Chapter 3 - This Eagle Has Landed

Noon fell shortly after Akira settled on the lesser of two choices, and that was to set course for adventure with the unnamed itinerant. Her hair harshly blew into her face with no remorse, as did his, though it didn't seem to bother him at all. He must have experienced bad hair days more often than the average woman.

They were silent among each other. Across their feet came a few decaying blackbirds that must have come across the wrong territory. Neither spoke a word as they carelessly ventured around them. Ivey had to be pulled away before she could try and eat them. She was obviously on the hunt for more food than she was fed. Akira gave her a few treats as they walked.

They were forced to avoid some nasty ungulate corpses that were lying ahead without any specific pattern involved. None of them had any visible evidence that they were killed. Three moose were just scattered across the ice, all just feet away, with no entrails or even blood in sight. Ivey was given another treat to stop her drooling.

Five more minutes passed. 12:10, or somewhere close. "You've got a beautiful sled dog. Do you race?"

"Me? No, and neither does Ivey." Akira kept her eyes ahead of her. She tried to avoid the contact he was searching for. "She killed a White Devil."

She lost his gaze after she said that. He set his scrutiny on the canine following close behind and his footsteps trailed a foot further to the left. "Did she really?"

"Yeah." Akira finally paid heed to his existence. She laughed quietly at his discernible actions of obvious fear. She looked back down at her feet. She tried to match them with the cracks of the ice. "What, do you have something to worry about?"

"Well, no -- of course not. I ain't no White Devil."

"Well, then she ain't getting you then." She reused his wispy choice of vocabulary. "What's your name, anyway?"

"Yura, and yourself?"

"Akira."

He turned toward her with a surprised expression on his face. He tried to hide it in his speech. "Akira? You mean...." He stopped himself. "...All right. Well, nice to meet you."

They had a few choppy conversations, but other than that, the acquaintances didn't meet up to friendly terms.

After simply another 24-hour day of traveling with Yura, Akira reached the very tip of Anchorage. The atmosphere of everything changed completely from "all is dull" to "extravagant, festive, and colorful". The entire city must have been celebrating the Whalefest, though all of the professional celebrating took place on the inlet furthest south of the state. Though they had finally reached the largest city in the state, they still had hours of walking to accomplish.

As they traveled through friendly passages that were much smoother and cleaner than those in Rindge Ibiza, offers for warm hospitality, food, and even money rang from either side of them as if they were celebrities to the area. They were surely wanted, but as each of them declined offers, they just kept walking. They had no time to waste. Akira didn't get to take much time and appreciate the rural parts of the city as much as she wanted to. They had to be at the festival by at least four o'clock if they didn't want to miss the opening ceremony. It was almost 12:45.

The Festival had been pumping for an hour by the time the three of them got there. There was the strident brass section that could be heard from miles away, trumpeting to native folk songs and other popularities; a large group of people danced innocently to the music (that was where a large number of the participants were, either dancing or watching); large metal tables and concession stands took up a lot of the room within the walls, though everyone had already eaten so it didn't currently hold any significant meaning; childish, birthday party-esque games were being played by all, whether they were brought by the guests or supplied by the committee.

It did not take long for Eagle to find Akira and introduce himself to her. He had been waiting close to the entrance, standing beside his young Alaskan Malamute with a bright blue collar around its neck. Besides, she was the only reason he arrived at the festival all the way down in Anchorage.

Eagle didn't waste any time. His legs, along with his dog's, swung forward and backward several feet at a time. Akira and Yura each turned their heads toward him. He was only a few steps away now. He stuck both of his boots in the ground and stood at an awkwardly-close distance. He grabbed her around the torso in an uninvited hug. "Zar, Akira!"

Eagle was one of low muscle volume. He had a small frame, 140 pounds at 6'2", though with strong, athletic thighs and calves. Short, blond hair spiked up on top of his head; a navy blue National Sports headband just above his eyebrows of the same color.

