The Orca and the Crown

The Orca and the Crown

Down in the harsh environment of Antarctica, lived a mighty kingdom of killer whales. They lived in harmony with the penguin and leopard seal kingdoms by a peace treaty. Unfortunately, the three kingdoms struggling through this season. Food was scarce, and the peace between the three species was dwindling.

One particular orca was an outcast. He disobeyed his father's wishes, so he was outcasted while his brother was made king of the Orca Kingdom. He had been banished for years now, but no one quite knows how long. He knew his killer whale brethren could not survive the season without some means of intervention. He knew they needed a hero, and this was his shot at redemption.

The orca approached the kingdom and requested a meeting with his brother the king. After ignoring some threats for returning to the waters he was banished from, he finally is face to face with his brother. He offered his proposal, his plan to feed and save the species. However, he learned that the orcas were more desperate than he predicted. Many were starving, and his brother was hopeless with the thought that they would not survive the month. The king admitted that the people needed to eat by any means necessary, and he would surrender his crown if the orca could save the kingdom. The orca knew the most vulnerable remaining food source around them was their allies, the penguins. How fitting, he was outcasted for his past betrayal, and now he would be redeemed by betraying the penguins.

Meanwhile, the leopard seals were already breaking the treaty and invading the penguins' ice to survive. They were vicious creatures, and the penguins were searching desperately for a new home to escape to. This was a perfect opportunity for the orca to execute his ploy.

The orca approaches the gathered masses of the penguin kingdom and quickly explained what he had found. He stated that through a ice cave there is a land to make a new home with plenty of food to save both the penguin and orca species. The penguins were reluctant, so they sent one scout along with the orca to confirm the orca's tale. The orca guided the penguin through the underwater ice cave and eventually reached the new island of ice that could be their sanctuary. They returned to the penguin kingdom, and the orca began guiding groups of penguins to the new land. As the penguins arrived to the ice cave, the orca people attacked them. The orcas outnumbers the penguins as they were trapped in the ice cave. The orca kept going back and guiding groups of penguins to their demise. It was a sad day for the Antarctic kingdoms. They were honorable species before, but the brutal conditions brought out the worst in the orcas. The orca was crowned king as promised, but at what cost? Morals were sacrificed, and the kingdom was now lead by a king with compromised character. How can they live on with this dishonor?

Author's Note:

I wanted to make a story with a cunning betrayal similar to the Crane and the Crab. However, instead of outwitting the villain and defeating them, I wanted the villain to win in the end. I did this so that I could leave the audience with some moral questions. Is survival worth it if you sacrifice your morals? Even if it is your last resort, could you live on with your life knowing you betrayed your friends/allies?

I based this story off of The Cunning Crane and the Crab by W. H. D. Rouse. In this story, a tiny pond is being reduced to a puddle due to a drought. This puddle is home to some fish and a crab. The crane lived near a flourishing lake but was looking for an afternoon meal. He saw the desperate fish in the puddle and offered to carry them in his beak to the lake. They were reluctant, but the crane eventually proved credible enough to earn their trust. The crane carried the fish to the lake one-by-one, but tricked them and ate them in his nest before returning for the next fish. Finally, the crane got greedy and decided to try and eat the crab. The crab talked the crane into carrying the crab by allowing the crab to latch onto the crane's neck. As soon as the crab knew the crane was deceitful, He clamped down on his neck and killed him. The crab lived happily ever after in his new lake home.