Goosed (Away to me Home)

It is a beautiful first light. The air is clear, the water cool, and the group just awakening. I flutter my eyes and toss my head side-to-side. Stretching my feet deep, I sway them in opposite directions, twisting my floating body to and fro. My Mate is within my sight; head on her back, wings dropped, eyes closed. I roll my head in a Great Circle; droplets of water spray the bobbing bodies round me.

I pull up my folded wings, level my head and stretch my neck upwards. As I fan my tail feathers, one of the Late Young bumps me.

"Ha-ONNKK!"

Call One.

"Ha-ONNKK!"

Call One to My Mate. She opens her eyes and lifts her head from her back. Her head stays level as that graceful black neck unfolds into that delicate curve. Her wings are down in the water; the feathers of her sides are shiny and black and even. The Late Young bob towards her and begin calling.

"bwaawp bwaawp bwaawp bwaawp."

Call Four. The Late Young. My Mate is moving on the water now. I push with my legs and follow them. We are all heading towards the Green. My Mate ahead, the Late Young behind, and I am behind them. My Mate extends its wings to its side. The Late Young each reach their feathered wings into the air.

Beside me are Quiet and Staccato and their groups. I used to follow Staccato, and Quiet followed me.

"Ha-ONNKK!"

"Ha-ONK!"

"Ha-ONNKK!"

"Ha-ONK!"

Staccato. Nearby, Quiet rolls her head in a Great Circle. Her eyes flutter; white eyelids flashing.

"ha-onnkk!"

"Ha-ONNKK!"

Quiet neck-rolls again. There are more Calls from the group. More familiar voices. All sorts of familiar sounds. The mob chorus of Calls quickly builds and mingles with the sound of splashing water and the delicate "fwaap" of stretched wings moving through morning air. Time to take in the Green.

"HAAUNGH!"

Call Five. My Mate bobs her head and lowers her bill level to the water. Shuttering her long upper bill she moves its head forward, splashing with rhythmic precision. Taking in water.

"HAAUNGH!"

Call Five. My Mate out of the water, we're on our feet walking towards the rough. Tail feathers waggle. Wings shake. She raises her head and walks up to the Green. The Late Young Call and jump, one at a time, wings extended, after her. Call Four. I wait for them all to go up to the Green.

Walking on the wet rough, I level my head and lower it down past my side to the water. Sliding my bill forward and shuttering, I take in water, too. My head lifts high to look up and swallow it down.

With a jump I am on the Green. I bend my neck to bring my head low and twist it to better see its color. Thick, sturdy, and even; an even Green. I close the front side of my bill around it and pull. The sound is good. It is sharp and crisp with a good pitch. I take one step forward. I swallow, then roll my head over to the other side. More Green. More good color.

We move forward slowly, heads low, toes closing on upstep, heads side to side. The Green is good and it is good to take in. The Late Young are about and My Mate is never far from me. I look briefly behind me to the water. There is plenty of Green behind me. Moving forward nicely.

My turn to Observe. I lift my head and stretch my neck upwards. I level my bill and twist my neck to look with one eye at My Mate and with the other far over the Green. I am motionless and quiet, waiting for movement other than the group or near My Mate or Late Young. Staccato and his Mate and Late Young are taking in Green nearby. Quiet is close by, on one foot, foot-side wing stretched back and rolling her head in a Great Circle. A few others have their heads up and bills level. Call Two's and Call One's from the group.

I twist my head around with a level bill and then I see it, an object, out beyond the tall greens. It is small and and dark, but not shiny like the feathers on My Mate's head, near the eyes.

"bwaap bwaap bwaap."

Call Thirteen. Low and short. I make Call Thirteen.

"bwaap bwaap bwaap."

Quiet sees it, too. More heads level and push upwards.

"Bwaap Bwaap Bwaap."

The small black object in the distance is moving! I remember this thing. It moves low and fast and its song is like low pitched bursts of wind and...

The tall object, farther off by the high greens. The taller object is there!

"Burrrb!"

The call comes from mid-flock. All members of the group are up and turned or heading towards the water. Call Nine: head towards water. I walk towards My Mate to be between her and the black, darting thing in the distance. I move my head to see if...it looks like...it is coming towards us. It is moving towards the group.

My Mate and the Late Young amble by me, in front of me, but I have to be between them and the object. I open my wings half-way, fan the primaries and point the tips down. I pull my wings back slowly, loosen the secondaries and scoop my wings forward, sharp and strong as in First Lift. Slow flapping, I tuck my legs and hover. More beats - enough to lift me clear of the Late Young.

The dark object is really low to the ground. It does not move like us. With one eye I can see My Mate and the Late Young are heading for safety. With the other...the object. It hisses. The sound of wind with a deep pitch. And that higher pitched broken sound from the taller object, like the chorus I hear from unseen flocks late night...

"Bwaaap. Bwaap Bwaap Bwaap!"

I turn my body and point my bill towards the water. Other members of the group bump by me. I begin walking fast to catch up with My Mate.

"Ha-ONNKK!"

"Ha-OONNKK!"

Call One to My Mate and back. Her and the Late Young are all together. I can still see the small object and tall object deeper in the Green. It may have...stopped?

"Bwaap!"

I am bumped from behind and nearly topple. I begin to run and lift my wings off my back. The water is just ahead. We are all running to the water. Wings lifted, heads high. Many Calls, different Calls. Now My Mate is in and swimming. The Late Young raise their flight wings and jump into water and madly kick their legs. Wings extended, I jump into the water behind them and send them forward. More members of the group bump me. The sound of water and Calls surrounds me. I see My Mate and the Late Young ahead, kicking to deep water. We should be safe. The dark objects never chase us here. They stay on the Green or the Rough.

