This was originally published on Wise & Shine.

The crow was an asshole. Sitting stubbornly on the wire while a dozen smaller birds buzzed in on him in shifts, launching their missions from nearby tree branches. Give the crow credit though, he didn’t flinch.

Every few minutes, the villain would leave his wire, swooping to the ground in the adjacent yard. When he did, the protectors dove in on him like the arrows of a marksman; three robins, 2 blue jays, a few sparrows, and several others. This crow was after something nobody else wanted him to have.

Defeated, the crow returned to his wire perch; the other birds back to their branches. This was only the first inning of whatever game this was, and on it went for several minutes; each round ending with the crow’s failure.

But the crow was stubborn and didn’t flinch. He was an asshole, but not a quitter.

After what looked like yet another repeat of the same play, this time the crow emerged from the scrum with a small body in its beak.

Was it a mouse? Probably not. A baby bird? Most likely.

A brief but dangerous mid-air dogfight ensued with every bird screaming and squawking in pursuit of the asshole crow. Away they went.

Quickly the skies cleared. Everything was quiet, as if nobody had been fighting, and nothing had been stolen or killed.

It was over.

Birds of several species had banded together to thwart the deeds of an asshole. They failed. The crow got what it wanted. All the players had no choice but to move on.

Nobody asked the crow to defend or explain his actions. Is he really an asshole?

It’s too late. The yard is quiet now except for the occasional sway of tree branches in the morning breeze.

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