"Hi." She let her arms rest by her sides. She didn't remember this Eagle. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" He let go of her quickly and noticed the gentleman standing close behind. His face rested for a second, his arms now akimbo. "Who is this? I didn't know you had a beau."

"Umm...no." Akira corrected him at once. "This is a fellow traveler. Eagle, I'd like you to meet Yura."

"Oh, I know Yura. I used to watch him play soccer when he was in college. He was such a talent, and one hell of a looker."

"I shouldn't be here anymore." Yura walked at full-tilt toward the barbeque dispenser halfway across the festival.

Akira placed her hand on Eagle's shoulder. She tilted her head to the side in sympathy. "Eagle, I didn't know you were into guys."

"I'm not. I just wanted to speak to you alone." He took a few more looks to his left and right. He easily pulled a long, rolled-up map that was sticking out of his waistband and flipped it so that it was lying horizontal. He untied the wiry rope from the center and shook the map with both hands so that it would uncurl on it's own. He took her arm and brought her just outside of the front entrance to the festival.

"How well is your sense of direction?"

"It's one of my strong suits."

He spread his hand out to straighten it a little more and pointed toward the northeast area of the scroll. He pointed toward a ridged patch of mountaintops. "Do you know how to reach Ises Mountains?"

Akira hesitantly pulled her own map out of the water bottle compartment and spread it out like he did. Hers was more compact and newer than his. She pointed at the same location he was referring to, hers marked with a large red circle and an arrow pointing toward it. The word "Endurance" was written in blue ink just beside it.

Eagle unfurled his eyebrows and nodded quickly. He wrapped the map back up and slid it down his pant leg. "So you are on a life-threatening mission. Why would you do something like this? To prove yourself?"

"How did you know what I was doing? And why would you care?"

"You didn't walk from that direction for nothing. Plus, your mother told me a few weeks ago." He listened to Akira curse softly under her breath in a language only she must have learned. "I care about you, Akira. Please don't go this way."

"Eagle, I have been waiting for this moment for months and years. Is this really what I walked down here for? Three days worth of travel just for an old friend to tell me not to do what I've been craving to do for far too long? I don't deserve this sort of authoritarianism."

"You deserve a well-lived life. Just tell me why you are so obsessed with this."

Akira was astonished at how determined he was to get her to back out. He was one of those who wouldn't let up until she told him. She wasn't going to curtail her reasons anymore. "My mother's cancer isn't getting any better. Every day she's alive, she's a step-and-a-half closer to dying. Once I get that silver bullet, I'll be happy. I mean, I get everything at once, right? It's not as hard as it sounds."

"It is when you go alone. White Devils will be surrounding the entire area. You're literally going to be entering their territory, their home...I have to go with you."

"To hell with that."

"And why not?"

"I'm not going to let you risk your life just to protect mine. If I get into any trouble, I'm gonna be the only one. I've trained Ivey to survive. She's already killed a White Devil."

Eagle was almost physically blown away by what he had just heard. He put his hands on his hips and went into a 360 spin. He shook his head at her when he came back around. "You already tried?"

"No, there was a White Devil in the Di-La'Kaira Forest. I'm situated up there in Cabin Boxborough and a few nights ago there was one collecting wood just outside my window at two in the morning. Ivey was growling at the back door like a feral wolf. Only like, twenty White Devils live up there, right?"

"I heard over two-hundred." He was still blown away by what Akira told him about Ivey.

Akira shrugged carelessly. "That can't be what changes my mind. I can probably climb up to Fresno Cave and survive. I've got a mean Italian Hitch, an ice pick, and tons of rope back at home. I mean, Ivey's all I've got. She's already getting old. If I lose her, I won't have anything, not even faith. I hope you can understand the way I feel."

