CHAPTER 5

Sorry lol. I've been awfully busy. Got a long-ass and awesome chapter here to make up for it. Just needed to switch things up because all I have caught in this section are human ham fics as far as the eye can see.

Things are gonna get intense. Action all up in here.

Hamtaro was sitting on the coffee table in his human's living room as his owner Laura ate breakfast the next morning. As he waited patiently, he paid close attention to the news to see if he could find anything interesting to tell the ham-hams. Suddenly, a story came on that peaked his interest.

"…And back to you, Amy.

Thanks John. Zoo owners in Osaka are telling the public to keep their eyes peeled for an eagle that escaped its enclosure a few weeks ago. A breach in the fabric that kept the bird from flying out was supposedly cited as the cause. The eagle, described by zoologists as an African Crowned Eagle, is one of the world's largest birds of prey with a 6-foot wingspan. The specimen from Tennoji Zoo weighed 26 pounds, an astounding amount for the species. It was described as 'unmistakable', being by far the largest bird in the region.

Though zoo staff had assumed the bird had passed away after seeing no signs of it, an eyewitness account gives hope that the bird may still be alive and is thriving in the dense mountain forests despite the less-than-tropical environment and the recent fire. However, ecologists warn that the apex predator may disrupt the local ecosystem and drive out other species. Homeowners, especially those living in the mountains or on the foothills, are cautioned to keep small dogs and cats under close watch when outdoors, as the eagle is known to prey on medium-sized mammals.

Zoo staff advises anyone who catches sight of this large bird to write down information on where it was seen and what time of day, and call …"

Hamtaro's ears were perked straight up at the screen. Laura noticed this and commented. "What's the matter Hamtaro?" She looked at the screen. "Are you worried about that guy? Don't worry! We don't plan on going to the mountains anytime soon. Besides, he's probably just a big bully."

Hamtaro smiled, reassured. This was something relevant he could tell the ham-hams about their situation. This was the first information they had heard about the predatory birds from the actual human news. As soon as Laura set him back in his cage so she could go to school, he hopped out and scurried to the clubhouse as fast as he could.

"Guys! You'll never guessed what I heard on the news today!" Hamtaro exclaimed as he burst through the front door of the clubhouse. "The news! It talked about some eagle on the mountain!"

"Say what now?" Stan was the first to chime in. Boss pushed him out of the way.

"The real news? What did it say?" he said sternly.

"It said some eagle escaped from the zoo. And something about eco…eco-log-ists saying it was bothering other birds. I dunno."

Boss came up to Hamtaro and grabbed him roughly by the his shoulders. "And? What else did they say? Is that why suddenly we have birds of prey zooming around where they shouldn't be?"

"Did the news say what kind of eagle it was?" Maxwell asked.

"Oh! I think I remember," Hamtaro said, ignoring Boss's inquiry. "That's right, I think they said it was from Africa. I think they said it had a crown. I didn't know birds could wear those…"

"A crown?" Boss said, dropping Hamtaro. "That sounds like…"

"An African Crowned Eagle?" Maxwell interrupted. "That sounds like what you were describing. And no, it's not an actual crown. More like a tuft of feathers that sticks up on its head."

"That sounds like the eagle I was talking about that other day, the one that killed that hamster…" The clubhouse went silent for a moment.

Hamtaro chimed in once more. "I think they said it was really big, too. They said its wings were 6 feet long or something. How big is that?"

"It's slightly longer than an adult human is tall. So quite large," Maxwell explained.

"Makes you wonder how those things can fly," Howdy added.

Boss cleared his throat. "Hey, no one ever answered my question. Is that big lug the reason why we've been having these issues?"

"It may be. Since it's not native from here, obviously, it doesn't quite fit in with the ecosystem and it may cause some problems. I guess I can't be certain," Maxwell said. "I'll have to do some more research."

"If that thing so much as lays a feather on any of you guys, I swear I'll …" Boss said angrily, clenching his fists together. "Any eagle, for that matter, and all the rest of those dirty rotten sky-rats!"

"Yeah! None of those guys are gonna mess with us!" Hamtaro cheered.

