Have you ever thought about the trees? Green and brown towers that tie together, forming entire worlds of their own. Hidden above, an entirely diverse world of life thrives without any issue. One would be forgiven for not looking upwards to see the majesty of above.
But it’s not just happy birds singing in leaves, or a friendly squirrel chewing away on a gathered acorn. Up above where the birds sing, it’s an active warzone. Every spot is a place of danger, where all it takes is the smallest mistake to plummet to a death down below. Despite the palaces of green and beauty, it’s underscored by the reds of battle.
And anyone above is fair game. Squirrels chase and fight, throwing each other out from the branches above down to plummeting depths below. Birds hop back and forth, dancing in aerial battles with others to keep their nests safe with hollow bones and flashy feathers. But one reigns supreme, who holds on tight with the best muscles the world can offer.
Up there in the branches, the snake is king. Able to slide between branches, it can pluck birds out from the air with ease, feast upon the veritable bounty of squirrels, and raid even the safest nests with a silent and silky smooth action. Wrapped around so tightly, it stays anchored where others feel the threat of the fall.
Now, you’ve come and made your perch up above Raven. Looming above the crowd with watchful gazes, you’ve swooped down at the newest and shiniest thing that caught your eye. Cawing up a storm, you picked a fight with not only the newest of us but the one man who can tell you to find a better perch elsewhere.
And all that while, you weren’t keeping an eye on your roost. You didn’t notice the quiet shapes of something new taking a look at you, someone watching from your roost firmly above. Squawking away and having driven back the perceived threat you flock back to your roost above them all, unaware that you are no longer alone again.
Here, in these halls and banisters above, there’s a different kind of order. It’s an order of dog eat dog, monster eat man, snake eat bird kind of a world. I’ve tangled with panthers and giants, keepers of the dead to leaders of revolutions. You may have flown into the rafters, but here danger lurks around every corner.
So keep a careful eye out as you make your watches. Be aware that hidden in the shadows, serpents lurk just out of view. All it takes is one moment, the blur of movement with so little sound and a flash of jagged fangs. Then you’re hooked in, unable to escape. Struggling to just get in a breath as the safety of the rafters becomes a threat you never thought of.
And from up here?
It’s a long, long way down to the ground below.
Hope your bones are stronger than a bird’s.