Disclaimer: I acknowledge that Disney Fairies & associated content are owned by Walt Disney Company. I am not interested in profiting from this document. It is for the enjoyment of fans only.

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Vidia Captures the Hawk - Chapter 4 - The Hawk's Story

Tinker Bell met the fast-flyers in the net trap area, next morning. There were also many tinkers, animal-talents, and a few nurse-talents. Everyone seemed a little anxious. This could be the day.

"How are you all feeling?" asked Tink, cautiously. They all wore their fast-flyer outfits.

With shrugs, they answered "Good."

"You guys are amazing." encouraged Tink. "You've done better than I'd ever hoped for, these last few days." Tink beamed at them. "Don't forget, you lead the hawk. She thinks she's in charge, but you control her. Just don't let her get too close. Any questions?" Tink asked them. The flyers glanced amongst themselves, then back to Tink.

"No questions." Aura answered, stepping forward. "Just this... we seriously value what you've taught us. We would never have figured out that stuff on our own. We're sorry we doubted you at first." She looked around at the other flyers, then offered a tidily leaf-wrapped package to Tinker Bell. "This is for you."

Tink took the package, and opened it to reveal purple fast-flyer tights, with a short tinker-green skirt.

"We all talked it over," continued Aura, "And decided to make you an honorary member of the Fast-Flyer Talent Guild." The flyers all grinned and applauded.

"This is so nice." Tink blushed. "I don't know what to say."

"You could say: Fly fast with you!" smiled Zephyr.

"Thank you." Tink responded, with a teary sniff.

The mood was broken by the drone of fairy alarm horns. Everyone looked to the skies.

"Time to go to work." declared Wisp, with resolve. The fast-flyers leapt into the air.

"Fly safe." Tink said, unheard by them, as she watched her students climb.

"Look out hawk!" called Wisp.

"Here comes trouble!" added Hermes.

"Time to bully the hawk!" laughed Tizzywing.

They slowed their climb, being well clear of the tree-tops, and scanned the horizon.

"There she is." pointed Aura. The flyers all felt a rush of nervousness.

"Spread out. Make her choose one of us." ordered Wisp. "Remember, we're professionals. We know what we're doing." The hawk swept closer. "Looks like she's heading for Elwood. Ready? And GO!"

Elwood turned and flew from the hawk, as the others exploded away from him and circled in behind. Elwood began a tight series of turns, forcing the hawk to fly slower to stay on his tail. The flyers continually chattered instructions and encouragement between themselves. Moments later, Elwood peeled off, as Aura took his place for a short time.

Tinker Bell, and many of the other fairies near the ground, were hovering and sliding back & forth to keep a good view of the action between the trees. The way the flyers buzzed & orbited around the hawk looked like a beautiful aerial dance. If only the hawk's intentions weren't so deadly.

"How is it going?" asked a warm, familiar voice from beside her. Tink glanced for only a moment.

"Queen Clarion!" Tink stated, with surprise. "Okay, so far. But they haven't managed to turn her to the nets yet."

"Look, it's Vidia!" exclaimed a fairy. Vidia had joined the chase, but was only following, not interfering with the other fast-flyers.

It was Wisp's turn out in front. The others had gotten the hawk closer to the ground, so she began a winding turn, heading toward one of the drop-down nets. The hawk guessed her path, and cut into it, forcing Wisp to speed up to stay ahead.

The hawk was less than a foot behind her, as she saw the net start its drop - too late. Wisp and the hawk flew under the net, the other flyers swooped above it, and Wisp snapped into a hard climb to dodge her pursuer.

"Timing, guys!" Tink yelled to the tinkers on the net.

"Sorry." came the apologies.

"Don't tell ME! You'll have to answer to the fast-flyers, if you keep missing!" she hollered. "Get that net back up, and be ready."

"Nice try, Wisp!" called Hermes. "Let's get her down again."

Wisp's climb had caused the hawk to follow, so now they were almost as high as when they started. Once again, they were into taking turns out in front of the hawk. At some point, Tizzywing appeared in front during a turn, but unknown to her, the hawk was higher and moving faster than she realized.

She saw the hawk closing fast, shrieked, and went to her top speed. She didn't hear her friends telling her to turn, turn.

"Tizz, look out!" yelled Zephyr, as he swung in behind her to shove. That move cost him. One of the hawk's talons split a wing, and gashed his back open. He shouted in pain, and began his fall.

Tizzywing and Leeta immediately turned to intercept Zephyr's fall. The hawk slowed to begin a dive, but Vidia shot past the other flyers, landed on the hawk's back, and tore a feather loose.

