Chris Pourteau - Tails of the Apocalypse

As Hettie spoke, a grim coldness settled into Bongse’s eyes, but Max looked shocked by what his fellow Budgie was suggesting. Magsay seemed sad but didn’t argue with Hettie.

“We must see how the others in the colonies feel about this,” Max sputtered. “We cannot make a decision this momentous without the input of all who will be affected.”

“Very well,” Hettie stated. “A meeting of the colonies has been called for, and we will hear arguments both for and against action regarding the Human camp. Whatever action—or inaction—is deemed necessary will be decided tomorrow by all of us… together.”

“This is so unreal, Kal. I can’t believe this is happening.”

Shaking her wings and chirping quietly, Tal—sister to Kal, the Bat pup on the council—was beside herself. The pair had been eavesdropping on the Elders’ conversation, though Kal could have joined it as a council member. Instead, he’d chosen to remain hidden in the shadows. “We have to go and talk to the others! We have to get a handle on this before a huge mistake is made.”

Kal sighed, drawing his sister away as the Elders went their separate ways. “We have until tomorrow, although I don’t know what good we can do in just a few hours.”

“We must try to convince the others that the Humans don’t deserve whatever it is Bongse and Hettie have planned for them. I’m afraid of what will become of all of us if we don’t use restraint now, when we have the opportunity to show mercy.”

“Let’s find Vic and Via and see where the other young Budgies stand,” Kal suggested.

Tal nodded her head with nervous energy. “If they don’t stand on the side of reason, we’re all doomed,” she said. “Surely they’ll listen.”

“I wish I could maintain your sense of optimism, Sister. But I don’t think it’s going to be that easy.”

When they found Vic and Via, the two Budgies were heavily debating the Human question. Judging by the amount of tension in the air, they were clearly on opposite sides of the issue.

“It’s just as Elder Bongse says, Vic. The Humans must not be allowed to survive and thrive. It cannot happen, or we’ll all suffer the consequences.”

“Your opinion is colored by your past experience with Humans, not by rational thought,” her brother answered. He was clearly becoming agitated. “As a whole, we outnumber these Humans by millions to one. They cannot now, or ever again, pose a threat to our survival. It’s insane to think otherwise.”

“And I suppose your opinion isn’t influenced by your experience with the Humans you lived with?” retorted Via, her wings flapping anxiously. “And you call me biased! You’re a hypocrite, Vic!”

Her brother leaned back, scratching at her underbelly with a claw, and soon both birds were striking each other with claw and wing as only siblings can, screeching and flinging curses at one another.

“See, Tal, I told you it wasn’t going to be that easy,” Kal said dryly as they approached. Both Bats were careful to give the feuding pair a wide berth.

“Guys! Cut it out!” implored Tal. “We have to talk about this rationally!”

After a few moments of continued pleading by Tal, the Budgies reluctantly separated and set about preening themselves to put their feathers back in order and calm the ire coursing through them. In a short time, they were even preening each other carefully, almost lovingly. Their anger had burned brightly, but also passed quickly.

“Look, I can understand both sides of the argument,” continued Tal, “as I think most can. But don’t you think we should err on the side of caution rather than resort to brutality among ourselves or against the Humans?” Tal said. “Haven’t we always damned them for choosing that very course?”

“I guess, when you put it that way,” Via grudgingly admitted. “The last thing I want to be is like a Human.”

“We’ve spoken with many of the other Budgies and they’re as torn as we are,” Vic explained. “It’s going to come down to how the Elders speak about the matter, I think. Their opinion will likely sway the younger birds. One way or the other.”

“This is not good news,” Kal replied. “If what you say is true, we might just be going to war.”

The next day, both colonies met and arguments commenced. Many on both sides were neutral and couldn’t care less what was decided. That is, until Bongse spoke. His words chilled all but the world-weariest of Budgies and Bats present.

“Humans rose to power by eating one another, by trampling on those species they considered lesser and then consuming them too. As the Human population grew, so did their greed, their lust for power and domination—not only over the weakest of their own species, but over all they could conquer. They treated their home, our Earth, with such disdain that it rose up and consumed them. A just fate, that.

“I feel no sorrow or pity for these creatures. I feel nothing at all for them, just as they felt nothing at all for the lives they extinguished. I would not see them come to power again. We must end them now, here, while we have a chance. Not only must we exterminate those five so close to discovering our colonies, but we must seek out survivors elsewhere and destroy them as well. Humans must never again be allowed to have the power of life and death over other creatures.

“We must, as one force of Budgies and Bats, rise up and strike down the enemy. Go forth and retrieve any weapon you can fit in your talons and claws. We—with our millions of wings strong—will rain down a final fate upon these creatures who would become masters again over a world where no masters are or ever were needed. Nature is and should be our only master, and nature demands this final sacrifice of life to guarantee the survival of all.”

The chamber erupted as Bats and Budgies argued fiercely with angry words sharp as talons. But soon the naysayers were shouted down by Bongse’s supporters, who’d been whipped into a frenzy of fear by his ominous warning. Some seemed ready to take flight at that very moment.

“Think about what you’re doing here, Bongse,” Vic cried out. “We cannot behave this way and expect to survive our—”

“The decision has been made, Vic,” Bongse replied coldly. “The majority agree that we have no choice.”

“What? I didn’t hear a vote! There must be an alternative to murdering them with no provocation!”

“ Enough , Vic! It is done.”

For several long moments, no one made a sound. The pervasive quiet was eerie and uncomfortable in the wake of Bongse’s pronouncement. Finally, the silence was broken as Budgies and Bats alike took wing to do his bidding and carry out the attack. Amidst the flurry of activity, a minority began once again to argue against the Bat Elder’s final solution to the Human problem. But it was too little too late.

Paralyzed by the chaos around them, Vic and Kal, the Younglings on the council, faced a difficult choice. Should they choose to speak out further against Bongse, they could be exiled from their respective colonies. At the very least, they would likely lose their positions on the council and be shamed, with derision and scorn heaped upon them, should they choose to stay. Seeing no real chance to dissuade their species from their murderous course, Vic, Via, Kal, and Tal raced to the Human settlement to try to warn them.

But by the time the Younglings arrived the Humans were already dead. The Human elders had clearly died protecting the young as wave after wave of Bats and Budgies flew sorties over their small camp, first pelting them with sticks, stones, and shells from above before ripping them apart with beaks and claws and teeth. They’d had no chance to retreat to their cave for protection. In the end, their pitted flesh and broken bodies would lie unburied in the sun, their lives forgotten by all but the few who’d shunned the slaughter.