The Vulture

The walkway was slim and steep. Trees, mold and all sorts of vegetation covered every inch of that forest but the narrow path. Who would make such a walkway here in this forest? Who would take the time to clear out the path and lay concrete on it and make such a neat walkway here? I might have walked up that path for days or weeks or months! It's a mystery why I didn't turn around and went my way. All I knew is that I had to make it to the top. They were waiting for me there and I was already late! The more I walked the colder it got, the harder it became to breath. The higher I got the more dead the forest seemed. The sky seemed to turn from day to night as I advanced. The once green life seemed to turn golden and dry. The leafs started to decay, the trees to die. The ground no longer had mold or any sort of vegetation, the soil was cracked and dried. The walkway remained the same, unchanging though the whole trip . Finally, after what seemed like endless walking, a mephitic stench stroke me as I came upon a stone fence. There the world seemed to end. All around laid broken trees and dead birds. Above my head flew endless flocks of white doves.

“You're late for dinner!” Said a voice. I turned to the side to fix my eyes upon a Vulture. It was standing on the branches of a dead tree all grotesque and repulsive. It was a little bigger than me and its feathers were jet black. Its face was dyed red with blood and its eyes stared at me as if I were a tasty treat.

“Pardon my tardiness, Vulture.” I responded as politely as I could.

“You are not allowed to speak!” He replied looking at me dead in the eye.

“You are the one who is the bird! I have a mouth. You have a beak. YOU are the one who is not allowed to speak!” I said as I looked around where the Vulture laid. About him were endless corpses of white doves. All half eaten. Some had no eyes or wings. Some had their intestines laying about. Maggots and flies making their homes out of them all.

“Stupid boy. Would you like a dove?” It twisted its head somewhat like an owl giving me a curious look.

“I would not! That is unpalatable! And I have no appetite for the smell of your home is making me sick!” The Vulture looked at me with an offended look

“You have poor taste, Child.” It replied as if I was the disgusting one.

“Why don't you eat your prey before you kill some more?” I exclaimed in aggression. What a waste of innocent lifes I thought to myself.

“I'm am not a bird of pray, ignorant Human. The gods, They smile upon me. The birds, they fall to me from the sky!” He laughed madly and looked up above him. I did likewise and I saw the white doves flying around. They were fighting each other in the sky. They ripped each other apart and fell. The moment I looked up they all circled above me. Corpses of white doves started to rain around me. Half dead when they hit the ground the Vulture came and finished them off. He gave them death and ended their suffering.

“Why do they fight?” I asked him as he walked around killing the twitching and crying doves that laid around me.

“They kill each other because they want to die.”

“They kill because they want to die?” I didn't understand what he had said just then.

“Indeed, but they are lousy killers, They only wound each other. I am the one that does all the dirty work.” He chuckled a bit.

“Do they ever stop?” I inquired

“No. They never stop. They come from below where there is food and water.” He said happily.

“That is so tragic. Maybe if I could speak to them they will tell me why they kill because they want to die...” It made me so sad to think such beautiful creatures would want to kill or die.

“They never come down here in conditions to talk.”

“Then you must take me up there!”

“Child, What manners you have. Join me for dinner and I will do you that favor.” He laughed knowing that I was disgusted by the though of eating a dead dove. But my curiosity was overwhelming me and I complied. “You must kill it yourself!” He laughed even harder, picking up a dove with his claw and throwing it at my feet. It was twitching and crying. One of his eye had fallen out and was only suspended by its optic never. I picked it up and plucked its feathers off its stomach. It seemed to be in shock for it did not cry anymore than it already was. I took a bite out of its semi-clean stomach and It was delightful. It was like the gods had smiled upon me! I sucked out its intestines as if I were eating noodles! I was please to think that the dove wanted to die anyways. I thought it was an act of mercy to murder a suicidal creature.

“How do you like it, boy?”

“It is the most delightful thing I have ever tasted!” I said realized I must have gone mad. What kind of person enjoys killing and eating a raw dove?

“I am pleased to hear that. Would you still like me to take you to them to hear their story?” He asked

“Yes. I must know why they do such violent things.” The hypocrisy of my words, as I had just devoured a life bird, made me chuckle. The Vulture started to flap its wings and soon was in the air. He gripped me by the arms with his claws and soon I was in the air as well. We flew right in the middle of their war. They did not stop fighting each other.

“Why do you fight, doves who fight??” I yelled at them but they did not reply. “WHY DO YOU FIGHT DOVES?” I was starting to think that doves couldn't talk. “WHAT IS THIS WAR ABOUT?” One of the doves approached me.

“We kill because we want to die” he said to me. “We kill because If we all do, Then we will all die.”

“I do not understand!”

“There is nothing to understand. We live so we can kill. We kill so we can die.”

“You are confusing me Dove. Why do you want to die?” I asked. The dove looked so tasty. I wanted him to fight. I wanted him to fall. I wanted him to die. I wanted to eat him raw.

“We want to die beca-” He was interrupted by another Dove who charged at him. The attacker gripped the Dove's back with his claws and stabbed at his eyes and wings. The dove emitted a cry of pain and spirited down towards the ground.

“Let me down Vulture!” I yelled, “let me down so I can eat that polite little dove.” My mouth was melting for that delicious little dove.

“I said I will get you up here. I never said I will get you down.” He laughed, “sure the gods may smile upon me, but having the same thing everyday is torturing me.”

“Whatever do you mean?” I was scared. Adrenalin ran through my blood as I suspected that Vulture was going to kill me.

“You look quite delicious, You know?”

“No, Pleased don't!” I had no way to escape. All I could do was plead for mercy. All I could do was try to appeal to his sympathy. “You are not a bird of prey. I beg you!” The Vulture gripped my arms tighter. It looked down upon me and stabbed at my left eye with his beak. He poked it out and ate it. I cried and Twitched as a storm of pain ran though my whole head. I felt the Vultures grip suddenly letting go of me as I fell down. Faster and faster I fell. I could see the doves falling to my sides. Just like me; wounded and about to die. I hit the ground with a loud racket, still alive. The Vulture stood on top of me.

“Did you enjoy the ride?” He asked as he jabbed at my stomach, pulling my intestines out. I was in no condition to say a word. I watched him eat my intestines the same way that one dove watched me eat his.

"You are the most delightful thing I've ever tasted!" He said to me and it all turned to black.