Chapter 33: The Fire Hawk King's Gah Gah Gah
Five days after recruiting the Kobolds, Livia officially turned her gaze toward her next target—the Fire Hawk flock entrenched on the eastern side of the volcano.
The Fire Hawks' nest was built on a cliff on the eastern side of the volcano, a full two hundred meters above the ground. The entire cliff was sheer and steep, its rock face as smooth as a mirror. Let alone ordinary beasts, even agile crawlers could not easily climb it. But for a True Dragon like Livia, these restrictions were not a problem at all. She only needed to flap her wings a couple of times to arrive with ease.
Livia spread her molten-gold wings and soared from the mouth of the dragon's nest. The morning wind swept past her, carrying the unique warmth of the volcano. She adjusted her direction in the air and flew straight toward the eastern cliff, arriving at her destination in no time.
She first flew to the top of the cliff and looked down from above.
In the middle of the cliff, a broad, protruding platform was particularly conspicuous. It was piled with dry branches, hay, and flammable thin vines, forming a dense, huge, and warm nest—the home of the Fire Hawk flock. Twelve Fire Hawks were circling the nest, their feathers ranging from crimson to orange-yellow, with wingspans between two and five meters. Each one exuded the aura of a fire-type magical beast.
Among this group of Fire Hawks, the most eye-catching was undoubtedly the one perched in the very center of the nest.
Its size far exceeded its kin, with a wingspan of at least five meters. Its entire body was covered in deep blood-red feathers, like long-solidified magma, shimmering with a dull yet majestic light under the sun. It sat quietly by the nest, stretching its wings toward the rising sun with its eyes half-squinted, looking leisurely as if the world were at peace and no one should disturb it.
This was clearly the Fire Hawk King.
Livia hesitated no longer. Folding her wings, her body became a golden stream of light as she dove down and landed steadily on the edge of the platform.
The previously quiet Fire Hawk flock instantly erupted into chaos.
Eleven Fire Hawks, as if their tails had been stepped on, suddenly shrieked and soared into the sky. They circled frantically in the air, their sharp cries piercing the sky. Each pair of hawk eyes stared fixedly at Livia, filled with vigilance and hostility, ready to launch a fire attack at any moment.
Only the Fire Hawk King in the center of the nest remained motionless.
It only opened its eyes slowly, turned its head, and gave Livia a faint look.
Then, it opened its mouth and let out an extremely calm cry:
"Gah."
Livia was slightly stunned.
She had expected roars, fire, or an immediate battle, but she never expected that the Fire Hawk King's first words would be such a simple and unadorned "Gah."
Suppressing the surprise in her heart, she took a deep breath and assumed a formal negotiating posture: "I am the master of this volcano, the Red Dragon Livia. I have come today because I want to—"
Before she could finish, the Fire Hawk King spoke calmly again:
"Gah."
Livia paused and patiently completed her sentence: "...discuss a partnership with you."
The Fire Hawk King didn't even lift an eyelid:
"Gah gah."
Livia was silent for a second and turned to look at her back.
The Kobold Chieftain was clinging tightly to her scales with a serious and earnest expression, as if performing some high-difficulty translation work. He pricked up his ears, carefully distinguishing every cry of the Fire Hawk King, his expression as solemn as if he were deciphering ancient script.
"Dragon Queen," he leaned carefully toward her ear and reported in a low voice, "I've researched the cries of all the birds near our volcano! When he said 'Gah' just now, it meant he agreed; 'Gah gah' means he strongly agrees!"
Livia stared expressionlessly at the Fire Hawk King.
The Fire Hawk King also looked back at her with a sincere gaze, his eyes clean and pure.
"...He only said one 'Gah' before, and only said 'Gah gah' after I finished," Livia calmly pointed out the key detail. "What did he agree to?"
The Chieftain thought seriously for a moment and immediately gave a perfect explanation: "Then it must be that he agreed in advance to you coming to discuss a partnership!"
Livia was silent for a second, choosing to temporarily believe this miraculous translation.
