Under the windy symphony of the night, the ravaged remains of Jay began to twitch. The body started dragging itself towards the fallen log. Rigor mortis had begun stiffening the muscles in its legs, forcing the nearly headless corpse to pull itself forward using only its mangled and half eaten arms. Its head was held on by a smattering of tissue and the remnants of his spinal cord. Guided only by instinct, it searched for sustenance. To fulfill the insatiable craving it felt, it wormed its way under the mushrooms that grew from the fallen log. Ice-cold hands wandered aimlessly until they found their way around Lillian’s neck when she suddenly snapped awake.

  The pitter-patter of rain ripped her from the nightmare. Jay's corpse had been dragged off by who knows what the night before. She shivered as the water trickled into her hidey hole. Even now, the mushroom tried to lull her back to sleep. The spores of the mushroom were a sedative that had sent her drifting off into dreamland, even under the fear of death. The reality of what happened the night before came rushing back to her. The memory was still raw, and she was thankful for the short reprieve the mushroom provided.

  Small rivulets of water that ran along the underside of the mushroom were quickly absorbed, only allowing a scant few drops to fall to the ground below. Lillian shivered again as the first drop fell onto the back of her neck. The icy chill of the rain brought her back to her nightmare. The feeling of the corpse’s frigid dead hands trying to suffocate her was still fresh and raw.

  The cloud cover made it difficult for her to determine the time of day, but it was day again at least. She slid out from under her emergency shelter and suppressed a gasp that nearly left her lips.

  The foliage around the fallen log was destroyed. Only the monstrous trees still stood, with the exposed roots of the underbrush being the only sign of the dense brush she was dragged through only hours before.

  The memories of the night before played on repeat in her mind as she stared out into the wrecked landscape. The place of that event had already been wiped from the world; the storm washed away all signs of the struggle, which left her with a sense of loss. Taking her fate into her own hands should have been a pivotal moment that was immortalized in the land, yet the forest was indifferent to her struggles. Battles of life and death were the norm here.

  Her musings were interrupted when her ears twitched, picking up a familiar sound coming from above.

  “CAAAAAAAW!”

  Genius crashed through the canopy like a cannonball, spreading his wings at the last moment to slow himself before barreling into Lillian and knocking her to the ground like a puppy that didn’t realize how big he had become. He hopped back up and searched all over her, checking for any wounds, before finally settling down. The crow reclaimed his favorite human by plopping his butt down on top of her.

  His declaration was clear; she wouldn’t be let out of his sight again.

  Feeling his familiar warmth broke open the flood gates. The mother hen ignored her hushed sobs and opened his wings to shield her from the frigid rain. Through the tears, Lillian noticed bits of string and cloth clenched tightly in the bird's claw. Small parts of the men's suits and the pieces of her own shabby clothes that had torn off in the mad dash through the brush. Lillian forced the bird off her before pulling him back in for a hug. The two sat in silence until the sun broke through the clouds.

  The moment was eventually ruined when Genius’s stomach rumbled. The bird looked towards the sky, trying to hide his embarrassment, but Lillian’s stomach released a sympathetic growl before he finished.

  “Let's get back to the clearing. Let’s go home.”

  The crow circled around her twice before pecking at the cloth satchel she had taken from Jay’s corpse. Lillian hadn’t thought much about it, but she hadn’t been attacked by any creepy crawlies in the dark, so it clearly worked. She untied the string keeping the cloth sealed and took one look at its contents before throwing it to the ground in disgust. The stench of animal shit hit her like a ton of bricks. Genius looked around in fear before figuring out the source of the smell. Lillian decided to leave the smelly protective charm behind. It was useful, but Genius seemed spooked by it, and she chose to place her faith in the bird.

  Genius flew ahead with a flap of his wings, taking overwatch above as he led her through the wreckage of the woods.

  It became clear that the damage wasn’t only from the storm when they passed by a small outcropping of rocks. Genius circled back and waddled in front of Lillian, forcing her to follow along with him at a slower pace.

  Beyond the rocks was a large crater that scarred the forest floor. Even one of the gargantuan trees had been uprooted and knocked away from the landing zone. In the center of the crater lay the corpse of a bat. The mutations that seemed to affect all life on earth were taken to a new level on this creature. It boggled Lillian’s mind how something that used to be the size of her fist was now over twenty feet long. The hair still sparkled with what looked like small flashes of static electricity. Its wings that draped over the bat were almost reptilian, with dark veins that ran throughout its scales. The creature had two sets of eyes and a maw with fangs that spiral inward like a blender.

