Tax

The red tailed hawk perched on an oak tree in a small patch of tree in the middle of the prarie. His brown orbs roved the land, watching for any signs of movement. Hiss stomach was rumbling, and the outlooks from the tree weren't so good. He dove off the tree, catching a pillar of hot air. It quickly lifted him up in the air, and he flew lazily in a circle above the prarie. His tail feathers were a dark russet red, and they made him quite a magnificent creature.

His eyes darted to the west as he saw a few long strands of grass twitch. He flapped over to the area, inspecting it. Upon sight there was a medium brown hare with some meat, it looked very succulent.

Nadeem

Something else Tax may or may not notice in the sprawling grasslands was an ATV parked next to a frozen spring. The owner of the small vehicle was sitting beneath another oak tree not too far away, mostly hidden from view thanks to the dead winter leaves that still clung stubbornly along the gnarled old branches. The man, with a crop of short, curly black hair, had a pair of binoculars hanging around his neck, and a notebook nestled in his lap. Occasionally he'd lift the binoculars and have a look around, then scribble a length of data into his book.

It didn't take long before Nadeem spotted Tax's silhouette in the sky, and with his binoculars and and extensive knowledge of wildlife, quickly pinpointed the raptor's breed. This was a red-tailed hawk, a common bird, but.. aha, this one was new to Nadeem, as far as he could tell. He could see no band on the bird's leg. Quietly and meticulously, Nadeem closed his notebook and placed it into his backpack, then got out what appeared to be a large gun with an obnoxiously wide, rounded barrel at the end. This was a net gun, a device he frequently used to capture larger birds for his studies, and he planned to put it to work against Tax, if he got the chance.

Nadeem waited motionlessly under the tree as he watched the hawk circle above...

Tax

The red tailed hawk saw some movement under a tree, but he was paying no attention to that at this point. Everything was silent, you could probably hear a pin drop if you wanted to. The rabbit's tracks tracked all the way from a distant groove of trees, this little fellow was hungry as well. Letting out a bloodcurdling cry, he tucked in his wings and dove down headfirst. He plummeted very quickly, gathering speed every second. At the last moment, he angled his wings and spread them outward, stomach towards the rabbit. His claws were stretched outward, he was just about to catch it...

Nadeem

Nadeem held his breath, watching and waiting. More often than not, he only managed to get photos of the birds for his surveys, but in rare opportunities like these, he was given a chance at capturing one of his subjects and gleaning much more information from them than a simple photo could provide. As soon as the hawk went into his dive, Nadeem lifted the net gun and tracked Tax's descent, waiting, waiting...

POP! Mere feet before Tax reached the rabbit, Nadeem shot the gun, sending a large, light-weight net hurtling for the raptor. If it struck him, Tax would find himself tangled in the fine mesh, and weighed down by the many weights that were attached to the perimeter of the net.

Tax

The hawk was so close, he could practically taste the warm blood in his beak... and something knocked into him. At first, Tax was confused. Had the rabbit jumped at him and knocked him down? As he got up to check, he found he was restrained underneath some kind of device.

The hawk let out a shrill scream, thrashing around. He bit at the net, but alas, the mesh was too strong even for his raptor beak.

Then he tried ripping a hole open with his claws, but that also failed. He kept trying, determined to get out.

Nadeem

Nadeem watched the raptor go down in a flail of wings and feathers. He turned back and shuffled through his bag once more to fish out a large leather glove, and after putting this on, he walked briskly through the snow and tall stands of grass to reach the hawk.

"Easy, there..." The young man said this more for his own assurance than for the hawk's, knowing that the powerful bird could inflict some damage with that hooked beak and those keen talons. With the glove secured over one hand, Nadeem attempted to grab Tax by the back and neck, to restrain the animal and keep him from turning his head about to bite...

Tax

The hawk snapped and clawed at the strange creature as it approached him, but he didn't go far. A leather glove covered the hand, although Tax did get a good bite in there. As the man took him by the back, he found himself unable to move his neck to bite. The hawk let out a bloodcurdling cry as the man carried him. He lashed out his talons, and hopefully they would find themselves scratching the man...

Tax didn't show it, but he was frightened. He'd flew over the city, seen the horrid building that smelled strongly of animals... he'd flew over the pound, seen the dogs and cats locked up. He didn't want to live his life like them. He would be nice to humans, but he feared their power and what they could do to him. Tortue him. Kill him. Worst of all, trap him. He'd never be able to get thst exhilarating feeling of getting carried by a draft. He wouldn't be a hawk without his wings. Perhaps he was overreacting.

Nadeem

The biologist had been at this long enough that he was fairly well versed in handling a great number of animals, but that didn't stop him from making quite the face of apprehension when Tax struggled as valiantly as he did. Those long claws came dangerously close to reaching his skin, but the thick winter coat that Nadeem wore saved him from any damages. "You're a feisty one. Healthy looking too."

Tax was lucky at least, for all his fears of being captured and shut away in a cage were unfounded. Oh, if he'd been caught by the wrong person - which there were many of them in the nearby city - he'd be kissing his freedom goodbye. But Nadeem had no intentions of keeping the hawk today. Instead, he knelt down with the struggling bird and, with one hand rummaging through his backpack again, brought out a small leather hood, made specifically to fit over the head of larger raptors. With a great deal of haste, Nadeem attempted to wedge this hood over Tax's head, which would hopefully calm the bird down by covering his eyes....

Tax

The raptor screeched as the man's hand approached him. He was unsatisfied when he realized that he hadn't torn any skin and there was no blood. His amber orbs watched the man pulled something black and curved out of a bag, and he was actually curious. He clicked his beak a few times, which was a habit he did when he was nervous, scared or excited. He was starting to quiet down and squirm less for he realized he probably wouldn't be able to escape. As Nadeem slipped the hood over Tax's head, a strange calming sensation came over Tax. I'll be ok. I can't see them they can't see me, right? I'll be alright. It was so strange. He was alive with adrenalin one moment and on the next was lime he was on the verge of sleep. So calm and very peaceful. He flexed his claws weakly, but was almost asleep.