Birds Of The Same Feather: 1-3

Birds of The Same Feather - A book written for every age!

Chapter One

The beautiful music of Les Paul Roque song “Sunday Morning 23” is heard throughout the lands. As the world we once knew changed due to man’s destructive nature, all living creatures from every animal kingdom became uprooted from their natural habitat and migrated to foreign lands for safety and survival. Heavy rains, violent storms, floods and many earthquakes overtook the earth resulting in land erosion, water depletion, land partitions as well as new land creation.

Once before barren and dry lands such as deserts turned into great forests with never ending rivers. Some continents even became the opposite of what they were, by becoming huge oceans that poured onto the lands and swallowed everything from previous existence. Ice lands quickly melted and formed new hills and great mountains. As the great storms overtook the earth, the constant flooding as well as high and violent, consistent winds caused all land animals, flying creatures and aquatic animals to lose their way and they died off in great numbers. The moon and the stars hardly got a chance to ever shine bright, for now there were two suns in the new world that rose both in the east and west simultaneously, and sat in the north and south just the same. Darkness covered the land every three days for only a few short hours. Yet, although the new earth had two suns, its rays and heat were never unbearable, and it never caused damage or burning of the new lands. The lands watered themselves and there was always an abundance of food on the new earth.

One hundred years quickly went by and a new civilization of man and animals were reborn. The age of the Aquarius had come to pass. All animals walked upright on their hind legs, instead of all four. Many animals were bi-lingual or multi-lingual speaking English, Spanish and French. The animals were no longer carnivorous. They ate only fresh fruits, grass, trees and other vegetation or shrubbery. Humans had acquired enormous intelligence and no longer inhabited the earth. The children of mankind were born walking and talking, already fluently speaking two different languages. Not one living creature, man nor animal possessed inferior intelligence, for the era of the unintelligent being had become extinct! All of human mode of transportation were in vehicles designed to hover through the air and take long journeys to other planets to obtain other resourceful materials. They no longer inhabit the earth, yet continued to use it as a huge landfill to dispose of their waste. Humans took a vow not to destroy their new planet like they destroyed the old earth.

Yet all but one specific creature had evolved – pigeons! During the course of one hundred years, not one single flying pigeon had changed, not in appearance or intelligence and they continued to consume and survive off the garbage they found on the ground. Even the chickens had evolved – they no longer roosted or ate chicken feed off the ground, they flew high and build nests in trees. The vultures were the only birds that refused to change their eating habits. They became more cunning and deceitful, as they would set traps to kill animals for food or sheer fun. The eagles soared so high, they almost touched the sun. They also walked the earth more than they flew, because there were still elements of danger. Almost every animal possessed human

characteristics and intelligence of man, and contributed their skills into maintaining the new earth. One hot summer, just as day slowly sank into night, a great fire took place and destroyed most of a new forest land. High winds caused the heavy smoke and burning ashes to drift throughout the land and birds of all kinds as well as other animals found themselves seeking shelter once again. As the dark night quickly settled in, a small flickering ash from a once burning flame blew softly in the wind and settled on a mound of ashes and small branches. Poof! A burst of fire emerged and then went out, and once again there was darkness. The forest became still as the fiery storm calmed, now total quietness and pitch black darkness hovered throughout the lands.

Three days later, there in the woods, among the ashes and tree branches stood the most unique and beautiful baby bird the world had yet to behold. Its downy feathers were so fluffy and brightly colored as he stood short and timid with the resemblance of a cardinal, rooster, and peacock combined. He was just a cute and cuddly little bird. None-the-less, the little fella was hungry and quickly set out to find food. He outstretched his wings and immediately learned they were too huge, heavy and weak to allow him to fly, so he set out on foot through the scorched forest in search of other animal life and food. A full day had passed before the colorful little bird realized everything in the forest was badly burned and of no use, so he headed downhill to greener, more thriving land where he came upon a field of pigeons. Some of the pigeons saw the colorful, fluffy fowl coming half a mile away and instantly informed the others.

“Hey look, here comes a strange looking bird! Have you seen his kind before, one pigeon asked another?”

“I can’t say that I have, the other responded as he laughed and slapped the informing pigeon across the back with his wing.”

“Ssssh – everyone quiet, he’s getting closer. We don’t want to offend him. He may be a baby vulture or something. Young or old, they all have nasty attitudes! Ssssh – pretend like you don’t see him, another pigeon instructed.” The colorful little bird, still covered with dust and ashes scurried into the crowd of pigeons with so much zeal, eager to make new friends.

“Hi fellas - I came from the forest, it had a huge fire! Is this where you guys live, the happy little bird asked with a giant smile glistening across his adorable face?”

The filthy pigeons continued to feast upon scattered garbage that had blown in and covered most of the field. They rudely ignored the colorful baby bird as they farted and belched in his presence. After a few more moments of trying to gain at least one of their attentions, one pigeon finally spoke up.

“May I help you with something little one, a nesting pigeon asked as she looked down from a branch attached to an enormous tree?”

“Hello – the friendly fowl greeted still filled with much exuberance! I was trying to explain to your friends that I came from the forest, which had a fire and I was looking for somewhere to get something to eat and stay for a few days, he explained.”

“Oh my dear child – those are not my friends, those are my children, nieces and nephews. We are all one big family. Their mothers and fathers got lost in the big storms many years ago. I am still awaiting the return of some since the last forest fire. It’s been days and I haven’t seen or heard from any of them. However, my sweet child, that is my worry – not yours. Feel free to stay as long as you want. We don’t have a specific home, although we have been here in this field for quite some time. We are just waiting for my little eggs to hatch, the mother pigeon replied.”

“I am so sorry - I didn’t mean to intrude. I am sorry as well for the loss of your brothers and sisters. You have a very large family. I don’t know where my family is. I don’t even know how I got here. All I know is when I awoke this morning, I found myself surrounded by ashes and the forest was burned. I saw the big field, was hungry and decided to come say hello and possibly grab something to eat, but your children don’t seem to like me much, so I don’t know if staying would be such a good idea, the fluffy feathered fowl also explained with the most saddened look in his eyes.”

