LeOmi's Solitude (22 page)

Hungry chicks were noisy. Other students
heard the birds and the cat was out of the bag. There was not much
that LeOmi could do except invite them to join in her joy.

The really bad thing was the smell,
multiplied by the constant light on them for heat–and how many
times could the trunk be washed before it started to rust or
deteriorate.

Although all the other girls from her hall
and some from other sections kept checking on the well being of the
chicks, it wasn’t right to keep them cooped up in a trunk with a
piece of chicken wire on top.

So, she decided she would take them back to
the Game Preserve. The dorm rooms were no place to raise smelly
baby ostriches. She would keep an eye on them and if it wasn’t
working, she would figure out something else.

She would deposit them back in their nest on
her way to the rain forest.

The next morning was clear and fine. LeOmi
had laid the chicks in the nest and stood to leave.

It was too late. LeOmi heard a guttural growl
and she turned very slowly.

There was a very large Ostrich down the path;
it looked just like its picture.

She looked back and forth from LeOmi to the
chicks, and again from LeOmi to the chicks.

LeOmi tried to remember everything that she
had read.

Ostriches usually weigh from 140–290 pounds,
males up to 340 pounds. Females and young males are grayish-brown
and white.

The mother ostrich probably weighs at least
fifty pounds more than I do.

The strong legs of the Ostrich are
un-feathered and the bird has just two toes on each foot, with the
nail on the larger, inner toe resembling a hoof.

It could rip me to pieces, or trample
me.

Ability to run at maximum speeds of about
forty-five miles per hour, the top land speed of any bird.

I can’t out run it
.

The wings reach a span of about six foot
seven inches and are used in mating displays and to shade
chicks.

The wings were flapping in a terrifying
way.

I guess she is scared too. Scared for her
babies and she needs to look as big and as impressive as
possible.

The Ostrich’s sternum is flat, lacking the
keel to which wing muscles attach in flying birds.

No good trying to fight my way out.

When threatened, the Ostrich will either hide
itself by lying flat against the ground, or will run away. If
cornered, it can attack with a kick from its powerful legs.

Well, it was not hiding
.

Can easily cause death through slamming their
heads into opponents.

Her head was definitely down and she was
definitely about to charge.

She started charging, about twenty feet and
then she stopped. Flapping those huge wings and scaring the little
ones. Another twenty feet and she would be here.

LeOmi heard a voice, “What would an ostrich,
raven, eagle, hawk, falcon, screech owl do if confronting a
scorpion’s attack?”

It was such a bizarre question, but it was
coming from the clump of bushes about two yards away.

“I don’t know.”

“Get out of its way.” Was the response.
“Dive!”

She did, right into the bushes. Now the
mother ostrich had full view of the little chicks, which was what
she wanted anyway.

The charging ostrich screeched and ran head
down towards the bushes and then stopped. She stood at the clump of
bushes and looked, and then the peeps pulled her attention back to
her chicks.

The voice from the bushes whispered, “She has
been looking for them for days. I thought she might give up, but
she didn’t.”

LeOmi watched the ostrich, a large and
cumbersome bird; settle down on the ground and her chicks snuggled
in around her.

“Why did she leave them? They were
defenseless.”

“Shush-es-es.”

A hand motioned for them to quietly sneak out
the back side of the bushes. The mother ostrich watched them but
didn’t budge from her chicks. They followed the path and came out
of the woods to the gate.

“What is it with you students this year,
doesn’t anyone listen to the rules. Do not disturb the animals’
natural habitat.”

He pointed with his whole arm, and then as if
his point wasn’t made clearly enough, he pointed out with the other
arm as well, a sweeping motion that encompassed everything.

LeOmi smiled at his serious, yet comical
action. “You’re Albert aren’t you?”

He simply stood there with his arms extended
out.

“I cared about them. That is why I did it. I
didn’t want to see anything abandoned by its mother. It is hard to
survive when you are left alone.”

Albert’s arms lowered, then he made the ‘come
along’ motion with his hand and they went back to watch the mother
ostrich with her children.

After a while he said, “Sometimes they do
that.”