The group is all around, close by, but all I need to see is My Mate and the Late Young in front of me. The water quiets and the Calls are fewer and quieter. I wiggle tail feathers and paddle closer to My Mate. I hear my Late Young with the other Youngs nearby. I turn my head so I can see the rough on one side and My Mate on the other. No more Green now. We wait on the water. The dark object is on the rough. It does not come onto the water. The tall object is far in the Green. We group as far as we can from the rough all around us. We cluster and wait and drink and preen. The way that dark object moves! And the tall one? What is that?

My Mate extends her wings and stretches her bill straight up. She levels her head, shakes it, then settles it into that pleasing curve. Slowly carrying her head around to her back, her eyes go white as she pushes her bill into her brown feathers and comes up with fluff. Grasping a cover feather she clacks her bill along its length and smoothes it out. She places her bill back at the fluff and fans the next feather over.

Mid-day and no return of the objects. They left some time ago. We stay on the water, and every time I make a move towards the Green no one joins me. Quiet paddles by and twists her head to the side.

"Uurrb."

Call Seven. I wait for others but no other Call Seven. We will stay on the water for now. Quiet lowers her head to take in water. I bring my head all the way around and lower it to my back. No Flight now. No Green for now.

"Urrbb."

I am awakened by Call Seven. I flutter my eyes and lift my head straight up. Then another Call Seven. Then more. I point my bill to where all the other bills are pointed. I paddle around so a light wind blows evenly across my body. To both sides I see all heads forward; we are all facing the same direction. Staccato rolls his head in a Great Circle atop a long straight neck.

"Uurrb."

My body tightens. I lift my folded wings off my back and feel wind creep beneath them. Breathing in deeply, my lungs and limbs fill with cool air. My head is throbbing; there's a dull ache and pounding in my body.

"Ahh-waak!"

"Ahhh-waaak!"

"Ahh-wakk!"

Call Eleven. From everywhere in the group I hear Call Eleven.

I lift my wings into my first Great Downstroke. Primaries twisted inward, secondaries stretched back. Tertials angled to the sides. Splashing. Water-sounds. Calls. I Downstroke again and Call Eleven. My neck extends outwards as I continue to flap and begin to move forward and lift. I slap my feet on the water and push my neck forward with every stroke. Calling, we begin to lift. All of us. I am on the water now, running. Soon my feet lift to the air and we are all high above the water.

"Aaa-WaaK!"

"Aaa-WaaaK!"

Call Eleven. Flight. The group. I take in air hard and fast. I turn my head over, bill forward, and everyone looks upside down. I right my head, untwist my neck and settle into the smooth short-stroke to Level Flight. On Quiet's point. Staccato to mine. My Mate on his. Flight over Green, rough, tall Green, and the dark patches below. Flight to water and Green.

This new Green is smaller; the ground uneven. I bob my head to either side and roll it over and pause often. Dull Green. Spotty Brown. Bare ground. I grasp some dull Green by the side of my beak and pull. Soft. Wrong sound. Roll my head level and swallow it down and turn to look the other way.

We walk the Green in a tight group. I reach for Green near the vent of another and shaking tail feathers hit me.

"Awww..."

I stop walking, raise my head, and let the other move away.

The water is small. The Green is sparse. Maybe the Group will return to home Green next light. Need to take in much for the Great Flight. Most seasons the group stays home. Last one we were driven away by the small dark object. The Great Flight is soon. My body aches and throbs and I am always stretching my wings.

I have to Observe. I level my head, stretch my neck upwards and aim one eye at My Mate and the other at Staccato. I am motionless and quiet. Too close to the others. Quiet bumps me and Staccato bumps another member of the group.

"Awww..."

Staccato pulls at more dull green. The other, sturdy but with a louder sound than the others, shakes his tail and turns his head around.

"Awww-WAAKK!"

Call Four.

Loud turns around and lowers his head, bill open, tongue quivering.

"Aww-WAK!"

I do not change my gaze to the other side of me, but I walk towards Staccato.

"Awww-WAAKK!

Loud lowers his head and opens his bill. Loud is not one that I followed or that followed me as a Young.

"Aww-WAK!"

Staccato extends his wings to the side, takes quick steps towards Loud then turns back around. He shows white. Head pulled back on curving neck, he walks to the side, bill to the air, white patches shining. Loud raises his head and extends one wing, then the other. He levels his head and lowers it to the ground.

"Awww-WAAKK!"

The group begins to gather around Staccato and Loud. A family comes in from the side and My Mate is pushed farther from me.

Loud quickly raises his head and Calls and lunges at Staccato.

"Awww-WAK!"

"Aww-WAAK!"

"Awww-WWAAAK!"

Others Call Four. The group is in tight like on the water and making Call Fours. Staccato lunges his head towards Loud.

"Awwww!"

Staccato stamps his open feet and moves towards the Loud. Head low, tongue quivering. Loud takes a short stroke with his wings, moving backwards. Staccato stamps forward again as he lands, wings open as though it were first light on the water. He straightens his neck and Loud and falls backwards. A graceful neck with shining black feathers extends...

"Awww!"

My Mate falls!

"Brrrp."

I move towards her but the group is tight around me. Loud pulls in his wings and My Mate rights herself, head pumping up-and-down.

"Ha-onnkk!"

"Ha-oonkk!"

My Mate is tipped...onto...one leg.