"Many people look only forward, seeking to harness the power of what can be built," Professor Edward 'Running Bear' Sequoia said to his class of archeology students. "The farther we move away from the past, there becomes a new opportunity to re-discover ideas and concepts long thought lost."
On a tiny island in Lake Michigan, just south of the city of St. Ignace, a group of students stood at the edge of an excavation of a pre-Revolutionary War encampment. They listened in silence as their instructor demonstrated methods of uncovering layers of soil to reveal artifacts hidden by time's passing. A cool breeze brushed over them from the still cool waters of the great lake as slightly above tall pine trees surrounding the dig site, mated pairs of American Bald Eagles flew in circles overhead.
"I don't think those birds like us here, Professor," Dorothy Monroe said. She pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her mess of brown hair, concerned a swooping bird might attack.
"They nest all along the shore here. There is no reason to be concerned. If you respect them, they will show you the same regard," her professor replied. "Why don't you each move to your designated plots and begin to examine them. Call me over if you reveal anything of interest."
Dorothy nodded to Jacob, her lab partner, and the two of them moved to their assigned area as the rest of the group separated and did the same. As she walked across the pine needle covered forest floor, she couldn't help but to keep glancing at the sky. Two more groups of eagles now circled with the first pair.
"Don't you like birds?" Jacob asked.
"I like them just fine," she said. "I don't trust them, is all. My aunt had a parrot that could be the sneakiest, meanest animal I've ever met. Polly didn't want a cracker. Polly wanted to draw blood."
Jacob brushed aside some branches to make it easier for Dorothy to reach their plot of ground. "I guess I can understand that."
Their assigned area rested on a small rise with a pleasant view of the lake nearly twenty feet below them. Yellow twine had the section they were to inspect cordoned off. A single totem pole rose out of the ground, worn by years of harsh weather, but atop the top of the wooden marker, an simple carving of an eagle sat perched.
"I bet most of the year, you wouldn't even be able to see that unless you stood right in this very spot," Jacob said. "It's almost hidden by the trees."
Dorothy nodded. She had no idea how old the totem was, but it gave her the impression of great age. Strangely, it didn't have dense patches of moss growing on its surface as many of the trees nearby did. "It's impressive. I find it hard to believe that a piece of wood could remain in one piece after being exposed to decades of Michigan winters."
A shot rang out from somewhere close by, closely followed by a screech of pain.
"What was that?" Jacob asked. He searched all around them, hunting for the source of the sound.
Still facing the lake, Dorothy watched as one of the soaring eagles above dropped from the sky and splashed into the water below her. "Oh my god. Someone shot one of them!"
She raced down the steep slope to the slim shore of the island and waded out into the water. The eagle's body floated on the water for a few seconds before slipping beneath the surface. Frigidly cold, Dorothy pushed her body deeper into the lake until she stood where she believed the eagle submerged. Taking a deep breath, she dove in after it.
In the clear water of the lake, she spotted streaks of red rising to the surface. She followed them down to the eagles body. It thrashed weakly as it fought to rise unsuccessfully from the lakebed. Reaching down, she grabbed its torso, surprised by how large and still light the bird was. She tightened her grip and lifted it up into the air.
With its sharp, yellow beak, it bit her hand, cutting deep into her skin and her blood merged with its. Her eyes went wide, but not with pain. Her mind filled with the essence of the eagle and she understood its love of flight and the world it surveyed.
"Dorothy," Jacob yelled from the shore. "What are you doing?"
Half-aware, she spun around to face him. She held the eagle as it died, its head lolling back limply as it freed her hand from its beak. "The water... its so cold... but I can feel the warmth in the air above... I know the wind."
"What are you talking about? Wade back to the shore."
"Why would I do that?" Dorothy extended her arms out as far as she could, releasing the eagle's body to splash back into the water. Feathers sprouted from her arms and back, warming her. She drove her arms down to the earth quickly, creating enough force to lift her into the air.
She flapped her new wings and ascended higher with each motion. It felt glorious. Being in the air filled her with a sense of freedom she never knew she didn't understand.
"It's no wonder my aunt's parrot bit me. It wanted to be free. The wind called to it. It calls to me."
She soared up higher and higher, looking down at Jacob as his mouth hung open in amazement beneath her.
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