Crackle

Cost

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Peek began showing Tuk around, explaining where the water was and the food. He introduced Tuk to the other robins and other animals - but Tuk was barely paying attention. Peek showed Tuk the flower patches and all of the Little rocks to hide behind. He felt it would take forever.

Eventually, Peek showed Tuk the Willow. Tuk admired it, it had long leaves and was pretty tall. His wings were less tired now, the only thing that was tired now was himself of having to listen to Peek for so long when all he wanted to do was complete him long and difficult journey.

He spread his wings and flew to the top of the tree, looking over around at the ground. He could see so much from here. So many things that he knew, the distance see and the farther Forest where he had met Yeep.

He opened his beak and called out.
"CHIRR!" He chirped as loud as he could.
"CHIRR!" He repeated.
He paused - feeling as if Chirr had heard him.

He flew down and chose a branch he could stay on. He looked at it - it reminded him of the branch that he and Chirr were on for a moment or two.

Chirr.
He had completed his journey, but what was the cost?
Chirr, Chirr was the cost.

This was such a nice place, he was sad that Chirr would never get to see it. He'd never forget. He wouldn't forget his loyal friend that was loyal to him to the end. Someone who wasn't loyal to their word was Winnifred. He didn't want to think about Winnifred or Axel anymore.

He thought, Winnifred and Axel were still out there. They could find more robins. They could kill more birds like they had done to Chirr. His journey was finished - but he worried about what Winnifred and Axel might do.

They belonged where he had found them. In a cage. He remembered the Raven again, he remembered the baby circling bird. He now had a new plan. He wouldn't have to travel again, but he'd get the message through and someone would put Winnifred and Axel in a cage again.

He'd have to tell Peek of his plan, he figured Peek would listen to him. The baby circling bird might listen, He figured Peek probably knew several languages.

All birds could have a journey, he had completed his. But his task would now be helping other birds find their journey. His new task was stopping Winnifred and Axel.

He was ready to spread the word.

A few weeks later...

"Finished." A young woodpecker chirped, stepping back from it's creation. It was a carving of Chirr in the tree. It didn't look that much like Chirr - but it was impressive for what a woodpecker could do. Plus, it was the thought that counted. Wasn't it?

"Thank." Tuk chirped, admiring the carving in the tree. He could now think of Chirr whenever he saw the carving. He continued to announce her name at the top of the tree every day, some younger birds had even began to chime in with him.

Peek had listened to him and was now still out on his mission to spread the news of Winnifred and Axel to other Birds. He hoped Peek would come back soon - He hadn't meant to send him on a long journey. But he might as well be glad that he was spreading the news to several birds.

He had become quite popular in the meadow but didn't really like that fact. It reminded him of Winnifred. A squirrel had taught Tuk what 'famous' and 'humans' were. Humans were the Hairless-Birds he had met before in the forest. He never knew they were called humans.

The younger birds loved for him to tell them his story, of how he came to be here. He told a small part of it to them every day. They seemed to love his descriptions. He figured they probably thought it was a made up story, but he wanted someone to listen to his crazy story.

About his home being destroyed, about meeting Chirr and everything else that happened along the way. He had heard stories of other birds making journeys to places warmer to stay warm and he was always impressed on how far they were able to travel in a flock.

But those stories weren't impressive to him. He had to travel across the land with only one other bird quite far until he found a new home. His new home was here. He wished Chirr was here to tell her side of the story. To explain their journey and how they'd add on to each others tale and enjoy looking back at the memories.

But that wouldn't happen. He had a story to tell. A story that wasn't to make anyone listen to him, not like Winnifred had tried to do to him. He often looked back and remembered how far he had come. Only weeks ago he had been hiding under a rock because he was afraid of a wolf-cloud.

Now, he had seen many scarier things then a wolf-cloud.
Back then, he was upset about his home.
Now, he was upset about Chirr. An actual bird.

He looked back - trying to decide what had started this journey in the first place. He sometimes decided that it was him meeting Chirr, but he never would have met Chirr if he didn't cross the river.
He also thought that might have been the start, but he'd never have to cross the river if his home was
never destroyed in the first place.

That was pretty much the start of his journey. But it was the wolf-clouds who had brought their ally, the Orange-Raven to destroy his home.

The wolf-clouds had summoned the orange-raven with a crackle.
That was it. He had come so far from the beginning, he had completed his mission. But in the end, he remembered that

It all started with a crackle.

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