Hunter

Source: Wikipedia Commons

She swooped, on dream-borrowed wings between the red and gold canyon walls. The up-thrust and cross-draft of the localised air currents brushed against her feather tips. She allowed herself to surrender to the thrill of her flight. Her talons tightened on their load.
“Goshawk, target is 30 seconds away, keep to current heading and current speed.”
“Copy, Austringer. Maintaining current heading and speed.”
Drawn back to the task at hand, she could see her target crouched on a raft, riding the churning water
along the narrow canyon floor.
“I have a visual, Austringer.”
“Copy that, Goshawk. Proceed with caution.”
“Copy, Austringer. I’m going in.”
She stooped to ten meters over the heaving river. The craft grew larger in her view. It bobbed and twisted in the unruly waves. Dropping another five meters she eased down over the raft.
“Locked on to target.”
She kept abreast of the raft and its dissident occupant for just long enough to match its speed and drop another four meters.
“Incendiary device deployed.”
Her talons released their burden and she shot up into the air, up and back along the path of the raft. Five seconds later, a vast flame flower bloomed on the water.
200 word stories © Kim Magennis 2018