“There, there little one – don’t go getting yourself upset, the mother pigeon comforted as she came down from her nest and wrapped a loving wing around the colorful baby bird. Things in life happen for a reason and there is calmness and beauty after every storm. Our kind has been around for thousands of years and we are one of the many who always survive and flourish through the changing of times. Birds are a highly favored creature you know! As with everything on the old and new earth, creation and destruction are one in the same. Older things must be broken down or destroyed so that the newer things can take their rightful place in the world as well as the universe. My dear baby bird, I do not know of your creation, nor of your family – but something in my heart tells me you are of greater importance than you know. It is only with time will your true purpose of existence be revealed to you sweetheart. Until then my new little son, I want you to stay close to me. The world has changed greatly and become a very peaceful place, yet there are still some dangers, she explained.”

The colorful fowl felt a sense of immediate closeness to the mother pigeon as he snuggled his beak into her breast. She held him tight as she began to coo, causing him to drift off into a peaceful sleep. She waved and signaled for one of her older pigeon daughters to fly up to the nest and tend to her eggs. Moments later she signaled again for her sons to dig up a variety of worms and insects. She instructed them to not allow the colorful baby bird to eat any garbage that blows into the field. She further informed them that although he was slightly bigger than them, that he was still just a mere baby and demanded they kept a close eye on him at all times. They were to keep him well-nourished with nutritious fruits and vegetables and teach him how to hunt for his own food, even though they ate the garbage that was already provided to them.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. The colorful little fowl was taught how to search for worms and other insects, as well as fly. Unfortunately, all attempts by the pigeon family to teach him anything failed. Their hunting and teaching skills were not advanced for they lacked knowledge in what they were trying to teach him. So due to their unsuccessfulness, the young baby bird had to still be cared for and was lacking in nutrition.

As time went on, the colorful bird began to grow adult feathers, but was still unable to fly. His wings had grown tremendously, but were still too weak. Yet his most beautiful and outstanding features were his crimson and gold feathers, his glorious crown atop his head, and long adoring tail feathers. These rare and striking details made him the laughing stock of the rude pigeons and they teased him about it often.

“Look at him – they laughed. The older he gets the bigger his wings get, and he still can’t fly, a pigeon teased!”

“No – chuckled another! The older he gets, the more funny he looks! Look at those huge feet! Look at those bright colors and funny crown of feathers upon his head. He looks like a mixture of every bird created! He can’t even feed himself, he has to be hand fed like the old world chickens and caged birds – and mom says don’t let him eat from the trash or off the ground! It doesn’t really matter where or what he eats as long as we are feeding him.” They all pointed their pigeon wings at the colorful fowl and laughed furiously. Ah, ha, ha……

The young, sensitive colorful fowl became crushed with emotions and began to flap his wings angrily in an attempt to fly away and escape the verbal torture. Tears poured from his eyes as the pigeons flapped their wings and let their bodies hit the ground, as to signal to the baby bird teasingly that he couldn’t get his feet off the ground, no matter how hard he tried. Then suddenly from out of nowhere, one of the teasing pigeons dumped a basket of garbage upon the birds glorious crown, as another plucked a tail feather! The mother pigeon became furious with anger, she had seen enough!

“What are you children doing, the mother pigeon screeched as her eyes fearfully searched the skies? I can’t believe what I am witnessing with my own eyes! How can you all be so insensitive – she asked as she slapped one of her sons with her wing? All of you – apologize now, she demanded.”

Yet to the mother pigeon surprise, none of her children, nieces or nephews obeyed her. Instead they all took flight, scattered themselves among the trees and left her standing in the middle of thrown trash with one of her newly hatched chicks and the crying colorful fowl. He was now out of breath, huffing and puffing, yet continued to flap his wings.

“Come here dear, the mother pigeon instructed as she outstretched her wings and wrapped the colorful fowl in them.”

He had grown so much in the few short months that he was with her and the rest of the pigeon flock, and was now standing taller and bigger than she. As she began to coo softly to soothe him, the baby bird began to weep even more. He buried his head deep within her shoulders and sobbed.

“I don’t know where I come from? I don’t know who I am? I don’t know how to fly? I don’t know how to hunt for food? I look funny. Everyone teases me. No one likes me and I don’t belong here! I don’t even have a name, the colorful fowl yelled out as he cried even harder!”

“Oh my dear child – you will soon come to learn that one must never lose hope, especially you little one. As for every end, there is always a new beginning! Since you have been among us, I have searched my heart for the right name to give you. You my child are not worthy of just any name, the pigeon mother explained as she held the color fowl head between her wings and looked deep into his eyes. My gifted child, you are a rare bird, maybe even one of a kind, and because of that I shall name you – Dignitas Singularis!”

She kissed his forehead deeply and tenderly as she shed a single tear, because she knew deep down in her heart he would be leaving soon and never to be seen of again. Off in the distance she could hear the chattering of her children filled with jealousy. Just as she wiped the single tear from her eyes, she told Dignitas Singularis that he would always have a special place within her heart and among her family. Overhead, a large shadow overcame them as it hovered back and forth. All of the pigeons that had flown up in the trees now took ground cover and ran for the bushes to hide. The mother pigeon glanced up at the sky and smiled contently. She hugged Dignitas even closer and kissed his beautiful crown.

“You will be just fine my child - just fine, the mother pigeon assured Dignitas.” The following morning the newly hatched baby pigeons waddled excitingly to the hole in the big oak tree to awaken Dignitas, but to their disappointment – he was not there! They all ran as they wept and called for their mother.

“Mother, mother – he’s gone! Dignitas Singularis is gone! Find him mother - please! Find him and make him come back to us! Bring our brother back mother – please, the little hatchings all cried to the mother pigeon.”

“He IS NOT our brother, the oldest male of the pigeon flock rudely informed the still crying hatchings! We don’t even know where he came from, so you little ones be careful about who you call our family!”

One of the new hatchlings waddled over and pecked the eldest brother on the foot. “He IS our brother! He was here when we were born and he always watched over us! You have never even played with us. You don’t feed us or bathe us – Dignitas did it all, the hatchling chirped as he continued pecking away at his eldest brother foot.”

The eldest brother didn’t respond, instead he simply kicked the new hatchling and sent him flying, only to land at their mothers feet. She picked up her hatchling, outstretched her wings in the most disgust of anger and demanded her eldest son to leave!

