed over the edge, desperate to get their attention. At
her laugh, the child squealed loudly with joy, causing a
shiver to run through Problem-Solver’s body. She peered
down the path away from the child, doing her best to
ascertain if any of the other humans had heard the child’s
cry, while simultaneously looking and listening for Swift
and Acrobat.
Her fearful searching caused her to lose track of
the distance between her and the child and by the time she
turned her attention back to the toddler, she was reaching
her hand out to grasp her feathers. Problem-Solver
hopped away quickly and then took to the air, flying a little
higher than she had previously. She took the opportunity
to look out far over the canyon and even into its depths.
There, on a far-off crag, she finally saw Swift and Acrobat,
now joined by Rebirth, a massive California condor.
Problem-Solver dived back down towards the path,
relieved after seeing the boys and Rebirth.
It was time.
She landed, this time just off the path, on a sheet
of exposed canyon rim. The child toddled towards her,
gurgling in her throat and speaking the words “Birdie,
good birdie, birdie” under her breath. She stepped her
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