Sunset

Perpetua dreams while her brothers and sisters beg for food. Awake or asleep she sees

things, feel things others are not yet aware will happen. Unwillingly she is seeing the

death of her father the victim of a Night Hawk and his single-minded pursuit of insects

for his chicks. When dreams come, Perpetua is helpless to shut out the dreams. This

dream is now ending as the hawk flies into the night with her father struggling in its death

grip.

Perpetua moans, peeps and squeaks as one dreadful dream ends. Only to be caught by

another within a breath of the last. Now she sees her mother Donnetta being bitten by a

scorpion before pulling its stinger. She watches as momma makes crazy flight

corrections, she feels that the scorpion has poisoned her. Like a voiceless, bodiless owl,

she can only watch as her mother returns home in the dream to feed her brothers and

sisters. Then mother leaves for a last time never to be seen again. Perpetua know this

without having to witness it, it is just part of what she is.

Five Moons Later

Grandfather Saguaro is basking in the last rays of the sun; he is on the south slope facing

north. This is the Baboquivari Mountains and Grandfather faces the Three Peaks on the

Tohono O'odham reservation west and south of Tucson. With seventy-five miles of

border with Mexico, this area sees a lot of activity. The Tohono O'odham have been here

for two thousand years the name means Desert People.

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Our story is about one particular desert dweller, the smallest of five newly hatched elf

owls by the name of Perpetua meaning everlasting in Spanish. All five owls have Spanish

names; they will migrate to Oaxaca in south central Mexico for the winter months. Thus

having dual citizenship by splitting half their year in Mexico and half in Arizona. Then

return to Grandfather Saguaro or one of his brothers in the Baboquivari.

Donnetta the mother is just rousing from her day sleep, she is very heavy of heart. Last

night a Night Hawk took the children’s father while he was hunting for them. Now she

must tell them the sad news. ‘Cinco Piquitos my five little beaks, last night papa was

taken by a Night Hawk.’ Then Donnetta hid her head from the Piquitos.

‘Papa está muerta? (is dead?).’ Wailed Perpetua, the littlest owl looked forlorn with eyes

like milk saucers. ‘Mama will we be ok?’ asked Perpetua.

‘You must be brave Perpetua, Piedad, Paloma, and you big brothers Perfecto and Pasiano

are now our leaders.’ Donnetta said quietly. ‘Now I must hunt for us, so you will grow

strong and beautiful.’ With that Donnetta took to wing and glided onto the desert floor in

search of flying insects for first meal.

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‘Pasiano, how long will it be before we can fly and hunt?’ Perpetua said to her oldest

brother.

‘Perpetua we are only two weeks old in another two weeks we can start to fly. And in

only a few days after that we can hunt.’ Pasiano said with confidence, but still gave the

feeding call of the young for Donnetta.

‘I have a bad feeling in my gizzard about tonight.’ Perpetua said with a far away look in

her big yellow eyes. Papa would have been back twice or three times already.’ Perpetua

declared.

‘Give it a rest.’ Perfecto peeped up.

‘I will not Perfecto, I am the one who is supposed to have the sight.’ Perpetua lifted her

head in defiance.

Just then Donnetta returned with a couple of stinger less scorpions. ‘Here you are my

dears, first food.’ Donnetta wobbled as she placed the scorpions for her young ones.’

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Perfecto and Piedad started eating but, Pasiano, Paloma and Perpetua looked at each

other they had noticed their mother’s strange behavior. ‘Mama is not well, I think one of

these must have struck her.’ Perpetua said as she looked at Perfecto and Piedad feasting

on the scorpions.

Indeed as more time passed the more sure everyone was that something had happened to

their mother. After several hours the calls for food stopped, all knew that they had lost

both mother and father within two nights. None of their friends are stirring on the desert

floor so no news can be passed.

‘Perpetua what do you see?’ Perfecto says very quietly.

Perpetua closes her eyes and starts to rock from side to side. ‘We will see and talk to a

snake tonight!’ Peretua is still, eyes shut and rocking so the rest remain silent. ‘I see

many visitors by sunrise, wolves and a white bird also a bat with extra large ears. A two

leg, that turns into a coyote and the God of Baboquivari Peak who has many shapes!’

Perpetua opens her eyes and looks at her brothers and sisters. She moans deep in her

belly and her gizzard feels cold.