“Get out! Leave the flock immediately! You have been nothing but trouble for me since the day I took you in! You have always been the lazy one! The ungrateful one! The troublemaker! Well today you will hear the truth once and for all. You are always telling others who do and don’t belong! You dear – are not of my egg! You are the one WHO IS NOT my son! Nor are you any of my sisters or brothers son. I rescued you during one of the great storms! You were just an egg that had fallen out of the nest, and you were laying cracked on the ground. I never expected you to hatch, yet I never lost hope, so I cared for you and kept you warm as if you were one of my own. I never thought throughout this entire ordeal from the world changing that you would grow up and become such mean and scornful pigeon. Take what you need and leave the flock now! Don’t you ever come back – do you hear me, the mother pigeon scowled.”

“That is fine with me! I never liked being here with any of you anyway! You are all a bunch of filthy, trash eating pigeons! You will never reach higher ground, and you will never soar! All any of you ever want to do is pick thru the garbage and I am sick of it. I will find my place among the great birds and eagles and soar with them – the eldest pigeon yelled back at his mother!” And with that last rude statement - he flew away!

But off in the distance, was Dignitas – watching and listening from higher ground. He hadn’t actually left the flock, he just ventured out on his own in search of food to prove to his adopted pigeon family that he could do some things on his own. After seeing and hearing what had just happened, Dignitas decided it was the right time to leave and no longer be a burden for the rest of the pigeon flock. After all, the mother pigeon had her hands full with the new hatchlings and couldn’t always be around to save Dignitas from the teasing and taunting of the others. He drew in a deep breath to keep from crying once again and whispered softly – “Mother, I will always love you”. Grindin Pun song “Not The Same” is heard throughout the lands. As Dignitas began to walk thru the forest, a huge shadow circled above the field where the pigeons were, and they immediately ran to the bushes for cover.

{The End - Chapter One}

Chapter Two

As Dignitas continued to walk thru the forest, his natural creativity began to spark. He took tree bark, huge leaves, soft strips of vines and made a satchel from them. He became more confident as he wiped the flowing tears from his eyes. He stuffed his satchel with berries, insects and worms. Just overhead, he could hear the flapping of wings. He squinted his eyes in an effort to see through the low hanging branches and saw that it was his mean pigeon brother. He was flying to and fro, gliding through the air with such skill and grace. Although his pigeon brother possessed a mean spirit, Dignitas smiled at him as he watched him fly through the sky, skillfully landing among the trees. Dignitas admired his pigeon brother and wished one day he could learn to fly with such grace.

Dignitas stuffed the last worm into his full bad and searched out a clear path he could take through the forest. It was very rough on him to always travel by foot instead of flying, none-the-less he pressed on and continued with his journey. Over time, he acquired cuts and blisters on his tender bird claws and decided he should stop and make something to cover his feet. He walked over to a huge tree, found a sharp rock and stripped thick pieces of bark from it. He used a smaller and even sharper rock to carve the tree bark to the shape of his claws, placed them under his feet and tied heavy strips of vine around them. His poor aching feet immediately began to soothe. As he continued to rest and took a short snack break of berries, he could smell the aroma of something delicious being cooked off in the distance. He stuck his beak high in the air and followed the scent. Just a short way down, deeper into the forest, he accidentally stumbled across two lions that were talking. They roared and laughed and spoke fine English. Dignitas instantaneously became afraid! He had never seen such a mighty species of animal before and was fearful of being seen by them, so he ran and hid behind a massive bush.

“Hey there little fella – come on out from behind that bush, we see ya, a male lion roared.”

Dignitas trembled with fear! The huge lion was approaching the bush quickly and Dignitas didn’t know what to do. He spun around in horror, desperately searching for a means of escape. He looked upward – that was no good because he couldn’t fly. He looked behind him – that was no good, because the bush was at the edge of a steep cliff. He looked to his left, only to discover another male lion quickly approaching.

“Please, please – don’t hurt me! Please don’t eat me, Dignitas begged the lions.”

“Eat you – the lions rolled to the ground with laughter as they clenched their sides. Did you hear that Felipe, he doesn’t want us to eat him, the first lion teased.”

Dignitas started swinging his satchel furiously at the two lions in an attempt to scare them off. He then began to flap his wings furiously in an effort to fly away, but only succeeded at making a huge wind of dust, that somewhat seemed to work. The dust irritated the lions eyes and noses, and they began to cough.

“Stop that little buddie! Enough with the wings already, you are making my allergies flare up! With all that flapping, if you haven’t taken off by now, then I think it’s safe to say – you are grounded, the biggest of the lions teased. Listen here little fella, we don’t eat birds or any other animal for meat. We lions as well as most of the other animals have been vegetarians for the last 70 plus years. I haven’t had a piece of meat since I was born. I honestly don’t know what the stuff taste like. My grandfather has told me tales of how he use to eat the stuff. The story alone made me throw up. When me and the misses got married and got a den of our own, all we did was stock the fridge with fresh fruits, shrubs and vegetables. She can sure cook up one heck of a stir fry! Come on over here with us, we were just about to go in – it’s time for dinner.”

Dignitas looked at the father and son lion duo confusingly. Little, by little, he came from behind the bush and slowly followed them back to their lion den, making sure to keep distance between them. He stopped a short way to ruffle his feathers and shake off all the dust, picked back up his satchel and proceed behind them once again. The closer the three of them got to the den, the familiar aroma returned and Dignitas found himself becoming hungrier. He was eager to see what the mother lion was cooking.

“Honey, I’m home – the father lion yelled as he flung open the front door of the lion den.”

“You two are just in time. I am just finishing up dinner and the food is still nice and hot. I see you brought company, who is this handsome little darling, the mother lion asked?”

“I don’t know honey. I found him hiding behind the bush. He thought me and Junior was gonna eat him, the father lion responded with a hint of laughter in his voice.”

“Did you two scare him with your roaring? I tell ya – there is no good in us speaking English if you two persist at roaring all the time, the mother lion teased as she giggled and rubbed her husband across the shoulders.”

