The Fray of Werebirds [Discontinued]

Chapter 16 - Folktales

"I wonder how werebirds were able to stay hidden for so long," I mused out loud, "There aren't even any well-known fairy tales about creatures like you."

"We usually prefer to stick to our flocks in the skies," Sirena explained, "It's rare that one of us explores the land like Gregory, who, of course, vowed not to reveal anything about us before he left."

"Why do you guys hide in the first place?"

"We're not hiding. The skies contain more than enough space for us, and we're content with it. Not to mention that humans are very curious creatures. It's best for them to remain ignorant of our existence."

I had to admit she was right. The moment scientists laid their hands on their first werebird the experiments would never stop.

Then she added, "Besides, the only thing our varied myths agree on is that humans and werebirds are to live separately."

"Myths?"

This time Gregory replied, "Some myths claim that werebirds were one of the first creatures to roam the earth until, one day, a werebird's soul split into two different species - humans and birds. The newly born humans envied the werebirds for their ability to heal. They cursed them for not passing on that power and attempted to overthrow them.

"That's not the only folklore, though. The most common tale is that there was once a human girl by the name of Alouette who was stranded on a low hill during a severe flood. She was saved by uniting herself with birds and thus she was reborn as a werebird.

"After that incident, humans accused her of being a beast and refused to accept her. Alouette, who was still fond of humans and never wanted them any harm, saw it best to retreat and start her life anew in the skies, making sure that werebirds and humans lived their lives as creatures of completely different worlds, never to cross paths or hurt each other.

"There are a couple of other myths," Gregory yawned, "But they all follow the same concept."

"In other words," Sirena concluded, "Humans and werebirds aren't meant to mingle."

And yet here we are, I thought, Getting along quite well.

During the several weeks we spent in the ocean, not only did I grow closer to my companions, but I also learned more about the werebirds and listened to several historical stories.

From what I understood, there used to be a great deal of blood feuds before flocks were founded. Countless of families had fought relentlessly for decades over trivial matters. At some point, those quarrels evolved into a fatal war. Millions of werebirds dropped dead and gallons of blood were shed. The conflict only ceased when three young and yet powerful ladies stepped up and formed a pact. What was left of the werebirds was divided into three flocks, each under the authority of a queen.

Since then, each queen has passed down her sovereignty to her eldest daughter. The three flocks weren't always in perfect harmony (occasionally there were disagreements and minor clashes) but they weren't enemies either. This grouping played a big part in dissolving the loathing between divergent broods, especially when the concept of laws and regulations was introduced.

In return I told the two werebirds everything I knew about World War I and II. Eventually, though, we all ran out of stories. Fortunately we didn't have to experience another storm, only a few drizzles, but as time wore on I began to grow tedious of being confined in the boat. Unlike Sirena and Gregory, I couldn't take off into the sky whenever I wished. My legs cramped and I longed to set foot on solid, motionless land.

I once asked Gregory about the scar on his cheek, but he only gave me a sphinxlike smile and left my query dangling in the air. The day after that, the latter directed us to row into a mass of fog. After blindly following his navigations for a few hours, the fog cleared, revealing an island.

"We've arrived!" he announced.

When we reached the coast, we tied the boat to a stump and hopped off. I stumbled as I walked on the soil, but I rejoiced at being on firm ground once more. My allies, though, seemed tense and grave.

"I can sense about twenty of them," Gregory muttered under his breath.

"Don't tell me this is..." Sirena glared at him, her eyes blazing with fury, and hissed, "You must be out of your mind!"

Gregory shrugged innocently. Before I could voice out my puzzlement birds of all sizes soared out from behind the trees and descended, forming an unorganized circle around us and forcing us to cluster together tightly. One by one, they transfigured into shabby humans, who glowered at us with clear hostile.

"W-What's going on?" I stuttered.

"This is Yardbird Island," Sirena deadpanned, "And those are the most dangerous lawbreakers and jailbirds from all three flocks."

A menacing growl resonated.

Gulp.