The city was coming to a sense of balance after long talks and deliberations. Phoenix Feather had nearly secured all of the places for holding and Kaz was sitting on the steps to the guildhall, lacing up his boots when a man ran into the courtyard.

The wind mage finished the knot in hi laces and stood up, just as the man arrived.

"Kazimir we. You've helped the people here and we need to know if you can look into something," the man asked with an unwavering voice.

"Yes of course. What do you need?" The wind mage replied.

"There is a rare bird that leaves here. A crested Macaw. We have noticed its numbers dropping in recent years and some of the other bird populations have been as well. They live in the cliffs. We think....we think its poachers or hunters."

Kaz grabbed his bag and nodded back at the receptionist to let her know that he was headed out to take care of the problem. He looked back at the man and put a hand on his shoulder with a smile, "Don't worry. I'll get to the bottom of this. Rest easy."

The man gave a sigh of relief and thanked the wind mage. Kaz tightened the bag on his shoulder and grabbed another bag that had some overnight gear, from storage container that was used for all the knights that went on long missions.

He didn't know how long it would take but he planned on camping out there until he got to the bottom of it.

He made his way across the city and finally into the wilds of the cliffs. They towered over the outside walls of the city. With a brisk whistle, hiss Griffin flew down and Kaz mounted the winged beast and took off. The Griffin pushed off with a powerful beat of its wings.

They soared over the trees that lined the cliffside and the jagged rock formations. He hadn't noticed before but there was a noticeable difference in the bird population compared to the other places he had been too.

Finding a landing place he, pressed his legs into the side of Griffin and caused a gentle rush of wind around its beak to direct him to go down. The Griffin dove toward the landing and flapped his wings to halt their movement and hover in the air before landing softly on the ground.

Kaz hopped of the Griffin and stretched his back. This place was too conspicuous though. He patted the Griffon on the back and the large bird took off. Kaz wandered into the thicker parts of the woods and climbed higher up on the cliffside. Once he was at a higher elevation, he climbed up a large branched tree and settled into the buck against the tree.

He pulled out his binoculars and a sandwich and began his long wait. Every few passes he made with the binoculars he would take a bite of his sandwich. Eventually, he had to either see a poacher or their prey. A couple of days went by in the tree with no sign. Until finally he caught glimpse of a Macaw. The one detailed to him by the townsman. "There you are," he whispered to himself. As quickly and quietly as he could, he tracked the bird closer and closer to its nest in a more secluded part of the cliffs. If they were dying off then, the species was probably pushed further back for its own safety.

The wind mage perched in a new tree and kept an eye on the nest and the flight patterns of the bird. It would have been a good idea to bring another wildlife expert out here with him but he was already committed now.

BANG

A gunshot echoed through the cliffs, snapping Kaz's head towards the sound. He jumped up from his branch in just in time to see the Macaw spiraling to the ground. A gust of wind concentrated around his feet and he dashed off the branch, scattering the leaves.

Kaz raced off to find the source of the shot. The trees were a blur to him as he skated through them and pushed leaves and branches from his vision. Only one thing was on his mind. Find them and stop them. The branches creaked with each swift step and bark tumbled from them. The wind sent a flurry of leaves swirling in the air, from the vacuum of wind in his wake.

He landed in the final tree that overlooked the smallest grove he had ever seen. It was only five meters on each side. Two tents were fixed in the open circle. Four men stood around them and the fire pit they had made in the center with sticks still kindling from the flames. Each one had a rifle in their hands. Next to a tent was a small cage, dirty from years of use. Old feathers and dirt scoured the bottom of it.

The macaw that was just flying overhead was now swinging back and forth in the grasp of aa hunter. Its body grazed the man's pants leg with each of his strides closer to the cage. Kaz's hand pressed against the tree. His body lurched forward, ready to pounce.

He didn't hold back. The wind mage lunged down to the ground and landed with a torrent of wind. The poachers stumbled backward and shielded their eyes from the wind. Kaz stood up, "I'm going to need you to leave. Phoenix Feather guild protects these lands now. You will never poach here again."

The men exchanged looks. Three of them inched backward but the more burly one laughed and held his gun facing Kaz. The other three swallowed and followed suit. Kaz sighed as the men clicked the triggers. Bullets zipped through the air and Kaz dashed forward. Two of the bullets pierced his cloak and pressed into his torso. He winced but appeared instantly in front of the leader. With a surge of wind, he sent the man flying into a tree. He whipped around and took out two more with a cone of wind.

The final one dropped his gun and held his hands high, "You got it. We're out of here. Promise," he said with his knees knocking together. Kaz didn't respond and walked over to pick up the lifeless bird. The remaining man rushed to his friends to wake them. As Kaz was leaving he sent a tornado to rip their tents apart, giving them even more reason to leave. The men gathered themselves and scurried off, leaving the woods for good.

Kaz buried the endangered animal and patted the ground. Taking his leave, he made his way back to the town. The people were waiting for his return and after he told them what happened there was a mix of relief and sorrow. Another bird had been lost but the war had been one. at least for now. And people knew that the guild protected the wild.

-Exit-