LeOmi nodded, “Communal nests. Yes I know but
she wasn’t anywhere to be seen.”

“She lives a long way away. She has had other
eggs, but...it can be a cruel world.”

They watched for a little while longer and
then he got up to leave. “Your heart is good, but your actions were
against the rules.”

LeOmi said, “What would an ostrich, raven,
eagle, hawk, falcon, screech owl do if confronting a scorpion’s
attack?”

He turned and looked at her.

“What if they can’t get out of the way on
their own?”

He turned and started heading away again.
Then stopped. “Notable Quotes: ‘Why does Sea World have a seafood
restaurant? I am halfway through my fish burger and I realize, oh
my God…I could be eating a slow learner.’ Lyndon B. Johnson.”

He turned and continued on his way and so did
she.

* * *

The last Saturday in October was Emerald’s
first Flags Match of the school year. Each of the four teams
playing were in their corrals that had been positioned about
halfway between The Seventh Mountain and the wall.

Krisa’s pep talk required a team huddle, not
something that LeOmi was anticipating.

Krisa squatted and the entire Emerald Tribe
Flags Team scooted in around her. LeOmi was in the outskirts of the
ring so she didn’t hear everything that was said.

There was a prayer, which was heard plainly,
but when she started discussing strategy, LeOmi was compelled to
lean in and then Krisa said, “LeOmi.” The huddle had parted and
Krisa’s eyes met hers.

“I know that you were injured in the Swords
Championship, so take it easy.”

“I’m all right.”

“Let’s keep it that way.” Krisa nodded and
looked around at the team, “That goes for each and every one of
you.”

Krisa stood up and pointed up, and so did the
entire team. Everyone looked up into the sky.

Then Krisa looked around, quickly making eye
contact with each team member, and then she said, “Play well.”

Everyone took their positions either on the
corral fence or on their horses.

The newbies occupied a good portion of
Emerald’s Fourth Flag Team; they were LeOmi, Mark, Chenoa, Nick,
Jamal and Cap’n Ben.

“Yee-ha.” Cap’n Ben said as he climbed up on
the fence beside LeOmi.

Krisa stopped on her way to her horse.
“LeOmi, Ben has waited for this day for three years.” They both
smiled and looked at Cap’n Ben, who had a smile so big that it was
scary.

“Noon.” Charlie Goodfellow, the Keeper of the
Time signaled the beginning of the match and immediately a ballista
positioned in the upper parts of The Seventh Mountain shot off the
first flag. Four tribes Ruby, Emerald, Diamond and Agate’s first
teams barreled out onto the field.

“They’re off.” The announcer almost sounded
like an auctioneer rather than a student.

LeOmi’s eyes followed the flag. The gray flag
imprinted with the number one melted into the landscape with only
the movement of the pole to give away its position.

Soon, nothing could be seen accept for the
dust of the riders competing for the head of the pack.

“Today we have brown and black bears on the
Island. Oh, and just a reminder to the audience, don’t forget that
the bleachers move.”

The bleachers located on The Seventh
Mountain’s second level, had begun to move along a track,
positioning the spectators for the best possible view of the
action.

Cap’n Ben was bubbling with excitement,
“There’s a story about how my great, great grandfather fought a
bear.”

LeOmi, jumped down off the fence and Cap’n
Ben continued his story while following her to the horses, “In the
swamps of North Carolina. It’s too bad we don’t have any
honey.”

He followed along beside LeOmi almost like a
puppy that wanted to be fed and he continued talking. “The Fourth
Team, us newbies, generally only plays every ninth flag, so we
might get to play three or four flags between now and sunset.
Sometimes it gets shaken up a little…people are injured sometimes
and then, like Krisa said, you can move up in the ranks just as
soon as you show some promise.”

Then he leaned in to LeOmi, “I’m thinking
that you will be one of em’ that shakes it up, you and Mark.”

LeOmi smiled. They watched the fray out in
the center field. There were forty-eight horses with riders all
focusing on a flag that was smaller than a pizza. The announcer’s
energy just fueled them on even more.

Team work had been hammered into their heads
since the very beginning of practices, and LeOmi was trying.

