Red-Tail Encounter; Take 2

The second time I encountered my Red-Tail friend, I had been unofficially learning from a woman who was from the Myamii tribe.  She was teaching me totems, and she had come to the conclusion that I was a turtle.  I had healing abilities, she felt I had the facial features of a turtle, I receded in my shell if in an intimidating environment, I’m overly patient...and turtles like me.

I had told her I had always thought I was a Red Tailed Hawk, at least one aspect.  I always had one live near me, even when I moved to the Outer Banks...one followed within weeks.

“No,” she scolded me, “you’re not flighty enough to be a bird totem.  And Hawks aren’t healers.  You’re a turtle and Hawk just came in to teach you not to hide from people all the time”

I was doing a lot of contemplation about this.  Was I just not seeing things right?  Was she on to something and I needed to not ignore it.  She was, after all, doing this much longer than I have been (which I now know is silly logic to use).  So it caused me a lot of confusion and stress and frustration.

It was then that I met him again.  

I started out as a large yellow bellied slider turtle.  I was swimming in a pond, and climbed out very clumsily to get in the sun and warm up.  I was struggling to get around properly, though still enjoying being a turtle.

Then a giant pair of feet appeared.  But being I was small and low to the ground, I guess they weren’t all that big comparatively.  A male’s voice laughed, “What do we have here?”

I was picked up by large, long fingered, but strong hands and lifted up to be face to face with the owner of the large feet.

I recognized him immediately and flailed in panic...to no avail of course

“What are you doing in that shell you silly girl?” as he turned me around as if looking for the open button.  He gave me a gentle shake, “How you gonna fly in that thing?”  He raised one eyebrow and looked at me skeptically and disapprovingly as he held me close to his face.  

I just shrank in my shell and he shook his head.

“Nope,” he said flatly, “not gonna do.  Don’t know why you let this idea get in your head...but you need your wings girl.  Only one way to solve this”

I knew I was moving, but I didn’t want to look where.

“You can’t use your wings in that thing” he said with a hint of what seemed like sadistic humor.....and dropped me

I was falling...from somewhere very very high.  I couldn’t see the ground.  I panicked.  I flailed.  And I wanted my wings.  I struggled against the shell, and screeched.  I stopped being scared and became angry at the fact that I had put this stupid shell on.  The shell popped off, I flopped in the air a bit before regaining my sense of where the currents were, and started a gentle glide.  

I took a deep breath.  Another red tailed hawk swooped down and I knew it was my guide.  Yep...my guide...the asshole...and I was ever thankful for him.  It wouldn’t have happened if I had only listened to him before hand...and I know he was aware of it too...

He winked, and smiled a bird smile and dove upwards (don’t ask me how...he just did)  And I glided as it faded away