Twinkling stars stretched across the black void of a sky. Blending into the night, a crow sat perched atop a tall pine tree. She breathed in slowly, savoring the cool air as she studied Raccoon’s luxurious mansion ahead of her. Classical music and the clamor of animals laughing and singing boomed from every opening of the building. She let out a long, reluctant sigh. Tonight is extremely high-stakes for her, for she is an assassin and has been assigned to take out the wealthiest animal alive: Racoon. The only problem is that tonight, he is holding his annual masquerade ball with only the finest, well-known figures invited. One tiny slip-up could be life-threatening for her. She cannot mess this up. Crow took one last glance at the stars before shifting her masquerade mask over her beak, smoothing down her feathers, and spreading her wings to soar into an open window.
Beautiful scents of wine, cheeses, fruits, and floral perfume filled her beak. Rhythmic vibrations of brass instruments and piano melodies echoed from the dance hall. Every inch of the mansion was occupied by a haughty big-shot dressed in a lavish masquerade costume. She could identify almost everyone attending. In the heart of it all, Crow knew she couldn’t go back now. No matter if she wanted to or not, she had to keep moving. Overcome by her fear of messing up, she attempted to mimic the laid-back behavior of those surrounding her and carefully waltzed through the lively crowd of animals.
As she pushed through, she tried to maintain her disguise with “pardon me’s” despite her heart pounding in her chest. Every so often, she’d pause, crane her neck, and look for any gray stripes or a flashy red suit that would lead her to Raccoon. But maybe going straight for the kill was too risky. I’ve got to keep my cover, she thought. Fear of messing up such an important mission clouded her thoughts as she mingled through the crowd. Just then, she heard a low, satisfied purr beyond the crowd behind her. Raccoon! She whipped around and slammed into the bony ankles of a Deer, who also seemed to be moving in haste because she had half-tripped over her. Quickly correcting herself, Crow darted her eyes up to the animal towering over her. “Oh no!! I’m terribly sorry!!” she apologized, waving her wings frantically.
“Oh, it’s okay,” the Deer responded, patting down her emerald green dress. “It’s my fault, really,” she added, without even glancing at Crow.
“No, I should’ve been more careful.” Crow impulsively rejected. “Is there anything I can do to serve you? Would a drink suffice?” She has to keep suspicion down tonight, and this little whoopsie surely isn’t helping.
The Deer shifted her legs impatiently and glanced over in Raccoon’s direction before responding with “No, thank you.”
Crow followed her gaze and saw Raccoon and a few other big shots trotting to the master bedroom. She clicked her tongue. There goes my chance.
“Well, I must be going now,” said the Deer, “it’s a busy night”.
Expecting more out of their interaction and wanting to squash any suspicion Deer may have, Crow prodded, “What’s the rush for?”
Deer paused for a brief moment, and Crow could tell that there might be more to this interaction than she had thought. “I’ve got things that I need to do tonight,” Deer answered, this time looking Crow in the eyes. Hollow, deep, and empty. The Deer’s eyes were of a cold-blooded killer. When Deer finally turned away, Crow felt like some of her soul had been read and deciphered. Maybe Crow wasn’t the only assassin at this party assigned to murder Raccoon tonight.
Stunned and confused, Crow mindlessly staggered across the blood-red carpeted floors. I wasn’t expecting competition, her mind spiraled. She clicked her tongue in frustration before butting head-first into a decorated blood-red door. Blinking away the pain, she looked up to see Raccoon’s master bedroom door. Her heart beat spiked again. This is it, she thought. She remembered seeing a few other animals follow him into this room, and surely the crowd around her was too caught up in their own stories to notice her hovering around his room. So, she steadied her shaky claws and carefully crept inside.
Raccoon was lying belly-up on a messy table, snuggled next to a well-known gambler, Owl, who was dressed in a lavish red fur coat. Having had too much to drink, the rest of the animals were lying on the floor. Crow swiftly hopped around the bodies and reached for a piece of scrap metal tucked beneath her wing to finish the job. She stared intensely at the rise and fall of Raccoon’s shallow breathing. Her heart pounded like a drum in her ears. Slowly, she directed the blade between her claws towards Raccoon’s exposed abdomen. Just then, an abrupt THMP from across the room interrupted Crow’s mission, and Raccoon and Owl jolted awake. For a moment, Raccoon stared wide-eyed at the blade, and Crow was staring right at Deer, who had tripped over a wasted animal. The shocked silence of the room was broken by a high-pitched trill from Owl, and all at once the room burst into a chaotic uproar.
The animals on the floor fled the room while Deer charged head-first at Crow. Raccoon and Owl scrambled sloppily off the table as Crow slammed into the wall, dropping her weapon and loosening a few of her feathers. She grunted in pain as she flopped onto the playing card-covered floor. Her head was spinning as she desperately tried to lift herself back up. Meanwhile, Deer switched to target Raccoon, who was hissing and swiping at the assassin looming over him. Hurriedly stumbling across the room with ruffled feathers, Owl snatched the scrap metal from the floor and swung at Deer. She missed completely. Pissed off by everyone in her way, Deer quickly lowered her head to attack Owl, but Crow’s claws interrupted her as she latched onto her muzzle, digging and dragging deep beneath her skin. Deer stumbled and groaned in agony as she tried to shake Crow off her head. Seizing this opportunity to attack, Raccoon grabbed the scrap metal from Owl and ducked under Deer to drive the weapon straight into her stomach. Deer groaned even louder in pain as the blade tore through her muscle. Releasing her grip, Crow watched as Deer toppled over. Her emerald green dress was now bloody red. Quickly moving on, Crow swooped down to Raccoon, but was plummeted and pinned to the ground by Owl. Crow shrieked as sharp talons pierced through her back. She squirmed in pain until her body was too weak to fight back. The room fell silent. Raccoon and Owl stared in shock. Their heavy breathing was the only sound as they processed what had just happened. Faint police sirens in the distance induced a sense of urgency in them, and they trembled steadily towards the doorway.
Crow could feel her heartbeat speeding up and slowing down. Her ears were ringing, and her wounds were throbbing. She rolled her eyes to look around the room. Tufts of fur stuck to pools of blood. She glanced over at Deer and watched her take her final breath. Crow’s vision was slowly fading to a black, comforting darkness. She felt herself drifting away and allowed the void to engulf her. Ironically, in the end, she didn’t care that she failed her mission. None of that mattered anymore. She was finally able to close her eyes and join the twinkling stars in the night sky.