Free The Scourge by A.G. Henley Page B

heard of a cassowary?”
    “Tell me.” I close my eyes, listening to the hum of the crickets in the trees. The fleshies don’t bother them , either. Lucky Lofties, lucky bugs.
    “The cassowary was a bird, an unusual bird, that once lived in the forests. It had thick black feathers on its body; a bare, bright-blue head and neck; and it wore a crown. It was as tall as a person, fast, and a fighter, but it couldn’t fly. It made its home on the ground.”
    “A fighting, flightless bird as big as a person?” I snort. “That’s impossible.”
    “Maybe so. It’s a story. Who knows which ones are true and which aren’t? But this is the story Mother told me.” He settles back against the tree next to me. “There once was a hunter who could take down any animal in the forest. He would sit in the trees for days, waiting for prey, without stirring or even blinking. At first the animals avoided him, but eventually they forgot he was there. When they came a little too close, he’d raise his bow and arrow and strike.
    “One day, the hunter went into the forest to hunt for game. He found a tall tree next to a water hole, and prepared himself for a long wait. At midnight he saw his prize. Five giant cassowaries came to the edge of the water hole and circled around it in a happy dance. Very slowly, the hunter took aim at the plumpest bird. Suddenly, all five birds slipped off their feather coats to swim, revealing themselves to be five beautiful sisters. The hunter, who’d trained himself to be completely still while hunting, trembled at the sight. The youngest woman, in particular, was so beautiful, he knew he had to make her his partner. At midnight the next night, the cassowaries came to the water hole again. The hunter watched as they slipped off their coats of feathers. When the youngest sister swam across the pond, he left the trees, and stole her coat.
    “After their swim, the women returned, and the youngest sister realized her coat of feathers was not where she left it. Her sisters tried to help her find it, but they were sleepy and wanted to go back to their nest. ‘Go home,’ the youngest sister told them. ‘When I find my coat, I'll join you.’ Once her sisters were out of sight, the hunter walked up to the girl, holding her coat in his hand. ‘Is this what you're looking for?’ he asked, smiling. ‘Yes,’ the cassowary woman replied, ‘May I have it back?’ The hunter shook his head, and walked away. The girl followed, begging him to give back her feathers. He led her far away, to his home. When they reached it, she fell down in exhaustion. The hunter carried her to bed and covered her in a warm blanket.
    “When the young woman woke up days later, the hunter fed her hot soup and tended to her every need. But she asked only for her coat of feathers. ‘It’s lost,’ he said. ‘I can’t find it.’ So the cassowary woman decided to stay with the hunter until she regained her strength and could find her lost feathers. Slowly, the girl’s memories of her life as a cassowary began to fade until, when the hunter eventually asked her to partner with him, she couldn’t think of a reason to refuse him. Within the year she gave birth to a child. For three years, the hunter, the cassowary woman, and their son lived happily together.
    “One day, while the young woman was cleaning their home, she discovered a box hidden in a hole in the dirt floor. She pulled the box out of the ground, opened it, and found her coat of cassowary feathers inside. As she stroked the black feathers, the woman remembered she had once been a bird, living free with her sisters. She slipped the coat on and instantly turned into a cassowary again. Flapping her wings with joy, she raced outside as her family was coming back after a day in the forest. ‘Look,’ said the little boy, pointing to the cassowary. ‘What a pretty bird!’ Recognizing the feathers, the hunter shouted, ‘Please, don’t go!’ But it was too late. The