Melodia has a minion!

Piu piu piu piu! the Kamikaze Worm

Piu Piu!

Perched in a cluster of forget-me-nots, Melodia greets the sun rising over Peka Park with a chirp and a flutter of her wings. Scanning the meadow, she spots her first visitor of the day and takes wing.

The human boy is taking his kumos for a walk. He starts when a small bird lands on his shoulder, laughing as she begins to "speak" in his ear.

Melodia talks about the lovely cluster of berries she had for dinner last night and the big, scary paralix that flew over her nest and nearly made her molt with fright. The boy addresses his kumos, digging in his pocket for treats.

"See, Sadie? I told you Peka Park was full of all sorts of new friends to meet and greet. This lovely little bird is singing a song, just for us."

Melodia turns toward Sadie, wanting to communicate her frustration with the slowness of humans. She figures the boy is tall enough to serve as a launching point if the kumos proves to be less than friendly to birds. While Melodia wants to count the whole world as friends, she has learned through a few less than ideal encounters that some pets, especially the large and carniverous kind, do not always share her desire. Sadie perks up her ears but says nothing.

Melodia's lot in life is a blessing and a curse. Everyone that hears her song thinks she had the most wonderful singing voice in all of Subeta...but all they can make out is "piu, piu, piu" though she tries to tell the full story of her life. The human holds up some lovely seed cakes that almost make up for Melodia's disappointment.

"I was saving these for Sadie but you've earned them, little friend. She's an aspiring Gourmand, you know."

Melodia rubs her head against the boy's cheek and accepts the offering of food, flying it back to her nest. Sadie, who really hadn't been looking forward to a breakfast made from plants, gently takes her leash in her mouth and tugs her owner in the direction of Centropolis where she hopes to convince him that there are plenty of cuts of steak left to be tried.

Never one to get discouraged, Melodia nibbles her breakfast down to the last crumb and scouts for her next visitor of the day.

She's delighted to see the girl that always brings dried fruit treats. She once again chatters a long string of adventures to the girl though every bold detail comes "piu, piu, piu" out her beak. The girl very gently kisses the tip of the bird's beak and lays down her offering of the day - a handful of tender dried dates.

"I'm sorry I can't stay and chat today, my pretty little melodious one. I'm on my way to the Adoption Center. I've just had a call...the most wonderful ruffie is waiting there for a home."
Melodia gives a questioning "piu?"

"I know I've always been rather a loner...but I think this sweetie might change that. I'll bring her to say hello sometime soon, I promise."

Melodia is sad to see her friend leave so soon but the sun is high and she's never one to waste the daylight hours. Seeing no further visitors in sight, she focuses her attention on her special project, swooping down on the wide expanse of grass that once housed food trucks and battling bands but now is home only to worms and caterpillars.

She's convinced that if she has patience and speaks slowly enough, she can teach the bugs to understand her language and respond to her commands. Unfortunately, worms were never known for long attention spans and caterpillars really can't distinguish the "piu" for "sit" from the "piu piu" for come. One worm actually does stay in place when she chirps out an authoritative "piu".

She hops forward to congratulate this star pupil, only to realize the worm is dead. Looking left and right, she hastily gulps up this ready-made snack. It wouldn't do for her other students to be reminded of her status as an insect-eating bird but there's no sense in wasting good food.

There are a few visitors that pass her shelter in the evening hours, on their way to the Glade. She greets them all with friendly songs and is rewarded with a few more snacks and even a frayed hair ribbon that adds a spot of pretty to her nest. As the sun sinks below the horizon, she is content to settle into her cozy little bed, to await the dawning of a new day and new opportunities to make friends.

Credits

Story by Pureflower
Profile by Sunrise
Mountains designed by freepik