The Flock – Chapter XIV

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  A chattering of birds awakened Ki and he unfurled his head from beneath his wing.  He scanned the clearing.  Dew had settled across the grass and glistened in the early morning light.  The white trunks of nearby trees seemed to stretch up to the Bright Light as Ki’s eyes slowly followed them upward.  Jake stirred beside him.  Ki turned to look at his best friend and shook his head.  He was fairly sure Jake was not afraid of anyone or anything.  On the other side of Jake, Liza was still asleep.  Ki shook his head as he thought of her stubbornness and wondered how she came to be that way.  Ki looked back to his left and looked at Drifter, thought about his situation and, more importantly, what does he think of it.  At that moment, Ack arose from the far end and headed to a nearby branch and plucked a berry.  Ki rose and waddled toward him causing Jake to raise his head.  Liza also looked up, watched the two geese then stretched her wings.

  “Good morning,” Jake said to her.

  “Hi,” she simply replied.

  “Listen,” Jake stammered. “I have been thinking about last night…”

  “Me, too,” she cut him off in mid-sentence. “I am sorry, too.  I think I am going for a swim and a stalk or two of grass.”

  “I should come with you because we shouldn’t go anywhere alone,” Jake said as he stood up.

  “You’re right.  Let’s go.”

  Ki had turned in their direction, ready to mediate and then noticed that two geese had walked off together in peace.  He then continued to join Ack.  Ack turned and nodded at him.

  “Good morning,” Ki said as he stretched to pluck a berry from a bush.  “These are kind of tart, don’t you think?”

  “At least they don’t make us sick,” Ack stated.  “So what do you think?”

  “About what?” Ki plucked another of the tart morsels from the bush before him.

  “About these tests and the things that are happening to us?” Ack turned to look straight on at Ki. “Why us?”

  Ki faced the goose next to him and studied the large, brown body, black head, white cheeked bird staring back at him.  “Why were you chosen, do you think?”

  “Simple.  The Wist wanted a Wist member represented and I am the youngest member of that group.”

  “You don’t think you should be The Leader?”

  “What about you?” Ack avoided answering the question.

  “Honestly,” Ki smiled at him.  “I never even thought about it until now.”

  “And?”

  “Why not?” Ki laughed aloud which caused Ack to join him and as the two geese were laughing, Drifter snuck up on them.  The two laughing birds jumped which caused Drifter to erupt into laughter, too.  Unnoticed, Jake and Liza rejoined them, looked at each other and shook their heads.

  “So,” Jake interrupted. “What’s so funny?”

  “I don’t know,” Drifter answered, his laughter slowing to a giggle. “Ask them?”

  “Oh,” Ki looked at Ack before adding, “Nothing much.”

  “Ok,” Liza sat down.  “What do we do next?  Anyone have a guess?”

  “Not me,” Drifter sat down, too.

  “Maybe Protector knows something,” Jake offered.

  “Nope,” a voice came down from above them.  “Not a clue.”

  A slight breeze shuffled through the trees.  The Bright Light was lightening the clearing as the day became longer.  The five geese are sitting in a semi-circle facing the clearing with the large white-headed eagle clutching a branch above them.  Drifter drifted in and out of naps, Ki and Jake chatted quietly among themselves and the two on the ends were quietly sitting as they waited and waited.  Around them, other birds chirped and tweeted and fluttered overhead and through the clearing.  Protector watched a butterfly flicker up and down and around him and then leave him as it rose toward the top of the trees.  From the water side of the clearing, Simeone flew toward them leading another similar in size but bright blue and red chest.  They flew to a smaller branch next to Protector.

  “A thousand pardons,”  the bluebird blathered.  “I didn’t know where you were and fortunately, I flew into the King of Sparrows.”

  “Literally,” the sparrow added.  “He ran into me.  Get on with it.  The day is getting done and they have to be getting on.”

  “Quite right,” the bluebird continued.  “This is the Third Test of the Journey of Three.  You are to fly home.”

  “That’s it?” Liza exclaimed.  “We waited for that?”

  “Wait for it,” Ki cautioned as he stared at the small bird. “And?”

  “On your own.” The bird flitted back and forth on the branch.

  “Really?” Ack asked.  “Do we even know where we are?”

  “That seems to be the test; to find your own way home,” the bluebird paused.

  “Fine,”  Liza rose to her feet, stretched her wings, and flew into the sky.  The remaining birds watched her disappear and looked at each other astonished at what they just saw happen.

  “What am I supposed to do?” Protector asked of the sparrow.

