Novel: AN UNWANTED FLIGHT
Last Episode
Last unwanted flight
‘So buddy, it’s time to leave
from here too before they plan something more for us,’ Houbara bustard turned
to Siberian crane.
‘May be after flying on plane, we
also forgot that we’re fowls and can fly by our own. Sometime forcefully and
most of the time by patting these humans seize our instincts and we remain
unaware.’ Siberian Crane gulped high in sky and Houbara Bustard followed him
and their destination was Lake Poyang 1200 miles away from Beijing.
‘I’m afraid that my mother may
not get heart attack at my sudden sight,’ Siberian Crane’s voice was trembling
with joy.
‘And I’ve decided that I’ll not
irritate my sister anymore. She must be grown up now,’ he continued.
All Born expats the migratory
birds at Lake Poyang were again ready to leave from east now. Upcoming dry
summer was not in favor of their long stay. If some of the birds want to breed
then they had to left for their approving temperature and if few birds were
hatched here then again they were constrained to leave to take care of their
brood out of heat.
Little sister Crane felt the
aroma of cherry flowers in air while flying over her favorite place the railway
tracks. Just then the world’s fastest bullet train crossed her up in blink of
eye.
She felt somewhere soothing while
watching humans leaving their places for many reasons. She felt that she is not
alone in world that is restrained to travel long.
‘Ah, time to leave again. I don’t
like migration. Why can’t we settle at one place? The spring and autumn always cross
inhospitable, hostile while reminding us about our status of BORN EXPATS,’ she
felt gloomy again for leaving at long migration trip and turned back to forest
near the dam.
‘No Crany, you’re and you’ve to
be valiant. You’re not frightened of anything anymore. Look everyone here is
scared of you,’ she draw together her audacity while crumbling her inside
branch to prey an insect.
‘Tur,,,ur..,’ just then the
firing breached the air. All birds from near trees flew high with shriek.
‘Hunters!’ she felt her blood
freezing. Her wings were jammed and paws felt to be glued that she couldn’t
dare to fly.
After flying for at least a day towards
Jiangxi province, China they came across flocks of Siberian cranes, geese,
swans and ducks gulping, twittering and fluttering in woods and on skies above
Lake Poyang; the largest wintering habitat of many migratory birds from Siberia
and western colder regions.
‘Look there, that duffer Siberian
Crane reached at lake when winters are about to end and we’re ready to leave
back,’ one Siberian Crane gripped the attention of its flock ad pointed towards
them.
‘Hey, where have you been for
whole winters? I don’t think covering 5000 miles from Lake Baikal to Lake
Poyang take more than 25 days for any bird even struggling hard above mighty
Himalaya ranges. All our flocks and missed birds reached in here by November.
Where you were and why this semi deserted Houbara Bustard is hanging with you?
...’ one older fowl flew closer.
‘Just tell me about my mother and
sister if anyone knows about them,’ impatient Siberian Crane flew little higher
and creaked. All circled Cranes winged a little back.
‘Your sister has captured the darling
vicinity close to dam at Yangtzi River where any fowl can feast upon more snails, mussels and
shrimps.’ One of them informed him.
‘Captured!’
‘She is such freak now. Every
fowl is scared of her,’
‘Just shut your beaks. Let’s go,’
he called Houbara livid.
‘I believe they were talking
about someone else Our Crany was such fragile fowl,’ Houbara observed Crane
anxious.
‘I wish so…,’
In a while they reached by
Yangtzi river. Cherry flowers were ready to bloom all side. There pinkish white
buds were cherishing the view.
Siberian Crane and Houbara Bustard were very
close to dam when they overheard another fire and saw a beautiful Siberian Crane
got hit slightly above the trees.
‘Crany…,’ Siberian Crane screamed
and flew towards her. He grabbed her in his wings and landed at safe.
‘Crany, my sister,’ Siberian crane just landed
down and grabbed her bleeding little sister.
‘Look, I’ve reached here to see
you. I’ll not let you depart this life….you’ll be ok…open your eyes.’ Siberian Crane’s
white wings were rushing red with Crany’s blood.
‘Houbara, do something?’ he
cried.
Houbara Bustard flew to grab some
herbal soil near lake when Crany opened her eyes.
‘Brother…,’ she sighed.
‘Crany…,’
‘I’m no more a coward little
sister. I learnt to come to blows and to snatch my right as you told me. I was not afraid of anything anymore but I forgot
about blind bullets and vicious hunters and you didn’t school me too. I know
Baba would definitely be joyful to meet me there and will cover me in his wings
for forever and I’ll not constraint to migrate,’ she closed her eyes for
forever.
‘Crany…Crany…open your eyes. I’m
sorry…please forgive me…come back…I never meant…Crany…Crany… ,’ he didn’t know
for how long he kept on crying there when Houbara Bustard patted him from back.
‘She’s gone for good. She’ll always
be with us at our hearts,’
‘You’ll testify that I was
foolish at start but then I tried my best to reach my sister. Will you…you know
everything…,’ Crane continued sobbing and Houbara kept on listening at him
silent.
The day passed and few other
flocks assembled near to fly back.
‘Won’t you fly with us again?’
his mother approached her by long marshy roots of dam.
‘Us!’ he looked above with red
eyes.
‘I’m sorry too. She was my only
girl but dear I had no choice too. May be I was scared too of being alone. I did
all this for her security but I didn’t get when she grew far from me,’ she sat
by her. dark green water was touching her paws.
‘I’m happy, you’re not alone
anymore,’ Siberian crane gazed at her mother’s new mate who was waiting for her
at distance.
‘You should leave. I want to stay
here for few more days. I think I can manage it now,’ he hardly smiled.
‘You can join us, guys. It’s getting hot here,’
one of the mallard from last leaving expats called them up.
‘No, you carry on,’ Siberian
Crane waved.
‘Then what’s the plan buddy?’ Are
we going to arrange air conditioner like humans,’ Houbara Bustard asked.
‘Aa… I just don’t want to fly
back but if you want so…,’
‘Nope, I think I’m not made to
hang about with my family. I’m just glad that my mother reminds me in her
prayers but we can’t continue here too,’
There was quietness for while;
only the chirping of water was heeding. The chirping, twittering and gulping of
birds was also flown away with expat birds in hope to welcome them again next
winter.
‘What are you thinking of now?’ Houbara
Bustard tried to read Crane’s mind at early next morning when they were very
high in sky that Lake Poyang was just looking a swimming pool of any
architecture’s model.
‘I think the same you’re upon
with,’ Siberian Crane grinned.
‘So, instead of leaving back to
south or west, we’re up to explore new world towards east of China Sea,’
Houbara Bustard squeaked in excitement.
‘Korea, Japan, Malaysia….America…we’re
coming,’ they both flew off navigating through the sun’s position and wind
pattern.
‘Hey buddy, you’ve not been gone
through pizza treats and hyperphagia to conserve energy then how you’re going
to mange it?’ Houbara Bustard quaked cheerfully at high altitude while
breaching the air resistance.
‘Aa..h, help me god and reveal
pizza or Nihari from anywhere?’ Siberian Crane quacked laughing.
Afterward
many migrant birds heard stories about those two vagabond friends exploring and
adventuring new routes, lands and methods for birds, so that they also can
survive the threats during migration trips like genius humans.
They also seemed to work on fur
coats and air conditioning systems for birds to salt away them from heck of being
expats. It was deserts, marshes, valleys or fields, mountains or islands everyone
was astonished at friendship of two fowls of different species but they continued
their expedition to explore the whole world.
Link to first & all episodes: An unwanted flight: journey of two migratory birds
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