Te Arikinui Kotuku stepped forward. “Even ours?” she asked. “No use standing on ceremony. In war, gender doesn’t matter, right?”
“Right,” Arnie said.
“Here we go then, girls,” Kotuku called. She led Huia, Korimako, Parera and Karuwai into the air.
“E, i, kia whakatane au i ahau. Now we play the men —”
At the sight of so much desperation, Skylark began to lose heart. The onslaught was inexorable. Manu whenua were falling from the sky.
“Why is this happening?” she asked Arnie. “Why can’t we get everybody out of this mess?” She felt hot tears brimming in her eyes and huddled closer to him.
“You mustn’t give up, Skylark,” Arnie said.
“I’m not,” she replied. “After all I’m still not the kind of girl who goes ‘Save me, save me, I’m so helpless.’ It just pisses me off that here we are, back in a time before even humans were around, fighting a really crucial war for survival — and we’re losing!”
“Attagirl, Skylark,” Arnie answered. He loved having an excuse to comfort her so that he could cuddle her under his wing. “Our situation is not all that hopeless. After all, Kawanatanga is only a bird, for goodness sake and —”
Arnie took a sharp intake of breath.
“That’s it,” he said. “Where’s the penknife Hoki sent us?”
“Over there by the box of matches.”
“I want you to tie it to my raking claw with some flax. It will give me an extra extension.”
“What for!”
“It’s a trick I saw in a James Bond movie,” Arnie said. “The villainess had a shoe with a blade in the sole. It gave her a longer reach. Who knows? It might work.”
“Might work for what!” Skylark asked.
“Look, Skylark,” he said gently, “there’s only one way to win this battle.”
He shook his leg to make sure the penknife was tied on securely. “Ahakoa he iti te matakahi, ka pakaru i a au te totara. Although the wedge is small, by it the totara tree will be shattered.”
Before Skylark could stop him, Arnie had taken to the air.
“But where are you going!” she yelled.
“I have to take Kawanatanga out,” he called back.
“No, Arnie, wait —”
Skylark cried out after Arnie but he was already beyond hearing. She hated having shown her vulnerability. Now she had to prove herself all over again. Not only that, but she had also come up with a good idea — one just as good as Arnie’s and less dangerous.
“Typical, typical, typical,” she said to herself, stamping her feet. “It’s just typical of a man to assume all the decisions and hare off into the unknown, without even discussing it, as if he were the only one around to save the world. Why do men always think they know best? Why do they always think everything depends on them? And leaving me here, like some ditz, as if I’ve got nothing better to do than wait for him to get back. Well, think again, pal.”
Skylark looked around for the box of matches, picked it up between her claws and whizzed up through the embattled sky to talk to Te Arikinui Kotuku. The white heron was engaged in a particularly vicious bill-fight with an albatross. The albatross lunged; Kotuku deftly parried and delivered the rapier thrust. The albatross fell from the sky.
“Hello, Skylark dear,” Kotuku said. “Enjoying yourself? Is Arnie all right?”
“Arnie’s off doing this boy thing. He’s gone after Kawanatanga. He thinks that if he kills him the seabird attack will falter.”
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Kotuku said. “The battle goes against us. Let’s hope he can dispatch his job quickly.”
“Well, I’ve got a little mission of my own on the boil,” Skylark continued, trying not to let her temper get the best of her. “It’s just as good as Arnie’s. I need you to help me, together with one of your crack platoons.”
“Oh? Is it really necessary to withdraw some of my troops? Everyone’s needed at the front. Are you sure it’s not just a hen thing?”
Skylark glared at Kotuku. “What do you mean?”
“You’re not just doing this to show Arnie you know better?”
“No,” Skylark answered. “I’m really serious about this mission. Whose side are you on anyway?”
“Okay.” Kotuku nodded, not quite convinced. “But there are no sides in love, Skylark. You’re going to have to learn not to win all the time. If you can’t do that, try at least to pretend to lose.”
With that Kotuku yelled out to The Great White Egret, Te Arikinui Huia, Te Arikinui Karuwai and Te Arikinui Korimako. “Can you all keep the manu moana busy? Skylark and I have something to do, okay?”
“Go,” Huia answered, her eyes wide with anxiety. “But don’t be too long.”
Kotuku signalled eight of her fiercest troopers to follow her. “Kra-aak! Kra-aak! We are under Chieftainess Skylark’s command.” She turned to Skylark. “Where are we going?”
“To the offshore islands,” Skylark answered.
“Let me through, kik-kik-kik-kik —”
Arnie headed for Chieftain Kahu. All around him were astonishing displays of aeronautical prowess as landbirds clashed bills and struck claws in duels across the sky. Arnie himself had fended off a fulmar here, a southern giant petrel there, and had almost been gutted by a particularly dexterous frigate bird, which came up behind him, its long, angular tail opening and closing in a menacing scissor action. Luckily for Arnie a whirling pigeon and a prion intervened in battle between them, and the petrel sheared off, screaming with anger at being denied its kill.
Kahu just had to be right in the thick of it. His beak was covered in blood and when, from the corner of his right eye, he saw what he thought was another seabird closing on him, he whirled and struck with his left claw.
Arnie danced out of the way. “Easy, chief,” he said. “I’m on your side, remember?”
“Oops!” Kahu smiled, relieved. “So how goes it, my young warrior from the future?”
“The battle hangs in the balance,” Arnie said, “but I fear the worst. Although the odds have gone down, we are still outnumbered. Even if we win, the seabirds from the future are still coming through the ripped sky.”
“We will never be taken by the seabirds,” Kahu cried, “never. Even if they enslave our world, we will escape to the mountains and carry on reprisals. We will never submit to their rule.” Kahu cocked a curious eye at Arnie. “You’ve got something on your mind, Chieftain?”
“I’m going after Kawanatanga,” Arnie said. “But he’s surrounded by his own personal guards and they’ll kill me before I get within spitting distance of him. Could I borrow you and your hawks for a while? If they can keep the guards engaged, you and I will be able to get past them. If we do that, I want you to engage Kawanatanga, pretend you’re wounded, and decoy him away from the battle. Can you do that?”
“Consider it done.”
Kahu nodded and gave three piercing whistles. Immediately three of his sons came flying down with the wind. “Yes, Dad?”
“Follow after us,” Kahu said. “Leave Kawanatanga to me and Chieftain Arnie, but do what you like with his guards —”
Arnie turned and looped low, looking for Kawanatanga. Kahu and his boys moved in on either side of him. Arnie used his binocular vision, found Kawanatanga and zeroed in.
Further over on the far side of the battle, Arnie saw a slight movement. White feathers sparkled in the sun, drifting down Manu Valley, beating seaward.
In front was a small brown bird.
Was that Skylark?
“Are we being followed? Surely the seabirds are after us.”