People say that some of the most complex problems in the world can be solved by the most simplest thing and they’re more or less right. See we live in a world of evil, now, I’m not talking about people with guns running around shooting at each other I’m talking about pure, untarnished, wet your pants evil.
There’s these things called demons and, like most people and animals, they come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them are peaceful enough, just want to keep to themselves and not bother anybody but there are others who . . . well, lets just say that you don’t want to walk down the wrong alley when these thing are around.
That’s where the bird comes in . . .
Yeah you heard me a bird. Those ornithologists, that’s bird watchers to you un-technical types, call it a Chordeiles minor. For the rest of us we simply know it as a common Night-Hawk . . .
~ Alleyway, Phoenix Arizona ~
A woman walked terrified down the darken alley. She jumps when she hears the sound of a cat knocking over the lid of a trash can. Breathing a sigh of relief she continues on only to be stopped by four unsavory looking men.
“You look lost.” one of the men says
“I-I’m just trying to get home.” The woman replied
“We can help,” one of the others who gazed at the other three mischievously, “we know our way this place.”
“No thanks I’ll be okay.”
The woman turned to leave but discovered the men were standing on the other side of her. She looked back curiously then at the men. The speed that they moved at was impossible.
“You think so . . ?” one of the three men said
All for men smiled before their faces vamp out.
“. . . ‘Cause I think your about to do a lot of screaming.”
The woman screamed. Just then a small bird flew down and landed on her shoulder. It blinked curiously at the vampires.
“Hey look,” the first vamp said, “Dinner and desert.”
The first vamp was about to move in when he heard a mysterious thud. He looked down to notice an arrow sticking out of his chest.
“What the fu . . ? “He asked before he exploded into dust.
The others turned around. Standing at the end of the alley was a Woman. She was short with long fire red hair that reached down her shoulders. Her cobalt blue eyes stared out of the ornate mask she wore. She had on tight leather top, leather pants, and knee high boots. She was also wearing and ankle length deep purple leather jacket which had an ornate Night-Hawk, wings out stretched, stitched onto the back. Slowly she lower her bow. The vamps looked at each other?
“Who the hell’s that?” one of them asked
“I don’t know.” one of the others replied, “but I’m guessing the bondage club closed early tonight.”
“Looks like we get two meals for the price of one.” the third said
The vamps start to walk towards the strange woman. Quickly she drew another arrow from the quiver strapped to her right leg and loaded her bow. The mysterious woman aimed at fired. The middle vamp caught the arrow.
“You missed mask girl!” he yelled at her.
The mysterious woman gave him a look. Curious the middle vamp looked down. A second arrow was embedded into his chest.
“Son of a bi . . .” The middle vamp exclaimed before he exploded into dust
The last two vamps looked at each other. The mysterious woman collapsed her bow and hooked it on next to the quiver. From behind her jacket she drew a stake.
“I have a very bad slayer feeling about this.” the first vampire commented
“Didn’t all the slayers kick it in that big fight?” the other asked
“Try telling her that.”
The woman began to charge in. the first vamp tried to block the incoming punch but she was too quick. The vamp flew back and skidded across the ground. The woman turned her attention to the second. Bringing her knee up she kneed him in the stomach and followed it with a round house to the head. The vamp hit the ground hard before he could work out what was happening the woman plunged the stake into his chest. Slowly the woman got to her feet.
The small bird sailed overhead. It chirped loudly. The woman looked up at the bird then turned to look at the vamp that was holding the scared woman hostage.
“You’re fast slayer but there’s not way you’re that fast,” He said smugly, “Come and save her if you can.”
The mysterious woman looked calmly at the vamp for a moment. She then looked up at the small bird and nodded. The bird swooped down and slammed straight into the vamps face. The vamp stumbled back in shock. The mysterious woman took two steps then leaped. She sailed about twenty feet in the air before landing heavily on the dazed vamp pining him to the ground.
“What the hell are you?” the vamp asked
The mysterious woman smiled.
“Nighthawk, and you?” she replied
“Um . . . Frank.”
“Nope,” Nighthawk replied, “I was thinking more like dust.”
She plunged the stake into his chest and he exploded into dust. Nighthawk stood dusting herself off. The small bird flew down and landed on her shoulder. The woman looked at her masked savior in surprise.
“It’s not safe here, particularly at night.” Nighthawk commented seriously
Nighthawk turned and started to walk away. The woman looked around her surrounding.
“Wait,” she called out, “I’m going to need help getting home.”
“You are home,” Nighthawk replied
With that the little bird took off. It flew low past the woman, which caused the woman to close her eyes. When she opened them again she was standing on her front doorstep. She looked around dumbfounded. This was impossible she was across town a few second ago. She looked up and saw the small bird sitting in the tree in front of her apartment. She looked at it curiously as the small bird did the same to her.
“Thank you.” the woman said to the bird.
The bird chirped happily then flew away.
Yep with the champion by her side the little bird can do anything. Nobody knows exactly where the little bird got it’s power from, some say it was the dieing with of a hero others say it’s a demon trying to repent for it’s sins others think that it just might be natures way of giving up a leg up, well, what ever the reason all I know is that this little Night- Hawk has got it’s head screwed on the right way . . .
Who am I you ask?
People call me The Wanderer. I was the Night-Hawks champion for forty years. I still remember the time that little bird came into my life. See I was a doctor in a medical unit station stationed in Iraq. I had just lost one of the most dedicated soldiers I had ever met and was feeling pretty low. I went outside to get some air and that’s when I saw it. This small bird sat in one of the burned up trees. It was so strange looked it didn’t fit at all but that wasn’t the weirdest part.
