The Legend of Thunderhawk

	Note: This is the first in a series about Thunderhawk

Thunderhawk was a red tail hawk that lived in the area of Eastern Tennessee known as happy valley, which is nestled in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. All creatures, both great and small knew of Thunderhawk. The massive redtail was a great hunter, with extraordinary strength, speed and agility. Thunderhawk was an unbelievable sight. His massive body, the awesome blaze of white across the front of his body, the majestic manner in which he soared and the way the sun glistened off of his striking red tail feathers made this hawk a sight to see! His face appeared to be etched in granite by the finest sculptor in the world. He was extraordinarily beautiful, yet frightening. The very sight of him sent shivers up and down the spines of all of the creatures of happy valley. Many animals and birds in happy valley had fallen prey to the powerful Thunderhawk. His hunting prowess was legendary throughout happy valley and all of Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina. The legend of Thunderhawk was born when a young Cherokee warrior discovered the bird at the verge of death. Thunderhawk was only six months old and had been shot by a careless human. The young warrior, who was named "Running Deer" was foraging for food when he came upon the critically wounded hawk. It was a terrible day, with powerful thunderstorms ripping through happy valley. Running Deer gently picked Thunderhawk up and put him in his buckskin pouch, speaking to him softly with reassuring words as he returned to his camp. Upon returning to camp, Running Deer ever so gently took the bird out of his pouch. As the youth picked the dying hawk up to look into it's eyes, a tremendous clap of thunder echoed down from the heavens. The young Cherokee decided to name the beautiful raptor "Thunderhawk", to immortalize the moment that he and the bird had shared. It was an acceptance of each other and a lifelong promise to remember this powerful moment. Running Deer spent the next year of his life away from his family, tending to the young hawk. The hawk responded with a will to live that the young Cherokee had never seen before. He would constantly speak softly and with great kindness to the beautiful bird. As Running Deer spoke to the hawk, it would look directly and intently, deeply into his eyes. The two had formed a special bond that most creatures can never experience. The closeness that the two developed was a big factor in the healing of Thunderhawk. The hawk grew stronger and more powerful with each passing day. The young Cherokee was amazed at the size, strength and beauty of the redtail. Finally, one beautiful spring day, around the time when the deer bear their young, Running Deer knew that the time had come for him to return to his family and leave his special friend. His heart was overwhelmed with emotion as he began to break camp. Clearly, the hawk knew something was happening. He was very excitable and stayed very close to his Cherokee savior. In an emotional, softly spoken farewell, Running Deer tried to explain what was happening. As he spoke, he began to remember all of the different things that had happened over the past year. He remembered how at first, he thought that the hawk would certainly die. Running Deer remembered how he had worked with Thunderhawk to help him learn about hunting and how inquisitive the red tail had been on so many different occasions. It had been a wonderful experience and he knew that he would never forget any of it. He wondered about how Thunderhawk would do on his own. He knew that the hawk was a tremendous hunter, so any fears were most likely unfounded. As he said his final farewell and turned to leave, Thunderhawk did something quite unexpected. He flew down onto the ground and grabbed Running Deer's pantleg! He began to tug at first gently, and then more aggressively. The young Cherokee was deeply moved and sort of chuckled at the huge bird's actions. Running Deer stooped down and looked Thunderhawk directly in the eyes. "I must go now my friend. I will always remember you and your brave spirit. I know that I will probably never see you again, but I will never forget this special experience." The hawk seemed to understand. He let go of the pantleg and Running Deer slowly began to walk away. Thunderhawk took off and flew up into the sky. The Cherokee looked up in awe at the sight of this magnificent bird soaring up above him. The hawk began speak to Running Deer, "Screeee...Screee". The young Cherokee could not help but smile. He now was certain that the hawk would be fine! The first year after Running Deer left, Thunderhawk worked hard to perfect his skills. He learned that he could make animals and birds flee easily. He realized that they were all scared of him. Sometimes, when he wasn't hungry, and felt mischievous, he would fly over one animal or another in a manner that caused his great shadow to pass directly over the target of his fun. Immediately, the creature would scamper, full speed for cover. It made the great hawk smile. Other times, he would simply let out a call, "Screee...Screee", and enjoy a similar reaction. Thunderhawk would never forget the lessons that Running Deer had taught him. Especially how the young man had saved his life. The hawk was aware that he would have died without the assistance of the Cherokee. by Geoff Hampton