2022, June 08

An Exchanging of Lives

Life for a pigeon in the big city was dangerous, but Kúqr'rú was up to the task. It knew the only way to survive was constant vigilance, both for danger and for food.

Food, wondrous food, was the most important thing. You need to find the best food, delicious grain, and avoid bad food, poisoned pellets, fermented grain, poisonous leaves.

Danger was also important. Dogs that bark, cats that hiss, snakes that rattle, brambles that sting, hawks that dive. You needed your full wits about you to avoid them, which was always difficult when you need to look for food, eat good food, and watch the lines in the sky.

Kúqr'rú scanned for good food. Yellow points on the ground caught its eyes and it fluttered down. Corn. Jackpot. It pecked at the grains of it, savoring every bite. The soft crunch of it, the sweet that filled its mouth.

"Woof woof!"

Kúqr'rú flapped its wings in panic. A large black dog with curly hair came bounding toward it, blocking its escape toward the gate, the overhang of the roof blocking off above.

"Help! Help! Help!" Kúqr'rú cooed.

A pigeon tumbled out of the air toward the dog, aer wing bent.

"Begone, foul beast! You have met your match today with the valiant knight, Krjùkú." The newcomer fluttered in the face of the dog. "I am the protector of the innocent, vanquisher of the Úrù, blade of justice."

The dog barked at Krjùkú and backed away and Kúqr'rú fled toward the gate of the house, flying up into the sky, following the line in the sky to the nearest glass cliff. It landed on a ridge and caught its breath, looking around for dangers and finding none.

Far below, Krjùkú approached, listing to the side with aer wing.

Kúqr'rú cooed, "Up here."

Krjùkú listed upwards, colliding with the glass of the cliff and landing on the concrete ledge.

"The maiden of the porch," Krjùkú cooed, "I hope you made it here unharmed!"

"I did, Krjùkú, was it? I thank you for your rescue."

"What is the maiden's name?"

"Ah, my apologies," it cooed. "I'm Kúqr'rú. No fancy titles for me."

"Well met, Kúqr'rú." Ae struts from side to side, lifting aer head. "You were an innocent maiden in danger, and I acted upon my duty."

"Regardless, your actions saved my life. I was careless and missed the danger in my pursuit of good food."

"Ah, food! The most noble of pursuits." Ae struts over to it. "If it pleases you, I would deign to serve as your protector so you may seek food in safety."

Kúqr'rú hopped. "By the lines! I would love for you to. I always fear danger."

"Then I shall protect you, fair maiden!" Krjùkú cooed. "Where shall we go questing first?"

"Oh, there's a place I want to go which I have feared because of the terror cat." It looked up. "The lines in the sky show the way."

The lines crossed the sky, illuminating the directions of things, shining pathways to all the places in the world.

"I have always struggled to follow the lines." Krjùkú stared up. "But I will trust you to know the way."

The two took flight, travelling perpendicular to the lines. Kúqr'rú soared over the land and Krjùkú tumbled behind it.

Kúqr'rú circled a river as it lowered, landing at the banks. Krjùkú skidded against the bank of the beach.

"I saw you needed rest with your damaged wing."

"Thank you." Krjùkú strutted forward. "An old battle wound of mine."

"How did you get it?"

"It was three long weeks ago," ae cooed. "I was flying gracefully through the street searching for a maiden to rescue when the great beast Úrù confronted me. It growled and rumbled, its hide shone bright, and its eyes practically glowed. It was a threat to all the maidens in the city and I knew I must vanquish it."

"And how did you vanquish the beast?"

"Of course! First I divebombed it," Krjùkú fluttered onto a rock. "I struck it with my wing, driving it back, and my pecks pierced its hard flesh. Soon enough, it was vanquished and fell to the ground. But, unfortunately, in the melee, my wing was damaged."

"You're so amazing!" Kúqr'rú cooed. "I'm glad to be in the hands of such a powerful knight."

"You are such!" Krjùkú strutted. "And what stories do you have for me?"

"Hmm." Kúqr'rú cooed. "Well, in the city, my toe got wrapped up in a string. It hurt lots and, despite my best efforts, I couldn't get it off. In the end, my toe fell off."

Kúqr'rú showed off its left foot, lacking the middle toe.

"Oh! What a tragic tale." Krjùkú fluttered to the ground. "One as beautiful as you deserves not to be wounded so."

"Oh, why, I mean, ah, thank you." Kúqr'rú hopped side to side. "You also are quite handsome."

Krjùkú cooed, "You really think so?"

"Of course. And your broken wing simply adds to your charm."

"Thank you, fair maiden."

With the rest finished, the two of them took flight once more. Soon enough, they made it to the corn field. They circled down and landed on the ground.

"See?" Kúqr'rú cooed. "Lots of delicious corn!"

"A true bounty!" Krjùkú cooed. "Thank you for taking me to this place!"

The two fluttered about pecking at the corn, sweet, juicy, fresh, succulent. Every bite filled them with energy and life.

"Mrowl!"

A cat leapt at Kúqr'rú and it fluttered its wings and Krjùkú took flight directly at the cat with a yell. It was in the air spiraling up and up and up, screaming, the cornfield far below.

And Krjùkú wasn't with it.

"No!" It yelled out circling above. It scanned the ground.

It needed to find aer. It hadn't realized how much it had grown to care for the self-proclaimed knight. They had only been traveling together for a few hours, and it already never wanted to be separate from aer.

"Please be ok."

A flutter of wings. It gently circled down toward the Krjùkú. Ae limped forward toward some sweet smelling pellets.

"Ah," ae cooed, "a prize for my victory in combat."

Those pellets... Kúqr'rú fluttered toward ae.

"No, stop!"

Ae had a pellet in aer mouth.

"Please hear me," it cooed. "That's not safe."

Krjùkú looked up and froze just for a moment. Ae spat the pellet out and then a few times more.

"Kúqr'rú!" ae cooed. "What is the danger?"

"That's poison!"

Krjùkú stared down at the pellets then bowed to Kúqr'rú.

"My life is in your debt," ae cooed. "Without you, I'd be dead."

"Without you, so would I," Kúqr'rú cooed. "Let's call this even."

"No," Krjùkú cooed. "Lives don't work that way. One life does not trade for another for each life is unique. I owe you my life, not yours."

"Then I owe you mine as well. And," Kúqr'rú cooed, "if you owe me your life and I owe you mine, then I guess we're stuck with each other for the rest of our lives."

Krjùkú froze. "I would quite like that, I think. To live with a maiden such as you for the rest of my life."

"Yeah, well," Kúqr'rú cooed, "I love you too. Now, let's go home."

Together, the two took off and flew back toward the city.