Braggarts and Thieves
[ooc notes: pretend Aloysius has always been here xD]
Leaning in and hogging up most of the space surrounding the galaxy male, oohs and ahhs slipped from his eloquent lips. The artefact - some sort of ancient tooth - amazed the yearling dearly. As a hoarder himself, he just wanted it. It was his, it had to be, it would be. However, another boy would share his story - a tale about bears once having tails. Oh, he had to do better than that in order to receive the trophy, and he had the most detailed, ripe and authentic fable exchanged to him as a child. Storytelling was his style, yeah! He could do this!
"Me! Me! Me! My turn!" he softly cried out in a pitchy voice, squirming and writhing impatiently upon his haunches. Once the silence had died down and he was certain everyone was listening, he briefly cleared his throat before taking a long inhale to begin his symphony of words. "You guys seen crows? Them black birds that squawk at you all day? Well, there were tonnes of them back in my old home; they filled every tree to the brim like they were a huge empire that had dominated the land. But compared to other birds, they're pretty plain aren't they? Well, when I was a wee puppy, I decided to ask one of these birds why their feathers are boring...and I did! A long, long, long, looooooong time ago, crows were the most beautiful birds of them all. Every sparkling hue dappled their feathers, always glimmering in the sunshine. A rainbow they were like, each crow unique and different in the magnificent shades upon them. They stood proud and tall, meticulously prized and famed all across the continent. Creatures from far and wide came to marvel at their spectacular display, yearning for a precious feather or two. They paraded and flaunted day and night, showing off and ensuring everyone knew who was the most alluring species of them all. And when they asked, everyone replied, 'You, oh wonderful crows! There is no other pelt or fur quite like yours!'
As you can tell, they were quite vain critters, and all the other birds were jealous. They thought it was unfair that crows had such flawless and striking plumage, and every time they politely asked the crows for a few feathers, they sneered at them. 'These feathers are ours! Leave the real kings of the birds alone! We have no business with peasants like you!'
So the sparrows, still rather dull-coloured, called together a meeting with the other birds. 'Something needs to be done about the crows,' they explained sternly.
'They never share!' Various birds called out, raising the volume of the chirpy gathering. 'They're too vain! Egotists, they are! They only care about themselves!'
'Quite right, friends,' the sparrows grimly agreed. 'They need to be taught a lesson. Any ideas?'
Until dawn, the birds devised the perfect plan to get their revenge on the crows. They approached the crows' heavenly tree, bowing solemnly in respect though inwardly snickering at the thought of their vengeance. 'Oh, gracious crows! We adore your dazzling feathers! Unfortunately, we have found another bird who bares such impressive feathers like yours!'
Easily angered and challenged, the crows demanded rudely. According to them, no-one was better. This new rival had to be eliminated. 'Where is he? Where is this bird?'
'Oh, we'd hate to keep you in wait, dear crows. We remain certain that you are the true bird monarchs.' The other birds led them to a small, dark cave. 'In here; he's quite large, mind you.'
And what do you think they did? They went inside, whilst the others outside found it difficult to hold in their laughter. Within moments, the crows returned, their feathers coated in soot, dust and mud. They were so concerned about their feathers that they forgot all about raging at the others that they had been lied to. 'Our feathers!' they shrieked in dismay, flapping in agony. It was the loudest tantrum the other birds had ever heard. 'We are ruined, spoiled!'
'Quick!' one crow called to the rest of his kin. 'There is a lake nearby! We must cleanse ourselves of this horrid mess!' They didn't even apologise! Legend says that there was a chance that the dirt may have been erased if they had identified their wrong doings. But nope! They didn't!
The water made it worse. The muck had become permanent on their feathers, covering and staining every inch of their rainbow possession until they were as ordinary as every other bird. In fact, they were less than ordinary, frowned and shamed upon as the seasons went on. Despite having learnt their lesson, they never got their breathtaking plumage back. It's only an old memory, a story, a sacred longing for them to one day rise to the glory that they had once held for many seasons. So they scattered, and now they peck and caw obnoxiously at anyone their eyes find. Now, they are jealous, just like the other birds had once been. They're determined to steal the colour away from every other animal, but don't worry, they're nothing to be afraid of. I guess it's great to be proud of your accomplishments, but try not to rub it into other wolves' faces - that's just annoying - or else you'll end up like the crows."
"Speech" "French" |