"Damn… that was close," Big Mike exhaled, still shaken.
"Good thing Ethan was there. Almost messed up this handsome face of mine."
"Yeah, right," Skinny Pete snorted.
"Handsome? You look like you just crawled out of a barbecue pit."
"Hey, that's called a healthy tan, man," Big Mike shot back.
"Chicks dig it."
"Enough," Ethan cut in, eyes scanning the sky.
"Stay sharp. That thing's not done yet."
Above them, the Golden Eagle was still circling, clearly not ready to let this fight go.
But its eyes had changed—no longer dismissive, now sharp and focused. Ethan's earlier attacks hadn't landed, but they'd rattled it. It knew now that these humans weren't pushovers.
After a few more passes, the eagle suddenly tucked its wings and dove again—fast, silent, and unpredictable. No one could tell who it was aiming for.
Mia's heart skipped a beat. She couldn't see its exact trajectory, but just before it dropped, the eagle had locked eyes with her.
