I wondered groggily why I had heard not the mighty call of brother cock declaring the sun's arrival, being instead roused by the clanking of a cage door opening somewhere close by. Rubbing my head against my wing I glanced around, discovering that Mordecai, along with most of the others within their own cages, were still sound asleep. Uriah, however, was no-where to be seen.

Clambering to my feet, I staggered over to the door, blinking away the pawing claws of sleep and staring in wonder at the fact it was still night. How long I had slept I could not say, yet I felt within my wary limbs that barely an hour had passed. Then I heard them, their voices carried by the breeze as they rose in prey.

Spying the chicken whose awaking had stirred my own, and following his trajectory, I caught sight of Jethro, his congregation, with Uriah standing reverently at their forefront. Watching them pray, raise their wings to the heavens, and drop hoarded grains at Uriah's feet, with keen intent, I grasped what it was they were doing, and turned to Mordecai, shaking him awake.

Groaning, Mordecai raised his head, letting out a soundless yawn, "What is it brother?"

"Uriah," I said, flustered, "he's going tonight."

Mordecai needed no further prompting; with these words he lifted an ear, caught wind of the preys, and sprung towards the cage door, leaning his head out and beholding the congregation for himself. "Damn fool!" He cursed, stamping his foot.

"We must stop them."

"You go on ahead," Mordecai said, hopping out of the cage, "I will get some help."

Leaping out of the cage, I flapped my wings to slow my descent, and landed with a soft thud on the cold stone floor beside him. Nodding in agreement I took off running toward the congregation; gathered before the coup's entrance, they stood in rows, with Jethro at the front and Uriah before him, his face solemn as he looked over the flock and lowered his neck to feast upon the offerings.

"Stop!" I cried, reaching their rear and pressing my way through.

Halfway through the congregation realised my intent, and obstructed my route, placing themselves before me, and blocking my progress. Then, nearing the forefront, I was brought to a complete standstill by several chickens, who encircled me and raised their wings, boxing me in place. Any and every attempt to squeeze through was met by hostility and brute force, shoving me back into their centre.

"You mindless fiends," I shouted, kicking at one and missing. "Let me through!" I took a swipe at another.

"Bring him forth," Jethro spoke up from somewhere beyond them.

Closing their ranks, my captors squeezed me on all sides, forcing me to march forward – the congregation parted, allowing us to pass by. Then we came to a halt, and he who stood at my front, his beak dancing before my own, and his eye's elated with victory, stepped away, revealing we had reached the forefront of the crowd. Jethro stood there, with Uriah not to far behind; our eyes locked for a few moments before he returned to gorging on the offerings.

"What brings you here, brother?" Jethro questioned, his face calm and welcoming.

"Wipe that false smile from your face," I said, his relaxed demeanour furthering my fury, "and let my brother go."

"He is not here my any other accord then his own," Jethro replied, his smile broadening in what I saw as an attempt to aggravate me further.

"You're lucky that your goons are here, or-"

"Or what?" Jethro cut-in, stepping closer, the smile on his face waning. "You would attack me? Hmm? And force your brother to leave with you against his own will?"

"Or we would see how long your false teachings bind him in place."

"Ha! Is that so." Jethro replied, his smile returning.

"It is," I said, struggling against those caging me in place.

"Then let us see." Jethro stepped back and nodded to my captors, "Release him."

Though they acknowledged Jethro's order, backing away and loosing me from their clutches, they did not leave me completely, remaining close at hand incase the need to capture me again arose. Rolling my shoulders and stabbing each one with a disgruntled glare, I brushed passed Jethro and approached Uriah. Swallowing a grain he raised his head to meet my eyes once more.

"Cease in this brother Gideon," Uriah spoke first. "All that need be said has already been aired, and there is naught left."

"Brother, you think I would just stand aside whilst you offered your body up for sacrifice?" I asked, my tone pained, "How could I ever leave you to the fate of these wicked chickens and the brutes they call gods?"

"Because it is my will," Uriah replied, his voice strong with conviction, "my decision. You who wishes for nothing else but freedom should understand that at least."

"If your will was for anything other than death I would stand aside and leave you be." I said, my step forward trailed by my captors, "But for this I can not."

"So you believe I should not listen to the wise words of Jethro, instead following yours?" Uriah questioned me, shaking his head.

"Aye brother, that is what I think; for whilst he preaches death, I speak of life. How could you choose one over another?"

"You still understand naught of what-"

The wooden door connecting the coup to the executioner's office creaked open, interrupting Uriah and catching all gathered by surprise. Staggering out, with a lit cigarette filling the air with it's putrid stench, Warden Adam stopped short, swaying to-and-fro as he stared dumbfounded at the chickens standing around outside of their cages.

