To Fly Or Not To Fly?

Chapter 3 - To Get Home

“What do you mean we won’t all get back alive?” questioned Harley, voicing my own thoughts.

“I mean this place is dangerous. We’ve been dropped into a Lincel Hayforan*.” explained Luke.

“Why would they do a thing like that?” asked Lula.

“Because they can, that’s why.” retorted Luke.

“Hang on, go back a bit. How do you even know we’re in a Hayforan?” asked Jacob.

“It’s because of my Mother. It’s probably time I told you, considering it may save your lives. My Mother was a pigeon called Janice. She was sent into a Lincel Hayforan. She did what we are going to have to do. She sent information from one Lincel to another. All she needed to do was fly home.

“After doing this three times, she had me. She loved me, but one day she was taken away from me to be used in the Hayforan again. But this time, she didn’t come back. I looked for her, but I never found her. I became lost until I found your flock. I was accepted and have stayed their ever since.

“Before she left though, she told me things that would help me survive if I ever got sent away. I know about things because of her. I know ways to survive”

“So we’re all going to get home then?” I asked, hope rising in my voice.

“No, not all of us.”

“What do you mean?” came Alisa’s worried voice.

“My Mother, when she flew back home, she travelled with her flock, but not all of them survived the journey.”

“So most of us are going to die.” Max said his voice empty of all emotion. His words more a statement than a question.

“I never said that.” defended Luke.

“You implied it.” retorted Max.

“Look, you don’t have to travel with me, but you might stand a better chance if you do. Max, I’m not your enemy, I’m your friend.”

“Well then,” interjected Jacob, trying to relive some of the tension, “It’s probably best if you tell us what you know.”

“Of course.” agreed Luke. “Well, one of the main things you have to do is watch out for hawks. Lincel are dangerous, but they don’t care about you that much, whereas hawks especially focus on pigeons like us. Firstly, hawks prefer to attack from above, so always make sure the air space above you is clear. Secondly...”

*             *             *

After a while, Luke had finished debriefing us and we set off. As we flew, the sun was setting over the horizon and was soon out of sight.

The night brought on a new atmosphere, cold and tense. We flew close together, but after an hour or so decided to rest. After unsuccessfully finding a sheltered place to stay, we resolved to sleeping at the top of a tall tree with a large canopy of leaves.

At last, I managed to fall into an uneasy sleep, full of nightmares involving Lincel with sticks, hawks and suffering deaths.

At twilight, I was awoken by a noise near me, the rustling of leaves. I was wide awake in an instant and looking widely around me for the source of the noise. I heard the noise again on the other side of me and looked to see what is was. I looked deep into the leaves, but could not see an animal of any shape or form. Then I heard the noise again, and again, coming from different directions each time. Then I felt a wet splodge on my beak.

I relaxed, it was only rain. I looked through the gloom to my friends. They were all asleep. Wait. Not all of them were. Lula was still awake, crying on the branch below me. I silently flapped my way down and came to rest next to her. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with water, tears streaking her face.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m just worried.”

“What are you scared about.”

“Everything I suppose. We’re not all going to get back, and I don’t know what I’d do if Harley and I were separated. I...I...I...” before she could say anything else, she burst in tears again.

“Lula, we can’t afford to think like that.”

“Maybe, you...you...you can’t, but I can’t help thinking about it. I love Harley with all my heart.”

“I understand.” I replied, “But please, try and get some sleep.”

“OK.” she sobbed back.

I gave her a reassuring smile before flying back up to my branch to sleep. As I came down to rest I thought over the events of today, how my life had turned upside down. I tried not to dwell on what Lula had said about not all of us coming back, but, the inevitable was likely to happen, and I suppose, at some point, we were all going to face to the music.

* Hayforan - War/War zone