My contest entry: Like wind, like clouds

Ku woke up that morning to a feeling of freedom. The storm last night had taken the mighty tree that stood solid outside their coup to the ground, shattering the cage that kept Ku and the others within. He walked outside and saw Chi and the others pecking at the ground for worms that had left their underground tunnels to escape the flooding rain. Ku ignored these and went to the red seeds, fallen from the tree and ate those. This was sky food, food that would let him have his dream of flying above the world and never being couped up again. I will go to the top of a cliff and fly from there Ku thought and set out for the top. When Ku reached the top however he looked down on his brethren sitting contently and still eating. Ku was still hungry as well and decided that flying could wait till tomorrow, and proceded back down the hill.

The next day rain poored down, Ku and Chi lay huddled next to each other for warmth. Flying would be no good today he thought. He will wait for tomorrow.

The next moring sun again shned into the coup. Ku walked outside and looked up to the hill. Today would be the day to fly. But on the hill sat someone already, Chi. Standing still Ku watched as he saw Chi jump. The fool, Ku thought, you can not fly. And so it was as Chi hovered for a few moments, his wings flapping in vain, then he fell, plumting to earth and hitting it with a dull sound. Ku watched this all motionless, he thought of how he would never have done this, he had been fooling himself the whole time. He had thought he was special because he wanted to fly, but Ku knew chickens could not. But here was Chi on the ground. He looked forward but not up, yet he tried to fly. Why? Because he did not know that there were things that were not possible. He was the special one. He was the true one that was not pretending but was special. Chi not Ku. Not Ku the coward who said he would do the impossible but then said it could wait, but Chi who tried what he wanted with no fear. Now Ku shed worthless tears that what he wanted was no more, while Chi shed true tears of that, that he had tried.