Fortunately Fenton and I aren’t big party goers, so neither of us were hung over when a five-bird delegation showed up on our doorstep. They were led by my previous NASA mentor, the condor, and presented us with our first assignment as members of their Group.
They started by saying they prefer the term Group over other labels. Apparently some refer to them as a conspiracy, which seems to wound them. While secretive, they certainly don’t see themselves as having nefarious designs. (And judging by the condition of their vehicles they don’t seem to be in it for the money.)
Our initial job seems well suited for us. The squirrel that I harbored for years with my two mice turned out to be a former human. They’ve confirmed his former identity, and are allowing him to stay here. (Apparently someone else is balancing his presence on the other side of the portal.) They’d like to keep tabs on him, so that when a member of the human Group comes over for some reason, he can make a temporary trip over to provide balance during that time.
I lost track of him after he asked to be released a while back, but he’s currently living wild in the vicinity of the college. Our job is to contact him and ask if he’s like to join civilization. He’d be much easier to track that way.
After the delegation left, Fenton and I went directly to the hollow tree he was using as a home/storage unit. He was suspicious to see us again, but then he was always like that. (Now I know why.) We gave him the offer; he’d just have to report to the Species Registry and the bureaucrats would do the rest. The Group has arranged for a job for him if he desires.
Like us, he has one week to decide.