“Well, it’s not like me and Junior were inside the house! You said we couldn’t roar in the house, now we can’t roar outside either? Make up your mind woman – the father lion teased back.”

The mother lion put her hands on her hips, cocked her head to the side and gave her husband a sarcastic look. “Anyway little darling – what’s your name, she asked the hungry colorful fowl?”

“My name is Dignitas Singularis maam, the adorable bird replied.”

“Well Dignitas, you are the most handsome little bird I have ever seen in years! Where did you get such a prestigious name, the mother lion asked?”

“My mother gave it to me, Dignitas answered with pride.”

“Your mother – where is she? Are you lost out here in the woods? Did you wander off from your mother and the rest of your flock - the mother lion asked with concern?”

Dignitas hung his head low in shame. “She isn’t my real mother. She is a pigeon. She and her family took me in when I was just a baby bird. I have only been gone from the flock for a few hours. I didn’t want to be a burden to her anymore so I left, Dignitas explained sadly.”

“Pigeons? How did you come to live with pigeons? You have nothing in you that says or LOOKS like a pigeon! Oh well – you are here with us now and we welcome you. Are you hunger dear? I just finished cooking my famous stir fry made up of bluegrass, spinach, collard greens, cauliflower, flax seeds and asparagus, topped with a sprinkle of lemon pepper for flavor. My biscuits will be coming out the oven in a few minutes. How about you go and get yourself all washed up while I set your plate, the mother lion instructed to Dignitas.”

Dignitas went into the bathroom and took a quick birdbath in the huge jacuzzi tub. He was so hungry that he wanted to hurry so he could sit down with the lions and have dinner. He was happy to be accepted by the lion family and even happier that he wasn’t going to be served up as a favorite dish. He shook himself dry, cleaned the bathtub, mopped up the huge mess of water he made and went back into the dining room. The mother lion had put in an extra chair at the dinner table and prepared his plate. She instructed her family members to hold hands as she gave thanks for the peaceful new world and to the most high that continued to watch over them. She opened her eyes and gave Dignitas a warm smile.

“So Dignitas, honey, tell me how you came to be with a family of pigeons – the mother lion asked?”

Dignitas put his fork down and closed his eyes as he began to recall the strange event that let him to his adopted bird family. “Well – Dignitas began, all I can remember is always dreaming of a great fire and me floating through the air. When I woke up, I was sitting in a pile of ashes. I searched the forest for three days looking for food and others and couldn’t find anyone or anything. When I found a trail of green grass, I followed it and it led me downhill to a huge field where the pigeons were feeding. They took me in and took care of me. Many of them were very mean to me and the oldest was the cruel of them all. When my mother pigeon eggs hatched, they were very friendly and loved me very much. She kicked my oldest brother out the flock because of some very bad things he said about me. I didn’t want to go back to all the negativity and drama, nor did I want to be a continuous burden on my pigeon mother, so I left – now here I am!”

“That’s one heck of a story son, the father lion began. So, you mean to tell me you have never seen or met your true parents since you were born, and the only thing you can remember is popping out of a pile of ashes in the forest? You don’t even remember if you were hatched from an egg son?”

Dignitas looked at the father lion momentarily before responding. “No sir, I have never seen or met my mom or dad, and I haven’t seen another bird so far that looks like me.”

The mother and father lion looked at one another strangely and then proceeded to eat the remainder of their dinner.

“Dad, tell Dignitas what your grandfather told you about the old world. Maybe that will help him find his parents, the lion son Felipe suggested.”

The father lion stretched out his arms, gave a mighty roar as he yawned and rose from the dinner table. “As soon as everyone finishes dinner, meet me in the living room. I’m gonna go get the old family photo albums and we will have story time with Dignitas.” Dignitas was thrilled with excitement. He gobbled his dinner quickly and zipped off to the living room.

“Mom do you need help with the dishes tonight? I wanna hurry so dad can start the story, the lion son Felipe asked his mother?”

“You know what dear, I am just as anxious as you are. How about we forget the dishes and trash for tonight only, and take care of everything in the morning, the mother lion replied back to her son.” They both hurried at clearing the dinner table, tossed the scraps in the trash and ran into the living room and found comfortable seats.

The father lion blew the dust off a huge photo album and waved for Dignitas to take the seat by him on the sofa. “I want you to sit right here son, so you can see all the different species of birds that lived on earth before the great storms came.” The father lion opened to the first page and began telling the story….

“Centuries ago, before the storms, humans walked and ruled the earth. They were in control of all living things, as well as the earth and the sky. They were the number one predator. The top of the food chain, and ate animals as well as vegetation. For centuries, they did nothing but wreak havoc and destruction upon the earth with their selfishness and greed. They never took responsibility for their actions and instead blamed one another resulting in wars among themselves and great nations. The more they obtained, the more they wanted. They no longer valued living things or life itself, instead they valued money and materialistic things that really didn’t have any value. There lust for material things caused them to neglect the earth.” The father lion turned to the next page…..

“As you can see my dear son Dignitas, not only did the humans harvest plants and animals for food, they harvested everything for financial growth. They stripped the forest and other green lands bare of vegetation to make medicine, build roads and expensive houses they called condominiums. They ran many of us animals out of our natural habitat, then caught us and locked us up in cages - in make-shift homes they called zoos. The animals that managed to hide and survive got hunted down and killed for their flesh and fur. The more endangered we became, the more money other humans paid to acquire our meat for delicatessen dishes and paid thousands of dollars for our fur.” He turned to the next page…..

“The most intelligent of the humans were called scientists, but they were in fact not intelligent at all. They did foolish things that resulted in more damage to the earth. As time passed, not only did these human scientists cure diseases, they also found ways to create human, animal and plant life in laboratories, which caused them to over populate the earth. They cleared out more and more forest lands to build houses, huge factories, more roads and everything else they felt was important for them. They built more and more means of air and ground transportation. The bigger they made them, the faster they traveled and spilled poisonous fumes into the air. The more they continued to build, the more and more we animals got pushed out of our homes and we began to quickly die off. The animals that were caged in their zoos began to die off as well. They never understood that we could not adequately reproduce in an unnatural environment, yet they kept us in captivity.” The father lion turns another page….

