"Wife, touch it, just touch it, so much fun!" - Trick the wife into touching the Thunderbird.

The mythology and legends surrounding the Thunderbird, a creature with the power to stir up thunder and lightning, mostly come from the Native American tribes of North America. It is a powerful deity with abilities that surpass those of humans, although not on the same level as true gods.

In this world, the Thunderbirds do not actually summon lightning, but they became our most powerful air force during the Southern Plains War and the Spring Offensive.

As for how my wife and I encountered this giant bird, it all started a few days before the rainy season began.

Just imagine, you and your wife, holding horses, singing songs, eating wild fruits, when suddenly you hear a terrified cry coming from the sky. How would you feel?

My first reaction was to draw my gun, as it had become a habit.

When the giant bird hovered in the air, its shadow was enough to cover both me and my wife. Its call resembled that of a crow, rough and hoarse, making it difficult for me to associate it with gentle creatures like sheep.

"Have you ever seen this bird?" I kept my crosshair on the bird and asked my wife.

"No, I've never seen it before. Should I prepare my bow and arrows?"

"I think you should get ready right away."

I focused too much on my wife and completely overlooked the situation in the sky. It wasn't until the bird made its first dive attack that I realized our current predicament - we must have entered the territory of this monster.

"Find a tree, wife!"

"Go over there!"

In this area, the only cover available was the trees. But it was only a temporary solution, as the bird launching sudden attacks showed no signs of retreating, circling in the sky and continuing to make its calls. Medusa and I had become the prey.

The encounter happened too suddenly, and I couldn't think of any means of counterattack for the time being.

"Wife, what should we do?"

"Let's split up and see who the bird chases."

"Okay... let's do that. If it chases after you, I'll shoot it; if it chases after me, you shoot it with your arrows."

"Alright, on the count of three, two, one!"

My wife and I ran in opposite directions, me on horseback at a fast pace, and Medusa taking a zigzag escape route. But the strange bird's dive attack speed was faster than both me and my wife. It seemed that I was its primary target.

"Wife, shoot!"

"Husband, it's too fast!"

"Don't worry about me, just shoot!"

I couldn't afford to consider whether the magic arrows would hit the mark. I leaned forward, pulled the reins to the left, making the horse's running path veer towards my wife, in an attempt to improve the accuracy of the magic arrow. But the strange bird suddenly changed its target, flapping its wings with such force that it almost knocked me and my horse over.

"Wife, get back under the tree!"

My intuition told me that this bird probably wouldn't be affected by petrification magic. My wife wouldn't stand a chance against it head-on.

Perhaps my wife also knew the difference in strength, as she quickly jumped up and took cover under the tree.

A perfect shooting window, holding the gun with my right hand, resting the barrel on my left arm for stability. Both shots hit their mark, and at that moment, I finally saw the full extent of this giant bird. Its feathers gradually shifted from dark blue to white, with a white beak on top and curled feathers on its head. Its entire physique resembled a falcon rather than an eagle.

The bird shot with the bullets didn't fall to the ground as I had expected. Instead, it flapped its wings forward and let out an angry cry. I didn't have a chance to fire a third shot because the bird emitted a blue light while still in the air.

F**k! Are you kidding me!

The glowing phenomenon I saw should be called a high-voltage arc...

Even the usually calm Medusa was startled by the electric sparks bouncing on the ground. Every hair on my body stood on end, and I dropped my gun because the horse was frightened and rearing.

Fortunately, the bird's electricity discharge was short-lived, and I managed to barely control the warhorse beneath me. I hurried to my wife's side, got off the horse, and checked if she was injured.

"I'm fine, husband."

"That's good to hear. Where's the bird?"

"It fell down!"

"Quick, aim with your bow and arrow! I'll get my gun!"

Damn it... Just two days of relaxation, and now I'm in a "husband and wife versus giant bird" situation.

Considering that this monster should be the same type of bird described in the book, my original intention was to have it help us fight against the kingdom, so I didn't continue attacking. My wife and I aimed our guns and bows at the fallen giant bird. The injuries from one arrow and two bullets affected its combat effectiveness, and now it could only flap its wings and intimidate us.

"What should we do? Kill it?"

"Not yet, I think there must be a reason why it landed."

"Are you going to talk to it?"

"Let's give it a try, if I'm in danger, shoot an arrow at its head."

I put the gun back into its leather holster and raised my hands to show that I didn't want to continue fighting. I stared at the electric sparks continuously coming out of the feathers of the giant bird, and I thought I could call this monster Lightning Bird. After some thought, considering that I didn't know if we could communicate with language, I threw the black merchant emblem in front of it.

The Lightning Bird moved its head slightly, pecked at the emblem with its beak, as if understanding something, and let out two short chirps. Its two large wings folded in front of its chest, a gesture that resembled a bow from ancient China.

"I'm sorry for attacking you just now, it was unfortunate."

"Squawk, squawk."

Well, we couldn't communicate. But the Lightning Bird should already know that I'm not an enemy. If I'm not an enemy, then I can only be a black merchant. The problem is, as a black merchant, I can't trade with it.

The Lightning Bird must be a monster with a strong territorial sense, and this territory must provide all the resources it needs to survive. If the black merchant wants to trade with it, it has to provide resources that the Lightning Bird cannot normally obtain.

"What do you want?" I muttered to myself.