  “That I do know,” the answer began. “Deke wants to see you, too.”

  “Who watches over them?” the eagle asked.

  The bluebird answered this question, “They are on their own.”

  The eagle shook his head and looked at the geese on the ground below him observing each of them closely before he spoke to them.  “Good luck and I will see you later.” 

  He turned and followed Liza from the clearing.  The bluebird choose at the same time to leave them, too.  Four sparrows joined Simeone and waited on the geese.

    Drifter sighed and turned to face the other three geese, “I can’t fly yet.  I have got to rest a little longer and I now know that I really don’t want to be Leader.  Way too much responsibility for me.  I am like High; I like being on my own.  You three, go on.”

  “We can wait for you.  Whatever it takes,” Ki said.  “There is safety in numbers.”

  “No,” Drifter argued back.  “I will be fine.”

  “Will you be fine?” Ack added. “It gets pretty dark at night and scary.”

  “I’ll stay with you,” Jake spoke up.

  “What?” Ki looked directly at this best friend.

  “You know I am not cut out to be a Leader, but I am cut out to protect others, Ki.”

  Ki looked at his friend and nodded, “You are cut out for that.  I will see you soon.”

  “Thanks,” Drifter said to Jake and the two birds sat side by side.

  “I will leave one of my Watchers with you two as well,” Simeone added.  “The Bright Light is high in the sky, so you two better get flying.”

  Ki and Ack looked at each other, nodded, spread their wings, and rose into the sky leaving Drifter and Jake behind.  Two small brown birds followed them, and another disappeared in a different direction.  The two circled above the pond when Ki asked Ack, “Which way do you want to go?”

  Ack glanced about and finally answered, “I will go this way.”

  “Okay, my friend, “ Ki nodded.  “I will see you soon.”

  Ack nodded and the two birds separated in opposite directions.

  Liza was overjoyed to be away from the geese she left behind.  As she hurried away, she remembered what High had instructed them, she rose higher hoping to catch the swift air that would push her faster.  Finally, reaching it, she began to reflect on what it would mean to become the Leader.  She felt that this was her destiny.  It was meant to be as she had always known what was best for others.  She recalled the countless times she wondered why Deke did what he did.  And what about the Wist?  Who are they to make decisions for the entire flock?  She did not need any help to make decisions for herself.  It should be me, she thought.  It should be me but what if it isn’t, she thought.  She spied some familiar landmarks below her.  “Do I really think I can be a better Leader than Deke?”

  Ack circled to his right to place the Bright Light at his back and follow in the direction Ki had taken.  He knew it was the way back home.  He spread his wings out wide and coasted.  His wingtips fluttered through the wind that he flew into at a leisurely pace.  His thoughts returned to his questions he had asked Ki earlier.  Why was he chosen for the Journey of Three?  Was it really just to have a Wist representative or did they really think he could be the next Leader?  He certainly knows how it all works together, the Leader and the Wist together work out what is best for all of The Flock.  He certainly admired Deke for dedicating his life to make it happen and to the partnership he has with Daniel.  He would want that, too.  He did understand the important role of the Wist.  Because of this knowledge, he certainly felt that he could be the next Leader.  He flapped his wings again and coasted toward home.

    Ki wondered why Ack choose to go in the opposite direction of home when he knew it to be the way home.  He chuckled as he stroked higher into the air.  He thought about the three tests: food, lodging, and knowing the way home.  What else does a goose need to know?  Ki froze on that question, what else does a goose need to know?  He stroked again and glided. 

  “A goose needs to know where to find food, know where to sleep, how to get home and..and…” Ki said aloud to no one.  The sky ahead of him was clear but in his mind, it was just beginning to become clearer.  He began to put together what they were really participating in.  Deke is a very clever bird and Ki began to see that even more clearly.  Why did Deke choose the seven of us?

  “Ok, really six because Ack was added by the Wist,” Ki again spoke out loud and continued to do so.  “Let me look at each of us more closely.  I will begin with Jake.  Why Jake?  He is loyal to a fault and Liza is an independent and strong-willed, High knows more air patterns than anyone I have ever known, Drifter is creative and fearless to try new things, Mattias is patient and kind, and Ack knows the history of the Flock because he has helped make decisions for us.  What about me?  Why did he pick me?”

The Final  He looked at the terrain below him.  Tall green pines overshadowed smaller trees below him and disappeared as he flew through a cloud.  As it filtered away, a small pond appeared, and he decided he needed a swim and perhaps something to eat.  He lowered his left wing and glided down toward it.

To be continued…the next post is the Last Chapter!