The Rooster and the Wolves of the Border Forest |
In the dry plains of Third Meadow, where the Towering Roosters ruled the land through fear and shadow, there lived a young Song-Rooster named Brightcrest. Brightcrest was known across all the meadows—his dawn calls reached ten million ears, carried far by the Wind-Wires. Every day he sang songs of his coop, his chicks, his nests, and the small joys of barnyard life. The animals adored him.
But as fame grew, so did his usefulness.
One season, merchants from the Shimmering Pits approached him. They sold glitter-seeds—beautiful, glowing grains that promised to grow into fortune but mostly crumbled into dust. Brightcrest, believing the glimmer, chirped happily about them. Many young hens and hares pecked at the glitter-seeds, mesmerized by their shine.
Deep in the Border Forest, the Shadow Wolves watched quietly. These wolves served no law of the meadow; they only served themselves. And Brightcrest’s influence was far too loud for their liking.
One night, as Brightcrest flew with his family toward the Eastern Isles, a pack of wolves leapt onto the........