Eat, Fly, Sleep
I'd gotten so hooked on this simple, perfect life of eating, flying, and sleeping that I had no clue how much time had passed. No calendars or clocks in the wild—just open my eyes for morning, sunset for night. Sometimes I'd snag an extra-tough, extra-tasty "special" and munch through a week's worth in one go, so losing track of time was inevitable.
"Caw, caw-caw."
(Ah, the wind's perfect today.)
But even this endless honeybee paradise had developed a fatal flaw lately.
Grrrroooowl—
"Caw..."
(Ugh, too lazy to hunt...)
The hunting grounds were too damn far.
Early on, wild boars, bears, and badgers were buffet-style all around my nest. Now, anything big enough to fill my massive gut had vanished from the neighborhood. Who knows where they moved or if they went extinct.
(Of course, it never crossed my mind that I might've eaten them all or scared them off with my size.)
These days, to get a proper meal, I'd have to leave my cliffside nest and fly dozens of kilometers to some unfamiliar forest.
Back in my past life, a 90-minute commute each way was hell. Now as a bird, long-distance hunting commutes? No thanks!
And it wasn't just the distance.
Rustle, crackle—
"Caw?!"
(Oof, too tight!)
I'd just finished hunting and was settling into my nest. It used to be a spacious bear-pelt suite big enough for three grown men to roll around in. Now, even tucking my wings and curling up tight, my tail feathers and butt stuck out.
How much bigger have I gotten?
Is bird puberty this insane? My wings could now blanket a whole playground.
My old mansion had shrunk to a cramped studio apartment overnight.
Commute longer, home smaller. As a former Korean and current wild bird, my conclusion was clear.
Time to move.
Thinking back to my past life's back-breaking loans, this place was full of free land and nature. No need to cling to this tight squeeze.
Time to pioneer a new "suburb"—overflowing with big, tasty meats and room for a stadium-sized nest!
Decision made, action was swift. Long flights need full tanks.
I dug out my "emergency rations" from a nook in the nest—prime cuts from monsters with glowing meat or sweet-scented blood.
"Caw-caw!"
(Party time!)
What good are savings? New neighborhood, new buffets.
I mercilessly chomped them down with my beak.
Gulp, crunch.
"Caaaaw!"
(Ahhh, specials hit different!)
Concentrated energy flooded my gut. Feathers bristled, power surged from my wingpits like it could rip the sky.
Fuel full. Condition 200%.
I kicked off my cramped old nest without a backward glance.
BOOM—!!
One flap unleashed a gale, crumbling rock piles atop the cliff.
I soared past familiar woods toward unknown horizons, black wings spread wide.
"Caaaaaw—!!"
(Wait for me, suburb! Here I come!)
The old forest shrank to a dot. Piercing clouds, straight-line bliss through open skies.
First few days, scouting new nest sites felt like site visits—flew like mad, wings be damned.
"Caw! Caw-caw!"
(Whoa, check the view! Sky's the limit!)
Landscapes shifted below: jagged peaks, endless lake-seas. I buzzed with excitement, sure a buffet-packed new world waited beyond the horizon.
But this world's scale dwarfed Earth. No rest stops—just endless dust plains or days over unchanging ocean.
...What kinda massive continent is this? No GPS either.
Sun and moon swapped places many times. My promised land of milk, honey, and infinite meat refills took longer than expected.
But the journey? Never hungry or boring. Outside my old woods, mind-blowing "specials" everywhere.
"Caw!"
(Ooh, chicken-steak combo?)
A griffon—eagle head, lion body—roaring all majestic. Just a giant feather-plucked fusion dish to my talons.
"Caw-caw!"
(Two heads, double meat!)
Twin-headed green ogre stomping ground. Worried it'd be chewy, so I max-dive-speared both skulls. Juicy ground meat surprise.
And more: basilisk thick as ancient trees slurped like sausage.
Sampling specials flew time and distance away unnoticed.
One lazy cloud-swim day...
"......Caw."
(......Holy shit.)
An overwhelming sight filled my view.
