Chapter 11. The Home Rule

Within hours, all of Home was buzzing. An emergency Council meeting was called for dawn the next morning. The Council members arrived just before sunup, except for Samuel and Sarah, who were scouting new trees to inhabit.

The parrots were fueled with passion. “Nobody does that to our friends and gets away with it!” declared Indy.

Clark added, “We’ve got to get it right this time. There is no margin for error.”

Dorian stepped up to the podium. He had more bad news for the Council, and there was no time to waste. “Three more trees went down last night at the northern tip of the Great Lake. Dozens of nests were destroyed. Fortunately, everyone got out in time.”

“Three more!” Ivy exclaimed, clutching her chest with anger.

“This situation is escalating out of control,” Clark stated flatly.

“Listen,” Dorian declared, “it’s up to all of us to solve this crisis. There’s no more time for bickering.” He stood tall, adding, “I take full responsibility for how our last meeting ended. My words weren’t helpful to achieving our objective, and I vow to do better this time.”

The Council members, floored by the eagle’s uncharacteristic humility, nodded in appreciation.

“In fairness, most of us weren’t open to what Xavier had to say,” Clark added. “And we certainly were oblivious to the value each of us contributes to the forest.”

Dorian replied, “You’re right, Clark. I’ve been thinking about how we handled the last crash site, and I want to try something different this time.”

“Let’s go for it,” said Indy.

“After the two trees fell the other day, I delegated responsibilities without being aware of our different styles. This time, each of us will focus on what we do best.”

“Excellent,” stated Clark, “and if I may say so, right now your decisiveness is what we need in a leader.”

“Thank you, Clark. We’re going to figure this out,” continued Dorian. “This time, the parrots should interview potential witnesses to find out what they know. Indy and Ivy will have everyone relaxed and talking to them in no time at all. Heck, they know everybody.”

The parrots beamed.

Turning to Clark and Crystal, Dorian resumed. “You should investigate Crash Site 3. I know your Owl skills will gather useful data for us to evaluate.”

“Consider it done,” Clark said, energized for action.

“Excellent,” affirmed Dorian. “Let’s meet back here at sunset to review what we’ve learned.”

The birds dispersed and worked diligently throughout the day. The parrots conducted one interview after another as the owls took pages of crash site notes. Promptly at sunset, the birds reassembled at the Council Tree, including the doves, who had already chosen a new family tree.

Before the meeting began, Samuel and Sarah thanked everyone for their support.

Clark shook his head. “Honestly, you doves always put the needs of others before your own. Of all the birds in the forest, I can’t believe this would happen to you. And...”

The birds stopped talking—their attention was diverted by a slight movement on the floor.

“Is that what I think it is?” asked Crystal.

A small twig seemed to be moving slowly toward the doves. “My condolences about your family tree. If there’s anything I can do....”

“Xavier’s back!” exclaimed Indy, obviously getting a kick out the chameleon’s ability to blend with his surroundings. “I wish he could teach me that trick.”

“Indy, you already know,” he replied.

“What else can you share with us?” asked Crystal.

Xavier was delighted to see a more receptive audience. “Let me share the principle that has guided chameleons for generations—if you are open to it.”

Without prompting, the birds gathered themselves in a semicircle around Xavier.

“You now recognize the four behavioral styles represented by each of your species,” he began. “You’re on the path to letting go of unrealistic expectations of one another. It also appears you’ve discovered that we all shine when we play to our strengths. Your next step is to pay attention to how you treat each other. I hold myself accountable to treat others how they need to be treated, not how I need to be treated.”

The birds studied him quizzically.

“I’m a bit confused,” volunteered Crystal. “Doesn’t this violate the ‘Golden Rule’: Treat others how you want to be treated?”

“Your point is well taken,” said Xavier. “In terms of respect, honesty, and integrity, the Golden Rule holds true. But when working with others or simply communicating with them, should you treat them according to your needs or theirs? Think about it.”