"I do, Akira. I just want to know why I have to let you go alone when I can be there for you. If something goes wrong, who's going to call the police for help? Who's going to be the one who gets you back to safety? No one's gonna be there with you, Akira, and I'm willing to risk all I have. I don't have any parents or a family to love. I can drop Pawla off at a friend's house. Please, Akira. It's not like I've got a life."

Akira spit into her hands and peeled her hair back out of her face. "Fine, now quit begging. We're not going yet, though. I want to wind down before risking my life in the mountains. Walking here was a nice warm-up."

Akira continued celebrating the Whalefest with Eagle LeDoux, Yura, and a handful of others Eagle had pulled out of nowhere. They were all good friends during their college days at Ajahsyacabaha Shore College, which was back in the city where her and Eagle used to be the best of friends. Akira felt a little bit upset. She had no new friends to show off since the last time the two split up.

One of the friends was a 5'6" Italian gentleman named Stefano Maldini. At only twenty years old, his fresh olive skin was still silkily burnt. Dark features all over his body gave his identity away. He, unlike Eagle, took an interest in men and especially in Yura, the poor guy. He was a cheery guy just like Eagle.

Another man named Sean Manning won the award for "most white man in town", given exclusively by Eagle. He was born in California and moved to Alaska when he was twelve years old. He was fairly new to the surroundings, but he was filled in just in time. It only took him a year to get accustomed, and once he was, he became family to Eagle and some of the others in the group. He had the "unintelligent, pothead surfer" physicality, but he was likely the smartest of the whole group.

Last but not least was Jessica Vandergrift. She was one of the most conceited people you would ever meet, but aside from that, she was a fun and happy person. She had long, curly hair drenched in shredded charcoal; piercing brown eyes that were specifically profound due to the precise makeup that took forty-five minutes to apply; an average pair of lips, ears pierced twice each, and a fit build that brought her up to 185 pounds for only being 5'7".

Akira sat with this group of five, not including herself, and roasted a trio of marshmallows on a kabob stick in front of a snug bonfire, as did everyone else but Stefano. He roasted a single bull testicle low enough to get the hint of smoke juiced inside. Everyone tried not to frown upon his actions. They were being sold at the concession stands, for Heaven's sake.

Akira had just been introduced to the three new contacts by Eagle, who sat directly across from her. On his direct left was Jessica and on his right was Stefano. Akira sat on Yura's left and Sean's right.

Eagle raised his arm at a 45-degree angle with a can of sparkling soda grasped in his hand. He dented the aluminum with his handy grip. "I would like to declare something. Everyone, raise your glasses high."

Yura looked down at his empty hands and surroundings. "I don't have a glass."

Stefano started to giggle like a girl under his breath. "You may not have a glass, but you can surely stick your brawny arm up in the air, hm?"

"No." Yura gave him a "ten-comments-a-night-is-enough" glare and nudged Akira with his elbow until he got her attention. She kept her glass bottle of green tea above the fire. "Where did you take me, you sick woman?"

"All right, everyone. Pay attention, please." He removed his glass from the air and placed it down away from the fire. "I would like to thank my friend Akira for giving me another chance. That's all."

It was a short-enough toast to leave everyone but Akira questioning him. Everyone's voices rose over each other's. "What are you talking about?", "Another chance at what?", "Akira, what's he talking about?"

"Nothing." Akira quickly yelled out in the strong voice of hers. She hadn't used it since she was attacked by a White Devil.

"Akira and I are gonna be looking for the Endurance Items."

Akira took a King-Sized Hershey's bar and threw it across the fire toward Eagle's chest. "What the hell, Big Mouth?"

Stefano flicked his eyebrows up and looked toward Yura again. "Big Mouth? Say, that sounds enchanting, huh Yura?"

"One more word and I'm sending you back over the rainbow, Elton John."

Akira stood up as fast as she could with the heavy burden on her back. She stumbled a little before recovering her balance, pointed her finger toward herself, and started to walk back toward the entrance of the festival. "I'm going to the beach. Don't bother catching up."