Talons silent on the grass, Mercury jumped a little when he heard a twig snap. A second later, he let out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was merely one of the great horned owls going off for their nightly hunt. A gentle wind rustled the leaves on the trees while dark clouds partially covered the moon. Yellow eyes scanning the area, a strange yet familiar scent came to the elderly bald eagle. A scent he had not smelled in Central Park for over a month. Following his nose, Mercury pushed his way through some bushes to be welcomed by a heartwarming sight.

A large group of red tailed hawks who had returned home.

Hopping up onto a nearby rock, Mercury cleared his throat loud enough for everyone in the small clearing to hear him. Gaining their attention, he stated, "I'm proud to see that you are all safe. Please, head to the Great Oak. There is food, water and shelter waiting there for all of you. Go, I will catch up with you later." The red tailed hawks didn't need to be told twice. They immediately got up to their feet and headed for the giant oak tree in the northern parts of Central Park. Watching as the hawks helped one another out, Mercury smiled softly. It hadn't been the same in the park since WACAU came and captured every singe one of the red tails. But now everything should begin to balance out once more. Looking around at the crowd as they passed him, the bald eagle felt a little disappointed that he couldn't find one familiar face in particular. That is until the group of hawks had left the clearing. Mercury's heart dropped.

Three figures were left in the small clearing, some considerable distance away from where the red tailed hawks had been gathered. All three were hawks themselves. Only two of them stood. The youngest was a female barely even a month old. A young juvenile in his first or early second year stood beside her, his talons missing. One could assume that they were brother and sister based on their eye color. But Mercury's focus was on the hawk that was laying down. A few of the other hawks had injuries but this one had the most and probably the gruesomest of wounds. His right wing was entangled in barbed wire, his legs were bloody and one looked broken. There was also a large chunk of flesh missing from his back just below the shoulders. Coming over quietly, Mercury motioned for the other two to back up a little while he kneeled down beside the wounded hawk. Nuzzling his bruised face, the eagle whispered, "What have they done to you old friend?"

Blinking his bloodshot light brown eyes open, Tiberius gazed up at Mercury. Tears running down his face in seconds, he closed them again as he lifted his head and sobbed into the bald eagle's chest. Saddened by this, the eagle wrapped the old hawk in his wings as he whispered in a hushed voice, "It's okay, it's okay. They're not going to hurt you anymore."

"They... they just handed me over... I'm being framed... and they just handed me over with no... no explanation or reason..." Tiberius sobbed, shaking badly. He pressed himself against Mercury's body for comfort as he went on, "Why... why would they do that... after... after all we've been through..." Trying his best to calm down the distraught red tailed hawk, the elderly bald eagle admitted, "I don't know why. Domestic animals have always confused me. What I do know is that you have to hide Tiberius. It's not safe here, there are eyes everywhere."

"Where do I go?"

"Go somewhere where no one will find you. That's all I can say."