When the Fourth Team flag was released, LeOmi
could hardly hold Fireball under control. She was the first one to
reach the ninth flag. It had landed close to the Island.

LeOmi pulled the flag off of its javelin and
skirting some of the other team’s players; she made her way back
down towards the corral and passed the flag off to Jamal.

She heard the announcer say, “Mark Young’s
horse is injured. It looks like he is out of play.”

LeOmi’s horse raced the pack jockeying to get
in front of the dust. When LeOmi spotted Mark, Jamal was coming
along side of him full speed with many of the opponents right on
his tail.

LeOmi was surprised to see Mark’s eager horse
jumped into full speed. He avoided a Ruby player who had held back
to try to take the flag from the tired Jamal who had run and dodged
the whole field. It was a textbook play, well executed. But Mark
had spotted Ruby’s player holding back and he knew his plan was to
take the flag.

“Donavan’s Ploy!” screamed the announcer.
“Ruby Team’s plans have been crushed. We haven’t seen that old
trick in years. Mark Young was good to have spotted it so
soon.”

The four teams juggled the top score at the
beginning, but by the thirtieth flag, Ruby and Emerald were neck
and neck. Mark called all of the Fourth Team to discuss an idea he
was concocting, “It is getting close to sunset, I have a plan to
get the bonus flag, and steal all the flags from the other team’s
corrals.”

Cap’n Ben said, “Yee-Ha! I’ve been waitin’
for this.”

Mark continued, “I’ve been watching the
other corrals and no one has guarded the rear of the corrals all
day. Some of you may have heard I have the Tongue of Balaam, the
ability to speak to animals. I’ve talked to some of our horses and
when I give the signal, they will jump the fence and go over to the
other corrals. While this diversion is going on, two of us will be
scaling the columns around the moat, going for the bonus flag.
While this distraction is going on, four of us can slip into the
back of the other corrals and capture their flags.”

LeOmi said, “I’m in for getting their
flags.”

Nick and Jamal chorused, “Me, too.”

Cap’n Ben said, “I like it. I’ll go to The
Island with you. I’ve never faced down a bear before.”

Chenoa said, “I’ll go after the horses.”

Mark whistled and about twenty or so horses
began to cause a lot of commotion. They jumped over fences and
created pure havoc by running to the other three corrals and they
jumped into their corrals.

The announcer said, “It looks like there are
some loose horses. Let’s get them rounded up, guys.”

Chenoa led five other Emerald Tribe players
after the horses.

Mark and Cap’n Ben gathered lots of rope and
waited until the play for the thirty-fourth flag was well under
way. Then they made their way to the Island.

As Mark and Cap’n Ben were mounting their
horses to leave, LeOmi heard Cap’n Ben say to Mark, “There’s a
story about how my great, great grandfather fought a bear.” LeOmi
rolled her eyes.

The announcer, eager for something more
interesting than confused horses saw Mark and Cap’n Ben almost
immediately, “Mark Young and Cap’n Ben are about to make their play
for the bonus flag. What’s your plan to get onto the Island
boys?”

“Oh ho! Look at that, Slone Voif and Ricky
Barns are on the farthest side of the Island using crossbows and
grappling hooks to scale the first of two sets of the monolithic
stones that encircle the Island and the inner shore of the
moat.”

Immediately the bleachers moved to get a
better view of the Island.

The announcer said, “For first timers, the
double Stonehenge type structure circles the barren Island and the
not-so barren moat that surrounds it. The Island is littered with
huge stone slabs, scattered like dominoes. Some reach as high as
the inner Stonehenge ring. The Island is about 300 yards in
diameter. The bonus flag, worth a whopping 144 points, is always
placed in the same spot, the exact center of the Island. Now that
is the easy part.”

Nick said, “It seems like that guy likes to
hear his own voice.”

LeOmi said, “That’s good for us. Let’s
go.”

Chenoa and the other five members of the
Fourth Team were taking their time, getting the horses back to the
Emerald Corral.

LeOmi led the group to the back of the
Diamond Corral, she rolled under the fence and scooped up the
unattended flags and piled them on the ground on the other side of
the fence. Jamal gathered them into his tunic and took them to the
Emerald Corral.