Chapter 1. Home

It began with a subtle crackling sound—hardly noticeable at first. Branches vibrated as the ground trembled below. Leaves shimmered. Suddenly, a booming snap echoed through the forest as the tree swayed one last time in the morning sun. Within seconds, the mighty tree would no longer provide shade for ground animals or shelter for birds. The two-hundred-foot giant hurtled downward, crashing to earth with a deafening thud.

An aftershock of anxiety rippled deep within the forest, known simply as “Home.” To the diverse community of birds that dwelled there, Home was a place of safety and serenity. Here, fearsome eagles interacted with kind doves, and boisterous parrots mingled with watchful owls.

High above it all flew Dorian, a majestic eagle with a proud, sharp gaze and impressive seven-foot wingspan. From sunup to sundown, Dorian patrolled the skies. The mighty eagle felt a great sense of responsibility to ensure the security for all those who lived below. On this day, however, his sixth sense alerted him that something unusual had occurred. But what was it? Instinctively, his sharp eye and decisiveness kicked into a higher gear.

With focused attention, Dorian flew over a family of doves sharing quiet conversation. He noticed Samuel and Sarah sitting on their usual dependable branch preparing a meal for a friend. Their soft white and grey feathers blended seamlessly into their surroundings. Sarah was hatched in this tree, as was her mother, and her mother before her.

Typically, Dorian would hear soft cooing in sweet rhythmic tones as he glided past Samuel and Sarah’s branch. The eagle never quite understood why so many birds went to the dove family tree to seek companionship, advice, and comfort.

But today, no cooing could be heard. The echoing thud had rattled the doves, and the resulting silence spoke volumes to Dorian.

The eagle continued his daily patrol and made certain to watch for Man or any other intruders. The birds enjoyed great harmony in their world, and Dorian intended to keep it that way.

He soared over the Great Lake and spotted a group of parrots. Though not large in number, they seemed to be everywhere. With a burst of red here and a flash of yellow there, parrot laughter reverberated from one end of the forest to the other. Dorian listened in for a few minutes as the parrots amused themselves with their usual banter.

“Hey everybody!” belted Indy, widely recognized as the forest’s biggest personality. “Let’s fly!”

“Where are we headed?” asked Ivy.

“We’ll figure it out when we get there,” Indy replied.

Passing just below, Dorian heard Indy remind the group, “Life’s no fun when there’s work to be done. But we can make it better if we do it together. Yeah!”

“That darn parrot motto. They are such time wasters,” thought Dorian as he scanned the forest below. “Don’t they realize that we need to figure this out right now?” If only they could just channel that parrot energy into something constructive.”