Antler half-closed her eyes at the sheer power of the blow and lay flat on the ground. She felt it, the waves of energy pulsing through the air as the cracking sound was heard throughout the farm and the river. All the chickens went inside their coops. When Antler opened her eyes, she saw a large, gaping hole that was made in the coop’s side.
She caught a glimpse of Kyros, panting, wings open. Tears streaming down his eyes, he ran to the fence which separated him and the farm from the river.
Although the other chickens still hid, Reanne ran from the coop she was in and called Antler. “Come on, we have to follow him!”
Antler began running alongside Reanne towards the fence, where Kyros had just flew over with his large, powerful wings. Antler continued her pursuit as she squeezed herself underneath the fence as Reanne flew over the fence above her.
The riverbank was muddy and lined with white stones. The river’s current was unusually strong unlike last time Antler had been here last night. The rushing water clashed and rose, and Kyros flew straight into it.
“No!” Reanne screamed as Kyros began to get washed away by the current. She followed the riverbank and Antler flanked her, following Kyros.
Racing down the river, Reanne looked at Kyros with pleading eyes. “Why are you doing this?”
Kyros bobbed up and down, showing no signs of struggle as the water frothed and twirled below him. “Because it would be better if I just went off this world. I’m a murderer. I’m betting everyone in the farm wouldn’t notice if I was gone anyways. Maybe some even want me to die; for fear of me and my sanity.”
Reanne began crying. “Kyros, how could you even say that? Everyone is trying to get you back to the way you were; the energetic rooster with the never-say-die spirit! They have all got your back! So have I! I have been with you, comforting you and staying by your side. And I still would, for the rest of my life. You know why, Kyros?”
“Because they need you! Our owner, gaffer, feeder, and handler need you!” Reanne’s eyes sparkled with unabashed emotion. “I need you.”
Kyros’s eyes began misting up in the turbulent waters as Reanne continued. “I love you, Kyros, so please don’t go. Please stay alive, if only for my sake.”
She blinked, sending tears down to the ground. “I don’t want to lose you.”
Antler had not really known of what had happened between Kyros and Reanne when they were still a cockerel and a pullet, but the way Riley described their current relationship, she admired Reanne’s constant dedication to Kyros. Emotional as she was, she couldn’t hold back a silent sob as she smiled. She couldn’t bear to place herself in any of their place.
“I just wished I had told you sooner.” Reanne softened her voice. Kyros was crying.
“I wish I had told you sooner too. I was too preoccupied by my sadness to see what was right in front of me.”
Reanne beamed. “Get off the water. Let's go back to the farm.” Kyros smiled as well.
Antler and Reanne stopped by the bank and watched Kyros as he began to fight against the ravaging water. Slowly, he began making his way to the banks.
Antler and Reanne urged him on. “You can do it!”
“Just a bit more!”
Reanne’s gaze drifted over to the river and her mouth opened in a loud squawk. Her urging became more rushed and loud. “Quickly! Faster!”
Antler was confused until she looked to the river. It was Pedro. He was gliding swiftly through the water towards Kyros. His eyes didn’t lie. He was out to eat Kyros.
Antler waved her paws and tail. “Pedro! No! It’s Kyros!” He seemingly couldn’t hear her as he came up from underwater to chomp down on Kyros. Fortunately, he had already reached dry land when this happened.
Antler was drenched by the spray of water produced by Pedro. She was about to breathe a sigh of relief but stopped midway as she came to the realization that crocodiles could walk on land. Instead of running away, Kyros instead stayed in front of Reanne, shielding her from Pedro.
“If he comes near you, I swear, I’ll slice his snout off.” Pedro surfaced, dripping water off his entire body. Kyros readied himself, neck feathers raised, muscles tensed.
Pedro blinked in confusion. “Oh, Kyros!”
He retreated back into the water. “I hope you’ll forgive me. I didn’t notice it was you.”
Kyros calmed down. “Fine. But wait, how do you know my name?”
“I look inside the farm at night.”
Kyros wobbled on his claws. “Creepy!”
Reanne laughed, and Antler laughed with her.
“Hello!” The two chickens and Antler had returned to the farm. Seeing them wet, they flocked to them and urged them into the feed trough. Antler was about to pick a nut from her satchel when another rooster, leaner and less feathery than Kyros, rushed towards her and began pecking her.
Antler shielded herself from the blows of the cock. “I’ll kill you! You just made him feel worse! Kyros tried to kill himself because of you!” She was saved by Kyros, who had put a claw between him and Antler.
“It’s fine, Drew.”
She got up and gave her fur a quick groom and excused herself. She went inside Kyros’s coop and rested there. She sighed.
“Well, it looks like I’m not any closer to finding the answer to Apple’s question.” She lay a paw on her belly. “I’m tired.” She fell asleep.
She was in a white place. It soon melted away into a lush, green forest. Pines were everywhere. Tears of joy welled up in her green eyes and she collapsed on the ground.
This was the Forest of the North. This was the place of her birth and where some of her fondest memories were made. And also some of her worst. And yet, the trees were crawling with life. Squirrels, bears, and birds were everywhere.
A voice was calling to her. The voice surprised her. It didn’t seem to come from anywhere yet she could hear it loud and clear. She clasped her chest. It was coming from her heart. Antler.
It resonated throughout all her soul and being. She longed for it so much. More than she thought she ever would. She had no doubts on who it was. It was the Maker.
She kneeled and raised her hands. Her thoughts just spilled out in her words. “Maker! Please say what you want to say! I’m tired and weary from all my journeys. All I want now is to listen to what you want to say.”
The voice grew ever louder. Antler. I love you. I love every single creature and plant in the world. Remember that everything that happens in your life is for your own good.
Antler cried, “Why must things like what happened to me and Kyros happen at all? You, the All-Knowing, must know that these events will cause us so much pain. I lost my parents! He must feel even worse than I do since he had killed his best friend by his own hand.”
Antler, tell me what would have happened if this place had never been entered by fur traders. You would have lived here, content, happy, and never have to see your parents die brutally before your eyes. Antler, I know you don’t want to talk about the details of what happened. The only one you bothered to share it with were the Trio. You parents were in their tree hole when a hand entered and grabbed both your parents. A bullet ended both their lives. But I gave you your life. I made you escape. What happened became a part of you, and you decided to help all creatures in need. And for that I am happy.
Antler was crying until she saw them. “Mom! Dad!” She burst into tears. There they were before her eyes. Solid and cheerful as ever. It was a big family hug.
“I thought I’d never see you again. I’m happy to see you both, even for a short while.” Her mother and father smiled. Her father spoke warmly.
“We were watching you from the Eternal Forest. We’re proud of you, Antler. We love you so much.” Antler was choking on her sobs. She didn’t hold back as she hugged them even tighter.
The two squirrels faded away and Antler smiled. “Thank you so much, Maker.”
Never will I abandon you or stop loving you, for I am Love itself. When I created everything, I thought about you. Even when you still weren’t born.
Anything can happen if you believe in me.
The Maker’s voice faded back into her heartbeat. She blinked, and she was back in Kyros’s coop; the same heartbeat playing on in her chest. Then she realized, all the chickens were crammed inside with her, with other chickens listening outside. She heard the teasing bark of Riley outside. “Nice!” She fainted when she had just realized she had spoken out loud all she said in her dream.