The hawk squawked, and rolled in mid-air to snap at her assaulter, but Vidia was already hovering, yards behind, tucking the feather into her belt.

Tizzywing and Leeta quickly lowered Zephyr to the ground, where nurse-talents were waiting. Queen Clarion showered his wounds with her own special pixie dust, and the nurses bandaged him for transport to the Fairy Hospital. As soon as Leeta saw he would be alright, she jumped into the air to rejoin the chase.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Zef." bawled Tizzywing. "I panicked. I'm sorry"

"It's okay." Zephyr moaned between breaths. "We're both still alive."

"Let's get you off to surgery." declared one of the nurse-talents.

"No!" Zephyr winced. "I need to see how this turns out." The nurse began winding up for a rant, but Tinker Bell stepped in front of her.

"Let him stay, until he passes out." Tink ordered, quietly but ominously. The nurse backed-off.

Vidia smiled diabolically as the hawk seemed to take a special interest in her. She dashed away from her hover, with the hawk rushing in. The other fast-flyers slowly fell behind, unable to keep up the pace.

Vidia led the hawk in a series of flying-circus-like maneuvers, including loops, which the hawk was not used to.

"It's tough flying, up there." Tizzywing told Tinker Bell. "The hawk is twice as fast as the crows. There's hardly any time to think." Tink nodded in sympathy.

The fairies on the ground watched Vidia turn the hawk into a tight, flat circle, each chasing the other around the perimeter.

"What's she doing?" asked Tizzywing.

"It's called a Luftberry." Tink answered, with a smile. "Usually, the first one to leave the circle becomes the chased one. She's just toying with the hawk."

Without warning, Vidia streaked across the diameter of the circle, landed on the hawk's back, and tore another feather loose. The hawk twisted to snap at her, but she zipped upward, out of reach.

"Come on, Vidia." Tink frowned "Get the hawk into the nets."

Vidia was enjoying herself for the first time in ages. She stroked the 2 hawk feathers in her belt, as the hawk swung back into pursuit. She began a string of gentle turns, looking back over alternate shoulders, to whip a vortex or side-burst at the hawk. She felt so in-control.

The hawk fought to stay on Vidia's tail, and finally got lucky. It ended a vortex spin above Vidia, and swooped for a dive. Vidia casually glanced over her shoulder, and gasped in shock at the hawk almost on her.

In desperation, she gathered her winds around her and used them to push herself forward. In 1 second, she suddenly blasted 200 feet away from the hawk. The hawk slowed, veered-off, and headed away from Pixie Hollow.

"What just happened?" Vidia asked herself, hovering in mid-air. She shook her head, and decided she'd better get after the hawk.

"Did you see that?!" Tizzywing shouted.

"Yeah." Zephyr replied, intrigued. "How did she do that?"

"She flew faster than the hawk! A LOT faster." Tizz cried.

By the time Vidia caught up, the other fast-flyers were already buzzing around the hawk.

"We can't make her turn!" called Leeta, "She's given up!"

"I'll get her attention." growled Vidia. She slid out in front, pulled open one of the containers on her belt, and started a small vortex. She used the vortex to draw the powder from the container, then tossed the vortex at the hawk.

The hawk blinked as it flew through the vortex, but her mouth was open. The hawk slowed, as she sneezed and squawked several times. She pierced Vidia with her eyes, then turned toward the flyer, with a vengeance.

"Get her to the nets, before she quits again!" shouted Wisp, as Vidia zipped back to Pixie Hollow.

Once again, the fast-flyer group slowly fell behind, unable to match the speed of Vidia and her hawk. Vidia dropped near ground level, using her winds to hold the hawk back. She turned toward the closest trap, a drop-net with a concealed fixed-net a short way behind it.

As she approached, the net dropped a bit too early. Vidia dove through the fairy-sized net holes, but the hawk tried to swing over it, almost succeeding. She clipped the top of the net, and tumbled into the hidden one, which collapsed around her.

The hawk was down.

Beck was the first fairy to reach the struggling hawk. Its head was free in one of the fairy-holes, but her body was bound by the net, held by nervous tinkers. The hawk panted and heaved, looking for a way out.

"Easy. Take it easy." clucked Beck to the hawk. "We won't hurt you. We just want to talk." Fawn and Nolli pushed a human-sized bowl of water to the hawk. "Drink." clucked Beck, "Drink."

The hawk's panting slowed, and it sampled the water. Deciding it was safe, it gulped & gulped beakfuls.

