The seagull circled slowly, its white body reflected on the sea far below. It dropped abruptly, slicing neatly through the air toward a glittering silver fish, its vision distorted by the pane of green water. Closer to the water, the seagull heard a sharp cry. The gull twisted its head. Tawny eyes. Outstretched talons. Beating wings. Darkness.

The next thing the seagull knew, it was in a nest a little way from the sea. The seagull got up and stretched its wings. Pain. The gull’s right wing had a gaping wound in it. Darkness again.

The seagull woke.

An idea struck its mind.

A brief torrent of thought, and the seagull returned to the grey realms of its sleep.

A day later, the seagull swooped out of the eagle’s nest. A sharp, piercing cry and the eagle followed. The seagull pulled up out of its wild dive, and flew higher, higher higher�?It dropped. The eagle was still following. A dive towards the green water. The seagull pulled up, backtracked twice, performed a spectacular aileron roll, and dived again. For hours the mad pursuit continued, diving and circling, until nightfall. The clouds rolled in, the rain poured down, and the lightning came. The seagull continued ducking and weaving. A flash of light, a piercing shriek. The eagle’s body was motionless, floating silently. The seagull circled, slowly.

By: Fergus Peace 4W