A colossal mega-tree piercing sky to stars. Atop it, a mountain-range floating stone island.
But the real star? Below.
There... that's the promised land!!
The mega-tree's roots cradled a massive forest. Sharp eyes spied paradise: thousands of huge, vicious "specials" swarming—nothing like my old woods.
Chest swelled. Lifetime buffet!
"Caw! Caw-caw!"
(Penthouse scouting first!)
Ground buffet confirmed. Now, home sweet home.
That floating island? Killer view, rain-proof prime spot.
I dove excitedly.
Whoosh—!
Landing light on the edge—
THWACK—!!
"Caaaaw?!"
(Ow! My beak?!)
Stars exploded. Empty air, yet like slamming bulletproof glass.
Flapping back, teary-eyed, I pawed ahead. Invisible dome walled the whole island.
"Caw?! Caw-caw!"
(What psycho puts invisible glass in mid-sky? Birds gonna die!)
Rage boiled. Glass is birds' nemesis. Past life, pitying smashed sparrows—almost me!
Fuming, I raked the wall with my beak.
SKREEEEEE—!
Worse than nails on chalkboard.
I'll shatter this and—
Flash—!!
Blue sparks flew; lightning struck my head.
KABOOM—!!!
"C-c-caw?!"
Thunderous roar, burning feathers. Like past life's faulty outlet shock—times a thousand.
Pffft— Black smoke from beak.
Whole body buzzed.
"Caaaaw..."
(Fuck... static packs a punch...)
Pissed. Can't break one window? Challenge accepted.
But I paused mid-flap, thinking.
...Hold up. Do I even need in there?
Glance down: thousands of plump specials frolicking under the tree.
Buffet's below. Why squat in high-security hood? Later.
Mind eased. Humans cling; birds take the good stuff.
Shrugged off the island, eyes downward.
Tree branches alone mountain-sized. Pick one, build suite. Done.
"Caw~"
(Down we go. Special party tonight!)
Head still sparking, I hummed toward a massive side branch, lowering altitude.
"Caw?"
(What's that?)
En route, dense forest heart: stunning city. Hundreds of thousands of trees carved and woven huge.
Pure fantasy game elf kingdom vibes.
Whoa, how do they build that? Architecture god-tier.
Curious, I veered for overhead pass.
Ant-sized things bustled below.
Then—
Fwosh—! Fwip! Whiiiine—!
Central city and walls flashed; toothpick swarms rained up.
"Caw?"
(Hm?)
Fireworks? I tilted head, flapped huge.
WHOOSH—!!
My gale crushed down. Lights snuffed like candles; toothpicks shattered mid-air.
...Something flew up, maybe.
Early fireworks? Bugs? Whatever.
Brain full of penthouse spots on the mega-tree. Ignored screaming ants below, cruised past.
Minutes later: mega-tree core.
"Caw-caw..."
(Insane, for real...)
Up close, even bigger. One branch dwarfed my old cliff nest x50.
Slowed, circled, eyeing prime view nests.
Ooh, perfect build spot?
Three massive branches crossed; hollow held rainwater pond.
Home-delivery spring water! Perfect "waterfront" penthouse!
"Caw! Caw-caw!"
(Yes! That's my new pad!)
Thrilled, deployed landing gear (talons), dove to thickest branch.
Whoosh—!
Flared perfectly for soft land—
Shhhk—!
House-sized shadow from branch rear lunged lightning-fast.
"Hiiiisss—!!"
Thigh-thick fangs, gaping maw. Armor-scaled mega-snake.
Perfect ambush on intruder—neckbound rush.
Whoops?!
Inner panic. But instructor-honed reflexes fired first.
FWUMP-FWUMP—!!
Backpedaled, whipped spread wings forward. Monster gust slammed snake's jaws; recoil yeeted me dozens meters back.
CRASH—!!
Air-snapped snake tumbled onto branch with roar.
Safe distance, I hovered, glaring down.
Close call. Neighborhood bully on move-in day?
Of course, my beak curled not in shock, but predator's grin at fresh special meat.