The aerie

   The continuation of the trip was gloomy at first, and it was hard for me to recover from everything that had happened, but Sylvie took me to more and more beautiful places, and I slowly began to return to my old joyful self, although the shadow left by the previous experience had not completely disappeared. The landscape was gradually changing. Mountains were replaced by plains, and meadows and fields replaced forests. Every day we would wake up at the break of dawn and spend the rest of the day walking until the sun was high in the sky. We would continue again in the evening, carefully avoiding meeting anyone. Most afternoons were spent napping in the shade of some of the trees we came across. I would draw and record what we did that day. Sylvie would sometimes pose for me, but she would quickly get bored of it and proceed to play or sleep. One afternoon, we found shelter under the canopy of a huge plane tree. It must have been over 30 meters tall and so wide that I couldn't even hug a third of its trunk. It was almost completely white. Although it barely had any leaves, it provided excellent shade. I laid down on the grass, and Sylvie rolled onto her back right next to me. We both watched in a daze as the white branches swayed slightly against the blue sky. Shadows circling above us tore us out of the meditation. Sylvie jumped to her feet in excitement and quickly climbed the tree, disappearing from my sight. I started circling the tree to see her again, but instead, I came across a boy who was standing with a fascinated expression on his face. He was looking up without even noticing me. Quickly and silently, I pulled back and hid behind a thick tree. I wasn’t ready to meet anyone. All the negative emotions I suppressed were bubbling to the surface. Sadness and anger overwhelmed me again, and the image of a bear stuck in a jar couldn't leave my head. Although irrational, I subconsciously blamed that boy, just like all other people, for the scene I found in an abandoned castle. He may not have left that jar, but he must have been just as irresponsible as everyone else; just as irresponsible as the people who threw garbage in that castle.

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   "Vuksha, come on, it's time to go back for lunch. We'll come again in the afternoon!", a shout was heard from a distance. I peeked behind the tree and saw little Vuksha reluctantly turning around, running to the man who had just called him and taking his hand. As they walked away, he continued to turn around and look in the same direction as before. When the man and the boy disappeared into the distance, I came out of hiding and started calling Sylvie. I had no intention of staying here and waiting for them to return. That's when I saw them. A pair of majestic eagles nesting on top of a tree. I stood there and watched them with fascination, just like the boy from a while ago. They were huge, and the nest they made was even bigger. The only explanation I had for not noticing such a big object on the tree was that the sun was shining directly in our eyes when we were approaching the tree. Soon, Sylvie's head peeked over the edge of the nest, followed immediately by two more eagle heads. They must have been young as they were a shade smaller than the parents who were gently pecking each other in the background. The time slipped away while watching the parents, who would occasionally fly away and return to the nest, while the young ones were fussing around in the nest, not daring to separate themselves from its safety. Sylvie would sometimes go down with the intention of dragging me up too, but I just didn’t have a way to join her. During one of those descents, we heard a vehicle approaching. Not knowing what to do, I somehow managed to quickly sneak into the nearby bushes. The place was just far enough away so that I could go unnoticed, but near enough to get a good overview of the whole situation. In that rush to hide, I managed to lose sight of Sylvie again. I didn't know if she went back up to the nest or if she hid somewhere. A gray truck came close to the tree. There was a lot of equipment in the trunk that I didn't recognize. Two men and a boy got out of the vehicle. Both men wore olive-green uniforms, but from where I was hiding, I could not make out what was written on them. I recognized one of them from before. It was easy to see that he was the boy's father. This time, again, Vuksha glanced at the nest, but as nothing could be seen (larger eagles had flown somewhere in the meantime), he busied himself with helping the adults set up all the equipment. Everyone was excited, and they seemed genuinely nice, but the equipment they had distorted the whole picture. Vuksha's father soon started climbing the tree. This did not look good. When he reached the top, he unhooked a long pole from his back with a net on top. I couldn't see what he was doing with it, but I was sure it wasn't anything good. After a few moments, he was holding a bag in his hands, which obviously contained one of the eagles, while the other was stirring in the nest and making nervous and threatening sounds. He started to lower the bag with the help of a rope, and I could no longer sit still. I came out of hiding and shouted at them to stop their evil actions. All three of them flinched, visibly surprised by my sudden appearance. I approached them bristling and started telling them that I wouldn't let them hurt those beautiful birds. Attracted by the noise that was now coming from both the ground and the tree, the parents returned and began to circle the nest that now had only one young eagle and a stranger. The whole situation was chaotic. Little Vuksha almost started crying from my accusations, and that made me calm down a bit. The man who had been standing next to the boy, caught by the situation in which they found themselves, attempted to calm us down. He stroked Vuksha's head while telling me that there was a misunderstanding and that they were there to help these birds. He knelt next to Vuksha, wiped away his tears, and encouraged him to explain to me who they were and why they were here while he had dealt with the eagle that was still hanging in the bag. My further protests were interrupted by Vuksha, who took my hand and dragged me to the equipment that was placed in the back of the truck and began his explanation. As angry as I was, I still couldn't refuse him, especially after I made him cry. As he spoke, he regained the enthusiasm he had until I showed up. Although he was not older than me when I first met Sylvie, he was very patient and did not seem at all angry with me. He told me that they belong to the Association for the Protection of Birds and that they are there to mark the eagles, put a monitoring device on them and see how healthy they are. While he was talking, I watched with suspicion what the two adults were doing. Vuksha enthusiastically said that this is one of the few pairs of Eastern Imperial Eagles that nest in this area and that they have been coming here for years, and then he explained to me that they are here to remove all potential threats and allow the eagles to raise their young without hindrance. Their job includes mowing pastures, planting trees, providing prey, educating locals about the importance of these birds, and so on. While he was presenting what he had to say, the first bird was returned to the nest, and the second was on its way down. When the whole process was over, Vuksha's father came down and showed me a map with the data of adult eagles that had already been marked. I was fascinated with the mileage and the places these eagles had covered. They were not only in Europe, but also in almost all parts of Asia, and on a couple of occasions, they even reached Africa. When I saw how dedicated these people are to their work, I had to admit that I was wrong in my assessment, so when they invited me to join them for dinner, I saw no reason to refuse.

