Prologue I: Cloudy Days

Birds of A Feather
ladyqueerfoot

Veronica Galperkee, Head Gamemaker for the First Aviary Games

Their claws are rigid against the rubble, the texture uneven as Veronica stands atop the pile of ashes and rocks with their beak pointed straight in the air. It's quiet, oddly so considering the circumstances, but they don't mind. It's been so long since without silence that Veronica's forgotten what it's like to perch without hearing the calls of others, symphonies of terror as bullets pierce feathers and knives cut through wings.

So Veronica doesn't mind.

A breeze brushes through the navy-colored plumage atop their head and it's the slightest bit chilling. Again, odd for the air to be cool instead of lukewarm from the embers. But regardless, it's splendid, euphoric even.

Veronica's always been a pacifist, the sort of bird who sat on their parents' nest when they went to get worms for Veronica and their siblings, because they actually liked warming the eggs throughout the winter. They actually cherished it, the fact they were contributing to the lives of a myriad of fellow birds, new siblings and friends, and it made them feel important, which regretfully wasn't all that common for Veronica.

They're a galperkee, a new breed of bird with orange feathers and blue accents, and they often have high status in the Capitol. Veronica's lucky to have that privilege, even if their parents aren't the best.

It's no secret that Veronica wasn't necessarily the bird their parents had hoped for. If they hadn't directly told Veronica that they preferred their twin, the only other bird from their litter, well, Veronica would have assumed so anyways. It was always, "Luther, get the silver chains for us, we trust you," always, "Luther, pick the grapes from the vineyard, we know you'll get the best ones for us." Never was Veronica asked for favors, never asked to contribute anything to the family besides sitting on the nest and waiting for their return. It's a miracle honestly that Veronica grew to enjoy that chore, grew to give it a meaning in their head beyond the mundane.

But Veronica loved Luther, even if they were the clear favorite. They'd spend nights together with their heads nestled into each others' feathers, pretending they didn't have a care in the world. Pretending they couldn't hear the cannons firing in the middle of the night.

And on one of these nights where the two of them were able to find a rare solace, one of their parents awoke, and Veronica asked them, "What's with all the noise lately?"

Their parent Damian just smirked, "Panem's in great danger, kids."

"What do you mean?" Luther had cocked their head, a sense of disbelief in their tone, "I thought everybody loved the Capitol and the splendor they provide us so graciously."

"Not some people," Damien was quite regretful, "They say the mockingjays are growing too powerful and don't deserve it."

Veronica doesn't understand what their parent said that night even now. Sure, they were right in the sense that war did indeed erupt out of all the hatred for the mockingjays, but Veronica's never got why everybody dislikes them so much.

There's the obvious reason that they don't like the Capitol; the lack of food accessibility certainly an issue, but even then, what's so bad about the others just plucking worms from the ground. It's what birds have always done after all, there's even a saying for it, "Early bird gets the worm." So Veronica doesn't compute, in fact, they think those from the Districts were, and still are far too spoiled from the splendid food the Capitol so graciously provided, and they'd grown ungrateful too, for them, whatever was offered is never enough.

But again, Veronica's a pacifist. They don't like war, or at least they're not supposed to like war.

Still, they didn't mind the birds of the Districts being punished for what they did, the way they were so selfish, the way they fired the first bullets for the war only to come crumbling down in defeat.

Ironic, isn't it?

The war's over now, though. The rebellious birds' general was beheaded by Jay, Veronica's colleague, and it made them both happy. Well, not even happy, rather they're satisfied.

The Treaty of Treason was signed the very next morning. Veronica didn't quite know the details of the document, but maybe they'd learn someday.

For now, they were at peace with the fact that the war was over, the Cloudy Days had turned to sun, and as the ash settled they were so lucky to be alive.

Veronica doesn't know what to expect when President Vulcan, a strong and mighty mockingjay calls them to his office. It's been two months since the war ended, and for the most part, their life has returned to normal. Well, except one thing…

They'd lost track of Luther during the war, rumors say they just flew away somewhere. And Veronica was slightly annoyed at their sibling for it. It was almost like what their parents said… Luther truly was the better twin.

So Veronica didn't really mind the distancing from their sibling… at least not until they got a letter in the mail one day. Which was a weird occasion, as Veronica seldom received mail.

But that day they did, and it was a postcard which informed them of Luther's death.

And suddenly, Veronica felt horrible, they wished that they'd reached out to their sibling during the war, but suddenly that was too late. And suddenly, Veronica felt sick. Many days were spent with their feathers ruffled after that.

"Why'd you call me here," Veronica walks on the tips of their claws into Vulcan's office. They've never been extremely close with him, their relationship was always professional above all else.

"You haven't read the treaty," Vulcan scratches their blue claw on the white feathers that cover his body, "There's a specific section that I think is worth glancing over."

Veronica nods, and they're a bit confused. Why do I need to read the treaty? What does it matter to me?

Vulcan slides a cream colored sheet of paper across his desk, one peg of his claw on a certain paragraph.

Before looking closer, Veronica looks around the room to make sure nobody's filming. There's a bizarrely picturesque ambience to the office, that much can be said. Pastel blue curtains line towering windows, and when he's sitting in such a large chair, the place seems so big for such a small bird like Vulcan.

Veronica reads the text Vulcan highlighted:

In penance for their uprising, each District shall offer up two adolescent birds at a public "reaping". These tributes shall be delivered to the custody of the Capitol. And then transferred into a public arena, where they will fight to the death until a lone victor remains. Henceforth and forevermore this pageant shall be known as "The Aviary Games."

And they're immediately intrigued. Their displeasure with those selfish and miserable Districts finally has a solution. Combat, beak to beak and claw to claw. That's what they deserve. That'll let them know not to rebel and be ungrateful.

"Very interesting," Veronica nods their head, "Still though, I must ask what this has to do with me."

Vulcan looks them in the eye and grimaces, "Well these Games aren't going to run themselves."

"I didn't think they would," Veronica admits, "I assume you and your family will help?"

"Not just us," Vulcan rolls his eyes, "We need somebody to run the show, organize everything and make sure these first Games are perfect."

Now Veronica's certain he's talking about them, but they're flustered. What does organizing the Games entail, anyways?

"And I'd assume that's where I come in?" Veronica asks, their claws shaking against the white leather seat.

"Precisely so," Vulcan laughs, "It's a tough job, but you should certainly think it over. I think it would be marvelously good for you."

Again, Veronica ponders. They know it's going to be a lot of work, but at the same time, they don't have much to do now anyways. And they know they've been selected for this prestigious role due to the great successes they had in the war.

And maybe their parents will finally see worth in them.

"I'm in, Mister President," Veronica exclaims, "When do I begin?"

Hello all, Linds [ladyqueerfoot] and Trace [tracelynn] here!

If you're a sane person, you're probably wondering what the hell this is, but we're here to tell you that we are unironically writing an SYOT that exclusively features birds as Tributes, Capitolites, and well… everybody. Yes, this does have heavy parody vibes, and it truly is a bit of a parody, but we will be writing it as if it's a serious SYOT with human characters.

So that's where you come in. We're looking for 12 Tributes, one for every District to compete in our little charade. There will be 24 Tributes total, but us only taking half that will enable us to give them fully fleshed out stories and arcs. This SYOT isn't first come first serve, and submissions are due on May 5th, which should give you plenty of time to make your little birdy babies for us.

The rest of the submission information as well as our world building can be found on our profile and if you have any questions don't hesitate to message us here on FFN or on either of our discords, Lindsay#6666 and tracelynn#3552.

That's all for now and we wish you the best of luck in your submissions.

Cheers,
Linds and Trace