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‘Guard the moon stick!’ Perpetua exclaims. The moon stick has been with this elf owl

family for nine generations. It will tell when the moon will be full and when it will go

away. Even when it will turn blue.’ Perpetua knew much more about the stick but was not

yet ready to share.

‘I hope someone brings food I am still hungry.’ Piedad says as Perfecto gives a mournful

food call.

Paloma drags out the family Psalter, a book mama got from her grandmother. It was lost

by Presbyterian missionaries maybe a hundred years ago. Donnetta liked the words and

the music though see said she had never seen a Presbyterian. For living on the Tohono

O'odham Nation grounds the family never found one of their books. But they had listened

to many tales told by the wise ones.

So quiet song came from the Grandfather Saguaro for many hours as the Cinco Piquitos

waited for the next visitor. Cinco Piquitos sounded much better than five little beaks.

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 Hiss & Rattle

'Groan' today is terrible, squads of diamond backs 'DB'S' slithering past the parade stand.

Mature hunters ready to dive into a jack rabbit hole as to ambush a lizard. Here I 'Long

Fang' lay coiled in formation, tail erect with a beautiful note in my rattle. 'Why was I born

with such big fangs?' It takes me too long to stretch my jaws for a proper hiss and strike

to be allowed into a hunter squad. So I am in the parade ground band , the booster tails

they call us. The sand and hard pack scorch my belly, I don't think of myself as fried

bacon, but here I am snake thermometer on display. The “Hiss & Rattle Band' of the

Arizona desert, just a a fancy name for a bunch of misfits!

My BFF (best friend forever) 'One Eye' slides behind me. 'Hey wedge head hunt with me

tonight?' hisses One Eye. I nod my head while concluding another Hiss & Rattle favorite

'Coyote Ambush' to remind the troops that it is not always wise to rattle first and fang

later. Especially if we want to keep our territory clear of the four legs. I don't mind being

called 'wedge head', DB's should all have great heads like mine.

I look forward to chasing desert mice into our dead end rock formation tonight. One Eye

just has to wait and spring out an grab em. He pulls them onto a pile till we have enough

for a feast. We have a pack to eat so much that we will molt twice as fast as other new

litter mates. That would mean being able to add another rattle to my tail before the end of

hot season.

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Scar Back dismissed the band telling us we preformed well but needed more volume.

Scar Back was caught by an owl many moons ago and can only move like a spastic side

winder. No one would dare hiss that near him, he is still six feet of mean old DB.

Now it time to meet One Eye and coil in our hide out for the rest of the day. The old flash

flood ravine has a high wall with embedded river rocks an hours slither from the parade

ground. Our spot goes inside the bank about five feet and is lined with rocks and no hard

pack dirt. If any of the older DB's knew of the rock lair we could expect to end up in their

stomach.

I am so hot, it is just pure relief to push myself to the end of the rock lair. I feel relief as

the heat rises to my scales, and now its time to snooze. 'Wedge Head, you still awake?'

says One Eye. A lively rattle quiets One Eye as I resume my slumber. The cooling of the

lair awakes me to darkening night in the ravine.

I slide past One Eye and into the opening of the lair, I do stop but continue on into the

ravine. I head for our hunting grounds One Eye will follow. “Give me just one rattle One

Eye when you are in position, OK?” I hiss. One Eye just nods his head as he slithers

away into the night.

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 She is weakhearted

She is tonight. She is not tomorrow.

She carries a whiff of cactus flower.

She hunts for her hatchlings.

She flaps noisily toward prey.

She fly's to meet death.

Donnetta is desperate, Domingo that sneaky elf owl has not helped feed the hatchlings. It

is only by the Great Mother we have such a large nest in the old Saguaro. Ah, look a

small snake inside that rock formation. I must feed my children.

These mice are such fun to chase toward One Eye, he better not swallow them but wait

for me. Something goes over my head, a predator! 'Wedgieee' hisses One Eye, that can

only mean trouble. I reach the top of the largest rock and look down. A bird of some kind

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is locked in a duel to the death with One Eye! I coil as fast as I can then launch myself at

the dark feathers.

I hit the bird with my whole body and it falls away from One Eye. The bird is dead, I

killed it just by hitting it? One Eye bites down on its neck and it makes a low moan.

'It's an elf owl wedgie, they play possum when attacked.' One Eye says.

