The dawn went by quickly. A burst of pink and orange, then it was gone. It was replaced by a clear blue sky. It started the day of Antler.
Antler, feeling refreshed and clear-minded, jumped from the branch. She landed on soft fur. The dog was roused from his sleep and jumped up on four paws.
Noticing Antler as the one who abruptly woke him, he growled at the squirrel and gave a woof. “Why’d you do that?” he snarled.
Antler was frozen still. One more woof and she was sure that his owner would be awake as well.
A pebble made her lose her footing and tumble backwards into the ground. The looming shape of the lean dog towered over her. She felt herself sink as she sensed the air spinning in the dog’s throat as he readied himself for an enormous woof.
“I’m sorry I woke you up!” she apologized.
The dog, while still looking annoyed, just sat in front of her. “Well, okay then. Apology accepted.”
Antler’s jaw dropped. “W-What?”
“I said no problem. Got any problem with that?” asked the dog.
“No! Not at all! It’s just, you’re not angry at me anymore?” By now, the dog’s face had shown no signs of the growling menace which faced Antler a few moments ago. He was now a happy dog with a wagging tail. “Yep. Just don’t jump on me anymore. It hurts my side. Why’re you here though? My name’s Riley. I’m supposed to interrogate any creature that comes here. If it’s a human who comes in, I bark, no questions asked.”
Antler was surprised at this dog’s friendliness and spontaneity. “My name’s Antler. I’m a travelling squirrel. I hope you don’t mind if I meet some of the chickens here, right? I came here on the request of a crocodile named Pedro. He is concerned with the welfare of Kyros, the battle stag. Does he happen to be here?”
Riley tilted his head. “Kyros? Yes, he’s here. He’s incredibly sad. You see, two weeks ago—“
“I already know.”
Riley shrugged and rolled his eyes. “So Pedro has already told you. That’s fine. I was about to tell you extra things about him, but, you know—“
Antler rushed, “No! Tell me, please!”
“Well, you see, he needed a hen to comfort him through this time. There’s Kyros.” Antler turned her eyes towards a coop. There inside was a faint figure, with his details concealed in the darkness. He didn’t look any brighter than he was at night, when Antler first saw him.
Beside him was a young hen, seemingly sympathetic as she spoke with the shadow which was Kyros.
Antler asked Riley, “Who is that hen?”
Riley’s face broke into an amused smile. “That’s Reanne. She was Kyros and Trevor’s shared love interest. I’m glad she’s there for him. I believe if it wasn’t for her, Kyros would probably totally lose the will to live.”
Antler noticed that Kyros was beginning to step out into the light.
He became clear in the light. As he flapped his wings, the battle-hardened rooster’s rippling feathers and large wingspan came into view. However, after he stretched, he folded his wings, and seemingly collapsed into something half his original size. He looked weak and pitiful now. He walked to the feed trough together with Reanne.
Antler remembered the heartwrenching story told by Pedro and she couldn’t help but feel overwhelming pity for this champion.
Riley sat up and told Antler to hide behind him. Antler quickly scurried behind him. His tail was not moving as he pointed Antler to what was happening before him. Antler looked from the side of Riley and found the feeder unloading a sack of feed on the trough, where all the chickens flocked to. But Kyros wasn’t going to be part of the buffet.
He was carried and brought to a separate area to feed. This separate compound, only a walk away from where the other chickens were feeding, was wire meshed from top to bottom. It was almost a giant cage. The feeder released him inside and closed the door.
Riley stood up, wagging his tail. “Follow me.” He went towards the wire compound, and Antler darted alongside him. When they were next to Kyros’s feeding place, they took a peek inside. The feeder was carefully measuring with a cup the amount of feed to give him. Kyros still looked depressed. Then he poured the feed into a wooden trough, added a cup of water, and added a powder into the mix.
Riley explained. The feed was special feed to boost performance and energy. The powder put in was to prevent worms, for the owners of Kyros think it was what caused his lack of energy.
“I have my qualms if it may work. He had been sent to the vet for thrice a week. The vet kept saying that he was normal. But the owner of the farm and I wanted to make sure, so they gave the powder still.”
Riley gave a sigh. “I wish I could comfort him. If only I could tell him that everything happens with a purpose, even the ones that seem to cause pain and sorrow.”
Antler gasped. She remembered what the three raccoons had said. There is nothing in the world that exists without a purpose. Remember that. What Riley had said was virtually identical to what they had said!
Antler tugged at Riley’s fur. “Why haven’t you told him yet? I’m sure it would comfort him greatly.”
Riley scratched behind his ear. “Well, one and a half weeks ago, I tried to. But you know chickens. They run away before you even get to talk to them. It also looks like I’m deliberately scaring them. As I tried again and again to talk to him over these past few days, my owner kept catching me in the act thanks to the loud crowing of the chickens, I have been caged several times already. Besides, I don’t know how to respond to any further questions he may ask afterwards.”
Antler was preening her tail when she was surprised by a bark of Riley as he hopped in the air. “I know! What if you do it?”
Antler’s face became cold and steely. “That’s stupid.”
“Come on! The chickens won’t get scared of you like they are of me. Send Kyros my message to him!”
