The smartphone video shook violently as Jake Reynolds tried to steady his hands. "We're going to die," Emily whispered off-camera, her voice cracking. The footage, later to become viral hit "Giant Eagle Saves Students," captured ten wolves circling their group with military precision.
The gunshots echoed through the African wilderness, each blast making the camera jump. Seven wolves down. Then – that heart-stopping click of empty chambers. The video caught Derek's muttered "Oh shit" with perfect clarity.
Then it happened. The camera tilted skyward as something massive blocked out the sun. Viewers would later analyze this frame-by-frame, debating whether the dark shape was real or CGI. The eagle's descent was captured in stunning detail – each blood-stained feather, each massive talon gleaming in the sunlight.
Comments flooded in real-time:
@WildlifeExpert: "This has to be fake. Nothing that size exists."
@BiologyNerd: "HOLY SHIT DID IT JUST YEET THAT WOLF INTO ORBIT???"
@ConspiracyHunter: "Government experiment confirmed!!!"
@NatGeoPhotographer: "I quit. Nothing will ever top this."
@ScienceGuy1067: "That's physically impossible... right? RIGHT???"
Live viewer count: 157,000 and climbing.
The wolf's body created a crater on impact, the camera catching every gruesome detail. Blood sprayed across moss-covered stones like abstract art. The second wolf died so quickly the camera barely caught the movement – just a blur of talons and suddenly there was one less predator in the world.
Research teams worldwide scrambled to respond:
Dr. Sarah Chen, Stanford University: "The size-to-weight ratio defies known biological limitations.
Professor Liu Wei, Beijing Zoological Institute: "If genuine, this represents an evolutionary impossibility."
Dr. Heinrich Mueller, Max Planck Institute: "The hunting technique suggests advanced problem-solving capabilities"
Dr. Rajesh Patel, Indian Wildlife Conservation: "The combination of size and agility is unprecedented."
Professor Maria Santos, Brazilian Biodiversity Center: "This could revolutionize our understanding of avian evolution."
Dr. James Morrison, Australian Wildlife Research: "Similarities to Haast's Eagle are undeniable, but the scale is impossible, is it mutated?."
The video captured every blood-soaked second in 4K resolution, ensuring that no one could deny what they were seeing. Jake's hands had steadied by the end, as if the sheer impossibility of the situation had shocked him into calmness.
The final frame showed the eagle landing, its wingspan blocking most of the view. Blood dripped from its talons onto the forest floor, creating tiny red pools that reflected the afternoon sun. The camera zoomed in on its eyes – intelligent, calculating, almost amused.
Nobody watching realized they were looking at something far more than just a giant bird. They were watching the beginning of a new era.
And somewhere in the depths of the internet, a meme was born: "When your Uber driver is an absolute unit of an eagle."
The livestream continued as Sarah Martinez held out the silver-leafed plant with trembling hands. The eagle – now dubbed "BigBird" by Twitter – studied it with an intensity that sent shivers through the viewing audience.
"That's a Haast's Eagle coloration pattern," commented Dr. Victoria Hayes on the rapidly growing livestream. "But Haast's Eagles went extinct in New Zealand around 1400 AD. They were the largest known eagles, with a wingspan of up to 3 meters... but this specimen is at least twice that size."
The chat exploded:
@BirdNerd23: "Look at those markings! Classic Haast's pattern but with bald eagle coloring!"
@CryptoHunter: "SOMEBODY CALL NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC!"
@ScienceMom: "My kids are watching this instead of doing homework and I'm not even mad."
@WildlifePhotographer: "The way it moves... it's calculating everything."
@ConspiracyHunter: "Government super-soldier program confirmed!"
The eagle then looked Sarah's eyes as its beak pointed at the plant.
Sarah looked at her colleagues, who urged her to give away the rare plant. In the end, her life was more important than the damn plant.
The eagle delicately took the plant, its massive beak displaying surprising precision. Then, instead of flying away, it began following the group as they made their way back to their research station.
"It's... protecting us?" Jake's voice wavered on camera. "Like some kind of feathered bodyguard?"
Little did they know, Kaiser was only doing this to see, where the humans had come from. So next next he could be more wary and better prepared.
The chat went wild:
@WildlifeExpert: "EAGLE UBER SERVICE ACTIVATED"
@BiologyNerd:"Nature's VIP protection program"
@DaddyJinWu:"When you accidentally tame a boss monster"
What the viewers didn't realize – what Kaiser found darkly amusing – was that they were being tracked, not protected. Each step they took was another data point, another piece of valuable information about their origin and purpose.
The silver plant pulsed with mana in Kaiser's grip, its energy signature growing stronger as they approached civilization. The humans, blissfully unaware, kept glancing back with a mixture of fear and awe.
***
Within hours, the video had gone supernova. Research proposals flooded in from every major institution:
USA - Smithsonian Institute:
"Project Phoenix: Studying the Evolutionary Implications of Giant Eagle Species"
Budget: $50 million
Lead: Dr. Amanda Pierce
Goal: Comprehensive DNA analysis and behavioral study
China - Beijing Advanced Biology Center:
"Operation Sky Giant: Genetic Mapping Initiative"
Budget: ¥300 million
Lead: Professor Zhang Wei
Focus: Reproductive capabilities and genetic preservation
Germany - Max Planck Institute for Ornithology:
"Project Überadler: Behavioral Analysis Program"
Budget: €40 million
Lead: Dr. Klaus Weber
Emphasis: Intelligence testing and social behavior patterns
Japan - Tokyo Wildlife Research Center:
"Project Tengu: Giant Eagle Conservation Initiative"
Budget: ¥5 billion
Lead: Dr. Yuki Tanaka
Focus: Breeding program development
Russia - Moscow Zoological Institute:
"Operation Sky Guardian: Species Preservation"
Budget: ₽4 billion
Lead: Dr. Dmitri Volkov
Goal: Habitat creation and protection
Australia - Sydney Wildlife Conservation:
"Project Thunder: Indigenous Species Research"
Budget: $60 million AUD
Lead: Dr. Emma Watson
Focus: Historical connection to extinct megafauna
Conservation groups mobilized worldwide. #SaveTheGiantEagle trended globally. Memes flooded social media:
"When your emotional support animal can bench press a car"
"Nobody:
Giant Eagle: I'm about to end this wolf's whole career"
"Me: Mom can we get an eagle?
Mom: We have eagle at home
Eagle at home: literally throws wolves into orbit"
Kaiser watched the humans going to edge of the western area, thus encountering roads. He never bothered to venture deep into the western area, as he was too focused on evolving.
The silver plant's energy grew stronger each day, its purpose still unclear but its importance undeniable. Soon, very soon, its true significance would be revealed.
His plan was of course to eat it, what else could he do with it.