She looked back at the Fire Hawk King, her tone formal: "I need aerial reconnaissance forces. You and your flock will help me patrol the entire airspace in the future. Once you discover intruders or abnormal situations, report to me immediately."
The Fire Hawk King stared at her for two seconds and blurted out:
"Gah gah gah."
The Chieftain's eyes instantly lit up, and his tail even curled up in excitement: "Dragon Queen! It's 'Gah gah gah'! This means he really agrees! No problem at all!"
Looking at this big bird that seemed unable to do anything except say "Gah," Livia suddenly had a profound doubt—could it be that this thing simply didn't know how to say anything else, and its entire vocabulary consisted only of "Gah gah gah" combos?
But she continued the negotiation: "As payment, I will provide a sufficient amount of fire-type magical beasts for your food every month. Magma Lizards, Fire Rats, Fire Snakes—I will give you whatever you like to eat."
This time, the Fire Hawk King only faintly uttered one word:
"Gah."
Livia immediately looked at the Chieftain.
The Chieftain's expression turned serious as he entered deep analysis mode: "A single 'Gah' represents basic agreement, however... there should be one more detail he wants to discuss with you."
Livia continued to stare at the Fire Hawk King.
The Fire Hawk King also tilted its head and stared back at her with an innocent face.
The two "parties" stared at each other in silence for three seconds.
In the next second, as if finally unable to hold it in, the Fire Hawk King opened its mouth and a string of rhythmic, fast-paced cries burst out:
"Gah gah gah gah gah—"
A series of "Gahs," varying in length and pitch, really sounded like it was saying a long string of complex sentences.
Livia looked expressionlessly at the Chieftain.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on the Chieftain's forehead. He rubbed his fingers nervously, and his ears were almost pressed against the Fire Hawk King.
"This... this is a bit complicated..." He swallowed and whispered, "He seems to be saying... saying..."
"Saying what?" Livia asked.
The Chieftain gritted his teeth, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and gave the final translation result:
"He, he seems to be asking... if he can have one more Roasted Whole Sheep every month..."
Livia was silent for three seconds.
She slowly turned her head to look at the Fire Hawk King, whose eyes were full of expectation and whose expression was incredibly sincere.
So after all that, this string of passionate "Gah gah gahs" was just to add a dish.
She expressionlessly uttered one word: "...Deal."
The Fire Hawk King's eyes lit up instantly.
It suddenly stood up, shook its blood-red feathers majestically, and held its head high toward the sky, letting out a loud and proud cry:
"Gah!"
The eleven Fire Hawks that were still circling on alert seemed to have received a supreme command. They landed in unison, lining up neatly at the edge of the platform and looking at Livia with much more respectful attitudes.
The Fire Hawk King stepped forward to Livia and raised a sharp but non-hostile claw, holding it out before her eyes.
Livia looked down at the hawk claw for a full three seconds.
She finally understood; this big bird was quite big on a sense of ceremony.
She gently extended her own dragon claw and gave the Fire Hawk King's claw a symbolic shake.
The Fire Hawk King withdrew its claw with satisfaction, turned to its flock, and let out another string of rapid "Gah gah gahs."
All the Fire Hawks tilted their heads back and responded in unison: "Gah gah gah gah gah—"
The uniform cries echoed back and forth in the valley, directly startling a large flock of Rock Pigeons on a distant cliff into flight.
Livia stood there, listening to the simple and unadorned "Gah" sounds filling the mountains, and suddenly felt a bit dazed.
She, a dignified evolved pure Red Dragon, had just successfully recruited an air force... that could do nothing but say "Gah gah gah."
On the way back to the dragon's nest, the Kobold Chieftain lay on her back, his tail wagging frantically with excitement as he praised her non-stop.
"Dragon Queen, you are truly amazing! Did you know? The Fire Hawk King is usually very proud and ignores everyone! Three years ago, a Stray Dragon passed by our volcano and wanted to forcibly recruit the Fire Hawk flock. In the end, the Fire Hawk King led the flock to breathe fire, chasing that dragon away in a panic!"
