Barnaby

The world had turned dark, and there seemed to be very little light that could be summoned this past year. Barnaby was one of the few fortunate enough to have survived the recent raid. His parliament had come under attack from the cougars that had banned together. They had been prowling all over the territory, raiding and killing any owls or other living beings with whom they came into contact. The winter months were already hard enough for Barnaby and his family, [who had been] trying their hardest to forage for food and stay warm. But now they had to worry about invaders attempting to kill them all. Ever wary, Barnaby stood to watch that night; he had only the sound of his empty stomach rumbling to keep him company. And, of course, fear and hunger pervaded his every passing thought. There was once a time of peace for Barnaby and his family. He tried to recall that time and to feel the warmth that memory brought to his mind. Would he ever feel that warmth again, the glow and promise of safety? Would he ever not feel the gnawing sense of loss and hunger? He had lost so much. Even though things seemed bleak, Barnaby had hope that he and his family could try to carve out a better existence in a safer place with the coming Spring. Until then, they were stuck amongst the ruins of what was their beautiful forest. Everything had been burned to the ground. The once beautiful barn they had called home for so long was reduced to ash and cinder.

One of the few peaks of his existence was when his friend Oscar would come to visit him. Oscar was a rabbit, and it was forbidden for them to speak because, in the past, owls would prey upon rabbits. But Barnaby was different from the other owls, his nature erred on the side of meanness, and Oscar trusted Barnaby. Barnaby had sworn to himself that he would never hurt another living being. He had long kept this secret from his family; only Oscar knew. He could not justify being like the coyotes that had killed off the majority of his family. However, on this morning, neither he nor Oscar was aware another animal was observing them from a distance; Watching and pondering the absurdity of Barnaby and Oscar's interaction. "Hello, Barnaby," Oscar said. Barnaby had observed that Oscar appeared extra twitchy this morning, especially his twitchy nose. He also noticed that Oscar's cottontail was dingy looking and that his fur was also dirty with soot. "What have you been up to this morning, Oscar?" Barnaby asked inquisitively.

Oscar hesitated at first but then said,"Barnaby, I'm not sure that I should even say anything to you, but one of the scouts we sent out a few nights ago has yet to return to our den. We sent out a search party to look for him." Barnaby's feathers ruffled with worry, "Do you think it was an attack from the cougars?" "We are hoping that's not the case, but we're preparing for the worst. Our numbers are depleted, and we don't know how much longer we'll be able to withstand this winter." Barnaby looked at his downcast friend and understood that he, too, had suffered tough losses from the coyotes that had pillaged the territory. Barnaby was always wondering about the world around him and often would think about why this misery had befallen him and his loved ones. Why was there so much meanness in this world, and why do others feel a need to breed misery and dominate those around them? He wanted to pose these questions to Oscar but knew that Oscar was beyond exhausted. While stuck in survival mode, Oscar wouldn't want to hear the philosophical musings from his strange, avian friend. After having updated each other on the past few days, Oscar wearily hopped off through the snowy terrain toward the false safety of his den.

All the while, a golden fox had been watching from a safe distance. Hunkered just a few yards from Barnaby and Oscar, Amelia was watching them with great interest as well as with great trepidation. She was all alone and didn't know if it was safe to advance. Amelia was quite emaciated and weak and knew she didn't stand a chance against a large owl, but she was at a loss for options. Was she hallucinating from hunger? Did she actually see an owl and a rabbit conversing peaceably? Amelia was shrewd and discerning in everything she did; that cautiousness had kept her alive through all the trials of this war. She didn't want to let her guard down over some ludicrous relationship between, of all things, an owl and a rabbit; But she was so hungry and tired. As Amelia watched Oscar leave, she decided she would make an introduction. She knew her hunger was starting to outweigh her fear.

