Wordcount: Daily = 1,217 , Total = 27,020
Percentage: 54.0 (108% of target)I didn't think I'd get any writing done today - I really didn't. I got up earlyish, to be sure, but spent the morning sorting out some calendars and Christmas cards for posting. Then I worked for like... forever... Thursday is my longest shift and by the end of it I was pretty knackered.
I guess I found my second wind.
It took me a while to get the kaka conversing properly - because I wasn't sure exactly how they would react to Tiriki. Then one of them starting spouting off about Chosen One's and so forth, and I decided to go with that. It might be cliched but *shrugs*.
So, Tiriki currently has a couple of groupies in the form of young female kaka - Rata and Maia.
Here's their story:
“Rata and me
are sisters,” Maia explained. “We were stolen from our nest
before our eyes even opened.”
“I remember the
whole world being warm and my mother's gentle voice singing songs to
me,” said Rata. “My belly was full and my head was heavy. Then
there was noise, mother screeching, screeching. A strong and horrible
smell that made my nostrils burn and my head feel even fuzzy. Then
more screeching, and I was cold, then something grabbed me, wrapped
tight about my body and I thought the life was going to be squeezed
from me. Then everything was cold and smelt sharp and sterile and I
could feel my sister beside me as we were moved, bump-bump-bump
along. Still, in the distance I could hear mother screeching, calling
out our names over and over and over again. I tried to answer, but my
throat was sore from the burning smell.” She shuddered. “After
that, we were fed and we were kept warm, but we never saw our mother,
not ever. The first thing I saw – when I opened my eyes for the
very first time, was the Provider's face staring down at me. It was
so big it took up the whole world, and I thought he was going to eat
me. So I squeaked and squeaked, but he just laughed and shoved a tube
into my beak and squeezed some food into my gullet.”
I guess Maia is into Tell and Rata prefers Show.
Rata is a natural born story-teller.
Will be interesting to see how this plays out.
And here's a paper on how Kea and Kaka play:
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=bioscibehavior
Research for my novel!
Tiriki has just met the Kaka family. I'll find names for them in the Maori dicitionaries at work today - IF I have time!
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