Blue Jay

When all birds migrate he chooses not to.

It raises it's little blue head up from out of it's nest. In the distance his fellow avians head for the north, the complete opposite of where they came from just a few months ago. He understood the importance of migration but he hated moving around. Besides with all of the birds gone there was more food for him. Not to mention that the weather was fine and predators were easier to spot.

The Blue Jay decided to take flight and explore his newly claimed home. He flew over the strange wingless creatures that walked on two legs as well as the ones that used the giant boxes with wheels to move around in. He flew across buildings and open fields, letting out a great shout for the whole sky to hear. It was perfect. He decided to land on a tree that was located next to a small convenience store. He turned to face it and on top of the store in great, big neon letters was a sign that read " South Carolina's Friendliest, we're here to serve YOU". The lights intrigued him but was more interesting was what lay behind them. A small brown bird unlike anything the Blue Jay had every seen despite it's common color. "Hello?" the blue jay crept up closer to it. The brown bird quickly got up and inspected this intruder to his home. " Aah, you're one of them blues. Right?" the small brown bird continued, "you came from the north, huh?". "Yeah, but I ain't going back." The Blue Jay responded with a great look of satisfaction on his face. The brown bird moved closer "Listen, Blue you got to get going. Like right now." Blue looked down at the small brown bird " Look uhh, whatever your name is, First off all only my friends call me Blue and second of all I don't have to go anywhere."

"You can call me Wren" the brown bird responded "and as for your other comment, I would have to say that yes you do have to go." Blue and Wren stood their looking at each other as a gentle breeze blow past them, taking with it a few of the leaves that were stuck behind the big neon lights. "Listen, you shouldn't take it personal. I ain't got no problems with you but the Ravens sure will." The Wren said this as it took a look out from in between the store's letters. "The Ravens? Who are the Ravens?" Blue who was once interested by the store's bright lights had now shifted his attention towards these so called Ravens.

"The Ravens are a family of birds who regulate migration patterns around here. If they catch an outsider from the North... well they." Wren remained silent and he looked towards the grown. "They what?", "They execute their captive by having every single one of their members peck him or her until he or she... dies." "This is why you must go before they see you." he pleaded. Blue looked towards the sky and then back down to Wren, " Thank you for your warning little brown bird maybe I should get going". Just as he finished a giant shadow is cast over both of them. A deep, snarling voice crows out" I think it's a bit too late for you to go back home unpunished." Blue turns and a giant, black bird with mangled feathers stands before them. Wren is paralyzed with fear and only whispers emerge from his mouth, " I swear I wasn't helping him, I swears...". The black bird lifts it's disfigured head up and lets out a giant "CAW". In a matter of seconds the sky is filled with the ravens, each one uglier than the last. Wren turns to Blue and utters a single word "run".

Blue spreads his wings out and takes to the sky, making sure to keep low so as to put distance between him and the others. The Ravens quickly follow after him, their eyes filled with malice. Blue flies past the buildings and the strange two legged creatures, heading north. He thinks to himself if I can just pass the line that divides north from south then they have no jurisdiction over him. Into the forest he goes losing many of the Ravens along the way. All but one remains, the very first raven that Blue encountered. The Raven flies over Blue and begins to claw him. Blue evades the first few strikes but the rest of them are able to reach him. Bloodied and exhausted, Blue crashes into an open field. Just a few kilometers from the dividing line.

The Raven walks over to Blue whom is now on the floor, defeated. "You know it's nothing personal but the last time an outsider came he left this scar on me." He says this as he opens up his wings to reveal a deep mark running alongside his right wing. "He made me look weak and I just can't be having any of that." The Raven lifts up its claws above Blue's head but before he can deliver the killing blow, a small brown bird flies onto the massive Raven's head and begins to claw out it's eyes. The Ravens pain filled screams fill the air and he lowers his head with blood now streaming from the empty sockets which once housed his eyes. In the distance the rest of the Ravens start flying towards the screams. "You have to go NOW!" Wren yells out. Blue gets up but before he takes off he invites the brown bird to come with him. "You can't stay here, they'll kill you." Wren looks at him with tears in his eyes " but this is my home, all I wanted was to live here and be happy.". Blue thinks back to how he felt when he realized that he had to go back to the north. "Wren, come with me and live a long, happy life or stay here and die a painful death in your home." The rest of the Ravens begin to get closer, emerging out of the forest. "Where will we go?" Blue looks at him with a smile and says " We'll go north for a little while and then we will go west." Wren and Blue take to the skies, starting to put some distance between themselves and their pursuers

"What's in the west" Wren asks now curious of this new area. Blue looks onward, filled with optimism he simply replies " I don't know."