Snake whispers the owl. 'I hear you owl', I hiss. My hatchlings will you take care of

them? She whispers. 'Why should I?' I hiss bitterly. 'One Eye will die before sunrise,

because of you.' I spit out.

Donnetta struggles speak again. 'Eat them or care for them as you choose, they will starve

otherwise.'

One Eye looks at me with his dim eye. 'I'm dying Long Fang do what you must but end

this torture of a broken back.' Begs One Eye. His body jerks, flopping from top to

exposed belly.

I hiss, 'One Eye how can I?'

'Fangs in my neck.' rasps One Eye. 'Send me to the final sleep, Wedge' gasps my BFF.

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I stretch my mouth wide, wait until One Eye rolls onto his back then plunge my fangs

into his soft neck. His body quivers one last time then One Eye is still. Behind me I hear

the strained voice of the owl.

'Long Fang, can I tell you where my Saguaro is? I've not much time left before I join your

friend' Donnetta moans.

I hiss as if stepped upon. 'Tell me owl, but I will not promise to either eat or save your

hatchlings.' I move so close I am afraid she will peck me with her beak. But, she doesn't

just gives me directions on how to find the Saguaro, then she whispers its fifteen feet off

the ground. I think how will I climb that high on a Saguaro? But I just nod my head and

say softly, ' I got it.' Donnetta gives a last shake much like One Eye did, and moves no

more.

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 Perpetua Elf Owl

It was early July in the Babaquivari Mountains the night half gone and I did not know

where mother was. My name is Perpetua which means everlasting in Spanish. I lived with

hope from March to September in Arizona in the Babaquivari mountains my home was

an old Saguaro cactus on the north side of the middle mountain of Three Peaks.

Everything was middle, the Three Peaks are in the middle of the Babaquivari mountains

and our nest was in front of the middle peak. I had two older brothers Pasiano and

Perfecto. Oh yes I had two older sisters Paloma and Piedad so I was youngest and

smallest of the Cinco Piquitos (five little beaks) as my brothers liked to call us.

Mama said I am a dreamer like Einstein, Edison, and Churchill were dreamers so I should

be proud to be called a dreamer. I do not think Einstein was an Elf owl, I think he was a

two leg. We have many two legs in our area, most are Papago native Americans, so Da

told me before he met a hawk on a late bug run.

So here I sit scared clear down to my claws while the Piquitos play preening feathers that

they do not yet have. They were playing scratch until Piedad realized the boys always had

longer, deeper groves than she did. Perfecto is always telling me not to block the perch

way because he doesn’t have enough moon beams. My brothers and sisters are all

fourteen moons old, I am a late hatcher and only thirteen I still have more down but my

quills are coming out too.

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All the fresh food is gone and now everyone has a growling gizzard and a loud beak.

Except me I tonight is blacker than black. It’s been too long for Mama not to be back.

The whole neighborhood is making knowing noises, the grey wolf and her cub sing loud

up the peak.

Suddenly I see an enormous white bird on our perch, he starts talking to the others in a

low voice I can hardly hear from the back. I don’t think he is going to eat us talking is a

good sign. ‘Brother Rook’ whispers Piedad. ‘What kind of name is that?’ I squawk. I

squeeze forward as Pasiano tells the bird my name.

‘What are you?’ I ask.

‘Ah the littlest puff ball has a voice’ Brother Rook croaks deeply with a bounce to his

head. ‘I dear little on am a rook, part of the family crow, along with the raven, jackdaws.

jay, magpies, treepies, choughs, and nutcrackers. The rook is the most sociable of all our

cousins, however I come from an imported family originally London then Vancouver

Island.’ At last Brother Rook runs out of breath.

‘Why are you here?’ I hear a sudden gasp from both my sisters as I ask the question.

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‘Awk, awk, awk’ laughs Rook. ‘Nothing shy about your approach Perpetua. Well, you see

I was born with white feathers instead of black. My father left the nest immediately and

my mother began to soak me with black water moss so I would not look out of place.’

Rook explained and I knew we were in for a long story.

‘I never left the nest in broad daylight, but on cloudy and rainy days I was the life of the

party. This lasted for almost two years. Then I was to report to Parliament for speaking

lessons, which is an assembly of all the rooks in the area. That day there were more than

one thousand. Mother told me I would never pass as a black rook in front of all those

birds. My goodbye was short and then I was on the wing south toward Washington and

Oregon.’ Rook is so sad by this time that he fell into a silence that is only broken by

another visitor.