  The bugs had already begun their feast but were only found at the gaping hole in the creature's chest. The mud snails were out in full force again; their movement was vastly improved when the ground was soft enough for them to swim through. Every so often, a newcomer would think itself wise and try to eat at an uncontested part of its body, but the flesh of the monster was too tough for them to bite through. Lillian retreated from the rocks and motioned for Genius to follow.

  “What could kill that?” she asked.

  Genius turned his head and explained to the best of his ability.

  “Caw caw, caw caw caw,” he said before shaking his head and bopping Lillian on the nose with his wing.

  “Of course, caw caw... it makes perfect sense. Why didn’t I think of that?”

  Genius marched heroically through the brush, away from the gargantuan corpse and the scavengers. Unlike Lillian, he was more than enough to handle any bugs that crossed their path. The trail ahead of them was strange. The bird stopped a few feet from the moving brown wall, curiosity winning out over prudence, making him inch closer and closer.

  HISS

  The wall began to taper down to a fine point as the snake made its way through the brush, cleaving a worn path in its wake. The snake’s jaw unhinged and shoveled the corpse of the bat along with the scavenging bugs that were too slow to escape. The snake struggled to fit the bat inside its gaping maw.

  Lillian watched the frozen Genius’s black feathers flicker to a darker shade, looking almost like a shadow. His plumage returned to its original luster after the snake fully passed, but the bird was lethargic afterwards. His exhaustion tinged with fear. Lillian had never seen the crow so serious. He picked at Lillian’s hand and dragged her away from the feasting serpent. As soon as it was out of sight, he flew far above the canopy to scout. Lillian continued to traverse the woods, with Genius swooping down to correct her course every few minutes. The trip back was slow but uneventful after that. The denizens of the forest recognized the apex predator, and they hid from the coldblooded behemoth. The snake ended up being a small blessing for Lillian, as she was able to move in its wake uncontested.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  The sentries on the perimeter of the clearing greeted the pair as they made their way into the clearing. Genius sprung to action, nipping and clawing at a terrified dove. The assault ended when the poor bird was forced to fly away as the hatchling latched onto her tail feathers. Lillian named the poor bird Dovetail internally.

  Maybe that one was supposed to stop Jay and Zac from entering the clearing.

  The path to the clearing was still an unorganized mess. The birds didn’t belong here; they were meant to live in the trees. The many nests that littered the ground were built in many different styles. Some enjoyed the open ceiling floor plan, allowing them to be vigilant of all that goes on around the clearing. The mud nests were the opposite, nearly sealed with only a hole that was large enough for one bird to enter or leave at a time. The more creative birds attempted to transplant saplings from the woods, but they were unable to properly bury them back into the soil. Every nest held a hint of unwillingness.

  The birds were loud in general, always tweeting and chirping at each other. It was like being stuck in a food court at an amusement park. The chatter would mellow as Genius passed, as if they were paying respect to him. The attention span of the bird brains cut those moments short too. Even the pointed stares Lillian received were much more reserved than the last time she entered the little haven below the arch. Her place in their society was tenuous, but it was still there. The way to their hearts was through their stomachs, after all.

  The trip back to Genius’s nest was interrupted by a swarm of hatchlings that had gathered around the cooking pit. Their incessant chirps exploded when the cook returned. Genius started making a move to force his way through when Lillian patted him on the back a few times, stalling his display.

  “Go get us something good to eat while I start the fire.”

  The crow turned and looked into her eyes. The hundreds of hatchlings mewling around them were meaningless to him. The dark bags under the girl's eyes spoke for her. The raw lines on her wrists and neck were still fresh.

  Genius shook his head in denial and began muscling his way through the crowd toward his nest. He was filled with regret for placing the firepit so close to his isolated abode. Only the crows dared approach the arch before, the others never dared to congregate beneath the great nest.

  “I’m not going back to the nest until we have eaten,” shouted Lillian over the hatchlings who waited around her, mouths open skyward.

  The crow relented and took off towards the woods to gather wood for the fire.

  The parents of the hatchlings tapped their talons with glee before rising to the sky. They had let their children partake in Lillian’s cooking because the hatchlings were picky eaters. Searching to find the perfectly sized bug or even regurgitating partially digested food was far more work than allowing the small crow’s pet to make food for them.

  They had enjoyed her services the last few days, but this morning they realized that the cook was out. They unwillingly returned to the old ways of feeding, but the hatchlings refused to eat it. This strange phenomenon was new to the birds. If enough time passed, the hatchlings would be forced to eat whatever their parents scrounged up for them, but food was strength. More than anything else, the instincts of the parents were set to help their children become strong. This instinct was magnified even further in this new world, where the power difference between species wasn’t so absolute.