“Pretty soon after years of practicing wasteful, foolish and selfish behavior, there were more humans on the earth than sources of food – but that did not stop them! These smart humans, the scientists, went into their expensive laboratories and found ways to genetically reproduce plants, grain, fruits, vegetables and even animals! Then they used us to test these genetically produced foods and medicines to see if it would harm them. Then something went wrong! Instead of humans giving birth to one or two children, each human woman that became pregnant gave birth to six or more children at one time, and we animals could not reproduce life at all. The new offspring of the humans were rebellious in nature and caused immediate and additional chaos to the world, which resulted in more destruction to the earth.” Another page is turned…..

“So in order to save the entire animal kingdom from becoming totally extinct, my grandfather and many other animals retreated to the mountains and other high grounds that were not normally inhabitable by flying fowls or land animals. All animals hid in caves in desolate dry lands. It was the only way to escape the humans. Over time many of the humans became vegans and only ate the vegetation that was made available to them from the land. Yet this was no good for the humans because of all of the pollution they had put into the air and soil, and eating the vegetation made them sick. So they foolishly tried to revive the land by moving mountains and pumping water to other places all over the world. It was a good idea in the beginning, but this also caused the earth to become quickly depleted of its number one natural resource – water!” Dignitas assisted with turning the next page…..

“As I stated before, they made all these fast moving modes of transportation, which required fuel. In order to make this fuel, they needed oil, so the humans dug deep all over the world to get this oil. It caused cracks in the earth core. These cracks became breaks which caused movements deep within the earth that the humans called earthquakes. These quakes were just the beginning of the great storms to come. Every time parts of the earth moved because of one of these quakes, it upset the land horribly and caused shifting of the ocean floors, seas, rivers and lakes. The mountains sank and parted creating great canyons. After many years of this, all of the human natural resources were used up and great nations started fighting and stealing from each other. Some nations remained rich in water. Some nations were rich in grain. Some nations still had fertile lands that all agricultural food grew well on. Some nations even managed to maintain an abundant amount of animals for livestock. Yet all of these nations remained greedy. There was no longer peace and love and care for their fellow man. No nation wanted to bargain or trade their goods to help one another, so they fought and killed one another and stole each other land. The humans began to die off in large numbers due to their selfishness. The more they poisoned the earth, the sicker they became. They even visited other planets and started test civilizations on them.” Dignitas turned to the next page….

“As the humans died off due to their own foolishness, we animals began to heal, reproduce again and quickly evolve. We learned how to speak all of the human languages. We learned to stand and walk upright on our hind legs. We learned how to make and use all tools. We even learned how to read and use the human technology. We began to nurture the lands hidden within the mountains and steep hills and started to cultivate and farm it. We never took more than we needed, and always left the land as we found it. Most importantly, we animals stuck together and took care of our food source. Then my grandfather and the other animals took a solemn oath to never harm or eat one another ever again. Additionally, they swore to care for and raise each other offspring as if it was one of their own, and whenever a human carelessly trampled upon their lands, they captured them and held them hostage. While they were held in captivity, much like their own zoos, they were made to teach the animals all of their human ways until their end of days. Slowly over time, animals became just as intelligent as humans and we won the fight over extinction, however this was not the case with the humans!” They knew from whence they came, and we refused to go back! Another page in the huge album book is turned….

“One day after the humans had gone up in outer space to visit a neighboring planet, the skies turned dark as night and opened up. Violent storms of every kind overtook the earth spontaneously. After the storms, it rained for 366 days straight on the earth and cleaned out the human race in all its entirety. They built huge boats to survive the floods, yet they died due to illness and starvation. The richest and most intelligent of the humans took their great spaceships to other planets and have been living there since, yet they still come here to the new earth to dump their garbage!”

“Anyway, the animals of my Grandfathers time who had already moved to the high, dry lands and mountains were prepared for the storms and were not affected by them. Yet some land animals and birds still lived on the lowest points of the land and got lost in the great storms. The high winds and great floods were too much for them to bear, and they died off in relatively small numbers. With the new earth being only inhabit by animals, it healed itself and became an animal paradise. We animals were no longer afraid or ruled by humans. We were always cared for and watched over by the highest of the high. The one that sees all, hears all, knows all and protects all… Goddess of the sky and watcher over the world.” The father lion turns the last page and closes the photo album. The mother lion gently put her paw upon Dignitas shoulder and strokes his crown with her other paw.

“Are there any humans at all left here, Dignitas asked the father lion with a hint of fear in his voice?”

“No son, the father lion responded. We have not seen any human or traces of one living here in many years. They all live on other planets now. When the new earth was first created, we use to see them all the time, but they were not coming to harm us. They came to gather seeds from our forests and farms and took them back to their planets. I assume they have everything they need there now. Occasionally, they hover over the old land fill not too far from the pigeon field and dump their garbage, however they never get out of their space crafts. They quickly dump their trash and leave!”

Dignitas shivered. “But aren’t you afraid the humans may one day land and start back harvesting all animals, he asked the father lion?”

The mother lion turned Dignitas to her and stroked his beautiful crown once more. “My dear child, I do not want to scare you, but you must be warned and always be aware. The humans are not our enemies anymore. Many of them are also vegetarians. Our only enemy in the new world now, are the vultures. They are the only animal that refused to take the vow, and continuously hunt to eat the flesh of other animals. As we captured humans in the past to learn from them, the vultures captured them to harvest them and later eat them. Although there are not very many of them, all animals fear them and avoid them. So, my dear child, if you are ever confronted by one, understand the others are not far away and they will attempt to trap and capture you. Do not attempt to fight, instead always flee, because they will outnumber you and defeat you, the mother lion warned.”

A sudden darkness suddenly overcame the lions den, as a huge shadow hovered above and quickly disappeared. The chirping of various birds was heard near and far as they took flight. The mother lion smiled admiringly at Dignitas and tenderly kissed him on the cheek. She spoke very soft and tenderly to him.

“It has been a very long day and your journey has just begun. You need to rest my child. Always learn when to work hard and equally rest. There must always be balance between the two. You will have difficulty moving forward if you are not well rested. Felipe – come and show Dignitas to your room. That is where he will be sleeping during his stay. And as he sleeps peacefully, I want you to watch over him, she instructed her lion son.”

