Darkness swept across the sky as the jet black ravens winged toward the forest on the outermost skirts of London. They flew in flawless formation, wingtips slightly brushing together every beat, behind a single leader. As they drew closer to the forest, the leader began to slow his pace and descend downward. Following his lead, the other ravens soared low, and, as a group, disappeared from human eyes into the dark forest. Once he had checked to make sure all his party had safely flown in, the lead raven continued to follow his unswerving path toward the innermost depths of the forest. After what seemed like only a few seconds, the raven group came to a graceful halt in front of a congregation of owls. Every single owl imaginable was present: screech owls, barn owls, snowy white owls, spotted owls, burrowing owls, spectacled owls, and many more. As the ravens settled themselves down, a Great-Horned owl stepped toward the lead raven.
  “Jack, I’m glad to see the murder arrived on time,” the owl pronounced.
  “Yes, we had a bit of a headwind coming into London, but we left home with plenty of time to spare. I knew you had something important planned when my lookout spotted the robins and blue jays leaving a few days earlier,” Jack replied.
  “I do believe our time has come,” the owl said, eyes alight and dancing with anticipation. “The leaders are gathered in my oak at the moment. As soon as you recover, I have a final meeting planned.”
  “I’m ready now. It wasn’t too taxing of a flight. Besides, we have all waited so long for this. I don’t think I could put it off a second longer,” Jack exclaimed.
  Nodding in return, the owl lead Jack to a gnarled old oak tree. Tapping at the stump with one claw, the owl was immediately ushered in by a small sparrow. Jack followed behind him, marveling at the precise carving and architecture inside the tree. The owls had always had extravagant homes. Regarded as the wisest birds in existence, they had access to pretty much anything they wanted. Jack knew that the sparrows had most likely carved this particular tree for the owls. No other bird could have achieved the delicate lines and edges that embodied the inner artwork.
  Ascending a winding staircase, Jack followed the owl into a wide, circular room. Soft, golden light flowed down from the top of the tree into the center of the room. Gathered inside was an enormous congregation of birds. Jack had never seen such a wide range of species! Small birds, big birds, birds of prey, and exotic birds all twittered around in the tree.
  “Jack, if you don’t mind to find a spot, I’ll get ready to address the gathering. They are all looking forward to this meeting, and I don’t want to put it off any longer,” said the owl.
  Nodding in consent, Jack flapped over to where he spotted an empty space in the room. He didn’t really know any of the other birds present. The blue jays and the robins lived close to the ravens’ residence, but Jack and his murder didn’t visit with the other birds much. The ravens preferred a solitary existence. Stepping into the center, the Great-Horned owl cleared his throat. Immediately, all of the birds stopped what they were doing and obediently quieted. It was clear that the owl commanded much respect and authority among the different birds.
  “Thank you all for your promptness in responding. It has taken a long time to get to where we are today, but, it is my pleasure to announce that Operation Feather is ready to be put into action. We have all sacrificed something to the humans; just last week, a legion of the geese were brutally butchered by an afternoon hunting party in London,” the owl shared.
  At this remark, the dapper goose in attendance bent his head in grief. A single tear trickled from his large, brown eye as he remembered his lost comrades.
  “It is time that the reign of the humans came to an end,” the owl proclaimed. “We have finally amassed the power to conquer them, and our lead strategists say that the time couldn’t be better for an attack. The gulls have managed to fly in, and we are well equipped to handle the coastal towns. I have gathered everyone here today to assign the various groups places of attack. We are ready to bring in a new era, where all animals, not just the birds, are treated as equals to the humans. The only way to do this is to go to war. I am confident that we will prevail; every single one of you has a unique and individual skill that can aid our armies!”
  Jack and the other birds cawed in agreement at his statements. They had all sacrificed much to the humans. Jack’s murder had lost countless members to the cruel humans that manned the farm fields. After the owl settled the birds down, he began to assign tasks to each of the bird representatives. As he eagerly awaited his turn, Jack wondered where the ravens would be placed. The ravens were stealthy night-flying birds, as they were all completely jet black. However, they didn’t have the speed of some of the other birds. The falcons, for example, were quick as lightning. Jack’s best guess was that the murder would be in charge of attacking smaller farm towns. They were all quite familiar with the lay of the farming land.
  “Jack,” said the owl, “I want you and the murder to lay siege to the farming towns on the outskirts of London. You know the area best, and I’m confident that the ravens can mount a successful attack. If for some reason a problem arises, an aerie of eagles is being sent out every few hours to keep tabs on the fighting birds.”
  “That sounds like an excellent plan!” Jack replied. “I’ll go gather the murder right now. We’ll be shadows in the sky as we’re flying over. The humans won’t know what hit them!”
  Descending down the oak tree, Jack and the other leaders who had already been given assignments went to collect their respective groupings. Once he reached the ravens, Jack gathered them together and discussed the plan. After everyone was aware of the assignment, the murder took to the skies and sailed out of the forest. At this point, it was near dusk and the sky was beginning to considerably darken. The ravens stuck to the wooded areas in order to avoid being seen by human eyes. The plan might be foiled if they were spotted by a wary watcher. The ravens normally traveled alone, not in large groups.
  At around midnight, the murder reached the first farming town. There were only a few houses in this particular area; it was very secluded, and not many humans settled here permanently because of the dry conditions. The ravens only had two small cottages to bombard. Selecting a deserted area of corn field, Jack signaled the murder to land. Once everyone had successfully landed, Jack began to deal out assignments.
  “In planning this attack, we have to be very careful,” he lectured. “I want to come away with as many ravens as possible. There are only two small cottages in this area. From our observations, we have learned that the first cottage is occupied by an old farmer and his wife. They won’t put up much of a fight. The second house, however, has a family of three living in it. The man and his grown son who live there will be hard to deal with. Our best bet is to try to break through the windows and doors tonight. Remember, our goal this evening is not to completely dispose of the humans. We just want to give them a scare and prepare them for what’s coming.”
  At that, the ravens split into two groups. The larger of the groups headed for the cottage with the father and son. The smaller of the two headed for the older couple’s cottage. Jack was flying with the smaller group. His second-in-command was heading the large group.
  As the wind rustled the leaves in the trees, Jack and his group stealthily flew over to their cottage. Once they were a few feet away, Jack slowed and descended to the ground. The others followed his lead. Hiding in the tall, brushy corn stalks, the ravens crept toward the house. Once they were up next to the edge of the house, Jack signaled the first few ravens to begin. In a flurry of wings, they surged at the window, pecking with all their might at the hard glass. The next group of ravens took off for the second window with just as much zeal as their comrades. Once all four windows had been covered, Jack and the remaining birds flew toward the door. They had one of the hardest jobs of the evening. Weakening the door would require persistent strength and courage. Lining themselves up behind Jack, the ravens prepared for the attack. Narrowing his eyes, Jack spread his wings and surged.