Panda, all the while, grew even more nervous. If Boss found out he was keeping the falcon safe he would likely kill both of them, or at least ban him from the clubhouse. He shivered at the thought of losing his friends.

"What's up Panda? You look about as white as a polar bear," Dexter asked suddenly.

"Or maybe a panda bear!" Howdy said, chuckling.

Panda, ignoring Howdy's remark, turned towards them with a start. "Oh! I just … y'know. Just worried about these things, is all."

"Aren't we all?" Bijou said. He nodded in agreement.

As the ham-hams continued talking and settled around the round table, Panda snuck upstairs to work on the rest of his contraption. He needed to build a system that would connect his arm to the wing using a cord and some kind of band. He looked through his engineering books to find just the right system.

The finished product looked like it would work, if not a bit rushed. A leather arm bracer connected to the cord via ringlets was what he came up with. And with a series of well-placed attachments on the wing, he could control the wing by simply moving his arm. A harness he created, one that would go around the collar, would also allow him to keep his other hand with a good grip on the bird. With that completed, he shoved the finished product into a backpack hidden away from the ham-hams' ever-watchful eyes.

He had heard that the weather was going to take a turn for the worse the next couple days and knew it was going to be chilly out, so he rummaged around to find something to keep him warm. The best he couple find was an old, ratty red scarf. It wasn't much to look at, but it would work. With that, he grabbed his gear and headed back upwards to the mountain.

Upon reaching the clearing, Phoenix was exactly where he was supposed to be this time. He had hunched down and fluffed up his feathers in response to the cold. As soon as he saw the gray and white hamster approach he hopped up and ambled towards him excitedly.

"Sorry, fella! I don't have any food today," Panda said, but the falcon didn't seem to care very much. It sniffed his scarf curiously as Panda scratched his head. "Here, I've got something else for you."

Panda pulled out the arm attachment and laid it on the ground. He had left the rest of the attachment on the bird in order to allow it to get used to it. It appeared to be working, as it did not seem to be very bothered by it anymore.

He slowly stroked Phoenix to keep him calm as he set up the rest of the gear. The falcon sat patiently. Panda grew nervous thinking about testing the equipment, but knew it had to be done. At least out of curiosity, that was.

Panda calmed the falcon once more, then with a strong hop got on its back. He felt extremely nervous, but the bird was very calm. As it held still, he slipped the bracer onto his arm and tested it out. Thrusting his arm forward caused the wing to extend fully, and bending his arm slightly back made it fold up. Moving his arm up and down simultaneously controlled the altitude of the wing, which would be vital for steering. It looked as though this could work.

It was getting late already, though, as he had spent nearly those whole day working on his device. The sky behind the clouds was getting dark. He had heard that it might rain later and didn't want Phoenix to be cold and wet all night.

"Here, buddy. Let's make you something to keep you warm. It's gonna start getting cold out." Panda searched around for a good place for the bird to settle down. Phoenix followed intently, wondering what the hamster was up to. A little ways up, the forest was slightly more dense and lined with thick green pines. Panda found a good-sized rock sticking out of a small dirt ledge. The roots from the nearby evergreens kept it secure. It was large enough to provide decent cover, and with a little work it could be snug.

"How's this?" he asked. Phoenix clicked his beak.

Panda took this as a good sign and went under the overhang to dig out a small dirt "nest" for the bird to rest in. He piled up some of the dirt around the edge in order to provide a barrier from any wind.

As soon as he was done, Phoenix appeared extremely happy by the new home and immediately bowled over the poor hamster in order to settle down in his den. Panda walked inside for a little bit and felt that it was warm, with the heat from the earth emanating up from the dry soil and the walls protecting from the harsh wind.

"Sorry it's so dark around here. Maybe I'll bring some matches." Panda added. "Anyways, I gotta go. See you around." The falcon watched with intent as he left, then fluffed up its feathers for a good night's rest.

The next day Panda arrived early. The weather was going to turn ugly that day and he wanted to make it home before it showed up. Phoenix had awoken to Panda at the front of the shelter. He stretched his wings and preened himself as Panda set down his things.