"Wat the hell are ya all doing out of ya cages?" He shouted, puffing on his cigarette and lurching forward.

"Take hold of him brothers and sisters," Jethro order with a brisk voice, "and step back. All hail our heavenly father, here to take brother Uriah into the hereafter."

"Get off me you fools!" I cried out, encircled once again and forced backwards.

"May the gods accept our humble sacrifice, and forever favour our kind," Jethro's voice rose above the noise of the other chickens praying.

"Uriah, brother," I called out, unable to see him over the plump bird in my face, "listen not to these fiends. Retreat. Retreat now."

"Prey brothers and sisters," Jethro continued, "prey for our brother Uriah. Offer him your blessings. Praise be the gods."

"Release me you savage halfwits!" I shouted, struggling against their wings, "or so help me, when I am free you will feel my..."

My furious declaration faltered when Warden Adam clumsily leaned over, wrapped his thin fingers around Uriah's neck, and hoisted him into the air. "Ah, ya ken wak round fa now," Warden Adam grumbled, "but when I get back, yar goin inta ya cages."

"Praise be the gods!" Jethro declared again, joined by the other chickens in offering blessings as Warden Adam turned to leave.

"Uriah, brother," I called out, "fight against him. Scratch, bite, free yourself."

Uriah did nothing of the sort, instead closing his eyes and excepting his fate.

"Let me go you religious freaks!" I shouted at my captors, fighting in a futile attempt to escape their clutches.

"Gideon!" A familiar voice rose above the clamour behind.

Crashing into the rear of the congregation – their whetted claws extended and wild wings fluttering – Mordecai, Hiram, and his rowdy rebels penetrated into the crowd and began their onslaught. The crowd's reverent demeanour was morphed momentarily into witless-terror, before their composure returned and they retaliated against the rebels. Feathers, freed from slashed skin, filled the air and stuck-fast to the fresh speckles of blood quickly coating the cement floor beneath their battling feet.

"Fight brothers and sisters!" Cried Hiram, "Use your might to deliver blows of sense into the bewitched minds of these fools!"

"Attack my flock!" Retorted Jethro, "Show these witless nay-sayers what punishment shall befalls heretics!"

In the confusion which ensued, I managed to slip past the guard on my left, and fly by the plump chicken whose victorious eyes, before trained on mine, now sought out his leader. Warden Adam had yet to leave the coup, and this battle of beliefs stopped him for a moment; the uproar being so loud that even in his drunken state he heard it's force. Smiling, he mumbled something under his breath, shook his head and turned to leave.

"Go brother Gideon," Mordecai shouted, witnessing my hesitation to leave him in battle, "we have this. Save brother Uriah. Show them beasts they can not just have the hide of our kind because it arouses their hunger!"

Nodding, I sprinted after Warden Adam, endeavouring to reach him before he departed the coup, and... well I had not considered what I would, or even could do once I had reached him, instead focusing wholly on rescuing Uriah from his ghastly grasp. However, even the most honest of intentions can not physically penetrate that which is harder than one's skeleton – unable to slow my long strides I collided head-first into the wooden door as it slammed closed.

Ignoring the throbbing ache of my bruised skull, I scrambled to my feet and looked over the door, trying to find a chink in it's well-built armour. Seeing that their was no way to break it open, I settled on labouring through the small gap at it's base, where the cement floor had been unevenly laid at the corner.

In truth, had not Warden Adam been in such a drunken stupor, then I would have had no chance of escaping the coup in time to save Uriah, being that my dumpy physique could never slip through a space so slim. However, he was in such state, and had neglected to lock the door on his departure, causing the door creak open as I forced myself into the small space; catching that slim opening with my head I managed to squeeze my shoulders through, widening the gap enough to drive myself forward and out of the coup.

Thrown by my own momentum, I stumbled into the room, landing face-first as the door shut fast behind. On the other side of the room stood Warden Adam, one hand holding a butcher's knife high above his head, whilst his other hand pinned Uriah's body down on the execution-table. He blinked a few times, appearing dumbfounded at my ability to escape the coups, before bringing the blade down towards Uriah's exposed throat.

"Brother!" I cried dashing forward.

Uriah smiled, closing his eyes as the blade descended.

With a single, clean blow, Warden Adam severed Uriah's head from his body, holding his dinner still as it began to twitch and jerk. Dropping to my knees, my tear-filled eyes watched as he grabbed Uriah's head and, without care or remorse for his murderous act, tossed it into a dirty bucket in the corner of the room. Cleaning the blade on his trousers, he placed the weapon down on, took a deep lug of his cigarette, placed it in his mouth, and started the vile step of tearing away Uriah's bright red feathers from his hardening skin.