The chameleon flashed a grin and then slithered down the Council Tree. Within moments, he was gone.

Unsure what to do next, the Council sat in silence.

Then, Indy piped up. “There’s big wisdom in that little lizard.”

Everyone laughed—until Dorian brought them back to business. “Okay, that was interesting, but I’d like to shift our focus to the matter at hand—the trees.”

“If I may,” Clark interjected, “I believe that we are observing the four styles playing out right before our eyes. Before we continue, I’d like to understand the process that the parrots used to elicit information during their interviews. In addition, I’d like to share how I obtained data through observation. Rather than start with the bottom line of what we all found, I request that we describe our processes first, then conclude with the results. Would that be acceptable?”

Dorian took a deep breath, contemplating what Xavier had just taught them. “Okay, I guess I need to treat you the way you want to be treated. So, tough as it is for me to listen to the whole process, I will because it’s important to you.” He paused for a second and then added, “Truth be told, I guess it’s important for me, too. I mean, I should learn about the process.”

Sarah looked at Dorian with compassion. “I know what you mean. Samuel and I just experienced how exhausting it is to work out of our natural style. But I must say, being direct and projecting authority came in very handy last night. I guess we were tapping into the eagle style, as Xavier called it. Maybe our inner owl will help us, too.”

“Know what?” Indy chirped. “Xavier’s really onto something here! I mean, we could all benefit from treating others the way they want to be treated, right? Let’s see...we already have the Golden Rule...why don’t we call this the ‘Home Rule?’”

“I like that,” declared Sarah. “After all, when we treat others how they want to be treated, we make them feel right at home.”

The Council was in agreement.

“So it is,” declared Dorian, glancing at Clark to capture the Home Rule in the meeting minutes.

Already got it,” he confirmed, without looking up.

“Parrots, you’re up first,” said Dorian. “Tell us what you discovered.”

The parrots simultaneously fluttered over to the center limb of the Council Tree. Indy began excitedly, “It’s all in the approach. So when I spoke to Donna the mountain lion, I just cut to the chase. I skipped all the small talk and got right down to business because her style is just like you, Dorian.”

Dorian smirked, “Nobody is just like me!”

Ivy added, “The most important thing with Donna is to be direct and confident. Otherwise, she’ll have you for lunch.”

“Yeah, ‘parrot cake with scream cheese frosting,’” Indy quipped.

Ivy and Indy laughed at their own joke.

“Okay, so what was the bottom line?” asked Dorian. “What did she tell you?”

“Not much,” said Ivy.

“But at least we know that she doesn’t know anything,” said Indy.

“And she agreed to keep her ear to the ground and let us know if she hears anything,” said Ivy.

“You persuaded a mountain lion to do that for you? That’s impressive!” Dorian exclaimed. “For what it’s worth, treat me like a mountain lion, and we’ll be fine.”

“I thought nobody is just like you,” Indy taunted.

“Keep it up. You’re beginning to look mighty tasty,” Dorian deadpanned.

Indy continued, “Next, we ran into the deer, Sally and Sol, and their fawns. Such a nice family! Anyway, their style is like Samuel and Sarah’s, so we were patient, soft-spoken, and sincere.”

“Yeah,” Ivy chimed in, “we didn’t jump right into business. We enjoyed their company first and even played games with their little guys.”

“Hold on,” said Clark. “I don’t mean to cast doubt on your methodology, but how could you gather information while playing games?”

“While we were playing games with the deer,” replied Indy, “we were building an emotional connection so they would trust us with information.”

“That sounds a bit like manipulation,” expressed Crystal.

“Not at all,” replied Ivy. “We were simply following the Home Rule without even realizing it! We just treated them how they like to be treated. And those kids play a mean game of hide-and-seek!”

“I’ll tell you something,” added Indy. “At first, the deer were very reluctant to talk about the crisis. We wanted them to feel comfortable. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have learned anything.”

“And...?” Dorian pressed.

