Tomar jerked around to face the source of that sound, and instantaneously the fear etched upon his face was replaced by a beatific smile. Of course! How could it be otherwise? There had been so many clues. Tomar stood erect, and began to walk slowly toward the approaching pack.
It was left to Traska to voice his astonishment. ‘I don’t believe it!’ he gasped. ‘There must be hundreds of them!’
And, as he said this, it seemed that he, too, realised some of the significance of what was happening. The evil magpie renewed his struggles to free himself from Kraken’s clutches, but the seagull held on desperately.
‘Let me go!’ Traska screamed. ‘I will not be denied again. Tomar will never make it into Avia, not while I have any breath in my body!’
But Kraken held on fast, and the evil magpie could only watch, in impotent rage, as Tomar walked towards his destiny.
*
They came at the speed of the wind, their paws devouring the ground beneath them as they ran. Their soft, grey fur streamed out along their flanks, and their golden eyes gleamed with zeal at their mission. As robin and owl, falcon, eagle and seagull watched, transfixed, a mighty wave of wolves swept over the rim of the Council ring, and raced towards the clearing. Hundreds of tongues lolled from salivating jaws. Hundreds of pairs of ears rejoiced in their triumphal howl, as they thundered towards the small band of Birddom’s heroes. Not one of them thought for a moment about attempting to escape. Not that it would have been possible. The wolves came on at an astonishing speed, covering the distance between them in the twinkling of an eye.
Merion called out to his friends, trying to be heard above the all-encompassing song of the wolves, ‘Do not be afraid. The time is come. Make yourselves ready, my friends.’
Turning to Olivia, he reached out to her with his wing. ‘I love you, my dear sister. And I will see you again in Avia.’
She returned his touch, and looked at him with eyes that shone with ecstatic fervour.
‘We are saved, Merion!’ she cried, and launched herself towards the nearest wolf, with a song of joy that thrilled all who heard it.
Merion watched her with a full heart, and then turned placidly to face the creature who had singled him out. He closed his eyes, and then opened them in realisation, staring into the gape of the wolf’s jaws – blood-red and black beyond. A living, breathing thing.
‘The tunnel!’ he sighed, and then was gone.
Many birds throughout the land managed to find that courage within themselves. Faced with onrushing death and without hope, they acquiesced at the last and accepted their fate with stoic hearts and calm minds. The packs of ravening wolves swept through them, taking their fill to left and to right. But no blood was spilled, wherever the huge creatures perceived goodness. The false alone suffered an agonising end, perishing at the very gates to paradise.
Some corvids survived, for the Creator is not vengeful and recognises a contrite heart. But most paid the full price for their wickedness in elevating an evil idol in his place. Their folly in believing in Traska, and in his promises which fuelled their baser instincts, now cost them dear. Their bodies were rent asunder, and their life-blood stained the land across the length and breadth of Birddom. And still the wolves moved swiftly and inexorably onward, in accordance with their given role, saving or damning as they raced across the land.
Desire for his own salvation made Kraken falter in his task. His wings slackened their grip on the magpie, and, instantly, Traska sprang from his grasp. The evil bird raced forward to thwart Tomar in reaching his goal, but he was too late. The wolves had descended upon the old owl, and left no trace of him in their wake.
Traska suddenly realised the peril that he had placed himself in, for now the eyes of the pack were fixed upon him. Turning on his tail, he fled back towards Kraken. But the seagull was not his objective. Kraken, disorientated by the rush and swirl of sounds, felt something brush past him, and tried to grab a hold of the fleeing magpie. But his wings folded onto empty air. Traska raced for the safety of the seagull’s tunnel, and dived into its rank depth a split-second before the wolves flowed, in an inexorable tide, over the entrance and onward, over the cliff itself.
But no wolf fell to its death upon the jagged rocks below. They vanished into the air, as if they were as insubstantial as mist. They had done their work, taking the seagull last of all, and now responded to the call of their leader, and returned to their homes. Septimus’ howl rang out across the land, and Birddom emptied of its ghostly horde, the wolves disappearing as swiftly as they had come.
Traska emerged, blinking, into the noon sunlight. He was dishevelled and dirty, and his body felt bruised and battered all over, both from Kraken’s unwelcome attentions, and from his incautious flight into the depths of the narrow tunnel. Guano smeared his black and white feathers, and cobwebs hung limply from his long tail. However, he could not help but feel happy. He was alive. He, probably alone in all of Birddom, had cheated Fate. The others, the goody-goodies, may have gone to Avia, or they may, just as likely, have simply been eaten, in their foolish quest for salvation.
