...

No Bravery

'And I see no bravery
No bravery
In your eyes anymore
Only sadness...'

- "No Bravery", James Blunt

...

Brave souls were never there when needed, like when evil arises, when trouble throws itself upon the helpless. Brave souls are almost never found when someone needs help, when cries of mercy fill the air from a woman in despair or a helpless child. It was a sad fact of life, one that applied not only to humans, but animals as well. Before the Rebellion and even a while after it had succeeded, Snowball found that this 'fact' only applied to humans; that humans usually never helped one another, that humans were the ones who turned away when their own were in trouble or in need of assistance. Humans weren't brave: they were cowards who ran away from the battle rather than fight with courage.

However, he found that his perspective on bravery had changed.

He could see now, -through a small pile of bushes nestled behind the fence that surrounded Animal Farm, which was currently his hiding place-, that the bravery his fellow animals had during the Rebellion was long gone, now that they were unknowingly faced with yet another tyranny that appeared to be far worse than the tyranny of humans had been. A tyranny Snowball could see clearly with wide eyes filled with disbelief and shock. Seeing Napoleon and the other pigs in the distance walking on their hind legs, dressed in human clothing while the sheep around them chanted aloud, "Four legs good, two legs BETTER!", shocked him more than it angered him. He was shocked, couldn't even comprehend what he was seeing. That the rules of Animalism were completely broken right before him? He couldn't even believe it. Old Major was surely rolling over in his grave!

However, when he spotted the whip Napoleon proudly carried in his trotter, Snowball was able to fully comprehend the truth of what he was witnessing: Napoleon and his lackeys had adapted the human way of life, like their clothing and the whip that symbolized their power over the other animals. The same power the humans had over the animals when Animal Farm was once Manor Farm. Suddenly the usually calm and collected Snowball became enraged, his blood boiling at the sight of what was obviously a full-on blasphemy against Animalism and all that it stood for. He narrowed his eyes at Napoleon from where he hid. Snowball knew Napoleon was evil and selfish, but this? This was just disgraceful to animals everywhere.

The chanting of "Four legs good, two legs better" could still be heard in the distance. "Two legs better?" Snowball muttered quietly, trying to calm himself and the rage boiling his blood. "Don't any of them realize that Napoleon has broken an important rule of Animalism?" Of course they did, he could see it on their faces from where he was hiding. The confusion painted painfully on some of their faces. Most of the other animals weren't as... intelligent as the pigs, hence why the pigs took control. The other animals couldn't fully comprehend what was going on, but surely a few of them understood what was happening. That in a way, Napoleon and the other pigs had become humans themselves. For a second Snowball found himself angry at the other animals for not understanding, and at the few who probably did understand and simply stood and watched, unable to do anything to stop the horrible future of Napoleon and his whip that was surely blooming into a near reality. But he calmed down and reminded himself that it was not their fault that they couldn't understand what was happening. That it was not their fault for not being able to rise up against Napoleon, for Snowball himself remembered the large, growling dogs that guarded Napoleon like bodyguards. The same dogs that drove Snowball out of Animal Farm many years ago. He shuddered at the memory. He understood then that the other animals were simply scared and confused, and he couldn't blame them.

The bravery those animals had when they took Manor Farm from Jones and the other humans was long gone, and Snowball could see it on their faces, even from how far a distance he was from them in the safety of his hiding place among the bushes nestled behind the fence. They were once again victims of an evil tyrant, one of their own was now one of the humans. Napoleon had become the enemy. And Napoleon, Snowball realized, had always been the real enemy. Snowball could sense the other animals' fear and confusion, and wanted desperately to help them, to lead yet another rebellion once again against yet another tyrant. Yet he knew if he left his hiding spot and even stepped foot onto Animal Farm, that he'd be executed on the spot, torn apart by the gleaming, sharp white teeth of Napoleon's dogs. Even Snowball would admit that he was in fact hesitant to even step foot back on Animal Farm, for fear of being eaten alive by those vicious dogs guarding Napoleon as though he were a king. Desperately trying to push his fear down, Snowball more than anything wanted to overthrow Napoleon and his 'throne' in that moment, to race out of his hiding place and kill Napoleon himself, even though he knew that killing Napoleon would be breaking one of the seven commandments. He didn't care: Napoleon needed to be stopped by whatever means necessary. It would be for the greater good.

However, Snowball found himself unable to get passed his fear of the dogs. What could one pig do against a whole army of vicious, blood-thirsty dogs who guarded the real enemy?

Yes, it seemed that brave souls didn't exist in such times of crisis, both for humans and animals. And Snowball accepted this fact with a heavy heart as he helplessly watched Napoleon and the other pigs parade proudly around in their human attire. The whip in Napoleon's trotter was just another reminder: That sometimes not all evil can be defeated. Even if it were possible, it would be a long, long time before the goal of defeating such evil like Napoleon could be fulfilled...

And Snowball knew that the defeat of Napoleon's current and future reign would be long after his time.

A/N: We read Animal Farm during the first weeks of May before School got out, and I gotta say: One of my favorites. :) I love the theme of rebellion, like with The Hunger Games trilogy. I LOATHED Napoleon. I hated him so much. Snowball was my favorite simply because he was brave during the Battle of the Cowshed, and unlike Napoleon who simply stood and watched, Snowball actually fought. And he actually helped the other animals and was kind to them and wanted best for them. Snowball is the true leader, Napoleon was just a corrupt, power-hungry lazy bastard who only cared for himself. I'm glad Snowball was simply chased out and didn't die. I would have been pissed if Snowball died and I don't believe he died. Hence why I wrote this. I only write fanfiction for fandoms I like. ;)

Review if you liked it! :) Input would be nice.