Prejudiced Future

Disappearing behind the barren mountains, the sun strengthened once again to plunge the surrounding wasteland into a reddish glow. Thunder echoed in the distance herding a wall of gathering clouds, it smelled of rain.
Lowering her head again, the lonesome girl continued to pursue the stony path. Her petite body was enveloped in a holey potato sack, cobbled together hopelessly out of a few animal hides. Barely enough to cover all parts of her dirty skin, or provide sufficient protection from the harsh weather, the rags hampered her pace even further by dangling into her tread now and then.

Stumbling forward barefooted on the cracked, drought-torn earth, her march had transformed into a shuffle, the aching, exhausted legs were unable to carry the weight much further. She consoled herself as she passed some dead trees swaying their twiggy, bald branches in the rising wind. The strange creaking noise, caused by the brittle wood, forced the traveler to concentrate on the way ahead, while wrapping the arms tighter around her body.
- Don't give up now...just a tiny bit left.-
Eventually her destination slowly came closer. First it was only a greenish outline at the horizon but with every step the view was unfolded  a bit further. No later than the first trees moved into full sight, she unwillingly became faster almost leading to a hard landing on the ground more than once.

Like a rock challenging the surge of an unending ocean, the green island refused to be swallowed by the sea of sand and death, closing in from all directions.
However oblivious to the garden's struggle for survival, her eyes where blinded by all the iridescent colors of the plants playing with the remaining sunlight, shaping a jumble of sensations. A dense carpet out of grasses, mosses and fern stretched out at the bottom of her feet clinging to every rock and stone in the way. Where it touched the trunks they were replaced by leaves, coiling themselves around every stem. Together the plants had woven a green blanket, gently embracing the whole island sheltering themselves and the animals alike. In every nook and corner she could spot some gleaming lights, the air was filled with buzzing and humming, occasionally interrupted by the singing of birds. Life pulsing through every tiny, little thing, no, bursting out screaming at her senses, left the girl astonished wondering why this place was so untouched compared to the other parts of the wasteland.

Only to happy she wanted to experience the soft cushion between her toes, feasting on the flesh of the many huge fruits to quench the hunger, but her feet remained in the dust.
She couldn't get a glance at them but somewhere, deep inside the undergrowth, where the shadows lingered, eyes turned on her the closer she had progressed. Unmistakeable the flaming slits, glowing in the dark, belonged to the guardians of this sanctuary defending it against any trespasser without hesitation...or mercy.
The intruder didn't dare to anger them any further, the folk memories had been clear.

Suddenly a wing flutter jolted her out of the dreams, a stunningly beautiful bird of paradise perched on a branch of a seared shrub next to her, eyeballing the visitor quietly with its big marbles.
In contrast to the pitch-black eyes, the plumage consisted of an utter chaos of jarring shades. It was as if every feather competed against each other over getting the girl's attention, while obscuring the real size of the creature. The yellowish outlined, dark beak emphasized the elegant expression. To top it off the animal's tail feathers divided at the root to end in a double bladed, curled up sickle, each consisting of one long plume.

Carefully putting one foot before the other the child approached with a gleeful anticipation gracing her face.
“ Dear Mr. Bird....Do you mind talking to me today?“
Her tiny voice was almost swallowed by the forthcoming wind. After exchanging glances for some time she sighted and was about to turn away, when the air carried a melodic voice to her ears.

You come from far away
I lost count on the number
Appearing again and again every day
What burden rises you from your slumber?

Unable to hide her surprise the girl established eye contact once more. Even if it was a pleasure to listen to the rhythmic ripple, it was difficult to get hold onto the words the feathered used, therefore the answer was preceded by a moment of silence.
“ Why haven't you been speaking to me before? Not that I want to sound ungrateful...but...why now?”
Without allowing itself any other movement, the crow sized bird puffed out its chest in disgust.

Your presence grows foreboding
Forcing me to imitate your speech
Tainted, restricted, provoking
Speak, then remain out of reach!

The sudden tension forced her to stare on the ground.
“ I'm sorry Mr. Bird...it is only natural for you to distrust me.”

Your talk can't get any blunter
I won't ask again, instead alarming the hunter

With the vivid imagination of the tales in mind, she lifted her arms protectively while shaking the head.
“ I'm here on behalf of my people...we wanted to ask if our tribe may join you in your sanctuary. I know you'd call the guardians, but we are very hungry. Out there in the desert seems to be nothing left.”
The young scolded herself secretly for revealing her desperation, not noticing the graceful eying her closer by completely tilting its head in her direction.

A wish so simple and pure
Reminding me of the cubs in our garden
But as souls grow mature
Their hearts begin to harden

Never remaining as bright as before
when claws and teeth are drowned in blood and gore

Unable to follow she put her scarred feet on top of each other.
“ What do you mean? A difference between them and me?“

Respecting their prey
Using their weapons merely to survive
No feelings of superiority for the ones they slay
This noble attitude makes them thrive

She didn't know if it was the freezing breeze making her shudder, or those words of her counterpart  getting more afflicted with an aggressive undertone steadily. One or the other, there was no way to ignore the hidden blame oozing out.
“ You are wrong!“, she shrieked, “ we are no barbaric savages as our ancestors have been. We respect those around us, you can't accuse us for what took place generations before we were even born!”
As if she had uttered a challenge, the bird began trembling on its perch, the claws clenched threateningly.

How can you claim to respect
Other breathing things
If you treat each other with the utmost neglect
Glorifying yourself as kings?

In order to convince the upset plume of her peaceful intentions, the envoy calmed down knitting her brow. There had to be a better approach without waging a pointless discussion.
“ Listen...we don't want to endanger you or your sanctuary. You seem wise...wiser than anyone I have met before. If you teach us I'm sure we will learn your ways, just plea-“
The remaining words got stuck in her throat as the feathered let out a horrifying screech. Like an angry rattlesnake presenting its collar, the disgruntled showed off its massive crown of head feathers strutting back and forth on the shaking wood.

You are oblivious to nature's call!
Nothing is quenching the thirst
Leading to your inevitable fall
Banished, doomed and cursed!

Till the last one of you sights out his soul...we will never forget!

With a piercing crack the timber gave away under the pressure of the clutch, whereupon the bird was airborne again, spiraling upwards and leaving the helpless human behind, still dazed by the escalated events.

When the first drops of rain kissed her cheeks she awoke from her rigid. It was obvious to her now, she wasn't welcome here, nor anywhere else. Wistfully her eyes wandered around the forest one last time, while tormenting herself with the thoughts of the future of her tribe. Without the safety of a sanctuary, their chances to survive were slim to non existent. Unsure if it was rain or tears dripping down her chin, she slowly went on her way back home vanishing into the cold night.