Chapter 36
The Real Firebird
I don’t remember what the four of us did to pass the time while we waited for nightfall, but I do recall a feeling of tension that accompanied me the entire day. It wasn’t until the full moon illuminated the sky that I breathed a sigh of relief.
Now, at last, I could finally capture the Firebird.
Our group walked to the corner of the Fernwood Resort in silence.
Grayson, usually the chattiest out of our bunch, was silent, his powerful jaws occupied with the gilded cage.
The wolf walked quietly, placing his paws on the gravel path.
Harry plodded behind him, trying his hardest not to let his hooves make too much noise.
Lisa and I walked side by side. I was carrying the canvas bag with the new mittens, and in my pocket, I had the feather and the silver mirror, which Lisa had insisted I take along. She carried the pouch with the rubies.
As we approached the corner of the garden, we heard the squawking of the peacocks. I cringed, remembering the last time we’d confronted the unpleasant bunch.
“Lisa, are you ready?” Harry neighed, and she nodded. “Let’s do it.” With a quick gesture, she handed me the pouch with the rubies and then briskly walked over in the direction of the birds.
“There he is, it’s ugly Harry,” one of the peacocks said, and I guessed it was the lead one. “What are you doing here, ugly horse? Did you get lost?”
“Leave Harry alone,” Lisa exclaimed, her voice shrill.
“Never! We told him not to come here. He offends us with his ugliness,” the bird retorted.
Though unsettling, this was exactly what we wanted. Lisa and Harry fell behind to distract the angry birds, while Grayson and I continued on our path.
We stopped as soon as we were out of view of the peacocks.
Grayson gave me a quick nod and headed for the nearby bush, swinging the gilded cage in his mouth.
He walked gracefully and so casually that the ease with which he moved reassured me while I prepared the bait for the Firebird.
First, I took out the Firebird’s feather and laid it carefully on the ground.
Then I opened the pouch with the rubies and counted ten stones, placing them in a half circle around the top of the feather.
As I was setting the stones, I’d placed the canvas bag on the ground.
As soon as I laid the last ruby, there was a spark of light.
I heard the squawking of the peacocks and noticed several birds flapping their tails, rushing over in my direction.
And then, I saw it: a fireball flashing in the sky.
It was moving fast, flying toward the ground, and making a swooshing sound.
The Firebird.
It was coming for its feather, just like I’d been told. The magical creature came down from the sky in a straight arrow, producing a beautiful glow.
The bird’s feathers were striking, with golden streaks running on each side. Each one of its feathers was a work of art. As it approached, I could feel the bird’s heat. The Firebird opened its beak and let out a loud caw.
There was no time to waste. It was aiming right for the feather, and once it took it, the bird would be off. I pulled on my gloves.
It all happened incredibly fast. The Firebird landed on the ground, flapping its wings.
Its beak open, it was about to pick up the feather, but then the Firebird noticed the rubies.
The creature hesitated for just a brief moment, fixing its eyes on the precious stones, then opened its beak and, instead of taking the feather, pecked one of the stones.
That’s when I acted. As soon as the Firebird took the first ruby into its beak, in one swift motion, I threw the canvas bag over its body.
Grabbing the creature with both hands, I could feel its heat even through the canvas sheet and the thick gloves I’d slipped on.
The Firebird let out a bloodcurdling shriek that sounded almost human.
I was sure it would wake up the whole resort. But I didn’t care.
Arms extended in front of my body so as not to burn myself, I carried my prey to the bush, where Grayson was waiting for us with the gilded cage.
He, too, was quick on his feet, and, maneuvering with the cage in his powerful jaws, ran up to meet me.
The bird was twisting and flapping its wings and almost managed to slip out of my grasp.
“Grayson, help!” I yelled. The wolf twisted the rooster with his mouth, opening the cage.
As soon as he did, I stuffed the Firebird into the cage, flipping the lock shut.
Then I pulled the canvas bag out through the bars and examined the creature.
The Firebird cawed, moving its beady eyes fast as it opened and closed its beak in violent motions.
It flapped its wings, banging against the bars of the gilded cage so hard that it shook.
“It’s okay,” I told the bird, hoping to reassure it. I was giddy with relief. It was done! We’d managed to capture the Firebird, and now I would bring it back to Baba Yaga.
“Vanya, you did it.” I heard Lisa’s voice. She rushed over, followed by Harry. I could hear the squawking of the aggressive peacocks approaching, but Grayson barked at them and the birds immediately backed off.
“This is it!” I said, staring at the cage with satisfaction.
“Quick, where’s the pouch?” Lisa asked. If it weren’t for Lisa and her quick wit, I would have forgotten about the precious stones and the feather I’d set on the ground.
