Ol' Flint the Crow

Flint's Second Tale pt. 9

...Without signaling for me to follow, Edvrick raced out the door. Not at all graceful with his strides, his feet wobbled and made loud 'thuds' against the hard wood floor. He kept his bleeding hand firmly planted on his heaving chest, hidden from the view of the others. While making a large bloody blotched on his clothes, his hand shook uncontrollably.

Waddling cautiously beneath him, I slumped my head down in shame. We marched out of the cabin and out into the blazing, afternoon sun.

Heading for the river, my friend grazed his thin fingers against a hued log near the riverbank and sat down cross-legged. Edvrick stared at the rushing water that struck the bank causing droplets to fly up and hit his rosy cheek. I sat next to him with my wings shuffling together in my lap and my legs dangling pitifully off the stump.

When I glanced at the blood dripping from his hand, I couldn't help but feel miserable. It was like I had done it to him myself. I struck my blistering head with my wings as penance. This guilt I felt wasn't from the horrible things I said about humans. I didn't regret that in the least. What I was beating myself up for was the fact that I had angered Edvrick. However, I was getting rather angry myself at him, still too stubborn to notice what I had said was wrong.

"Edvrick, I'm sorry if I made ya feel bad." I struck my talons on the side of the wood a few times, kicking up splinter shards. "But I just don't see why we have to help... these people... They kill animals to eat then for cryin' out loud. Ya can't say that ya accept that!"

Edvrick touched one of the drops water and carefully peeled it off his face. Balancing the droplet with his delicate finger, he gazed at it like it were a living thing worthy of his protecting. He made sure that it didn't drip off the side of his finger or burst from his movements. Afterwards, he extended his finger above the river and slowly let the droplet spill into the rapids. A few drops of his own blood fell in after it.

With a confused look over my face, I repeated myself, thinking that Edvrick hand not understood me, "I say Edvrick, it ain't right that those humans kill animals. Why bother helpin' 'em!"

"Flint..." he sighed deeply. "Why have we helped wolves and other meat eating animals who were in trouble. Whether or not they hurt other animals, we wouldn't hesitate to aid them with their troubles?"

"Come off it, Edvrick! That ain't the same thin'! It's survival instinct, and I don't like it either. That ferret was always tryin' to eat me, but I still helped him out when the fire was burin' the hut down. Ya gotta go easy on some of 'em. Not everyone's gonna do right all the time."

"Then why can't I help humans without you feeling like I'm betraying you?!" Edvrick's fingernails ripped apart the bark of the log, smearing blood on the wood.

"Because I ain't never ate a human before!" I screeched. "And another thin', ya don't see animals experimentin' on humans so they can sell 'em off to a travelin' circus, do ya?!"

"These villagers having nothing to do with that wizard! And as for them eating animals, it's just survival instinct. Right? Shouldn't we go easy on them as well?"

"Hell no; I won't! You don't understand how much pain they caused me. If ya were tied up on that blasted old man's operatin' table, ya wouldn't be so merciful to 'em. Can't ya see how bad it makes me feel when ya, my friend, help my enemies?! Ya don't get it at all!"

Edvrick grasped his chest as if he were in pain. "Flint... why do you have to eat insects? Couldn't you just eat vegetables and fruits?"

"Huh?" My beak scrunched up at this seemingly random remark. "Don't change the subject, Edvrick. We're talkin' about helpin' humans here! What does me eatin' bugs have to do with that?!"