"Hey there, you," Panda said, adjusting the red scarf around his neck. "I was thinking we could do some flying practice before it gets stormy. I mean that for both of us." Panda himself would need to get used to being on the bird's back if he wanted to control the thing.

Phoenix hobbled over and nudged Panda's bag, looking hungry. He looked up at the hamster pitifully as though he hadn't eaten for months. His beady black eyes reflected only a dot of white light as he stared up at his owner.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to bring you something again! Maybe we can find some if we head up the mountains. It's nicer up there. Besides, we can get your practice in up there," Panda said. He grabbed the bird's harness and led him along gently. The falcon followed willingly.

The top of the mountains had been relatively untouched by the fire and had retained its natural beauty. Lush green pines lined the trails and cast thick shadows below them. The cliffs in the area were steep, but provided for breathtaking views. In one direction was the city, bustling with life, and in the other direction was a seemingly endless carpet of trees. A silver lake could be picked out amongst the woods.

While Panda took in the scenes around him, he felt a brief tug with a *snip*. As he turned around, he saw Phoenix chomping on a small black object. It was a cricket.

"Now how'd you find that? Lucky guy!" Panda said, petting the bird on the neck. Looked like he was perfectly capable of catching his own food. "Why don't we find you some more?"

Panda took Phoenix around the woods and let him loose in order to see if he could find anything to eat. The hamster knew that there weren't many rodents up this high, so he wouldn't have to worry about the falcon bringing back a mouse. Panda sat down with a book that was in his bag and read for a while as Phoenix explored. As he read, the clouds grew increasingly darker.

Finally, it looked like the bird had finished. Panda looked up to see Phoenix trotting clumsily towards him with a live beetle in his mouth. As soon as he got up to the hamster, Phoenix shook his head violently to finish off the bug and then tossed it at Panda. He cringed slightly and put it aside.

"Thanks, but I already ate," he said, wiping some of the juices off his paw. It was now time to test his flight ability before it got too late.

Panda took the falcon by the harness and brought him over to the edge of a cliff. The dropoff was steep, so they would need to be careful. There wasn't any other open spots in the area to try things out, so this would need to do. Phoenix had already demonstrated the ability to glide so Panda wasn't too worried about that.

A water droplet plopped on his nose. Rain? Panda looked up at the sky to see it had grown awfully dark as the day passed by. It had only begun to drizzle, so they might have time if they got things done quickly.

He hopped on the bird and placed his wrist in the bracer, testing it out again to make sure it still functioned. It did. But as Panda looked over the edge of the mountain he grew very nervous once more. There was a very real chance that things could go wrong, but it was likely quite small. He was only thinking of the worst possible outcomes. Panda took his mind off the negative ideas and prepared himself. Phoenix wiggled excitedly.

This was it. He made his decision. With a light kick and a "Hyaah!" the bird took a running start off the edge. Panda's heart was racing.

It jumped cleanly off and began to glide right away. Things were going smoothly so far despite the drizzle. His red scarf blew in the wind. "Haha …. this is great!" he exclaimed excitedly. After a minute or so of just gliding along, it was time to do some controlling.

Panda moved his arm upwards to control the altitude of the wing, and the bird turned to the left. He moved his arm down and it turned to the right. Phoenix seemed to understand and moved his other wing in unison. Success! His did this some more, taking U-turns left and right. He wiped the water out of his eyes.

Next, he moved his arm forward to dip the wing down. The bird lowered gently. As he moved his arm back, they raised in altitude. Things were going much smoother than expected, and Panda's invention was a marvel. He had never felt such adrenaline in his life. How many hamsters could say they had ridden on the back of a bird of prey before, and willingly, for that matter? This might save the falcon's life.

In spite of the successes they were encountering, the rain grew harder. It was no longer a light drizzle but now a full-on shower. It would not have been so bad if the wind hadn't picked up. It was difficult for the bird to fly against the wind at any rate, and it was getting pushed around in the air. Thankfully, Panda was secured tightly. His stomach sank upon hearing a low rumble in the distance.

As Panda controlled his flying mount, things only got worse. He began to grow nervous as his wing contraption flapped violently in the squall. "We should probably be heading back!" Panda yelled over the wind.

