There are no animals left alive on earth with the exception of birds. I stretched myself out on the deck plates of my Ripship Pardoner as we floated in the midnight violet space at the outer fringes of the Reef. The Fractal mantra I was using to focus my full attention on the infinite possibilities of everywhere and nowhere were being pecked to pieces by the thought of birds. Since my return...If I am truly here...I have asked about the animals and I am constantly amazed that no one seems to remember what happened to them. But I always receive the same retort, "At the least we still have the birds." That's where the fear began. So in the space between hitherto and hearafter, I asked Crimson, my casper, to tell me about everything he has known about birds. One historical fact, once learned, has never left the forefront of my mind. It seems in the years before the rise and fall of mankind there was a director who, according to Crimson, likely enacted the role of the Speaker of our time This Director Hitchcock related a dark event in human history where mankind was on the verge of being destroyed by flocks of these dark creatures. They are almost everywhere, persistent as the Fallen and unfathomable as the hive. The last time I was in Old Russia, I saw one sitting on a rock, so I asked it where the other animals were. He looked at me with hungry eyes. "Caw", it shouted and flew away as I release a few shots from my scout rifle. So, take my advice, shoot first and ask questions later. Acquire a healthy fear of birds.