Felipe, the lion son did as his mother had ordered, and did not close one eye that night. Day and night he watched over the colorful fowl as he taught him how to harvest seeds, fruits and vegetables for daily meals. He also showed Dignitas how to plow the earth and only take what was needed. And since Dignitas loved worms so much, he showed him how to make them emerge from the ground by using a wet piece of paper. This was very beneficial to Dignitas as it saved him a lot of time digging for them. This extra time he now used to learn more and more new things. One day Felipe explained to Dignitas as they were farming and doing chores that because there were two suns, and night only came every three days, food was always available in abundance. Yet although the animals on the new earth had more than what was needed, they never wasted. Wasting was not allowed in the new world, neither did they practice selfishness. They enforced love, caring and generosity and always watched over one another.

Dignitas stopped doing his chores. “What do you mean by enforce, he asked Felipe?”

“Well, Felipe began – as you know the vultures are our only enemy. If another animal gets caught practicing acts of predatory methods, hatred, selfishness or any deliberate waste, they do not get protected from the vultures. Instead, we allow them to be captured and watch as the vultures carry them away. There have been times when the vultures devour them immediately. The only reason why you are allowed to eat the flesh of worms is because you are a special bird and many fruits and vegetables cannot provide you with the rich protein you need which makes your beautiful feathers so full and shiny.”

Dignitas appeared to be a bit worried at first about this information because his satchel was overfilled with fat juicy worms. He and Felipe looked at the satchel, looked at one another and laughed.

“Come on Dignitas, Felipe called as he sprinted off. Lets go ask Cammille the cow for some of her milk so we can make some ice cream, the agile lion suggested as he dashed across the grassy field.”

Although each species of animal farmed, except for the pigeons whom still ate trash from the ground – all cows and goats gave freely of their milk, and the chickens gave freely of their eggs. However, if a chicken egg was more than a day old, they could not be eaten. Instead, they had to be cared for, hatched and made part of whatever animal family that acquired them. As a result, almost every animal has little chicks and chickens that were their adopted children. That was all except the pigeons! Pigeons were not allowed to care for baby chicks or any other animal for that matter.

The two finally made it across the huge grassy field and knocked on the barn door. “You really need to learn how to fly Dignitas. I thought you weren’t ever going to catch up my friend – the young lion Felipe teased.”

Dignitas huffed and puffed trying hard to catch his breath. “No kidding! Trust me - as soon as I am strong enough, I am going to soar! My feet are killing me and my huge wings are much too heavy to keep running with. I am exhausted!” Dignitas whirled around and collapsed in front of the barn door.

A great shadow immediately appeared from above and everyone fled and took cover, leaving the poor colorful fowl laying on the ground fatigued from dehydration. Suddenly rocks of various sizes came pouring from the sky and showered the farm animals violently. Cammille the cow burst from out the barn door in a frenzy.

“Felipe, where are you? Come here quickly, Cammille called.”

Felipe emerged from his hiding place and came to Cammille, whom was standing over Dignitas. “Are you crazy Felipe? Go get water quick! Hurry Felipe, hurry. He is clearly dehydrated, hurry Felipe! Move your tail lion – the nervous wrecked cow demanded and screamed.”

The shower of rocks got heavier and heavier, bigger and harder. The animals that had not yet taken cover cried out in pain as the rocks beat down upon them. One bull got hit in the head so hard with a rock, he got knocked out and fell over. A rooster suffered a broken wing. One of the hound dogs suffered a fractured paw. The cats tail got smooshed as one rock landed on it. It was just a mess!

Felipe soon returned with a pitcher filled with ice water. Cammille shielded the colorful fowl from the storming rocks as she gently tilted his head back and poured water down his beak. Dignitas made a murmuring noise as he slowly lifted a wing and held onto Felipe. He began to drink on his own as he slowly gained consciousness. Cammille then tenderly picked the colorful bird up from the ground, and took him inside her luxurious barn. She found a fresh pile of cool hay and laid him carefully upon it. She then placed a cool cloth across Dignitas head and instructed the other cows to fan him, thus keeping him cool until his body temperature returned to normal. She grabbed her cell phone and made a call that was on speed dial.

“Hey Leona – Cammille greeted to the lion mother! Felipe turned his head in fear and gasped! Girl, I know you just saw that rock shower, didn’t you – Cammille the cow asked Leona the lion mother?”

You could hear Leona’s big mouth screaming thru the telephone. “Girl yeah, I saw it! What was that all about? I haven’t seen one that heavy in months, since the last big fire that destroyed most of the forest near the pigeon field, Leona stated.”

“Tell me about it, Cammille replied. Girl, let me go in another room. I got too many nosy folks around me and they all up in our conversation.”

Cammille retreated to the privacy of her bedroom to finish the conversation. All you could hear coming from the room was Cammille saying – “girl, I wasn’t scared. I knew what to do! Ummm-hmm. Yep! Yes, Felipe has to be more careful with him! Well Leona, he don’t know any better, he still just a cub. Yeah girl – I sure will tell him for you. Ok Leona, I will talk to you later sis. Bye!” She then reappeared from out the room. Cammille looked at Felipe with one squinting eye, as she waved her hoof for Felipe to come over to her. “Baby, your mother told me to tell you, that you can’t be running baby bird like that! He is an air creature, not a land animal, and although he cannot fly, and is temporarily confined to walking this lush green earth, you must not over exert him. This is what happens when you do – and she pointed to the pile of hay where Dignitas laid asleep. I know you two were coming for ice cream, and I already have some made. Go to the fridge and smear a bit of that butter pecan across his beak, I bet that gets him up – Cammille instructed the young lion.”

“I am sorry aunt Cammille. I didn’t know it would make him sick. We were just having fun racing over here. I didn’t mean to hurt him, Felipe explained.”

“Cammille bent down and gave Felipe a motherly kiss. I know that baby, he’s just hot. He will be fine as soon as he cools off. I know you two were just having fun, but keep in mind he is just huge for his age. He aint nothing but a baby bird and we all have to be extra careful with him. We are all responsible for him and must make great efforts to care for him.”

Felipe went and did as he was told and Dignitas sprang from the pile of hay with a renewed spirit! He quickly snatched the bowl from Felipe’s paws and devoured the ice cream.