Moving his arm to turn the bird around, a powerful gust suddenly caught the two by surprise and pulled them out of control. Phoenix squawked anxiously, taking a sharp dive as Panda struggled to regain control. Another blast sent them the other direction. The wind was growing so strong that the hamster could barely move his arm against it. He could sense the panic in the falcon below him.

A loud crack of lightning was seen and then heard as the pair was tossed around in the tempest. Panda was beginning to have his regrets taking the bird out for a spin. He could barely see past all the rain. Another crack. The flight was growing out of control. It was not supposed to grow stormy this fast! The wind continued to thrash them around and the rain made things slick. Panda held tightly onto the bird's feathers and the harness.

Another fierce gust came up and nearly flipped them over. Panda paniced, pulling the cord hard in order to regain control, but a second violent blast came out of nowhere and caught him off guard.

The cord snapped.

Panda pulled, a feeling of dread washing over him as he didn't feel the resistance of pulling anything. Phoenix felt this and began flapping wildly against the rain. He screeched in response to a loud boom of thunder nearby. They were right in the center of the madness and in the worst of situations. The hamster desperately attempted to grab a hold of the edge of the wing piece, but he was too far away and would risk falling off. An intense draft from above pushed the two downwards forcefully and flipped the powerless falcon.

They spiraled out of control hundreds of feet in the air. The hamster shouted in terror as he plummeted with his mount, attached only by the harness on his wrist and around the bird's neck. He felt so helpless. They were both going to die, and this was all his fault. The wind rushed past them as they went careening towards the sea of trees below. More lightning cracked nearby, the intense light from it momentarily blinding them.

Panda, trying to regain control of the bird, managed to seize one of the parts of the wing. He needed to open up the fabric membrane. He wiped the rain from his eyes. He needed to work quickly as the ground was approaching fast.

Flipping wildly, he found the piece of cord that was attached to the wing and caught it. He repositioned himself on the bird's shoulders and grabbed on tight, then with a violent jerk, the wing opened in full.

The sudden change in momentum caught them off guard and Panda was rammed into the collar. He was briefly stunned as blood streamed out his damaged nose. Phoenix quickly peered back at the hamster. They were still moving quite fast and needed to be careful in landing. The bird attempted to take action while his owner was out of commission and flapped madly as the ground approached.

They came in at an angle, and despite all the effort, the landing was rough. Phoenix's legs gave out beneath him upon coming in contact with the wet grass below, his front end slamming into the ground as he tumbled forwards. A loud snapping was heard as the wing contraption crumpled. Panda's bracers came off and he was thrown from his spot on the bird's back, still barely conscious. They finally came to a stop into the dirt and the mud.

There the two of them laid silently for a few moments, breathing heavily. The impact had knocked the wind out of both of them. Finally, a hint of life was seen as Panda got up. He held his nose and approached the falcon.

"…You okay?" was all he could get out. Phoenix opened his eyes and looked up at the hamster. It got up slowly, looking like it was going to be bruised up, but luckily it didn't appear to have broken anything. Besides the mechanical wing, that is. The fabric on it was torn and the wooden rods that had gone into them were shattered. There wasn't much to be salvaged beyond any bits that were made of leather. "Here, let me get that off you."

He slipped the leather cover off the tip of the bald wing joint. All he left on the falcon was the collar.

As Panda packed up the gear neatly to toss out, Phoenix suddenly jerked his head about wide-eyed. "Something the matter?" Panda asked. The falcon continued to stare and suddenly pushed Panda down. He gasped, startled. Phoenix got down low in a crevice and covered the hamster completely with his good wing. Panda managed to get a peek up to see what was the commotion. They held completely still.

A huge shadow zoomed past the two. Above them, flying amongst the foliage, was the silhouette of a monstrous eagle. Its wingspan had to be over six feet in diameter. As it went past it scanned the ground carefully, but apparently did not catch sight of the two lying low. A large feathered crest could be picked out from the back of its head. Panda couldn't believe what he was seeing.

After it was long gone, Phoenix let Panda back up. He brushed himself off and peered off into the distance.

"Was that … was that the bird Hamtaro was talking about?"

Before you leave, go check out the illustration for this chapter in my profile! :3