I asked my wife to throw the chestnut ball we had caught earlier at it, but the Lightning Bird didn't even look at it. The plump chestnut ball was crushed under its claws and immediately died. It was obvious that food was not what the Lightning Bird wanted.

A bird that can generate electricity must have eaten something with magical power. Wait, electricity, generating... electricity?

Put myself in its shoes, it's time to put myself in its shoes.

Could it be... that this Lightning Bird is also in great pain?

This bird stood more than two meters tall, and without the feathers, its physical size was not large. Although I didn't understand how the Lightning Bird stored its electric charge, it must not be an easy task, and it must have to endure some physical pain.

According to this line of thinking, I wanted to reach out and touch the Lightning Bird, but then I realized it wasn't a good idea; the risk was too great. It wouldn't be surprising if it electrocuted me to death.

Releasing the electricity should relieve its pain, and speaking of which, it can release electricity itself!

"Mr. Bird, why don't you stretch your wings?"

"Squawk?"

"Um... like you did just now?"

"Squawk, squawk?"

"Beep beep beep beep~~~"

"Beep beep beep beep~~~"

I imitated the way the Lightning Bird released electricity, making trembling actions, which made my wife burst into laughter.

"Honey, what are you doing?"

"You don't understand, this is called communication through guidance."

"I think you've eaten something bad, and you can't hold it anymore."

The Lightning Bird had no reaction to my exaggerated gestures; it just watched me like it was watching a clown. It had just released electricity by itself earlier, but now it couldn't, why?

Suddenly, I had a very bold idea. I had always defined the trade between the black merchant and monsters as trading goods and currency. But doesn't providing a service also count as a kind of commodity? The trade between the black merchant and the Lightning Bird most likely involved helping the Lightning Bird release the current inside its body to make it feel more comfortable, and in return, receive a reward from the Lightning Bird.

And the Lightning Bird couldn't control the release of the current itself; it only reflexively released the high-voltage current because it had been injured and its body had been stimulated.

"Wife, let's bring it to the small stream we passed by."

"Do we need to go back?"

"Yes, but stay alert."

After the intense battle, the fangs horse had exhausted a lot of energy and finished off the last bit of horse feed that I had left. I gave my wife a signal and she mounted her horse to lead the way. The Lightning Bird didn't fly; it followed me on the ground. In this way, with me in front, my wife behind, and the Lightning Bird in the middle, we headed straight for the small stream.

The idea of introducing the current into the water was not because of my good physics knowledge, but simply common sense.

The way to release the electricity was simple; using a wet hemp rope as a conductor. Put one end into the water and tie the other end to the Lightning Bird. But it was difficult to tie the rope to the Lightning Bird. In this era, there were no insulated gloves; should I just handle it directly? That's playing with my life, not just being reckless.

But at this point, I had to try my best. I threw the wet rope towards the Lightning Bird, swiftly entangling it. The whole process had to be fast, accurate, and ruthless. If I hesitated for even a moment, if my hand left the rope a second too late, it could...

"Honey, we..."

"Shh, don't speak. I'm very nervous right now."

I tried to convey the message of not moving to the thunderbird. I held onto the coarse rope and raised it above my head, assuming a throwing javelin posture. The rope needed to be whipped like a whip, and then, the moment the rope touched the thunderbird's neck, I quickly let go. I scratched my pants leg and coughed discretely.

"Here we go!"

The rope swung out, and the over three-meter-long rope fell over the thunderbird's head. At this moment, I needed to give the rope a backward force in order to create a tangling effect.

In that split second, the sound of electricity was so intense that it felt like my heart was going through cardiac arrest and resuscitation multiple times. I sat on the ground, and the thunderbird emitted a dazzling white light. The entire process of electrification lasted for about a minute. The blinding light in the first few seconds made me have to turn away, and I also pulled my wife over to cover her eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, everything seemed to have residual black marks caused by the intense light.

"Phew... that was terrifying."

"Honey, look."

When I glanced at the thunderbird again, it was already squatting on the ground like a big mother hen. It occasionally squinted its eyes and used its beak to tidy up the blue feathers on its body. It looked very docile. I approached it and looked closely. There were no crackling sparks between its feathers, and the feathers that were originally raised on its head had also become submissive. Now, I should be able to touch it with my hand, right?

"You're so good...hisss...sigh...huff, huff, huff, huff."

Oh, it's still electric. Touching it made me feel all tingly.

"Honey?"

"Yes? What's wrong? It won't attack us anymore."

"Oh..."

"Hey, wife, touch it, touch it, it's so fun."

"I won't touch it."

"Just give it a touch, really, it feels so good."

I teased my wife and asked her to touch the thunderbird. It would be so interesting if Medusa got shocked by it. Finally, I managed to scare my wife, and she touched the thunderbird's head. Then, the spasmodic reaction traveled from her fingertips to the tip of her tail.

"Yi ~~~~~~ ya!"

"Hahaha!"

"Honey! You're bad! I hate you!"

"Wasn't it comfortable?"

"What's comfortable about it?"

I quickly apologized and hugged my wife. Meanwhile, I looked at the thunderbird. This monster was making soft cries, appearing somewhat pitiful. Suddenly, I remembered that the bird was injured, so I quickly crouched down to examine its wound. While enduring the weak electric shocks, I asked my wife,

"What were you trying to say just now?"

"Oh, I wanted to ask, couldn't you make the bird step on the rope?"

"Um..."

Well, I acted like an idiot.