Livia paused slightly as she listened: "A Stray Dragon has been here before?"
"Yes!" The Chieftain nodded repeatedly. "About three years ago, it was a Green Dragon. It wanted to seize this volcano as soon as it arrived. As a result, the Fire Hawk King led the flock and fought it for three days and three nights, beating it until it was covered in bumps. Finally, it fled in disgrace!"
Livia fell silent.
She certainly remembered that Green Dragon.
Three years ago, she had just reached adulthood and was not very strong. When that Green Dragon circled and provoked her above the crater, she was terrified and could only hide deep in her nest without making a sound. Later, the Green Dragon left for no apparent reason, and she had always thought it was because the other party despised the volcano for being poor and didn't care for this territory.
As it turned out, it was driven away by this flock of "Gah"-ing Fire Hawks.
She instinctively looked back toward the distant cliff.
The Fire Hawk King was still perched by the nest, basking in the sun. From afar, it was just a tiny red dot.
"Why was he willing to help me?" Livia asked softly.
The Chieftain thought for a moment and answered honestly: "Maybe because you were particularly sincere? And you didn't try to kill or enslave them from the start. The guys who came before were all very fierce; they'd start a fight if they weren't obeyed. The Fire Hawk King didn't pay them any mind."
Livia didn't speak.
She indeed had never thought about exterminating them.
If she killed all the Fire Hawks, who would patrol and keep watch for her?
In no time, Livia flew back to the crater and landed gently at the entrance of her nest.
The three little ones were all lying on the platform basking in the sun. As soon as they saw her return, they immediately perked up.
Kalendil was the first to jump up and run to meet her, his small face full of expectation: "Mother! Did you recruit the Fire Hawks?"
"I did," Livia nodded.
"Are they obedient?" Kalendil asked curiously.
Livia was silent for a moment and gave the most accurate assessment: "...They can say 'Gah gah gah'."
Kalendil froze on the spot, his face full of confusion: "What is 'Gah gah gah'?"
Livia didn't feel like explaining and walked straight past him, preparing to rest in the nest for a while.
Behind her, the chirping questions of the three little dragons immediately followed.
Kalendil: "Mother! What exactly is 'Gah gah gah'?"
Valerion spoke slowly, still chewing on a stone: "Maybe it's a bird call."
Aetheriel tilted his head, with sparks in his left eye and electric arcs in his right: "Why do birds only say 'Gah'?"
Valerion: "I don't know."
Aetheriel's eyes lit up: "I'll go ask them."
Livia's footsteps suddenly stopped, and she immediately turned around: "You are not allowed to go."
But it was too late.
Aetheriel was already flapping those small, not-yet-fully-grown wings, flying off crookedly and stumbling toward the Fire Hawk cliff. His small figure swayed in the air, and before he had flown even a hundred meters, his wings suddenly lost balance. His body performed a sudden somersault in mid-air, and he plunged straight down headfirst.
Livia's heart tightened. She rushed out almost instantly and steadily caught the little fellow in mid-air before he could knock himself unconscious.
Aetheriel lay safely in her claws, looked up at her innocently with sparks in his left eye and electric arcs in his right, and said righteously: "I was flying, and then I flipped."
Livia stared at him for three seconds without saying a word, then placed him back on the platform.
"Go another day," she said faintly.
Aetheriel immediately looked disappointed, and his small head drooped.
Beside them, Valerion was still leisurely basking in the sun, holding a newly picked stone in his mouth and crunching on it with great joy. Kalendil stood to the side, concentrating on practicing fire-breathing at his own shadow, puff after puff, looking very serious.
Livia looked at these three hatchlings, each playing on their own without interfering with one another, and suddenly remembered the Fire Hawk King's passionate string of "Gah gah gah gah gahs."
Even now, she didn't understand exactly what that string of "Gahs" meant.
But she felt inexplicably that it should be something good.