Distraught I glanced down at the floor, unable to behold the body of my brother, whose death I blamed on my own failings; my ineptitude to reason with him, and save him from the grasp of this savage beast. This heartless, creature whose endless hungers drove him to massacring my kind without the slightest of hint of emotion, other then pleasure at the meal in which he would soon partake. My thoughts running thus began shifting from my own shortcomings, towards the savagery of the human race, and I glanced back up at the evil creature working away.

Darting around the surroundings, my eyes settled on the remnants of a broken whisky bottle, which lay just off to my side. Finding my feet, I staggered over to it, found the largest piece, and gripped it in my beak. Focusing my attention once more on that demonic being working intently on prepping my brother's body, I charged, aiming to reach him before he noticed my assault; where I had failed many times before, in this I succeeded.

Skidding to a stop beneath his swaying form, I swung my head, slashing deep into the back of his lower leg's weak muscle. He gasped, shocked and pained, the cigarette between his lips dropping a striking me on my back – not that I paid any heed to the small burn it inflicted. Stumbling back, he fell reaching out for a barrel, dragging it down with his weight and drenching himself in the chicken fat's and oils the spilled out.

Groaning, he sat up, shaking his head and glancing around, before his eyes finally settled on mine, and widened in stupefied terror at the sight of the bloody glass in the beak of one of his brainless birds. Basking in the horror I beheld therein, I stepped forward and stopped, finding the floor covered in those fats and oils of my brothers and sisters still gushing out from the barrel and pooling around Warden Adam; spitting the glass out, I retreated slightly, a sudden idea born from the pain of the blistering burn on my back.

"Hey!" Warden Adam shouted, trying to stand but his hand slipping in the chicken fat. "Wat ya doing? Don't do that!"

Gripping the yellowed butt of the smouldering cigarette with my claw, I raised it up, again basking in the dread abounding in his large eyes, and the terrified creasing of his facial features. Doing nothing to contain the wicked smile darkening my expression, I lowered the cigarette with a slow, leisurely move towards the liquid, and stopped, taking a nefarious pleasure in toying with his life.

Warden Adam opened his mouth to speak again, I assume to beg for his life, or maybe he had planned on threatening me with an unpleasant death. Either way, I gave him no choice of last words, caring not for what he had to say – today he would do as I willed for once, he would feel the pain I felt, and scream.

Met by the furious heat of the cigarette, the slimy oils and thick fats surrounding and coating his body blazed to life, engulfing him in an instant. Those flickering flames danced as he floundered around, found his feet, and dashed around the room in search of saviour, all whilst howling in agony as they devoured his flesh.

Warden Adam, though his skin blistered, and his eyes boiled, must have spied me pressing myself against the heavy wooden door, heaving it open wide enough to slip back out again. For I had only taken two step forward, absorbing the still raging battle before me, when the door swung open and he collapsed thereat – I assume he followed me in search again of some kind of salvation from his suffering.

Those still in the throes of that ferocious battle – those who had not fled, nor yet been swept away by death's cold embrace – ceased immediately at the sound and sight of Warden Adam crashing to the floor at my feet. A few moments passed in stunned silence, as they regarded my puffed out chest and the burning human form at my side. Then voices began to rise, cheering with the jubilation of victory over the human beast, and wailing in horror at the sight of their god.

"You evil, vile creature!" Jethro cried, charging me with murder in his eyes.

Standing motionless, I waited until the last moment, when he lunged forward, before moving with the greatest display of agility I had hereto shown in my short life; with three swift swipes I slashed out his eyes, blinding him and slitting his neck. Grasping his throat to stem the blood spewing forth, he crumpled beside the smoking body of his god, dead.

Greater wails surged out of the crowd, as they looked upon the smouldering body of their god and the twitching of their wise one, but none dared to move a muscle in retaliation.

Paying neither body any further heed, I passed on, stopping before the crowd and looking upon them all; my heavy heart would not allow me to continue this life in silence or retreat, so I spoke.

"Be not weary brothers, do not tire in your resolve, for our time has arrived. We whom have been seen as weak, we the prey, shall prey upon the predators. They built a ladder, ascending to the top without thought of the plight of those they placed beneath. They stood upon our carcasses, fattening themselves upon our corpses. They broke our necks, plucked our feathers, tore the skin from our bones, and roasted us upon their fires. But no more! No more, I say!

"Fear not the rusted cages within the captor's prisons. For no cage could ever imprison the minds of the free. Fear not the executioner's bloodied blades. Though he may sever our heads, our spirits will forever defy his blade. And fear not the bottomless pit of hunger contained within those whom wish to feast upon our flesh. For though they may fill themselves upon our corpses, our hunger will ever be the greater.

"So rise brothers and sisters. Rise! Spread your wings and cluck!"

The End...