“Knight? Future? Your language is strange, sir.”
“I am my lady’s protector and although you and I are close relatives, my job is to provide safe passage for her so that she may address your Parliament of Birds. Our time is limited and brooks no delay. If you value your life, let us pass, for although you are bigger than I am, I am known as the most aggressive bird of the forest. Nor do I ever retreat from battle.”
With that, the strange warrior opened his wings and gave a cry, such as had never been heard before. “Kik-kik-kik-kik! Kik-kik-kik-kik!’
He flew directly at Kahu and, this time, it was Kahu who backed away. Watching from the sacred tree, the Runanga a Manu was stunned into silence. Nobody before had initiated a duel with Kahu. Was not the harrier hawk, with his long-winged, long-tailed, high-soaring abilities, Lord of the Skies?
“Teach the stranger a lesson! Show him who’s boss, Kahu! Send him on his way with his tail feathers between his claws!” The runanga sent their loud voices up to Kahu as he duelled with the stranger. The two birds, chieftain and warrior, darted at one another, displaying their feathers, gesticulating and uttering harsh battle cries. Kahu’s admiration grew as he realised that the strange warrior had an impressive repertoire of military responses. He met every one of Kahu’s attacks with counter-attacks of his own. He swooped, stalled, circled and raked at Kahu and, often, more by luck than by technique, Kahu found himself dancing out of the way.
It was Te Arikinui Kotuku who began to turn the tide of opinion among the runanga. “Oh, strange warrior,” she called. “Who cannot but admire such foolhardiness! Fight well, fight bravely. Kia kaha! Kia manawanui!”
Very soon, chieftains were barracking for both Kahu and the strange warrior. They loved nothing more than to see a good fight. A good challenger. A good defender. Kahu would eventually win, they were certain, but there was nothing like acknowledging the bravery of a young warrior against a battle-hardened veteran.
At that very moment, Kahu slashed at the strange warrior’s left wing and drew blood.
“Arnie!” Skylark called. Terrified, she came rushing between him and Chieftain Kahu, and the harrier hawk backed away. Blood was streaking through Arnie’s wing feathers and dripping like rubies in the air. “Arnie, are you all right?”
Arnie nodded his head. “No matter what happens to me, Skylark, you must carry on and do your job.” He turned to Chieftain Kahu: “Come on then, you bastard, if you must kill me, make it quick.”
But Skylark flew in front of Chieftain Kahu. “No way,” she bristled. “If you want to get at Arnie, you have to get past me first, you fowl piece of flying feathers!”
Kahu watched, amused. He was enjoying what was happening. He turned and lazily circled down to the sacred tree. “What do you want me to do, boys?” he asked. “Do you want me to dispatch the strange warrior?”
“Finish them both,” Chieftain Koekoea called. “Look what they did to my warrior.”
Kahu nodded. He flew back to the strange warrior and the silly brown chieftainess who was trying to protect him. He prepared to give the coup de grâce — and made a quick jab. But Skylark flew at him again.
“Oh no you don’t,” she said.
Kahu laughed and went to peck at her jugular. But at the last moment he saw the flash of something around her neck. The binocular lenses of his eyes located what it was. A claw on a silver chain.
“Who gave you the sign of the hawk?” Kahu asked, his eyes wide with shock.
For a moment, Skylark didn’t know what he was talking about.
“Of course!” Arnie yelled. “You’re still wearing Auntie Hoki’s pendant.”
May this claw protect you in whatever you do, Hoki said. Should you ever be in danger, let all feel my fury.
Yes, Skylark thought. She looked straight at Kahu. “The sign was given to us by Auntie Hoki and she’ll be really cross if you harm one feather of Arnie’s head. She gives protection to the hawk clan. I ask, in her name, that you grant us yours.”
Bewildered, Kahu backed off. He flew down to Tui, waiting on the papepae of the sacred tree. “Sir, I honour you as my leader but I am bound by the code of all hawks to honour those who bear the sign of the hawk. Ask me anything, but do not ask me to kill the strangers, because I cannot.”
“Should I send up another warrior to carry out the death sentence?” Tui asked the Runanga a Manu. “What say you?”
“If you do,” Kahu said, “I am bound by my code to fight on behalf of the strangers — and to the death.”
Tui’s beak fell open with astonishment. He looked at Te Arikinui Kotuku.
“Oh, why do men always turn to women when they can’t figure anything out for themselves?” Kotuku sighed. She stood on her beautiful long legs, struck a pose, and then plucked a green twig from the sacred tree.
“Take this leaf up to the strange chieftainess and her warrior,” she said.
Immediately there was a clamour from the Runanga a Manu. Thunderous cheers followed Chieftain Kahu as he mounted the sky.
“Do you come in peace?” Kahu asked the strangers.
Skylark looked at Arnie and nodded. “Yes,” he said.
“Then accept the token of peace,” Kahu answered.
He let the green twig fall from his claws. Despite his wounded wing, Arnie spilled, zoomed down, rolled under and, putting on a show, used his hind claw to snatch the twig a few centimetres from the ground.
The Runanga a Manu burst into thunderous applause and began a haka powhiri, a dance of welcome. “Toia mai,” they called, “te manu! Ki te urunga, te manu!” They watched as the strange chieftainess and her warrior, led in by Kahu, flew down to the sacred tree and took the branch reserved for visitors.
“Who taught you how to do all that warrior stuff?”
Skylark fluttered down to the paepae and Arnie followed her.
“I was the leader of the kapa haka group at Tuapa College,” Arnie answered. “We won the South Island secondary school championships. I’ve even got a trophy at home for being best haka captain.”
“And what was all that ‘I am knight to the Lady Skylark’ business?” Skylark regurgitated a seed and spat it at him. “Yeecch!”
“I had a teacher who believed that the world of birds was a world of chivalry. He showed me the formal ways the birds conducted their relationships. The way they do battle is long, elaborate and characterised by a great deal of knightly interplay. Their codes of honour are similar to the Knights of the Round Table at the court of King Arthur. When they mate, it’s like watching a courtly dance.”
“Don’t get carried away now,” Skylark interrupted. “What’s your point?”
“When in birdland —” Arnie shrugged — “do as the birds do.”
He noticed that the Runanga a Manu was quietening, settling down. In every branch, every chieftain and arikinui with the gift of flight was waiting, expectant. Down on the ground, the wingless birds settled themselves in the grass.
“So how are you going to do this, Skylark?” Arnie asked.
Skylark’s heart was beating fast. She should have been prepared for this, but now that the time had come for her to do what she’d come to do, all she wanted was get the blazes out of there. But that wouldn’t do her mother any good. She’d have to make her mind up — and fast. Already, Chieftain Tui had taken the branch reserved for speechmaking.
“Ki a korua, nga manuhiri,” Tui began. “Welcome, our visitors from afar. You say you have come to deliver us a message? Korero, korero, korero.”
“Yes,” the assembly chorused. “Speak, speak, speak.”