Chapter Text
Spider said to Falcon, "Come! Our friend is chasing ghosts again."
Falcon sighed and ruffled his feathers but went with Spider to find their friend.
Now their friend was Eagle, the chief among all the birds. What Eagle wanted to tear in pieces, he tore in pieces. What Eagle wanted to break into bits, he broke into bits. What Eagle wanted to find, he was sure somehow to find.
"So what is he looking for?" asked Falcon. "Is it war or friendship?"
"Friendship," said Spider.
"Ah," said Falcon, and they went on.
"I will build a web," said Spider when they reached a likely spot. "His ghost will not escape it."
"But how shall we draw it here?" Falcon asked.
Spider looked at him until Falcon realized what she wanted him to do.
Falcon ruffled his feathers and griped and grumbled, but went to roll himself in dust and ash and caught a fish to smear himself with some of its blood, then limply fly out over the ghosting grounds of the forest as bait. Surely enough, he soon caught the attention of the snakes and serpents on their branches and the ghosts of hunting eagles in their midst, for the eagles and the snakes had been at war for hundreds of years and are still.
So the flying serpent took to the air after Falcon, and one swift eagle with a silvery ghostlike wing chased after the flying serpent, and after the half-dead eagle flew the chief of all the birds and eagles.
Falcon dove headlong toward Spider's web and passed just by it.
Spider had woven well and first the flying serpent fell into her web and thrashed, but the web did not break.
Then the eagle ghost fell into her web and thrashed harder, but still the web did not break.
Then Eagle, their friend, fell into her web and thrashed, and the web broke so he fell down together with the ghost eagle. The ghost eagle did not at first recognize his friend, for he was half a ghost, but Eagle held him fast in his talons until the half of the eagle which was not a ghost remembered that they had been friends.
Spider bit down on the flying serpent's tail and let her venom take care of the rest.
Falcon ruffled his dirty feathers but set down on the branch beside her, pleased.