However, Barnaby was glad to have seen his friend brief their encounter. With melancholy and resentment, he returned to his post and resumed his vigilant watch. He had several more hours to go before he could go home and stretch his fatigued feathers. His mind turned back to his quizzical thoughts about the past and his present miserable circumstances. Everything in life was muddled, and he felt a wave of anger flash over him. Just as he felt the torment of this torrid emotion, a very wary Amelia made her presence finally known. Barnaby was so startled by Amelia's sudden appearance that he almost fell off the branch he was perched. He had to rapidly flap his wings to balance himself and, in doing so, puffed himself up in the most intimidating way. Amelia almost fled in terror but thought better of it and instead coward where she stood. After the initial shock of having seen this intruder and having finally got his bearings, Barnaby met Amelia's gaze. He saw the gauntness of her eyes, how sunken in they were, how the sadness of those eyes was more piercing than the hunger he felt. He relaxed his stance and asked, "Who are you, and where did you come from?" Amelia desperately wanted to ask him the same thing, but she also didn't want to press her luck. She needed this owl's help. By nature, Amelia was a snarky individual and really wanted to tell Barnaby to go to hell; but she was just so hungry! So, begrudgingly compromising her need to be independent at any cost, she answered his questions." My name is Amelia, and I've run into a bit of bad luck as of late" "I mean, haven't we all?" replied Barnaby. Exasperated by the presence of Amelia, Barnaby asked, "What do you want from me? Everybody wants something, it seems." Hunger pains be damned, Amelia's pride was really starting to take a beating. She could sense that he didn't have blood lust, which was a relief, but Barnaby wasn't exactly brimming with warmth for her, and she still didn't know what to make of this feathered beast. Would he help her? Maybe if she annoyed him enough, he would cave and give her some food so she could be on her way.

Barnaby was intrigued by Amelia's presence and thought it was refreshing to see someone who wasn't there to do harm to him or his family. He silently promised himself he would do what he could to help her. She posed the question, "I'm exhausted and too weak with hunger to find food for myself, and I don't really know the area. Could you possibly spare some food or point me in the direction of your nearest five-star restaurant?" Barnaby just stood there looking at Amelia, thinking this broad was crazy, just like a fox. Though he was half tempted to laugh at what she said, he knew she was only half-joking. Barnaby wanted to help her, but he had some self-imposed dietary restrictions [which] he didn't think this fox would approve of. Barnaby wasn't sure how he would navigate these choppy waters while considering how he would feed Amelia unclear. Would she mind eating dried berries, he thought? Barnaby finally openly agreed to help her on the condition that she be willing to not be so abrasive in character. Amelia thought this an odd request but decided to or hold her tongue in hopes of getting a free meal.

Amelia was actually starting to feel faint at this point. "Can we get the ball rolling here, owl?" "Actually, my name is Barnaby." "Seriously, you're a barn owl named Barnaby?" she snickered. Barnaby was used to others making fun of his name, so nothing new there. Nonetheless, it was slightly off-putting since Amelia needed his help, and she was throwing him shade. "You have terrible manners, Barnaby said? Amelia shrugged, "Yes, I have been told this over the years. They've only gotten worse since the war, and I imagine they will never improve. What's your point, BARN-AH-BEE?" "My point is maybe you should show some gratitude that I haven't thrown you to the wolves or the cougars or eaten you myself, for that matter. Stop being so sarcastic!" "Fine!" Amelia acquiesced. "But, I'm just so hungry." Barnaby understood that Amelia was probably having some sort of hypoglycemic attack, which was attributed to her inability to be pleasant to be around. Barnaby thought to himself that this would be a difficult task keeping his secret and keeping his promise that he would help this contemptuous fox.

However, it was noted by Amelia that there was something off with Barnaby. Amelie sensed that he was overall an above-board chap; upon first meeting Barnaby, he seemed stoic, but here he was willing to help her out. Amelia was going to suss out what was making him so edgy and weird at this moment. Amelia was shrewd as a fox and knew Barnaby had a secret. Perhaps learning this secret would be advantageous to her acquiring even more food. Barnaby told her that he couldn't abandon his post but had an assortment of dried berries that he was willing to share. Amelia said, "What's your damage, Barnaby? Why are you acting the way you are? Can't you see I'm starving and all your offering me is dried berries when we could very easily hunt for some game? Even fish would be better than this. You're an owl, and you're eating dried berries?" Barnaby finally blurted out in frustration and despair, "I'm a vegetarian!"