The Inauguration

“The attacks were successful, Alpha,” he grunts, as the man bows and leaves the figure in the room brewing his whiskey and staring off into the flames before him.

One hand in his pocket, he lifts the cup to his lips- his eyes never leaving the flames- he pauses letting the smell of the liquid fill his senses before taking a sip and his shoulders that were tense and rigid relax as the liquid flows through his veins.

“Great work, Kobus,” he grins to himself letting the glass rub against his chin as the flames grow and dance as if agreeing with the statement.

The sound of a thud draws his attention slowly from the fireplace towards the windows behind his desk. He watches the bird try to fly helplessly only to fall to the ground in defeat.

It’s tweeting growing more and more frantic realizing that there was no hope, that it was stuck like that forever. He placed his cup on the mahogany coffee table before walking slowly towards the window, not wanting to startle the bird. He opens the window letting the morning breeze fill his office, the smell of fresh dew and twilight fill his senses and he sighs.

Opening his palm gently in front of the bird calmly not wanting to scare it more than it already is. His mother always taught him to be patient because “patience is the key to success,” he smiled when the bird crawled itself into his hand.

His fingers run over the birds’ feathers, feeling every shake and shiver it gave off. He brought it closer to his chest as he walked further into the room and sat on the single couch - that faced the fire- and he soothed the bird as it got restless again.

“Calm your little feathers little one,” his voice cooed as his finger worked nonstop to run into the bird, easing its apprehensiveness.

“Dar se,” he smiles,” there you go, now let’s see what’s wrong with you”.

He hums the same tune that has always been stuck in his head and will forever be stuck in his head- not that he minded- it always made him calm for some reason. It was something from his past that didn’t seem to bring him pain.

He tries to lift the bird’s wing but it flutters and tweets furiously, ” sorry darling but pain is inevitable,” he says soothing her again with his finger, “sadly”.

He tries again but this time the little bird does not fight but instead remains calm as he lifts its wings, although he could feel it twitch with pain and he couldn’t help but smile knowing it was a strong one and feels the broken bones under the feathers.

He gently lets it rest before checking it for any other wounds and that’s when he notices the gash it has on the foot, “Aren’t you quite adventurous?”, and he sighs once again.

The bird now looks at him with green eyes and he stares right back at it, wanting to know what it was thinking, “I suppose you’re trying to do the same thing,” and the bird tilts its head and his lips twitch.

He let the silence envelop them, letting the bird enjoy the warmth and the rest. He watches the fire range from different colours and he looks back at the bird that has seemed to get comfortable on his hand.

“Unfortunately darling, the wing can’t be repaired and that is not a good thing for you,” his finger thrums over its blue and yellow feathers, “and I fear your leg might have an infection”.

The bird tweets and he narrows his eyes wanting to know what it said but he relaxes knowing it’s futile to even try. “Sorry love,” he says wrapping his fingers around his tiny neck.

They look at each other one last time before he snaps her neck off cutting off her hysterical tweet. She goes limp in his hand and he sighs again, getting up from his seat to throw the bird into the fire.

He picks up the glass and brings it up in the air, performing a toast, “sleep well little one,” and he sips from his come. His upright posture coming back into play when he places the glass back on the desk and leaves the room. Locking the doors, he walks down the hallway humming that same tune that will never abandon his soul.