Dare to Play

"Sure, if we have the plant you're looking for," Mateo led him to their small back garden. "Ah yes, found it! Now where were my scissors? Here we are. Step back, son... or rather, just go inside. I'll come in the moment I'm done."

The boy simply shrugged and headed back in to their living room. Azalea was speaking something in a quick, low voice to the falcon. He stopped in surprise. "Are you talking to him or what?"

Azalea flushed for the second time that hour. "Not exactly. I was just trying to say nice things and then suddenly, the moment you were gone, it just looked me dead in the eye. And then I tried asking it a few questions, and each time it would either nod or shake its head. But I was speaking in my language," she gasped as if she'd just realised. "Hold on, hold on – Casildo, have you ever been to Afi?" A nod. Mateo stared open-mouthed. "What the –" He restraining from using a colourful word. "You never even told me!" The falcon gave him an exasperated look. Azalea frowned, "I think he means you never asked him, so how could he tell you?"

Casildo nodded in relief. Mateo shot him a sour look.

"Did you live in Afi?" she continued. No. "Were your ancestors or some relative from Afi?" Yes. "Do you – do you know anything about the Nahari?" she whispered, almost as if she was afraid of hearing the answer.

A pause. An almost unnoticed nod.

"Yes," the girl whispered to herself. "He knows the Nahari. Was your family one of the older ones?" Yes. "The archenemy of the Nahari?" An oddly modest squawk, and a no. "I see. Is that family still alive?" A stare. "Um..." she paused, thoughtfully, "Oh, you don't know! I see." A nod. "Do you hunt them?" A confused stare. "The Nahari, do you hunt them?" she clarified. A yes. "Okay, thank you."

She set down the falcon in his cage, feeling dizzy. It was like her worst nightmare had come true, and then out of nowhere, she had found out the existence of the legendary Talking Birds, something she'd only ever dreamt of. It was a sudden ray of hope for her.

"Raven? You good?" Mateo waved his hand in front of her face.

"Yeah, never been better," she laughed weakly, but felt unbelievably happy.

"Thank goodness. I had begun to think young Bellatrix had bitten off your sense of humour as well."

She smiled. "I couldn't lose it even if I wanted to. Not with weirdos like you around."

Her father's footsteps were beginning to approach from the farther end of the hall. "All right, guess I'll see you around, Wood."

"Same goes to you, Raven," he flashed her a grin.

"I might call if we're not allowed to leave home anytime soon. Or you could," she suggested.

"Sure. But it'll be you. I'll be too busy enjoying my freedom to think about you or your Nahari," he shot her a challenging look.

"Oh?" She accepted the challenge. "Alright. Let's see. If the Nahari don't try to eat you alive, I bet you I'll be oblivious to your annoying existence for five days," Azalea narrowed her perfectly green eyes. Mateo nearly forgot to breathe.

"Yeah?" he said, a bit breathless. "Well, I bet you won't be able to live two," he added hastily, feigning arrogance.

"You're on," she held her hand forward, and Mateo shook it out of habit, but stared at the suddenly very interesting floor to avoid looking at their hands. Her father entered the room just then. "Well, what are you both doing?"

"We're betting," replied his daughter, without missing a beat. Her proud emerald gaze flickered slyly to Mateo. It wasn't exactly helping him forget the way her hand felt in his. "Yeah, sort of," he muttered, too preoccupied with reining his thoughts. "Casildo, come here!" He successfully managed to quickly distract her father from asking what the bet was, and silently thanked the bird.

"I guess you'd better handle that falcon of yours, boy," the man chuckled. "You don't want him to break your chandelier, now, do you?"

"Of course not, sir." He gently coaxed the falcon back into his cage. "Well sir, I hope to see you again soon."

Ray Finley smiled, and the skin wrinkled near his eyes. "No doubt, son. You're a rather pleasant person to be around," he said fondly.

Mateo smiled too, and the duo turned to leave. He followed them out to the door, and stared at the retreating figures in silence. And when he turned to leave, he could almost swear he saw a pair of moonlit, emerald green eyes stare back at him from the distance, far brighter than any star was shining in the ink-black night.