Arbor Hawk

[Jade Cheetah]

Shandra Bellows is also known as the superhero Arbor Hawk

In the spring of 2004 Shandra was in her senior year at Oregon state. Living at home in Portland afforded Shandra many benefits in her role as a biology teacher's assistant.
She often lead groups of students into the woodlands around the Portland area for projects and reports. On a beautiful friday afternoon Shandra and her good friend Terry were in some woodland near Mt Hood. Shandra was going to mark off a area for a class survey that Sunday. The Survey would be of 20 square yards of northwest rainforst. Shandra wanted to find a area of the right size but that included much diversty, including a stream. Having found the perfect site, a good ways away from the road Shandra asked Terry if he could return to the car to get the marking tape she had forgot. Terry was happy to help.

As Terry left , Shandra took a few minutes to relax in this little paradise she had found. As she relaxed something bothered her. Finally it dawned on her that there were no animal noises, n birds or other animal noises. She then heard a Hawk cry. The cry came from the other side of a large fallen tree on a hillside. She could not see on the other side of the massive tree. She headed over in hopes of seeing a nest. As she approached the fallen tree, a Cooper's hawk flew no more than five feet above Shandra's head. She could see the brown and white banding on the bird's underside. When she first saw it it had it's head turned back and was looking where it had come from. The Hawk then turned it's head and looked at Shandra with it's bright red eyes. The hawk let out another cry; as if to warn the human to run! Shandra paused and took in the wonderful sight; but then continued on to climb over the fallen tree. Once over the mossed over trunk Shandra found herself again in a deathly still forest. She had no time to react to the bright light that sudenly surrounded her.

[Jade Cheetah]

" So, who were these aliens Ms Bellows?" Jim Bell of the Paragon Times asked. " I have no idea really." Arbor Hawk gave the reporter a small smirk and shrugged her shoulders. Then after a second of thought she continued. " I do know they were not the little gray guys with the big rounded head. " "Oh? and how is that?" Asked Bell.

" Well I remember very little of the incident, and that I remember is in a foggy dream like quality. There were bright lights, I think because the figures over me were in shadow and I could not make out there faces. I do know that there heads were not normal shaped. The Aliens had T shaped heads. " Jim Bell looked at the super heroine, and just nodded and wrote on his pad. " Did they say anything to you? Do you remember hearing anything " Asked bell. " Oh yeah, they talked to me in weird voices that seemed full of vibrations. They showed me the harness and the war mace and said that they were mine." " Giving you instructions huh?" Bell asked. " Yes! One of the other aliens said that I would need it to fight the bad, and another chimed in with ' You are good! ' This brought a smile to Shandra. " Why the smile?" Asked the curious reporter. " It was then that I knew I was alright. In thinking back on it, it just seems very cute and kind what they were doing."

" Really? So you would say this was a good experience?" Bell asked. " Well yeah! I mean without it I would probably still be a normal Oregon girl at OSU. I ...I mean we Terry and I, we have a idea about them. we think that somehow these aliens found out about the Rikti and what they did to Earth and Paragon." Bell bussied himself with note taking. " The fact that they gave me only these two things might indicate that they were in a hurry and just made these basic things and came here. I really get the sense of deep caring from when that alien said I was good and that I was to fight the bad. It could be that the Ritki attacked them in the past or something, and they knew we would need all the help we could get and fast." " That is very insightful Ms Bellows." Bell said, without looking up from his writing.

" So tell me about what happened after, how were you found or get home?" " I don't remember them letting me go or anything, all I remember is kinda waking up and staring at a snail on the big fallen tree. I was sitting on the soft moss of the fallen tree and it was Saturday morning already." "Saturday morning? Really! So you were with the Aliens for several hours!" Bell asked. " Yes it seems so, Terry had returned from getting the marking tape and I was gone. He was not worried at first, he just assumed I went exploring." Bell asked Shandra to pause a bit as he wrote. Shandra then continued after a minute.

" Terry looked all night and said he must have covered a square mile. Well, it was early Saturday morning and Terry was gonna head out and get help, when he found me sitting on the fallen tree." Bell looked up with a puzzeled look on his face. " Why didn't he go for help sooner?" " Terry was certain that I was not kidnapped or anything like that, so he figured I was just lost and that he could find me if he kept shouting." Shandra said and then smiled. " When he did find me he could bearly talk from yelling all night. Terry rushed to me and I then came out of the dreamlike state I was in. Terry gave me the jacket he had brought from the car, and asked me what had happened. It was then that he noticed the Mace and the harness."

"You were wearing them?" Bell asked. " Yes and I had not even noticed till then. Terry went to grab the mace from me and I just automatically said 'No! it is mine!' Shandra gave a small frown. " Is something wrong?" Bell asked her. " No I am fine; it is just that the items affect me." "Affect you? You mean beyond the power that they grant." " yes!" Shandra said. " They affect my personality. I am a different person when I wear them." " Any idea why this is? and is it very dramatic?" Asked the reporter. " This might sound strange but I get the sense that the items desire to be used. It is almost like they are saying 'Let's fight!' They kinda psych me up and give me a attitude." Bell gave a sound that was a " very interesting " kinda agreement.

" My friends and family noticed that I got short with them and kinda act rude when I had them on. I did let Terry see the mace, and it was when we discovered my toughness." "Oh, how so?" Bell asked as he eyed the massive weapon at Arbor Hawk's side. " when I gave him the Mace to hold he nearly dropped it but it fell down and hit my leg. Terry was so worried he had hurt me that he quickly pulled up my pant leg to see the damage but there was none." Bell looked at the Mace head and judged it to be about the size of a bowling ball with large spikes.

" So do you know what gives you this toughness?" Bell asked " I remember one of the Aliens saying, ' This is for strength and flight' when he put the harness on me. I know without it on I can be hurt just like anyone else. Shandra gave a shocked look at what she had just done. " um.. can you not print that part! Please!!! " Jim looked up and chuckled. " Oh yeah we won't print that part, it will stay between you and me! " He said smiling