“Here it is.”
Lisa picked up the rubies and carefully placed them into the pouch. She then got the feather, handing it to me.
“What do we do with this?” she asked. As she brought the feather closer to the cage, the Firebird opened its beak wide and let out an extremely loud, screeching caw that sounded like a cry.
“I think it wants the feather,” I said, taking the feather from Lisa and squeezing it through the bars of the cage.
The bird ripped it out of my hands with its beak and stuffed it into its tail.
It blended perfectly with the other feathers, as if it had never been lost. As soon as the bird did this, it stopped squawking and flapping its wings.
The Firebird gave me a contented look and folded its legs beneath its body, like a chicken about to roost. It blinked slowly, settling into the cage.
“I guess it got what it wanted,” Lisa remarked as she examined the creature. “It’s really pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
“It really is,” Harry neighed in agreement.
“Come on, Ivan, we’ve got to get to Zorya.” I heard Grayson’s growl.
He picked up the cage with his mouth and carried it carefully in the direction of the bathhouse.
Lisa, Harry, and I followed the wolf. We’d agreed to do so beforehand, but I saw Lisa hesitating. Harry, too, gave me a look as if to check my intentions.
It was still very early, and there were no guests around as we walked in a quiet procession. The full moon illuminated our passage. The serene walk reminded me of the first time I’d found myself in Virginia.
Only two months later, but how my life had changed.
“So, I suppose, this is it,” Lisa said, just as we heard the Firebird cawing. “The poor creature must be exhausted.”
“You would be, too, if someone caught you and stuffed you in a cage,” Grayson sighed.
“I worry about you, Grayson,” Harry neighed. “You’re too compassionate for a wolf.”
“I know, I know. I’m a softie,” Grayson chuckled. “Fortunately, I’ve got these.” He opened his jaws, revealing two rows of sharp fangs.
“Grayson, stop it, you’re not fooling anyone,” Harry bleated in jest, but I could tell his ears moved back and forth, a sure sign of nervousness. Grayson was still a wolf, though a friendly one.
The Firebird cawed again, louder now.
“Vanya, why don’t you cover the cage,” Lisa suggested.
Grayson placed the cage on the ground, and I threw the canvas bag over it.
Right away, the bird fell silent, and we continued on our journey.
I took Lisa by the hand, and we walked side by side, following Harry.
Grayson carried the cage with the Firebird several steps behind us.
Peacefully, we had made it halfway to the bathhouse.
Lisa and I were so absorbed in conversation, we completely missed the ambush.
The peacocks surrounded us, squawking loudly, their beaks aggressively poking at us from all directions.
“Watch out,” I yelled in warning.
“Where are you going? Are you leaving, too, Harry? Ivan, where are you headed?” The lead peacock pecked me on the hand. “Where are you taking the cage? Why is it covered?”
“It’s none of your business,” Lisa responded curtly.
“It’s in the cage. The Firebird is there, I can smell it,” I heard one of the peacocks yell and saw it spread its tail.
“Grab it, grab the cage,” another peacock squawked loudly. I darted my eyes to where Grayson was but couldn’t see anything behind the large peacock tails that had spread everywhere. There was a sea of feathers, with their intricate designs, flopping in the sky.
“Vanya, don’t let them get to you,” Lisa yelled in warning, and her voice gave me courage.
“Stand back!” I ordered.
“Ivan, I’m right here,” Harry’s neighed right into my ear.
The pony didn’t waste any time. “Get on.” I reached in the direction of his voice, and, to my relief, felt his mane.
All the times Harry and I had practiced flying together paid off, and I mounted the pony in one swift motion, grabbing tightly onto his front hump.
The peacocks pecked my legs, but I didn’t care.
“Lisa, where are you?” I yelled through the spread tails, and, as I pushed the largest peacock out of the way, I saw her.
Arms flailing, she was fighting off the peacocks.
“Give me your hand,” I screamed, taking her hand into mine and pulling her onto Harry.
She’d managed to hop on, hugging Harry’s second hump tightly with her arms. Harry pedaled his legs, lifting off.
As he did, the peacocks cawed in anger, running helplessly after us, their tails spread wide.
“I can’t believe these guys!” Lisa screamed, and I turned to smile at her. Her hair was ruffled in the wind, and she looked happy and carefree. Beautiful.
“Lisa, I’m so happy!” I exclaimed and reached for her hand. She took it into hers and kissed my fingers. A current ran through my body. “We did it!”
“Do you think Grayson is safe? With the cage?”
“Look down,” I said, pointing at the figure of the wolf that was running right below us, the cage with the Firebird swinging in his jaws.