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Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Unaware of Leader's deception, thirty-three magpies living along Penawawa Creek vote him in as the chairman of the magpie rookery. He is able to cover his selfish ambition and narcissism with his striking beauty and smooth talk. Leader's disregard for others and defiance of law breaks the contract between the robins and magpies: never eat a robin egg or fledgling. In a clandestine move, he steals four robin eggs, consuming one and bringing the remainder home to his family. The robins discover clues that lead directly to the magpies, causing the robins to declare war. Fearing the exposure of his burglary, Leader makes an offer to the robins to prevent war. Leader negotiates away one of his and Mini's own newborn fledglings to the robins as compensation for their loss. Overlooking the fact that a robin nest is much smaller than a magpie nest, this magpie falls from the nest, breaking a wing. Unable to care for the injured bird, the robins return him to Leader and Mini. Unfortunately, his magpie siblings are unable to recognize this stranger and quickly dispose of him. More lies and manipulation flow from Leader, as he goes deeper into a security that will soon crumble. Because of his failure to be a positive role model, life unravels. He realizes that personal ambition and hunger for power leave him empty and powerless. In deep remorse, he attempts to apologize to all those he has deceived and almost loses his own life when a field fire nearly consumes their habitat.
Excerpts
Excerpts
"I'm here to help solve this mystery." Leader was good at hiding his true thoughts, feelings, and actions. He spoke with a smoothness to his words. "We haven't heard of anyone who left the rookery yesterday and returned in secret. There aren't any rumors or gossip about plans to steal robin eggs." "Nothing?" Dandy sounded incredulous. "Nothing," Leader echoed. "Stealing not only one, but all of your eggs chills my blood," he added. Leader's words appeared to sooth the robins. He showed compassion and concern as he stepped closer to Dandy, reaching out with his wing to smooth Dandy's feathers, just as he had seen Mini do so often with the twins. The robins chirped their approval. He paused and spoke again. "Could I see the evidence you have collected?" One robin stepped forward, pulling the magpie feather from beneath his own wing. Leader examined it for several minutes. He breathed with relief. It looked mangled and over-handled, which he was more than happy to see. This won't work as evidence. It shows too much damage. Under pretense, he continued his examination. "If you agree, I can take this feather back to the rookery and see if it matches any of our group." All nodded their approval. Leader continued. "But we do have to face facts. We may never find out who did this." "That's what you think! We also have footprints in the mud because the rain made the ground around the tree muddy. And even if we didn't have any more evidence besides the footprints, that alone would be enough to identify the real culprit." Dandy spoke with determination while they examined the prints together. "Hmmm. These are definitely magpie prints. That backward fourth toe clinches it." Leader had to agree. A soft voice at the back of the crowd said, "We need to decide which print is best and then dry out the muddy area so the shape hardens." The voice became louder. "Have each magpie step into the hardened form and see if it fits." For an instant the crowd seemed stunned at this unexpected and novel suggestion. "What a great idea!" Dandy said. "I'll pick out the best footprint. We can circle the tree and flap our wings until the mud begins to dry. It won't take long for the print to become as hard as cement." Dandy glanced sideways at Leader. "Get the magpies over here to see whose foot matches the mold and then we'll nab the thief. Leader, you can be the first." "Good thinking." Leader choked out the words as his skin tightened and his feathers felt loose. That's the last thing I'm going to do. . .put my foot in that mold! He quickly spoke. "In the meantime, I have another plan that might work." His words flowed faster than he wanted and he began to lose control of his tongue. He said to himself over and over, I have to be careful or they will guess that I'm try to hide the truth. Panic now dragged Leader toward more desperate thoughts. "Mini and I have talked this over. Our hearts are broken because of your loss. That's why we would like to give you and BB one of our hatchlings as soon as they're born." What am I saying? Mini will never agree to this plan. He continued his rhetoric as if his mouth and his brain weren't connected. "It won't be quite the same as raising your own fledgling, but you will grow attached and end up loving it as your own." Excerpted from Peril at Penawawa Creek: And the Necessary Lies of a Magpie Thief by Greta Kay All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.