39
Bater travels across the grassland
Having got Bater to agree to the plan,
Salonki went about gathering all the mynas and asked them to also fly back to
the babool tree near the marsh. Kotwal asked Phoolchuki, Dominga, Darzi and
Salonki to return with him, flying directly above Bater, so that they would be
sure of the safety of the jungle bush quail. Soon there was this large movement
of birds flying about in the grassland, with more than a hundred mynas
returning to the babool tree. Dominga, Phoolchuki, Darzi, and Salonki also flew
back to the edge of the marsh, along with Kotwal. Salonki flew down to Bater
and asked the jungle bush quail to stop a little distance away from the marsh.
Kotwal and Phoolchuki flew down to meet Teetiri.
Teetiri was waiting for them at the
lone babool stem. Teetiraa had gone to take over at the nest. Teetiri did not know what was happening since
Salonki had left for the village. Kotwal explained the situation to her, right
from Salonki’s meetings with Bade Miya, Chote Miya and Guturgu, to the search
for Bater and the help from all the drongos. Kotwal also spoke about how
Salonki and her cousins took over the grassland, made it impossible for
predators and non-predators to live peacefully in the habitat. Teetiri smiled
at that, because she had noticed the movement of mynas and drongos from her
nest. She had wondered as to what was happening, but she could not leave her
nest. Kotwal then spoke about Bater, his fears, and of how the drongos and
mynas provided air cover to the jungle bush quail’s rapid run across the
grassland.
But what was to be done about Bater?
Salonki asked. We searched for Bater, merely because Guturgu asked us to, Teetiri
replied, but we were not told about what
Bater has to do against Billi. What can Bater or the other jungle bush quail do
against larger, much larger, and dangerous cats? Can Bater go and frighten
Billi off the marsh? He was frightened to cross the grassland. Phoolchuki also
added her own question, Yes, how can Bater fight Billi? Darzi and Bulbul nodded
their beaks in agreement to Phoolchuki’s question. Salonki seemed to get very
agitated that everybody agreed with her about Bater’s uselessness at this time
of crisis in the grassland. And Bater was the only option that they seemed to
have.
Yes, yes, Bater is such a frightened
and panicky bird, Kotwal said. And very good at asking questions. He kept on
asking me questions. He may be timid, secretive and looks like he is very
frightened. But he is very courageous in protecting himself. He knows how to
protect his family and does that no matter what, Kotwal added. That is all very
good, but how can Bater fight Billi, Darzi asked. A worried Teetiri asked Salonki
if Guturgu had given any indication of what Bater has to do in this fight?
Salonki merely shook her head sideways. Guturgu said that we should solve our
problems ourselves, we should act together, we should be united, the grassland
belongs to all the birds and something about being able to fight together,
etcetra etcetra, Salonki said. But he did not explain what Bater could do about
it. We are supposed to think it out ourselves, perhaps.
