Rowan would have continued fighting Buckbeak if Grandpa Rodan had not come along and stopped them.

With just one look, Buckbeak backed down and allowed the elderly man to collect the eggs.

Grandpa Rodan heaved Rowan up with one arm and they began walking back.

“ You got scratched up real bad didn’t you?” Grandpa Rodan said cheerfully with a grin.

“You knew this was going to happen didn’t you? What is that rooster.” Rowan asked pointedly at his grandpa. The fact that his Grandpa showed up made him suspicious that the whole task of collecting eggs was a ruse.

“ Yes to your first question. The answer to your second question would have to be saved for another time. I will only say that the rooster thinks it's the descendent of a phoenix the way it acts. It doesn't let anyone touch its belongings. In his viewpoint, the eggs are his belongings and only those worthy can collect them.”

“I guess I'm not worthy then.” Rowan said as he looked downcast. Then it dawned on him how strange those words sounded.

A chicken of all animals had looked down on him.

Rowan felt extremely ashamed of himself.

“You don't have to look so upset. Even knights have trouble with Buckbeak. You are not the first to be beaten by Buckbeak and certainly won’t be the last.”

Rowan was glad to see that his initial estimation of the rooster was correct. He asked curiously

“So you sent me there knowing that I wouldn't be able to collect the eggs?”

“Yes. See it as a test. “

“Then that means I failed…”

“It’s true that you weren’t able to collect the eggs, but it was more of a test of character than anything else. I wanted to see what you would do when faced with an impossible task. ”

 “So? What were the results, Grandpa Rodan?”

“Let me ask you a question instead. Why didn’t you run away when you knew Buckbeak was stronger than you?”

Rowan tilted his head and thought about it. The thought of running away did occur, if only briefly. However that thought was quickly gotten rid of. He was assigned a task and he would do his best to accomplish it, no matter the difficulty After a few moments, Rowan put his thoughts into words.

“I didn’t really think of running away. You told me to collect the eggs and that's what I tried to do.”

“Ah, but you could have taken a step back instead of engaging Buckbeak in a direct faceoff. You could have retreated and thought about how to overcome this situation.”

Rowan answered with the first thing that came to mind. “ Retreat? Run away? A true knight never runs away! They get the job done no matter what!”

“But you’re not a knight? You just turned ten and you’re still a boy. I never told you to risk yourself in the egg collection task. I also never told you how you need to collect the eggs.” Grandpa Rodan wagged a finger at the boy and then said.

“Let me teach you two things right here right now after watching your actions. First lesson. There is no shame in running away. Once you step back, analyze the situation. “

The very thought of running away disgusted Rowan for some reason. Especially running away from a rooster. It must have shown on his face as Grandpa Rodan laughed and tussled his hair.

“If you don’t like how it sounds, then call it a tactical retreat. Running away does not mean that you gave up. It only means that you are not ready for the current problem. Once you figure out a solution, you can go back and finish your business. “

Grandpa Rodan could see that Rowan didn’t comprehend his words and wasn’t happy with the thought of retreating. “I’m not telling you to run away everytime the battle looks tough. You have to look at the situation as a whole. Let me teach you the second lesson right now. Learn to be flexible and adjust your thinking on the go. There are times when a person can’t away.  For example when a knight is protecting villagers or a guard escorting a merchant. They can’t run away because they have someone to protect, but thats not your situation. You are not protecting anyone and no one is stopping you from retreating. Buckbeak would have stopped if you stepped back and thought about it. You must have realized it initially that you would not be able to get past him, but you still face him head on, hoping to somehow beat him. You relied on luck and luck isn’t reliable. For instance, if this had been a true monster, you would have been dead many times over now.”

Grandpa Rodan let those words sink in for a moment  before continuing.

“If you had step back, I’m sure you could have thought of a few ways to get the eggs. Sure, a few wouldn’t work, but one of them might have. If you retreated and observe, then you can strategize a solution to your problem. That's why it’s called a tactical retreat. You’re not running away, nor are you giving up on the problem. You’re merely buying time for a solution that will work in your favor. Now that you have time to think about it, why don’t you try to think a solution right now?”

Rowan gave it some thought and he quickly thought of a solution, but the solution he thought of just felt so….wrong.

Grandpa Rodan read the emotions of Rowan’s face and must have picked up something as he asked “What did you think of? There is no wrong answer.”

Rowan hesitated before answering “ …I could have gone and found you after failing the first time to defeat Buckbeak.”

Grandpa Rodan Clapped his hands in admiration. “ Good answer! Yes you could have. It may sound cowardly, but that would have been a good choice. Unfortunately that choice doesn’t work anymore since we’re having this talk right now. I wont be there everytime to help you out. This is a lesson to test your brain, not a for you to find ways to rely on me. That’s why i said plans and choices change as the situation develops. A solution that works before may not work for the same problem later on. Brainstorm  and experiment  on how to get those eggs. That is your new homework.”

Rowan nodded. Deep down he was glad that the first solution he mentioned was shot down as he didn’t want to rely on someone else to accomplish his task. It was his task and he would be the one to accomplish it.

At this point the duo had reached and entered the house. Rowans stomach let out ferocious roar that cause his face to redden in embarrassment.

Grandpa Rodan merely laughed it off and said “ Clean yourself a bit and set the table. I’ll get breakfast done real fast. It's time to wake up young Aaron. Now keep what happened a secret between us okay? Wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise for our young noble would we? We want him to face the full treatment.”

Rowan grinned at those words.

What makes a suffering person feel better?

It was when there was another person to share the suffering with.