Antler crossed her arms and replied sarcastically, “All right, I’ll get there and we’ll have a nice, friendly chat over his dead friend in broad daylight. That’ll surely go well!”
Riley was still as enthusiastic as ever. “Then I’ll coax my owner to play fetch or take a walk with me in the park. You’ll have the chickens to yourself!”
Antler flicked her bushy tail. “Look, I’m not sure what’ll happen. There is one good scenario and two bad scenarios if I do this. I might get him to be cheerful and comfort him and everything will go right, or… I might be successful at saddening him further and get crowd-pecked by the chickens. Or, maybe, I might get murdered by the gun of your master. Those aren’t very interesting prospects for me, aren’t they?”
Riley looked like he was pondering this for a while until he exclaimed, “Yep!” He then proceeded to go inside the house using the flap door.
Antler’s jaw was left open. “Fine, then. I’ll talk this out with Kyros,” she said, cleaning her paws.
She crept silently towards Kyros’s coop. Approaching it, she felt fear climb up her spine. What would happen once I get there? She gripped the wood of the coop. It was only now she had taken a better look at the coop.
The owner obviously was a chicken enthusiast. The coops for each of the chickens were splendidly made; almost elegant. It’s like they’re wooden replicas of their owner’s house.
The coops were elevated and a ramp led up to a door in the coop, where the chickens were supposed to come up to. Antler slowly went up the ramp. Inside, it wasn’t so dark after all.
The coops had glass roofs to make up for having no lighting inside. Inside was the bunched up figure of Kyros, crowing laced with sadness. His back was to Antler since he faced the corner of the coop. Antler stepped inside and edged towards him. She tapped him lightly.
“Hello?” He didn’t notice her. This was exactly like how Pedro acted when she first met him! Pedro, showing so much pain over what had happened to Kyros, had essentially become Kyros!
So she sat beside him. Not really doing anything, but just sitting beside him. She hoped this would be comforting. Maybe.
After a couple of minutes, Kyros stood up and looked at the sky. Antler looked up as well. It was midday, and the sun was streaming from the glass roof.
Kyros then flapped his wings together, creating a gust of wind which surprised Antler. It was as if a storm had broken out in the coop. Kyros folded back his wings and began to walk down the ramp. But he stopped mid-step. Antler froze. If he began to attack her, the commotion would attract the farmer!
Wait. Riley distracted the farmer earlier on. So now there isn’t much to worry about. However, Kyros is still a champion battle stag. If he decided to kill me, then it would be over! The air rushed into her lungs. She was trapped here.
Kyros approached her and Antler let out a silent wail as his neck feathers rose. It was already near adjacent to his face. She closed her eyes, awaiting the blow.
“Kyros!” A hen rushed inside and blocked Kyros from Antler. “Please, don’t be so anti-social! It looked as if you were going to kill her! Could you even bear to kill again?”
Antler looked at her closely and figured out that this must be Reanne. Kyros’s neck feathers slowly went back in place. He was crying. “I’m sorry! Please, I didn’t mean it.” Antler stammered, “I-It’s okay.”
“Go get some fresh air.” Reanne urged Kyros out. She approached Antler. “I’m sorry about that. He gets like that whenever someone is near him.”
“No problem,” replied Antler.
Reanne hung her head. “I wish he’d be back to normal. He was so energetic.” Antler sat with her.
She continued. “As a pullet, I liked him a lot. Actually, I still do; and I bet he does too. But what has happened near destroyed his will to live. So now I’ll just be his guardian and comfort him for now.” Antler sympathized. “I just have to say a few words to him.” “Go ahead. By now, he must be calmed down.”
Antler looked out the coop entrance outside. Kyros was flapping his wings. She scurried over to meet him. “Hello, Kyros.”
Kyros stared off, his gaze seemingly far away. “Hey. I’m sorry for earlier.” He kicked the ground. “It’s just; I don’t really want to be with anyone right now. Even though I know they are the ones that keep me alive. But not quite kicking; in a figurative way.”
“You see, I have lost the means to live. Every single day which passed since I killed my dear friend Trevor, my inspiration was gone. I believed in the Maker. But how could he be so cruel as to make these set of circumstances happen? I was only a young cockerel when he was gone from my sight. Then, when I finally get to meet him again…” He began to choke on his words, and Antler hugged him.
“I would be the one to bring him away from me forever!” he wailed. Antler was shocked by the intense emotion flowing from the battle stag. It was almost as if the ground shook to every single sob he made.
Antler clung on until he was calm again. “I came to bring you a message from Riley, the dog.”
Kyros sniffled. “The owner’s dog who’s been following me everywhere? What did he come to say? That he’d like to eat me for lunch?”
Antler laughed. “No, of course not!” She returned to her previous matter-of-factly tone. “He came to tell you that… everything happens with a purpose. This event must have a purpose as well.” Kyros’s reaction shocked her and the entire farm.
“So this event has a purpose, doesn’t it?” He ran over to the side of his coop. “I know what the purpose is!” A vicious light was in his eyes. “It’s to destroy me from the inside! The Maker hates me!” He jumped, and hit the side of the coop with an outstretched foot.