Ro... human? Ihaan had never thought of that. Then again, Spirits were always something before they became Spirits—whether that be humans, animals, or even plants.
Was Ihaan selfish? He had never asked Ro about her former life. Was that why she was grieving? Aside from that, it also left another question in Ihaan’s thoughts.
“Velma,” he said, his voice slightly shaking, “do you think Ro has always been the Thunderbird?” The Great Spirit had never brought it up before. What if the Thunderbird was merely a phase Ro was experiencing, and it would pass after the week was over?
Velma jotted in her notebook again. “That’s a great question, Ihaan! You’re learning how to solve a mystery!” She placed her pen between her teeth and clicked it. “I do not know... not yet... so we’ll put it under our why and how as questions that still need answers.”
Ihaan had to admit... He liked every member of the Mystery Gang, but there was something about Velma. She was his guide to understanding his and Ro’s past, whatever it may have been. Ihaan still couldn't remember, and he hoped Velma wouldn’t—too late.
“Ihaan, do you remember anything before the canoe accident or during it?” she asked. “Even just a little thing?”
A dull pain suddenly pulsed in Ihaan’s head when she asked that, and he reached for it.
Daphne looked up from her nails and inquired, “Ihaan, what’s wrong?” Was that empathy Ihaan heard?
“My head,” he complained, massaging it. “It suddenly started throbbing.”
Ro turned on the canoe’s edge and met his eyes, sliding closer to him.
“Oh, hey!” Freddie exclaimed. Why was he excited? “That’s good. That’s good, right, Velma? It means Ihaan’s starting to remember?”
Remember. It was quick, but something, a blurry image, flashed in Ihaan’s mind like morning sunrays reflecting off the lake’s surface. Was that a canoe with two figures riding in it, bouncing up and down on a wavy lake?
Hold on, what happened to the smaller figure? A large wave just knocked him off the canoe and capsized it.
“Ihaan!” yelled a woman’s voice.
“Ah!” Ihaan shrieked when his entire head burst into pain. It was like demons just stabbed it with a dozen pitchforks.
“What is it, Ihaan?” Velma pushed. “What do you remember?”
“Um... Velma.” Daphne gripped her shoulder. “Maybe you should back off a bit. We know you’re excited—”
“But I’m so close to solving the mystery!” Velma interrupted. Her glasses slid down her nose, but she pushed them back in place.
Fred came in. “Sure, but Ihaan and Ro aren’t monsters in masks. What’s happening is something personal.”
“Besides...” Shaggy placed the headset over his and Scooby’s ears again. “Scoob and I will miss those Leaf-Fish Sandwiches if we don’t back off. Like, what do you want to listen to now, Scoob?”
That did it!
“Stop!” Ihaan suddenly shouted, and the gang jumped. “Please,” he added, lowering his voice, “I know I’m not what you guys are used to, but Fred is right. Ro and I are not some creeps in masks. At least, not anymore. Just leave us alone until we reach first portage.” He stuck his paddle in the water and broke away from the gang, starting forward. The rest of the way to the portage, his demons continued stabbing his head.
***
“Oh, I know that look.” Daphne, glancing over her shoulder, raised her brow and examined Freddie’s smug expression. “You have a plan, don’t you, Freddie?”
Fred sure did, after taking another hour to think about the best way of “unmasking” Ro and Ihaan’s past since their case wasn’t like the gang’s usual ones. “I sure do,” he said, lowering his paddle. “I think we need to interrogate Ro, too, and try to help her regain her confidence in flying.”
Daphne paused briefly before softly chuckling. “And how do you plan on interrogating a bird, Freddie?”
“Remember”—Fred lifted his finger—“Velma said that Ro was human once, so she can answer a few questions. She may be a bird in physical form, but that doesn’t mean she’s lost her human intellect. Talking to her might also help encourage Ihaan to share what he remembered.” He knew Ihaan was overwhelmed and in denial, but even just small memories could help the Mystery Gang. Until he agreed to share them, though, Plan Two was Ro.
Freddie noticed a smile tugging at Daphne’s lips. “So, no trap this time?” she playfully questioned.
“We’re not there yet,” was Fred’s answer. “We’ll only set a trap if we need to.” For now, he had a plan, and he couldn’t wait to carry it out and discover Ro’s true identity. Was that even her real name, or was it a name Ihaan gave her? That was another question to add to Velma’s list. Fred went through a few more for the rest of the way to the portage. He knew they were getting close because they were now canoeing down a river with trees tightly packed around them, lily pads floating on the calm water.
As the minutes passed, the river narrowed, and piles of rocks became as common as the lily pads. Finally, the gang reached a dead end, with rocks and rapids on their right and the dense forest before them.
They pulled up on a clear area of a rocky beach, and Ihaan said, “Here we are—the first portage.” That was the first time he had spoken since his outburst after Shaggy and Scooby’s comment. Ihaan held Ro close and stood, stepping out of his canoe, his other hand back on his head.
“Are you okay, Ihaan?” Fred found himself asking, and he stood himself.
“I’ll manage,” the boy mumbled (yep, he was definitely sixteen now), but he stumbled over a rock and ended up on the beach on his front.
Fred almost wondered if his foot was bothering him again. Ihaan had injured it when the gang met him last year, but Fred recalled him saying that he hurt it years ago, possibly in the canoe accident. “Hey, Ihaan,” he said, approaching him, “why don’t you rest for a bit, and we’ll begin carrying things?”