  Lillian gathered some small twigs that had remained dry within Genius’s nest and some of his loose feathers and built her pile of tinder while she waited. The small reliance that the clearing had on her was already paying dividends. The glares that she could feel on the back of her head were already weaker.

  The day passed quickly after the flames sprung up in the pit. Like all successful mom-and-pop restaurants, she was suffering from success. The single fire would have been able to keep up with the volume of food she needed to cook if the birds hadn't been waiting for her. The only way to meet the bird's demands was to expand her operation. Lillian set up a second and third pit, which allowed the traffic to thin around her after all three were cooking.

  The girl became a whirling dervish as she moved between the pits. Chunks of smoking meat flew into the eager mouths of the hatchlings. The small chicks fought over the morsels that fell like pies from the sky. The hours flew by, and the hatchlings and parents had eaten their fill. The crowd finally cleared out, giving her a moment to cook for herself. The sizzle of the meat had been taunting her, daring her to eat during the frenzy. Genius was the first one she tried to feed, but the bird refused to eat without her, choosing to hunt down more food while his stomach growled in protest.

  Genius flew back with a boulder clenched in his talons. The bird's flight was unsteady, fluttering a foot off the ground as he moved towards the pits. The rock had a beautiful pattern of green and blue shapes that covered the surface. With a victorious cry, he dropped the rock and sat on it to rest.

  Genius raised his tired head and let out a sound that was unmistakably a chuckle. The strangely colored rock raised up slightly, and four limbs stretched out before searching for purchase on the ground. The turtle's head carefully left the safety of its shell, looking around for predators. The poor thing noticed Lillian but didn’t consider her a threat. It looked left and right, spinning around in a circle several times before trundling towards the river, completely oblivious to the crow resting on top of its shell.

  Genius steadied himself on the turtle's back before reaching down towards the exposed neck that had just emerged from its fortress. The turtle must have felt something because all its limbs shot back into its shell and clamped shut.

  “Caw, Cawww,” cried Genius as he stomped on the turtle's shell.

  Lillian suppressed a laugh as the thought of the bird pestering the turtle for the last hour crossed her mind. She disappeared into their nest and dug through the sticks and bedding to retrieve her weapons. The stingers would never be so far from her again. Making an inner arm and thigh pouch for them was very high on her priority list.

  With the stinger in hand, Lillian circled around the strange turtle. The openings that led to the meat were rock hard. She tried to pry open the gap near its hind leg, but the turtle's defense was flawless. She took position above, where Genius had been resting, and waited for the turtle to lower its guard. Time dragged on as her stomach protested the delay. The damn turtle might as well be asleep.

  “Do we really need to eat this thing? There are plenty of other things to eat. Why not grab a fish, and we can split that instead?” asked Lillian with a hint of frustration in her voice. She had a way to handle the turtle, but it seemed too cruel.

  Genius refused to budge, waiting on the side for the meal he felt he deserved. He had done his job and secured the meal, and it was time for Lillian to do hers.

  The girl unwillingly rolled the turtle onto its back and pushed it into the smoldering flames. The shell's fractal patterns changed from blue and green to red and orange. After the colors on the turtle’s shell fully changed, it extended its limbs in the flames and relaxed as if it were in a spa at a five-star turtle resort.

  Lillian and Genius watched the turtle flip itself over with a pound of its tail before nestling itself in the ashes.

  "I don’t even...”

  Genius kicked dirt at the basking reptile and begrudgingly took off to hunt again. Lillian could hear him cawing softly to himself as he took off again.

  The crow swiftly returned with two medium-sized fish and threw them directly into the flames. This day had been long enough, and he was done messing around. The aroma of cooking fish filled the air again. Both Lillian and Genius swallowed down the saliva that filled their mouths as the fish cooked.

  A strangely gleeful grumble echoed out from the pit that housed the resilient turtle. The tank rushed out of the fire and snatched one of the fish with a flash, his neck extending much farther than Lillian thought possible. The red-orange shell sped off through the clearing, startling many birds who could do nothing to impede its escape.

  With tears in his eyes, Genius fell to his back in defeat.

  Lillian snatched the last fish out of the flames and skinned it. With a now-practiced hand, she was able to clean and dress the kills that the birds brought to her with some ability. Genius’s whine was interrupted when she shoved the largest part of the fish into his beak. They both ate their snack in silence. They sat together by the fire and watched the sun set before retiring to the nest. The day had been a long one, but they were finally home.