He, Traska, was alive. He had defied the Creator – and had won. Here he was, the king of all Birddom. The whole land was his, and nothing could mar his intense feeling of pleasure. It was almost a sensual thing. So what if there were no birds left to rule over. Birds weren’t the only creatures who made up the natural population. Now that Man was gone, there was nothing to stop him. He would rule over the animals. Sure, many of them might be bigger than him, but none of them had his brains. His genius!
Traska revelled in the tranquillity of his domain. ‘What a beautiful place!’ he crowed aloud, ignoring the carpet of litter all around him. ‘So resplendent in its autumn glory. My land. My kingdom. So quiet and peaceful.’
But all was not quiet, and, if Traska believed it to be so, he was deluding himself. An angry hum cut through the silence, and a deep, mechanical throbbing underscored it, both sounds delivering a promise of impending retribution. Traska shivered, and looked skyward. One minute the warmth of the sun beat down upon his back from directly overhead. The next, a cloud appeared. A cloud that moved impossibly fast, given the prevailing wind. A cloud that increased in size, until it stretched from horizon to horizon, blocking out the sun as it approached.
Traska yelled at it, angrily. ‘Go back! I command you. For I am king of the world, and ruler over all of Nature. Go back, I say!’
It seemed at first as if Nature did not recognise its new ruler. For the cloud descended upon him with frightening swiftness, and this time there was no time, and nowhere to flee to.
Traska waved his wing futilely at the huge swarm of insects. ‘Be gone!’ he screamed.
And the insects fell at his feet. Not that Traska bore witness to his own triumph. He too lay dead where he had stood. For it was two minutes past midday, and time had finally run out for Birddom.
Epilogue
The light blinded the old owl. Everything shone with a crystalline brilliance. Tomar hopped slowly and uncertainly into a landscape that resonated with health and vitality. The colours seemed more defined, and everything pulsed with an inner glow. And everywhere there were birds. Birds of every colour, size and shape. They cavorted and played, rejoicing in their beautiful new home. The old owl shared in that joy, for he knew that this was Avia, and that many of his flock had made the journey into paradise.
‘Welcome!’
The voice seemed to come from inside his own head, and yet it was everywhere, all around him. And he looked into the eyes of a rabbit. A rabbit who was just as Merion had described him, but who was so much more, as Tomar had guessed. The rabbit smiled, and Tomar bathed in the warmth of his Creator’s love, feeling renewed and reborn. The cares and worries of Birddom, which he had carried for so long upon his great back, fell away, and his heart sang with joy.
‘What kept you so long?’
The tawny owl’s head turned rapidly at the sound. He remembered that voice. And there he was, as large as life, although, in reality, tiny in comparison to the owl himself.
‘Kirrick!’ Tomar cried out, in joy and disbelief.
‘How good it is to see you again, my dear friend,’ the robin responded, flying up to embrace the amazed owl.
Tomar’s gaze moved from point to point, as he recognised another voice, another face. He let his huge eyes graze happily upon the scene, devouring each sight that met them. They were all there.
Portia flitted over to join her husband. And Merion and Olivia danced in circles, a spontaneous expression of their delight. Storne and Darreal waved their great wings, and screeched out a welcome. A little to one side, father and son embraced warmly, as Kraken held on to Pagen’s face, staring deeply into the young gull’s eyes with purest joy. Everywhere, there were scenes of greeting and celebration, as all the birds revelled in their wonderful new surroundings. Portia had turned momentarily from her husband’s embrace to call out a welcome to Mickey, and the bullfinch looked up from his jovial banter with Kopa and Cian, and responded with a cheerful cheep of his own.
The owls were all there, too. Every Council member, past and present. So many heroes and heroines of Birddom. So many dear, dear friends. Tomar wept openly on seeing Cerival, and went immediately to meet his mentor.
‘Well done, Tomar,’ Cerival said. ‘Only you could have achieved this. For you have not only saved every good bird in Birddom, but you have also made Avia itself whole. It was ever meant to be a paradise for the living as well as the dead and, for those of us who dwelt here, it fell just short of perfection, although we could not have told you why. But it is perfect now, Tomar. Welcome home, my friend!’
Seven for a Secret Page 25