"Not so fast." clucked Beck. "You'll hurt yourself." The hawk finally slowed. More fairies were gathering nearby.

"Let me go." clucked the hawk.

"Our queen wants to speak with you."

Vidia landed nearby, and marched up to the water bowl. She stared smugly at the hawk, and yelled "Who owns the sky?!"

Before anyone could react, the hawk used its beak to flip the bowl and remaining water over Vidia. It took her a few moments to crawl free, dripping wet. She glared at the hawk, fuming.

The hawk clucked. "You flew well. You are a worthy prey." translated Beck.

"WE'RE NOT FOOD!" roared Vidia.

"Not a very pleasant queen." clucked the hawk to Beck.

"That's not our queen." laughed Beck. "This is our queen." She indicated, as Queen Clarion glided up.

"Humble greetings, noble raptor." clucked Clarion. Beck looked startled at how well her queen spoke Hawk. "Would you translate for us Beck, so that all may hear?" Beck nodded.

The hawk clucked. "I await death by your hand." said Beck.

"We will not kill you." stated Clarion.

"You must. I will not serve you."

"We don't need you to serve us."

"Then let me go."

"First, tell us why you followed us here." coaxed Clarion.

The hawk was silent a moment, then clucked. "I was brooding nestlings. My mate was a good hunter. Life was good. Then one day, I heard human thunder-noises, and my mate never returned. I left my nestlings to hunt, and followed your servants here, hoping to find more. Now I've lost my mate, my nestlings, and my hunting grounds."

"We found your nestlings."

"Monsters!" the hawk struggled in the net. Everyone stepped back except Clarion.

"They're quite safe." assured Clarion. "We've kept them warm and well-fed."

"On nuts and berries!" the hawk lay still.

"Better than that. Our baking-talents have been making special high-protein, high-fat, soft pellets for them."

"What do you want of me?" Beck translated.

"We want to guide you home."

"You should kill me. I would." advised the hawk.

"We're nature fairies, we cannot do that."

"Very well. I accept your offer."

"Before we let you free, you must give me your promise as a noble raptor, you will never harm a fairy. Speak the truth. I'll know, if you do not."

The hawk paused, then clucked "In the name of Horus, I will never harm a fairy."

Clarion signaled the tinkers holding the net. "Let her go." The gathered fairies stepped back again, as the tinkers quickly but cautiously pulled the net from the hawk.

The hawk jumped to her feet, stretched her wings wide, then folded them and plumped her feathers. "What strange little creatures you fairies are." she clucked.

"Do you need food, or rest?" Clarion asked.

"I'm tired, but I'll manage. I need to see my nestlings."

"So you will." smiled Clarion. "Beck, you'll want to go with her." Beck smiled and nodded. "I'd also like a scout and a fast-flyer..." Baden and Tizzywing stepped forward. "Tizzywing?" noted Clarion with surprise.

"Zephyr said I should go. He said he'll be alright." she fidgeted.

"Fine then." she smiled. "Long life, good hunting, and many chicks to you, noble raptor."

"And to you, fairy queen." answered the hawk. She opened her wings, and with the spirit of her species, rose into the sky with the 3 fairies.

The hawk wasn't even out of sight, and a still-damp Vidia was quickly surrounded by her fast-flyer clan. Tinker Bell stepped up, but stopped a little space from them.

"How did you do that burst of super-speed, Vidia?" asked Wisp.

"Yeah, how?" asked Hermes.

"I-I don't know." smiled Vidia, shyly. "I just sort-of folded my winds around me, and used them to push me forward."

"Would you teach us how to do it?" asked Leeta.

"Yeah, teach us your wind-fold. Please?" craved Aura.

"Please, Vidia? Please, please, oh please?" begged Elwood.

Vidia gazed at the flyers with a slight smile. She gave Tinker Bell the tiniest of nods, and said "Well, let's see if we can figure it out." Vidia turned, and wandered toward a nearby clearing, surrounded by her flyer talents. Tinker Bell followed, a short distance behind.

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Author's Post Notes:

The idea for this story came one day, when I thought "Why can't the fast-flyers use their Air-Bender powers to temporarily "steal" the hawk's ability to fly?"

I figured this was a good opportunity to also include the origin of Vidia's wind-fold. The fast-flyers need never fear hawks again.

That was my first action story. It turned-out kind of cinematic, with lots of "edits", scene changes, and viewpoint changes. Hope it worked for you.

I'll have to rate this story as "T", because of injuries to Zephyr.