“Well, well – Cammiille teased, aint you quite the sweet freak? Now I know what’s needed to get you going, she chuckled.”

Dignitas flapped his wings insanely as he ruffled his feathers. The fast consumption of the cold ice cream gave him a brain freeze. He flapped so hard, he unnoticeably lifted himself from the floor. No one but Felipe seemed to pay attention. He smiled contently as he had discovered his fluffy fowl friend was making progress. Since Dignitas apparently loved ice cream, Felipe made certain to spoil him every day with a freshly made bowl.

As weeks and months continued to pass, Dignitas reached his full size and weight. He turned out to be a gargantuan of a fowl. He was marvelously enormous and when he outstretched his beautiful and richly colored wings, they covered a quite bit of area. Racing him was no longer fun for the lion cub Felipe, because the fowl legs were so long, huge and strong – that with one leap he immediately left Felipe behind. Despite the growth spurt Dignitas had encountered, he still could not fly, yet he and Felipe had grown so close they felt like brothers. All of the forest, barn and other land animals were proud of Dignitas and his accomplishments, for they all played an important role in raising him as well as teaching him. Dignitas had learned a great deal from the land animals and was well on his way to independence.

{The End - Chapter Two}

Chapter Three

As stated earlier, the two suns set every three days for a few short hours, but during the first day of fall - darkness always covered the land for the entire night. One crisp autumn night as Dignitas slept peacefully outside the barn, he heard the crunching of dry fallen leaves. Grindin Pun song “No Sunshine” is heard throughout the lands. Dignitas didn’t move, but opened one eye slightly to peek and see who it was getting closer and closer to him. As the crunching of the leaves got closer and closer, Dignitas opened both of his eyes in horror! There before him stood a group of blood thirsty vultures, each carrying a lasso of rope!

They quickly closed in on him as each threw their ropes over him. Some bound his legs, while others tied his wings. Dignitas remembered his earlier teachings about the vultures, but could not flee. He tussled and squirmed as he tried to free himself, but all attempts failed. Suddenly from out of nowhere sprang Dignitas pigeon brother Pete! He took flight right away, armed with a bowie field knife in his beak. The pigeon brother slashed as many of the ropes as he could that had bound Dignitas before being chased through the air by two vultures. The brother pigeon let the knife fall from his beak to the ground as he yelled to Dignitas…..

“Scream Dignitas – scream! Cry out loudly! Scream now, Pete yelled from above while he was still being chased by the vultures.”

Another vulture heard the brother pigeon instructions to Dignitas and tried to tie his mouth shut, but he was too late. Dignitas let out an ear piercing scream that vibrated the forest trees and rang loudly throughout the lands. An enormous shadow from out of nowhere appeared and blocked out the moonlight, and complete darkness filled the land. Piano cords strummed as the song “Aint That Peculiar” by Les Paul Roque is heard throughout the lands. No animal had ever fought against the vultures, but when Dignitas cried out everyone came to his rescue – and the fight was on!

Vito the vulture leader, waved for one of his soldiers to go get help. Soon the land and barn animals became outnumbered as the vultures violently pecked at their hides. The lions, wolves, coyotes, foxes and hyenas fought with the vultures diligently but could not free Dignitas from the bound ropes. Dignitas screeched out loudly again, as Vito the vulture pecked at the colorful fowl crown. The land became dark again as a huge shadow blocked out the moonlight once more. Cammille the cow stormed out of the barn screaming….

“Everyone - inside now! Take cover now and hurry, the cow yelled.”

The fighting animals all looked up at the deep dark sky and retreated as instructed. Just as the last barn animal, a baby chick made it inside, they all watched from out the barn windows as the vultures covered Dignitas and pecked at him brutally. In that instant, acid rain and huge rocks came pouring from the sky. They beat down upon the vultures like heavy bullets in combat. The hot rain sizzled, scalded and blinded the vultures badly, as the huge rocks fatally wounded many.

“Retreat! Retreat! Retreat you idiots, run for your lives. Fall back now or we will all be killed, the vulture leader Vito cried out.”

Some vultures flew away, while others limped back into the dark, lush, tall grasses of the forest, but that was not the end of it! The huge shadow continued to follow many of the vultures, continuously soaking them with acid rain. You could hear many of them crying out in agony in the dark distance.

“Help Vito! Help! It burns! My eyes – I can’t see! They all cried out as they fell out the sky and tumbled to the ground.”

Pete the pigeon brother, whom had taken shelter in a tree retrieved his knife and cut Dignitas loose from his bondage of ropes. Off in a far, far distance – Vito yelled threats to Pete….

“This aint over you filthy, trash eating pigeon! You should have minded your own business, the pissed off vulture yelled.”

The other animals came from out of hiding and surrounded Dignitas as they all checked him for injuries. Thru all of the fighting, acid rain and rock shower, the huge beautiful bird did not sustain one injury! Not a bruise or burn had been inflicted upon him! The rain seemed to even bead off his glossy feathers, he wasn’t even wet! The lion mother Leona, looked at Cammille the cow, and they nodded at each other in a mysterious agreement. They got the water hoses and bathe the large foul from the rotten stench the vultures had left behind, when they were all over him as they attacked him. Then all of the other animals took great care to dry him off, gently fluffing his majestic crown and tail feathers. The pigeon brother watched in total awe as they seemed to worship Dignitas in all his gracefulness. Dignitas was a humble bird and thanked them all kindly for tending to him. Cammille was afraid to let him remain outside for the remainder of the night, so she and the other land animals moved all unnecessary furniture from out of the barn to make room for Dignitas. Dignitas didn’t understand what all the fuss over him was about, he just felt protected and loved.

As Dignitas nestled in, all the other animals found a cozy spot to sleep around him. The lions, wolves, coyotes and hyenas slept guarding the doors. The brother pigeon Pete, chickens and other birds slept near all the windows. The mother cow Cammille and Leona the lion slept immediately at Dignitas side.

Leona the mother lion looked up and whispered to Pete the pigeon, as she pointed her finger at him – “You sleep now, but in the morning, you got some explaining to do mister!” All of the barn lights dimmed and there was silence. Only the peaceful snoring of different slumbering animals were heard. Pete however had trouble sleeping and remained awake all night.

