The Birble

Prologue

     A battlefield shimmered with the blood of fallen birds. Corpses were scattered across the hill, partially obscured by the slick grass and dying flowers. Bones stuck out of them at crooked angles, the flesh stripped away, probably devoured by some starving forest creature. It was certainly not a pleasant sight, and the more sensitive folk would often have to take long detours around such places.
     However, the birds flying over the field were anything but sensitive. They were born into war, and had never been allowed to show weakness. Those that did were often left to die alone and afraid, and those that didn't were terrified of meeting such a fate. In war, you either die a coward, or you die a hero.
     From the time you were hatched, birds were put through rigorous training. You never had time to spend with family or to make friends. In fact, you never really had much time for anything outside of fighting or training. There wasn't even much time for eating or sleeping, so birds were often tired and malnourished.
Yet the two birds behind the whole thing were doing just fine.
Brimir, the hawk who had declared war in the first place, spent his time making plans and giving orders. He rarely went out in public, for he was terribly insecure about his scars, and only ever met with the select few birds in his council, who then went on to pass on his orders.
Olas, on the other hand, who was a chukar partridge, was the god of all birds. You would have thought that the idea of declaring war against a god was terrifying. However, Olas probably isn't what you might think of when you think of a god. He was naive and impulsive, and didn't always take every opportunity to help others, despite having the power to heal others. His powers weren't made for harm and destruction, but instead meant to heal and create. Yet he never used them when he should have. The way he treated other birds, the very birds he was responsible for bringing into the world, was ultimately what pushed Brimir over the edge.
And while Olas realized after war had been declared that he should have treated his children better, he still had a lot yet to learn. This is the story of the lessons Olas learned throughout his life, and all the people he met along the way that taught him said lessons.