Fenn is much too young to be expected to hunt, fish and otherwise support his family. He is even too young to fly a seagull. Yet he is eager to prove he can pull his weight. With his older brother, Pitr and their clever friend, Jayd, they set out to do just that until a near-death encounter with a wild crow forces Fenn to admit he just isn't ready yet. Unexpectedly, he is invited on his very first village hunt with his family. It is the happiest day of his young life until he spots a stranger in the forest, chases her and becomes separated from his party when he slips on a rock and is knocked unconscious. Waking only to find himself in unknown Crow territory, Fenn becomes embroiled in the legacy of a war fought between the Gull tribe and the Crow tribe more than a generation ago, and now threatens to break out again unless he can bring the two once-united peoples together. But first, Pitr, Jayd and the stranger in the forest are determined to find Fenn and bring him safely back home. "The Black Blade" is a unique, engrossing tale based in a land inhabited by creatures who have learned to domesticate and harness the power of the larger birds in order to hunt, fish and eke out a living on the harsh pre-ice-age North American coast, long before humans or other larger mammals ever existed here.