Linee is outside readying her family’s bath when Speaker lands nearby. Speaker says “Hello, Hello.”
Linee says “Hello, Speaker.”
Speaker says “What you do?”
Linee says “Getting things ready for the bath.”
Speaker says “ooh, water. Me thirsty.”
Linee says “Wait! There’s…” as Speaker takes a big gulp of the bath water. Speaker then abruptly spits the water out and start hacking. Linee finishes her statement “soap in there.”
Speaker “Horrible water!” She tries hacking again to get the taste out of her mouth.
Linee says “That’s because it is for cleaning.”
Speaker says with glee “CLEANING WATER!” and climbs up and goes almost face first into the water. She then rolls around for a little bit then climbs out and shakes dry. She then starts grooming her feathers.
Linee says “Why are you so happy?”
Speaker says “fly better with clean feathers.”
Linee says “But you’re always dirty?”
Speaker says “We have to wait for water to come to us from sky.”
Linee says “what about the woods?” as she points to the woods nearby.
Speaker looks at the woods and then says to Linee “water there, but also things that will hurt us. Wet feather make hard to fly. Dangerous for Harpy on ground with wet feathers.”
Linee realizes that Harpies are vulnerable while on the ground and that they can’t clean themselves often do to they can’t fly until their feathers are dry. Linee says “I never thought about how hard it is for you.”
Speaker says “Most don’t. Oh, me forgot. You wanted to know when New Mother’s chick losses Hatchling feathers.”
Linee says “Yes!”
Speaker says “She starting to lose them.”
Linee is about to dumb the bath water when she sees the Harpies are still in the area. She calls out to Speaker saying “Speaker!”
Speaker yells back “Yes!”
Linee yells “Tell the other Harpies they can use this water to bathe! I’ll start yelling a phase so they know when you aren’t here!”
Speaker yells to the other Harpies and they all almost immediately chance course to fly towards the bath. Linee starts yelling “Bath Time!” over and over until she sees that she is about to be swarmed by Harpies, then she starts running away to give the Harpies the bath. Each Harpy dunks themselves in the water and gets out to clean their feathers further. Linee empties the water afterwards.
Linee and her daughters visit the Harpies the next day. Many of the eggs have hatched. Linee can see New Mother’s chick is itching to try and get rid of her down. Linee comes and sits the chick on her lap and takes out a comb. She starts running the comb along the chick’s feathers going with the feathers. The comb pulls the matted down while the flight feathers slide though. One of Linee’s daughters sits nearby with a bag to collect the down. The chick does yelp in pain once or twice, but seems to like the grooming. Linee gives the chick back after she has gotten all the matted down off.
New Mother calls Speaker over. New Mother and Speaker chat for a bit them Speaker says to Linee “Can you be at the land below our nest next morning before sun up?”
Linee says “Why?”
Speaker says “New Mother wants you to see something.”
Linee says “I’ll try.”
Linee, Glee and their daughters stand at the area below the Harpies nesting site. Soon they hear the Harpies starting their morning cries and then the Harpies start taking flight. Everyone is amazed at the sight, having never been there so early. Linee then notices at New Mother has her chick by the edge. New Mother grabs her chick and throws her off the edge. Linee lets out a gasp at the act, but she sees the chick quickly go into a dive with her mother following behind her. Linee realizes that the chick is aiming for her. So Linee starts running away while keeping an eye on the chick. The chick pulls out of its dive and New Mother catches her to set her down. The chick runs over and jumps in Linee’s open arms. The chick then says “Mama!”
Linee looks confused for a second then sees Speaker coming in for a landing next to New Mother. Speaker says “We know that word in any tongue.”
Linee says “I don’t know what to say.”
Speaker says “You are second mother to her. It is an honor to be seen as a second mother of a chick. You helped her get to start flying.” New Mother calls to her chick. The chick gets down and goes over to her mother and climbs on her back. New Mother starts climbing to take her chick back to her nest.