“Man has not been sighted for over two weeks,” Indy said casually.

“Now we’re getting somewhere!” proclaimed Dorian. “Who was next?”

“Well, then we darn near flew into a swarm of worker bees. We didn’t know any of them personally, so we had to be extra careful,” said Ivy. “Bees are regimented and exacting...so, just like our owl friends, we spoke to them in a C style. We stayed factual and organized and made sure to provide them with sufficient background information.”

“Whew,” said Indy, wiping his brow. “That was exhausting.”

“Makes sense to me,” confirmed Clark. “But how did you know how to do all this? I mean, how did you know they were C’s?”

“It was easy!” said Ivy. “They were all flying in perfect formation, spoke in a measured tone of voice, and shared only relevant facts and details. They were just like you Clark. And just like you Crystal. So we talked to them like we would talk to you. It worked! Applying the Home Rule is really easy if you just pay attention to what others do. Take us parrots. We’re animated and upbeat most of the time. So if you want to connect with us, just schmooze and share a few laughs.”

“So that’s how you do it,” said Clark. “Indy, you were just like a chameleon. You made quick behavioral observations and then adapted your style to match the individual or the situation. You already knew the trick, just like Xavier said.”

“That’s so cool,” replied Indy.

As the birds carried on, a brisk wind brought on a sudden chill. The birds instinctively moved from the end of the branch to the center of the tree for protection. Dorian noticed dark clouds gathering overhead.

“Anyway, it took a while,” continued Indy, “but ultimately, our new bee friend, Cole, said that their hive was in the first tree that went down. It survived the crash but came apart when their branch got dragged through the creek and out to the Great Lake.”

“What?!” Clark exclaimed. “The branches were removed from Tree #1?”

Indy nodded.

The owl, now visibly troubled, began pacing back and forth and then suddenly declared, “We have to go!”

“Where to?” asked Dorian.

“No time to explain,” Clark shot back.

“But there’s a storm coming,” said Ivy.

Clark leapt from the branch and headed toward the open sky, followed immediately by Dorian. The parrots, doves, and Crystal stood wide-eyed, not sure what was happening. After a few seconds, Dorian looked back over his shoulder and commanded, “Let’s go! Follow Clark.”

As soon as they climbed above the trees, cold rain pelted the birds in a downpour. In mid-flight, Dorian turned to Clark and asked, “What’s going on?”

“In preparation for our crash site analysis,” shouted Clark, “we organized a comprehensive list of questions in order to reconstruct and compare what happened to each of the fallen trees, not just the most recent one.”

A look of concern flashed across Dorian’s face.

“Don’t worry, my bottom-line friend,” Clark chuckled. “We didn’t spend all day doing this.”

A crack of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky—a dangerous reminder of why birds shouldn’t fly during a storm. The parrots struggled to navigate through wind gusts as the rain came down in sheets. The doves, who were the smallest of the group, barely kept up with the rest.

“C’mon, guys—we can make it through!” Ivy encouraged. “We can do this!”

A deafening thunderclap reverberated in every direction.

Clark resumed, shouting even louder over the storm, “We identified key areas of inquiry such as, ‘Were the cut patterns on each tree the same?’ ‘Are we looking for more than one culprit?’ ‘Why were these particular trees under attack?’ Crystal and I thought maybe their location had something to do with it.”

“Clark, I am impressed,” responded Dorian. “I truly am. But I’m also freezing my feathers off out here and would very much appreciate that bottom line!”

Clark obliged. “Almost immediately, we observed that branches were removed at Crash Site 2, but not from Samuel and Sarah’s tree at Crash Site 3. Based on the parrots’ evidence of the same pattern from Crash Site 1, I predict that the perpetrator will soon return to the doves’ former tree to remove the branches and finish the job.”

“And when they do,” hollered Indy from behind, “we’ll be there to catch ’em in the act!”

“Excellent work, Clark,” said Dorian.

Sarah smiled. Maybe we can work as a team after all.