Witi Ihimaera - Sky Dancer

Kaa. Kaa .

“No,” Skylark screamed. She remembered the first day at Tuapa when a big black bird had hit her. This time there were fifty seashags in a feathered mass of evil, their wings flaying the sky. Another seashag dived.

There she is, the chick! Attack! Kill her!

Arnie saw Kawanatanga falling on Skylark’s body. There had been no time to react. The attack had happened so quickly. He called out: “Joe —”

Joe turned to look. She saw Skylark on the ground, rolling, trying to rid herself of Kawanatanga. She looked up: “Jeez, where the hell did they come from?” She remembered her Army patrol drills. She had scouted too far ahead. In a crouch, she ran back to Arnie who managed to pull Kawanatanga away. But more and more seashags were diving and Joe caught a flash of Kawanatanga as he called out his commands.

Get the chick! She must be stopped! Kill her!

Joe reached for her Bowie knife. “Arnie, here —”

She sent the knife spinning through the air. Arnie caught it and, next moment, was slashing, slashing, slashing out at the seashags. The knife made contact. A seashag squealed and fell to the ground, wing severed from body. Another slash, and blood spouted as Arnie severed the head from another seashag.

“Get them off me! Get me away!” Skylark screamed

Joe hurled herself in, ripping through the birds, trying to disperse them.

“Get out of here, you seabirds,” she roared. But she knew that they were all powerless here on the sand. They were in the seabirds’ domain.

Vicious beaks were slashing at Skylark’s eyes, throat and ears. One lucky strike and they could get into her brain. Joe reached her and threw herself on top, protecting Skylark from the attack.

“When I give the word,” Joe yelled to Arnie, “pull Skylark out from under me. Make for the forest. That’s the only place she’ll be safe.”

“What about you?”

“That’s an order, Corporal. Do it now.”

Joe rolled, Arnie pulled and, with a cry of pain, Skylark was up on her knees and in Arnie’s arms. All around her the seabirds were flapping, and Kawanatanga was crying out in deafening anger. Arnie was beating a way through them. Skylark couldn’t see. When she went to clear her eyes her hands were red with blood oozing from her hairline. “Hurry Arnie,” she moaned. The forest seemed so far away.

They crossed from the sand into the rocks. Still the seashags pursued them. Arnie fell. We’re finished, Skylark thought. Arnie picked her up again, carrying her in his arms. Stumbling, almost tripping, he pushed himself up the rocks and fell with Skylark into the shade of the forest.

Kill the hen who guards this island. Kawanatanga’s fury knew no bounds as he directed his squad to rip Joe apart.

“You must go back,” Skylark said to Arnie. “You can’t leave Joe out there.”

Arnie bounded into the sunlight, yelling battle cries that he had last used in the Army. He reached Joe, and hoisted her in a fireman’s lift. As he clambered from the sand to the rocks, he saw Skylark coming to help him. She had a long branch in her hands and she swung it at the seashags like a baseball bat. “Take that you feathered freaks,” Skylark yelled. With her help Arnie and Joe reached the sanctuary of the forest.

“Thanks, Skylark,” Joe said. Blood was streaming from her wounds.

But what was this? The seashags had not stopped their attack.

Disobey the law! Cross over into the territory of the forest birds! Kill the chick! Kill her protectors too!

“We’re done for,” Arnie said as he turned to make a last-ditch stand.

However, behind him the forest ever so softly began to rustle. A wind seemed to be blowing through it. The wind became a veritable storm. It buffeted with battle cries, loud, strong and harsh. From out of the canopy came hundreds of brightly coloured birds. They had grey crowns and, as they glided down to join in the battle, their underwings flashed red.

“It’s the cavalry,” Skylark said.

The kaka colony, led by Flash Harry, came flying to the rescue.

Kra. Kra. Ka! Return to your domain, seashags. Tarry here at your own peril, for you are in the forest of the kaka, warriors of Tane.

Beaks ready, the kaka colony drove a wedge through the marauding seashags. Reluctant to give way, Kawanatanga ordered his birds to stand their ground. But the kaka were relentless in their attack. They entered into mid-air combat, tearing, slashing, showing no quarter.

“Skylark! Joe!” Arnie pulled the two women to safety as Kawanatanga and the seashags turned to combat their new foe.

With the kaka colony taking a rearguard action, Skylark, Arnie and Joe made their way back to the house. Luckily, Skylark’s injuries were superficial. She worked on Joe, whose wounds were more serious, then both worked on Arnie. He had two long rips in his shoulder, and Skylark blanched when she saw the makeshift way in which Joe sewed the flaps of skin together. “It isn’t pretty,” Joe said, surveying her handiwork. “But it does the job.”

Skylark went to the window. The seashags were hovering over the sea. “How are we going to be able to leave here?” she asked. “If we cross the sea we’ll be at their mercy.”

“You’ve got to complete your task,” Joe answered, “no matter what.”

“We’ll just have to wait for nightfall,” Arnie said.

“But we’ll lose a third day,” Skylark answered.

“It can’t be helped. We’ll have to drive by night. If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to make the ferry sailing from Wellington tomorrow morning. Agreed?”

Even though she didn’t want to accept it, Skylark nodded. She started to rock and moan, and Joe recognised the symptoms. Delayed shock. “I’m putting you to bed,” she said. “You too, Corporal. You’ve both got to get some sleep, and that’s an order. I’ll wake you when it’s dusk.”

Skylark and Arnie put up only token resistance, and when Joe went to check on them ten minutes later, they were both asleep.

At mid-afternoon the telephone rang.

“Is that you, Joe?” Hoki asked. “I’ve been trying to get you all day. Are Skylark and Arnie with you? They must be warned. Kawanatanga is after them.”

“He’s already attacked,” Joe answered, “don’t worry, the kids are safe, but the seashags are still out there. They’ve got us pinned down. We’ve decided to wait for nightfall.”

“Good,” Hoki said. “So Skylark and Arnie will be on their way home?”

“No, they’re going to Deedee’s.”

“Deedee’s? What for!”

“Deedee’s the only one who knows about the Time Portal.”

Hoki became silent. “I didn’t realise all this would be so dangerous,” she said at last. “Had I known, I would have accompanied Skylark myself.”

“Arnie’s doing a good job,” Joe answered.

“Tell them I love them,” Hoki said. “I will pray that they have safe passage to Deedee’s.”

Joe put the telephone down and began preparing provisions for Skylark and Arnie’s journey. For the rest of the afternoon she sat looking out at Kawanatanga and his seashag squad. She thought of his threat to her kaka colony.

“You think I’m scared?” she muttered. “If it comes to a fight, let it be to the death.”

The dusk finally fell. With screams of fury, Kawanatanga searched for a place to settle for the night. Clouds broiled from the east, cutting off the light.

Joe woke Skylark and Arnie. “It’s time to go,” she said.

She led the way to the dinghy and was just about to start the motor when a grey and red shape came fluttering from the trees: Flash Harry. He circled the dinghy and landed on the seat next to Skylark. He pecked at her hands, forcing her to open them.