“Like, huh?” Shaggy asked from his, Velma, and Scooby’s canoe. He gestured at the forest. “You mean we have to carry everything through that dark forest? Oh, ho, ho, ho!”
“That’s what a portage is, Shaggy,” Velma explained. “A hike through the forest that canoeists take to cross lakes.”
“Like, no way, man!” Shaggy said, waving his hands. “Scoob and I will take the path and meet you guys on the other side.”
“Reah!” Scooby agreed, nodding vigorously.
“All right, then,” Velma sarcastically stated. She stood and hopped onto the beach, grabbing a few bags from the canoe. “When you guys get stuck on the rocks and are left behind, you’ll be an open target in case Ro transforms again—the big, scary lightning bird.”
Fred noticed Shaggy’s Adam’s apple bouncing up and down. He looked at Scooby and said, “Like, I hate when she does that, Scoob.” He and Scoob quickly scooped up a few bags of their own and passed the gang, starting for the forest. They soon returned, and Shaggy inquired, “Like, Ihaan, where’s the trail?”
Ihaan sighed and rose to his feet, setting Ro down. “I’ll show you guys.” He glanced at Freddie—“I’ll be fine, Freddie; just watch over Ro”—and approached Shaggy and Scooby, leading the way up a hill.
“Perfect!” Freddie said once they disappeared. Now was his chance! Ro might feel more comfortable discussing her past if Ihaan weren’t there. With that in mind, Freddie kneeled and said, “Hey, Ro, we need your help with this mystery. Do you think I could ask you a few questions until Ihaan returns?”
Velma and Daphne soon hovered over him, and Velma questioned, “What are you doing, Fred?”
“Trying an experiment of my own,” he answered, sitting so he could be eye level with Ro. “Ro might be more comfortable communicating if Ihaan’s not around. I have a theory, Velma.”
“You… a theory instead of a trap plan?” Velma joined Freddie on the ground, followed soon by Daphne. “Now this I have to see.”
Daphne hit her shoulder, and Velma rubbed it. “What? I’m just saying.”
“It’s fine, Daphne. I surprised myself, too,” Freddie admitted. He cleared his throat and waited until a zephyr passed through the area before saying, “Now, Ro, since you were once human, you can probably still understand and answer questions.” He folded back the wrist sleeves of his shirt and sat taller. “So, this is my plan. I’ll ask you a yes-or-no question. If your answer’s yes, nod your head. If it’s no, shake it. Does that sound good?”
For a minute, the bald eagle looked like she was thinking. Finally, she ruffled her feathers and nodded.
“Yes!” Freddie said, growing more excited by the second, but he inhaled and calmed himself. Ro wasn’t a monster in a mask. “That was a test, Ro; it’s now time for the big showcase.” He counted on his fingers. “Here’s my first question. Is Ro your real name?”
For a second, Ro didn’t move, but then she seemed to inhale and shook her head.
Wow! She did understand everything.
“Was Ro the name Ihaan gave you?” Fred inquired, a little pushy but not over the top.
Another pause, and then Ro nodded again.
“Wow,” Daphne squeaked, sounding like a chipmunk. She chewed her nails.
“Fascinating,” Velma stated after her, invested like a crime show detective. It wasn’t every day she approved one of Freddie’s plans; she just went with the flow.
Fred thought about asking Ro if she had always been the Thunderbird, but decided it was likely a better question for Ihaan to ask. Therefore, he skipped over that one and said, “Were you there the day of Ihaan’s canoe accident?” instead.
There was a long pause that time, but finally, Ro answered yes. Her feathers ruffled further, and she dug her talons into the beach’s sand.
Was Fred’s theory correct? Was Ro who he thought she was? If she was, that changed everything.
“What are you implying, Fred?” Daphne wanted to know.
Velma shushed her and focused back on Freddie and Ro.
“Have you never told Ihaan?” was a new query Fred just thought of.
No, Ro answered, lowering her head and briefly shutting her eyes.
It all made sense: why Ro became clingy and began transforming after Ihaan started growing. Why she was hesitant with the modern gifts the gang gave him. Ro wasn’t ready for Ihaan to grow up, and he wasn’t ready to let her go. It was grief and nostalgia: “American Pie”, as well as internal clashes with demons. Ro was not just an eagle. She was not just Ihaan’s Guardian, and she was not just the Thunderbird.
Fred worked to confirm it with his final question. “You’re doing great, Ro. This is my final question.” He sweated—he was so stoked. “Ro…” Fred couldn’t help but grin. “Are you Ihaan’s mother?”
The entire lakefront fell quiet: no one breathed, and no one emerged from the portage.
Ro backed up and hopped onto a rock, grabbing a stick in her bill. She then jumped down and moved the stick across the sand, Daphne, Freddie, and Velma watching her. At one point, the eagle opened her wings and gave them a quick flap. She lifted off the ground before landing on it again and finished her creation, tossing the stick aside. Ro glanced at Fred, Daphne, and Velma, gesturing with her head.
They shakily stood and edged toward her, stopping over a name she had written in the sand. It was a little sloppy, but Fred spelled it out: K-a-t-e—Kate. And right under the name…
Yes, I’m Ihaan’s mother.
15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFGaA3p3jMF
Prompt: "Demons" - Imagine Dragons
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