The next morning couldn’t come soon enough! As the two suns rose, so did all the animals filled with much excitement, eager to tell their part of the story about what had happened last night. The mother lion Leona started the group conversation….

“I knew something foul was brewing when the wind got still and the crickets stopped chirping, Leona said.”

“And I knew something wasn’t right when my stomach started fluttering. I leaked milk everywhere, Cammille chimed in.”

“Yeah – our noses went to itching and twitching from that vulture funk, laughed the wolves.”

“It sure was strange when all the feathers on our necks stood up at the same time. I was afraid for no reason, cried out the chickens.”

“You’re always afraid – you chickens, the hyena teased the chickens as he laughed furiously.”

Leona the lion jumped back in the conversation, “I was just making my bed back at the den when I heard Dignitas yell out in fear like that, and my heart hit my stomach! Then the moon got dark. I didn’t even think, I came right on over and my husband was right behind me – aint that right Leo?”

Cammille the cow chuckled softly. “Girl you just don’t know! We all came running out that barn so quick! It was almost a stampede!”

“Well, when my nose went to twitching, I already knew what time it was. I could smell them musty birds a mile away. I already had my claws out and teeth showing, and was ready for them – the wolf boasted!”

Then there was laughter and high fives exchanged between all the animals that had engaged in the fight. “We sure showed them, didn’t we? They thought they had him, but we wasn’t running – not this time. I knew we could fight them, they remarked.”

“That’s right, said Cammille the cow! We can, and we did! They picked the wrong animal to mess with this time, she chuckled victoriously, as she raised her hoofs to the sky.”

Leona the mother lion, turned her attention to Pete the pigeon. “I haven’t forgotten about you, she squinted. I remember you! You are Paiges oldest son, the little troublemaker! I haven’t seen you since you were a baby bird, so tell me – how did you find yourself coming to such a quick, heroic rescue of Dignitas? It is quite obvious you were already around and lurking in the darkness! Have you started hanging out with them vultures you little troublemaker, while you running around in the dark with bowie knives, Leona questioned sarcastically?”

Pete looked at all the animals and shook his head in disagreement. “No – it’s nothing like that at all, Pete replied in defense.”

Dignitas rose up and walked over towards Pete and stood high above him. He was even more curious to hear Pete’s explanation of his late night presence near the barn. Given the fact he hadn’t actually seen or spoken with him since he left the pigeon flock.

“Well, Pete began, speaking loud, slow and clearly as he told his story for all to hear. It all started the day Dignitas left the flock and my mom, who is not my real mom, got angry at me and demanded I leave the flock. So I did, and because I felt so bad for being mean to Dignitas, I kept following him to make sure he stayed safe. I even unknowingly dug up worms and insects for him and laid them in plain view for him to find them. I knew hunting wasn’t one of his greatest skills at the time, so I made things easy for him the first few days until he stumbled across the lions, Pete explained.”

Dignitas came in closer to his pigeon brother. “That was you? I often wondered why the worms weren’t laying on the ground, and instead were dangling from branches. I just thought they got tired of crawling and started walking the land.”

All of the animals burst into laughter! Cammille pranced slowly over to Dignitas and placed one hoof around his shoulder. “Baby, animals have evolved, but insects are pretty much the still the same. If I so much as catch a worm walking, I will eat him myself! Worms walking – boy you crazy, she laughed!”

She gave him a warm motherly pat on the shoulder and walked away giggling. The other animals continued to chuckle as they followed Cammille and Leona to a nearby grassy field surrounded by a lake, as they left Dignitas and Pete alone to talk in private.

“So, that is your name – Pete, Dignitas asked? Thank you for helping me fight the vultures last night, and thank you for all the worms.”

“You are more than welcome, Pete replied. As a matter of fact, I have something for you.” Pete ran over to a nearby tree and came back with both wings filled with different colored worms and caterpillars. I had intentions on leaving these for you last night, but those vile vultures screwed up my surprise.”

Dignitas was happily surprised, as he loved worms. He opened his satchel and allowed Pete to empty the contents of his hands. “No – not that one, Dignitas pointed to one worm.”

“What’s wrong with that one, Pete asked?”

“Nothing, Dignitas replied. I haven’t had my daily protein today. He looks real juicy and I want to eat him now, he smiled.”

“Oh – cool. Here you go!” Pete tossed the fat juicy worm a few feet into the air, and Dignitas caught him open mouthed coming down.

“Mmmm, Dignitas fluttered his feathers. The live ones always tickle going down.” He then stared at Pete for a brief moment before speaking. “Pete, how is mother pigeon and the other children doing? I miss them all so much.”

“I am sure she is well and doing fine. I have not been home since the day I left - the pigeon brother responded with the saddest look upon his face.”

Dignitas became emotional as tears lined the corners of his eyes. “I know she is neither one of our real mothers, but she was the first mother I knew. Everyone has treated me like a son and brother by taking me in, teaching me and protecting me, but it was mother pigeon Paige that I have always felt the closest to. I am worried for her and the rest of my pigeon brothers and sisters, Dignitas confessed.”

“Dignitas – there is something you must know. Something the other animals will not speak upon out of love for one another. Dignitas, you must stop calling me as well as the other pigeons your family. We are not your brothers and sisters. Paige is not your mother. We are not accepted by the other animals, Pete explained.”

“Why – Dignitas yelled loudly and angrily? Is it because you don’t want to love me as your brother? Is that it? It is you that do not want to accept me – he screamed with mixed emotion!”

Pete turned his back to Dignitas as he hid the tears that began to fall. “I don’t want to talk about it, he replied shamefully. Lets just drop the entire subject and find something fun to do together?”

So they both set out heading for a trail that led to another side of the forest where rivers flowed and all sorts of delicious fruits and vegetables grew wildly. It was heavily plush land that was thick and vibrant with colors. Dignitas fell in love instantaneously with its beauty.

“Dignitas – Pete called softly?”

“Yes Pete – what is it, Dignitas responded?”

“When are you gonna learn to fly, it’s gonna take us forever to get where I am headed and my feet are killing me, Pete questioned tauntingly.”

{The End - Chapter Three}