The Story of Tiberius

Chapter 78

Sleet was gone. So was Eddie.

And Juno.

Oscar.

Flash.

Pietro.

Maggie.

Dodger.

Even Uncle Marlin was gone.

Tiberius had never felt so alone in his entire life.

Traveling with Oscar all the way to where the Council had set up a new home in the Canadian wilderness just a few miles north of Buffalo, Tiberius had been briefly reunited with his old friends and became acquainted to new ones. But not too long after came the unthinkable. One by one, the birds of prey, Council members and the innocents living with them, became victims of a bloodthirsty murderer. The red tailed hawk had lent his talons into stopping the murder spree but by the time it was all said and done, many had fallen. Sleet had gotten herself gravely injured trying to save him in the final battle and it cost the ancient bald eagle her life. On her deathbed, she had Tiberius take her son Mercury back with him to Manhattan where the eagle could form a new Council down there while the old Council stayed and rebuilt. Along the way back, the pair had stopped by Albany to discover that Tiberius's uncle had fallen ill and was dying. The red tail managed to share a few words with Marlin before he too passed away. The hawk had returned to New York City feeling all so alone.

A total of five years had passed since the terrible events. Each day brought more victims to Tiberius's shed and a large majority of them had their bones added to the vast array of victims in the past. Most of his prey had taunted the hawk to the point where it almost drove him insane. Those ones were killed with no mercy whatsoever. There were a few times where he tried telling himself not to kill helpless animals left and right. But then his hunger would kick in and he would forget what he had been thinking about until it was too late. Then again, the hawk never really showed true pity upon the animals that he had attacked, killed, eaten or maimed. He had also officially given up on trying to find a friend to talk to or hang out with. The birds and rodents that were considered his food wanted nothing to do with him. But the wild animals who lived freely were just as bad.

Where pigeons, squirrels and other birds and rodents called him things such as savage predator or wild animal, Tiberius would get the same treatment from some birds of prey that passed by his roof. He would be out with his owner Alfred on the rooftop, catching mice that could possibly damage the plants the old man looked after, when they would show up. Usually it was a peregrine falcon or a great horned owl but there were a few times where it was one of his own species. They would start laughing at him and calling him domesticated or parakeet. There was one time where a falcon had even started mimicking a parrot crying out for a cracker. Their teasing would get to the point where Tiberius would hide under the shed whenever he saw them come by. He used to hide inside but after one owl followed him and attacked, he stopped and just went under for safety.

Of course, one could say that Mercury was the only friend Tiberius had left. But the red tailed hawk often just wanted to be left alone, especially when the old bald eagle would mention something about the Council. The hawk wanted nothing to do with the Council or anything that had to deal with his past. After awhile, Mercury would come less frequently since he saw that the hawk needed some space. Among humans, Tiberius only had Alfred and Dr. Laura Green. There were Alfred's grandchildren and the other vets at the clinic, along with Pedro who allowed him to take three roses to Rosa and her children's graves every once in awhile. But everyone else in the world seemed to distrust the hawk. Even when it grew cold outside, the neighbors would not allow the red tail inside out of fear. In Tiberius's mind, he didn't belong anywhere in the world.

He was officially done with life.