With Dorothy scouting ahead for places to rest and feed, Hector led his half of the flock to the west along the Gulf of Carpentara. Australia is a big place, but because it would soon be winter in the north, they had all season to fly around it. This would allow them to spread the words of the Creator all around Australia.

Northern Australia is home to hundreds of species of birds, animals, and creatures that are found no where else in the world. They saw Goshawks, Herons, Yellow orioles, soaring Black Falcons, and hundreds of Black-headed gulls as they made their way between the oceans to their north and the mountains to the south. One night when they were flying along under moonlit skies, they chanced to come upon a tall bird with a long black bill and red legs. “What kind of bird is that?” Octavo asked.

“I don’t know,” Hector replied.

“Why don’t we ask him?” Desiree said.

“Hey,” Larry squawked, “what kind of bird are you?”

“Oh my,” the bird said, obviously surprised, “I’m sorry, Mates, I didn’t see you there.”

“Hello,” Hector said.

“Well hello, Mate,” the bird said, “I’m Franklin, and you are?”

“I’m Hector.”

“You say you’re Hector, Mate?” Franklin asked.

“That’s right,” Hector replied.

“Well who are all these blokes with you?” Franklin asked.

“This is my flock,” Hector answered.

“An a funny looking flock it is,” Franklin replied. “I’ve never seen birds like you ‘round here before. Where you from, Mate?”

“America,” Larry answered.

“All the way from America?” Franklin asked. “You flew all the way from America?”

“Well not all at once,” Desiree replied.

“I should think not,” Franklin said.

“Do you know where America is?” Hector asked.

“Never heard of it, Mate,” Franklin answered, “but it looks like a bunch of you are trying to get away from it so I guess it’s just as well.”

“We’re not trying to get away,” Octavo said.

“Well if you’re not trying to get away from this America,” Franklin asked, “then why have you come here, Mates?”

“We’re flying around the world,” Hector said.

“You don’t say,” Franklin said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a birds flying all the way around the world. Is that something you Americans do all the time?”

“I never heard of it either,” Hector replied.

“So let me see,” the bird replied, “you’re flying around the world because no one else has ever done it before.”

“Something like that,” Hector said.

“What kind of bird are you? Desiree asked.

“The aborigines call me a Jabiru,” Franklin said, “but the other people call me a Black-necked Stork.”

“I’ve never seen a bird like you before,” Desiree said.

“Well I never seen a bird like you before,” Franklin replied. “What kinds of birds are...”

“Hector, Hector!” Dorothy began screaming as she flew back toward them as fast as she could fly, “Hector, look out!”

“What is it?” Hector shouted. “What’s wrong?”

“They’re coming! They’re coming!” Dorothy called.

“Who’s coming?” Hector asked.

“Bats, thousands of bats!” Dorothy screamed as she continued flying the other way. “They’re coming straight at us!”

“Never mind those bloody bats,” Franklin said, “they’re only Flying Foxes, they won’t bother you, Mates.”

“They won’t?” Hector asked.

“No Mates, you don’t have to worry about flying foxes, just flap your wings and make lots of noise and they’ll go away,” Franklin said. “It’s the ghost bats you have to worry about.”

“Ghost bats?” Desiree asked somewhat worried about what they might be. “What are ghost bats?”

“Yeah, ghost bats,” Franklin continued. “The flying foxes won’t bother you, but the ghost bats sometimes eats birds, Mates.”

“What can we do to protect ourselves?” Hector asked.

“Why that’s easy, Mate,” Franklin said. “Just don’t fly at night.”

“Hey Hector,” Desiree said, “Dorothy is still flying away.”

“Oh yeah,” Hector said, “Larry, round up a couple of the faster birds and bring Dorothy back.”

“No problem,” Larry squawked as he took to the night skies.

On the other side of Australia, Randy was having more than his share of problems. Not only was he dealing with bats, but there were other animals, lots of other animals, that liked to eat birds. There were Falcons and Kites in the air, crocodiles in the water, snakes in the trees, and lizards and mammals on the ground. It seemed as if no place was safe. Randy was also forced to give up on the idea of flying in single file as that made it easier for predators to capture them in the air.

Randy decided it would be best to disperse the bigger birds like eagles, hawks, geese, and storks throughout the flock so that they could help protect the smaller birds while in flight. He also decided it best if he continued to cover territory as quickly as the flock could travel as many of the incidents happened when they were flying slow.

One day, when resting in the rain forest, Randy happened to see the strangest looking animal he had ever seen. It was covered in dark fur like a mammal, its body about the size of a possum, with duck feet, a tail like a beaver, and a bill just like a duck. Randy watched the animal for a while before he decided to speak with it. “Hey Dude,” Randy crowed, “what on earth are you supposed to be?”

“G’day Mate,” the animal replied. “How are you today?”

“I’m fine, Dude,” Randy said. “What happened to you?”

“I beg your pardon, Mate?” the animal asked.

“Dude, what’s wrong with you?” Randy asked.

“I didn’t know there was anything wrong with me, Mate,” the animal replied. “I feel okay.”

“You sure do look bad,” Randy squawked.

“I do?” the animal said.

“There’s nothing wrong with him,” a plover said. “He looks like any other platypus to me.”

“He does?” Randy asked. “You mean there’s others like him?”

“Oh sure,” the plover said. “They’re all over the place ‘round here.”

“Wow,” the platypus said, “that’s a relief, Mate. You had me worried for a minute there, Mate. McNally’s the name.”

“I’m Randy.”

“I’m sorry,” McNally said. “I never met a randy crow before. You are a crow, right, Mate?”

“Sorry,” Randy squawked, “sorry about what?”

“Never mind, Mate,” McNally laughed. “I’m just funnin’ with you, birdie.”

The fact is, McNally didn’t care if Randy was randy or not. Animals have never concerned themselves much with such trivial differences, and while Randy didn’t have a clue as to what McNally meant, he decided it best that they part ways so that he might continue to lead the flock around Australia.

Almost every night, the other half of the flock would gather to hear Hector speak to them about the things his little voice told him. His flock continued to grow and everywhere they went there were birds who were hoping to meet him. Hector had once contributed all of this to the Arctic terns and Mongolian plovers who had flown ahead of him, but now he began to realize that they weren’t the only birds who were telling others about Hector and his flock. “Why do you think so many birds have heard of you?” Larry asked.

“Truth is like an egg,” Hector said. “In the beginning it looks as if it is only going to lie there, perhaps to rot or be eaten by a snake. Then all who see it will wonder if it will live or die, but few will speak of it. In time, if enough begin to believe in it, a little chick will begin to peck its way out of its shell, and if enough birds believe in that little chick then the truth will emerge from the egg sticky, wet, and ugly, only to grow up to be a beautiful bird.”

“Hector, that was so beautiful,” Dorothy chirped. “I only wish Randy could have been here to hear it.”

“Randy will hear it,” Hector said.

“He will?” Octavo asked.

“Oh yes,” Hector replied. “Someday, every bird that flies will know the truth. The truth cannot remain hidden forever. The truth cannot live in the dark so it is forced to show itself to every bird everywhere. All with know the truth before their journeys are completed.”

“Wow,” Larry said, “Two in a row. You never did two in a row before.”

“The truth has to come out,” Dorothy said.