It spoke to me . . .
Not in actual words it was more like an impression. You got the feeling of what it was trying to say. It told me that I could help people all over the world it I worked with it. At first I thought the war had finally gotten to me but then it proved it seriousness. We connected, can’t really explain how, it felt like I was one half of a whole you know. All I knew is that I was able to save people in ways I couldn’t even imagine.
And that’s what I did. For the next forty years I traveled the globe helping the helpless, saving people who couldn’t be saved, and getting into places that couldn’t be reached by normal people. For forty years I was a hero.
But time has caught up with me now. I’m getting to old to keep up the pace. So I told that little bird it was time to retire. So we searched for her new champion. We traveled the globe trying to find the right type of person to work with this amazing creature. And we found one . . .
A woman . . .
A Slayer . . .
This young lady went by the name Penny Whitfield. Now she hadn’t had the best year up to this point. After her scrooge of her father cut her off, Her employer trying to have his way with her, one of her friends dieing, and another one of her friends reappearing after four years, dieing, then coming back, don’t ask me how that works, she was feeling pretty down herself. We would have tried to pick her up earlier then we did but this nasty place called Wolfram and Hart, well, they tried to kill all these slayers. So we had to wait until the time was right.
Unfortunately there are moments when the right and the wrong time are too close together.
~ The Battle of Trinity, Nevada desert – Two years ago ~
The Night- Hawk landed on a rocky outcrop that overlooked the desert. A moment later the Wanderer stepped out and joined her.
“Holy hell!” he exclaimed as he watched the action below.
Down on ground level an intense battle rages that stretched as far as the eye could see. The people doing the fighting were a mixture of demons, women, and a large group carrying tazer rifles. The bird chirped loudly and the Wanderer shot her and annoyed look.
“Yeah I know we need to get her quit bugging me!” he yelled back.
The wander looked around the crowd. The battle was kicking up a lot of sand with made it hard to see. Finally the wanderer spotted a flash of red hair near the edge of the battle.
“There!” the Wanderer yelled and pointed to the fight
The Night-Hawk took off and sailed over the crowd as the Wanderer made his way down the ledge. Penny fought hard. She had lost track off all time by this stage and fatigue was setting in. this did not slow her pace though the priority was the demons. She swung out with her two swords slicing the head off one while stabbing another. She ducked under the swing of a third demon then kicked it back hard. As she was fighting off another demon she failed to notice the spike that extruded from it arm. It stabbed penny in the side and the slayer stepped back. The venom began to work quickly and, before she had time to react, Penny dropped to the ground.
The demon stepped up proudly and raised his blade for the final blow. Just then a small bird landed on his sword and the demon looked up I surprise. He smiled at the sweet looking bird and looked down just in time to see the Wanderers fist land on the demons face. The demon stumbled back as the wanderer picked up one of Penny’s dropped swords. He quickly severed the poisonous arm then dispatched the demon. Without missing a beat he carefully lifted Penny off the ground and slung her over his shoulder.
“I think it’s time we get going.” The wanderer said to the Night-Hawk
The old man and the bird made their way back up the hill. Before he vanished the Wanderer noticed a woman wearing a torn green jacket staring at him. Having higher priorities he didn’t pay it much mind.
that poor girl was in a bad way. Whatever that demon stuck her with was acting quicker then I could. I took her back to this old, abandon mansion I found just outside of Phoenix and began to work on an anti-venom. For the next two week I kept her alive using basic antibiotic while I tried to find a cure. I remember watching her just toss and turn in the bed, mumbling to herself as the hallucinations kicked in. finally I managed to throw something together that would work and I feed it to her. All I could do then is wait . . .
~ The Mansion, Phoenix Arizona – two weeks later ~
Penny’s eyes snapped open. She looked around the unfamiliar room nervously. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she noticed and old man sitting on a chair. She’s seen that man somewhere before. Suddenly the memory of the time she visited her mother in Australia came to her. This was the same man.
Just then a bird flew in the open window and landed on the table. It chirped loudly and the man snapped out of his trance. He looked over to Penny and smiled.
“Welcome back to the world sweetheart.” He said softly
“Where am I?” Penny asked nervously
“Safe,” the old man replied, “It was lucky we pulled you out of that scuffle when we did. Another few minutes and you would have made the casualty list.”
Suddenly the memory of the battle flooded back into the slayers mind. She sat up quickly but the old man moved over and stopped her
“Easy there sweetie whatever that demon stabbed you with is still in your system.”
He was right. As soon as she tried to move pain shot through her entire body. Penny winced then looked up at the kindly old man.
“Who are you?” she asked
“Call me the Wanderer.”
“Do I have to?” Penny asked, “I kinda like real names.”
The Wanderer frowned.
“That’s enough of your cheek Missy. Now lie down before you do yourself a bigger injury.”
Penny slowly lay down again. The bird few over and landed on one of the bed posts and started to chirp. Penny shook her head lightly.
“Okay this is, like, really creeping me out ‘cause I just understood what that bird is saying.” Penny said confused
“What did she say?” the wanderer asked
“She said ‘get well soon I need you’.”
The Wanderer smirked.
“Yep that sounds like her.”
Penny looked at him curiously
“You can hear it to?”
“Hope likes to be very social.”
“Hope?”
“The Night-Hawk here,” The wanderer replied stroking the bird lightly, “I named her Hope because that’s what she gives to people.”
Penny shifted her gaze back to the innocent looking bird.
“What does she want with me?” she asked
The Wanderer smiled broadly at Penny
“She wants you to be her champion.”
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