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   During the dinner, I learned a lot more about Eastern Imperial Eagles, and also about other birds that live in this area. I lied that I came with a few friends on a trip to a nearby town when they asked me what I was doing in the meadow. It seemed that Vuksha liked my company. His father asked me if I would stay over. Vuksha gave me a pleading look with puppy dog eyes with which he sealed my fate. We settled into his room and started chatting about many things. He was very mature for his age and he knew a lot, he inherited a love for nature from his father, especially for birds. The conversation subsided a bit when we touched on the topic of his mother, which he lost when he was younger, so I decided to cheer him up a bit. I asked him, "Can you keep a secret?" His eyes immediately lit up and he quickly nodded. I told him all about my adventures with Sylvie. At first, he didn't believe me, but he soon got immersed in the story until he fell asleep smiling.

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   The next day, I woke up early as usual and snuck out into the kitchen, where Vuksha's father was already preparing breakfast. He thanked me for staying because Vuksha seemed to lack a female presence. We decided to let him sleep a little longer since we stayed up late last night. He informed me that the wind will be favorable today and that the eaglets are ready for the first flight, so we may be lucky enough to testify it. He went to prepare everything we need for a picnic in nature, while I stayed behind to reflect on yesterday’s events. This whole family atmosphere made me a little nostalgic, so I started thinking about contacting my parents and seeing how they are. Although I left them a message informing them of my intentions, I knew it was cruel to just walk away from home. Vuksha broke my train of thoughts up by hugging me around the waist. He told me with a smile that he had been dreaming of Sylvie all night, and then, as if remembering that it was a secret, he added in a quiet tone that he would like to meet her. I truly admired this boy who was so pure and kind.

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   Noon greeted us under parasols, with binoculars in hand. The eaglets were truly mustering up the courage to soar into the sky while their parents encouraged them. Vuksha and I had different favorites for which we cheered. Mine was the first to leave the nest, and Vuksha seemed happier than me about it. His took off right after. In the sky, they looked as big as their parents. Only by the lack of confidence while flying we could distinguish them. While we were enjoying the "first steps" that took place in the sky, Vuksha's father received a call and asked me to look over the boy while he was gone to deal with some emergency.  Not even a few moments have passed since he'd driven away, and Sylvie had already appeared. She observed us with interest from the lowest branch. I patted Vuksha on the shoulder and looked at her. His eyes widened with happiness, and he quickly covered his mouth with his hands to hide the excited squeak that escaped him. Sylvie answered his silent question with one swift jump on the grass right next to us, immediately proceeding to approach him and sniff him. Sometimes she really acted like a cat. When she concluded that she liked Vuksha, she made herself comfortable in his lap with no intention of moving anytime soon. For a moment I felt a sting of jealousy, which was immediately replaced by pure happiness seeing the joy that vibrated from the boy. Sunbathing and cuddling were interrupted by eagles returning from their first lesson. The biggest of them landed on the branch where Sylvie was staying until recently. It fluttered its wings as if he was stretching while the two of us were looking in awe at this exhibition of size and power. His wingspan was probably about two meters. Little Vuksha somehow managed to look even happier than before, and without taking his eyes off the eagle, he told me that this was his best day so far. Unfortunately, every day have to come to an end, and so did this one. During the farewell, I promised Vuksha that I would send him pictures from the trip, and that cheered him up a bit. I refused the drive to the city, saying that I would rather take a walk. At least this wasn't a lie on my part. Both Sylvie and I were drawn by some invisible force to continue our travels around the world, and with new energy, we set off.