‘Hello darlings,’ exclaimed an upside down hanging bat at our entrance. ‘My name is

Coqueta (co kay ta) and I think you need my help.’ Coqueta’s voice was very small but

quite shrill. ‘You eat flying bugs, I can catch flying bugs no more empty tummies’ Such a

whirl took place no one saw Coqueta leave.

Suddenly Coqueta returns and puts three juicy moths on the floor. Pasiano and Perfecto

are almost as fast in billing down the treats. Perfecto lets out a gizzard belch and I hiss

and scratch at him. ‘Perpetua, I am scared right down to my quills.’ Perfecto churls

thinking he is funny.

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I look away from Perfecto and see that Coqueta is gone again. I blink and she is back

placing a flying beetle at my claws! ‘Thank you Coqueta this might settle my stomach

with mama not back yet’. I say to an empty space where Coqueta just was. Five trips later

Coqueta finally stays for a chat, but where has Rook gone?

‘Well darlings you must wonder who I am and where I am from?’ asks Coqueta and gets

five little head nods. ‘I live in the Lost Vampire Bat Mine darlings just north of where we

are. Before you ask, yes I am now a vampire but was born a Spotted Bat as you might

know by my rather large ears. It was a night much like this when I was feasting on a

swarm of mosquitoes when what I thought was a Mexican brown bat joined me. The next

thing I know he has bitten me on the neck, I did not feel it until he put some of his weight

on me. Juan said he did me a favor because I was so pretty. That was a hundred and forty

years ago.’ Coqueta whispered in a wistful voice.

‘You mean you are that old?’ I asked. I am never one to be shy at asking questions,

which is why the Piquitos call me queenie.

‘Oh yes Perpetua I am that old. You see Juan hung out (excuse the pun) in an old gold

mine that the Tohono O’Odham nation the Papago’s kept secret. Then one day a Papago

talked to a trader at a fiesta in Tucson. Said he found a sack of nuggets while tracking a

wounded deer. Suddenly upon finding the deer he saw a large outpouring of bats,

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hundreds of them from a small opening in the mountain. The next day the trader was in

the Baboquivaris and he saw the same Papago. The old Indian told him he was returning

from causing a landslide that covered the mine. The tribe did not want white men finding

the mine.’ Coqueta paused and then continued her story.

Juan took me back to the secret mine and slide behind a large boulder, I could never get

fat or I would not fit into the entrance. Deep in the tunnels we came to his chamber that

was filled with hundreds of bat bones. He said he was the last of his kind and wanted a

companion. I would have left right then and there if he had not told me of my curse. I

must find a coyote or rabbit once every three moons and steal a little of its blood. And I

can never go outside in the daylight. I would go puff like a cloud of black dust! Coqueta

sighed, but she knew we would ask more questions.

‘Is Juan still with you in the mine’, I asked.

‘No little one, I mean Perpetua (she corrected when she saw my scowl). Juan was shot

with an arrow over seventy five years ago. A Papago was sleepless and wandering

through the night when he spotted Juan, and poof the arrow did not have time to lodge in

Juan before he was dust in the moonlight.’ It was obvious that Coqueta did not want to

tell more of the story then.

‘Where did Brother Rook go?’ asked Perfecto, everyone looked at someone else not

know the answer.

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Coqueta told us she would go out again and see if she could find him, and that she could

only stay another hour before she would have to go back to the mine. Now we were alone

again and more than half the dark was over. ‘I hope our new friends stay with us,’ I said.

Pasiano moves into the middle of our huddle. ‘I do not think mama will come back

tonight.’ Saying what we all felt. But even so it brought tears and moans by all of us. It

would be many days before our flight feathers would be ready for us to try and fly on our

own. This was at the point of terrorizing to think of not having a mother, food provider

and flight instructor.

Then to add to a night beyond memory a snake’s head pokes into the perch! Five screams

filled the air, our eyes were as round as the moon. Of course other than that we were

speechless.

‘Cinco Piquitos?’ the snake asked. We all nodded yes we were. ‘I am Long Fang and I

bring bad news.’ Said Long Fang in a tired and scratchy voice. ‘I have come to be your

protector at Donnetta’s request.’ Long Fang waited for a response.

For being my biggest and oldest brother Pasiano was sure being quiet tonight! ‘When did

you see our mother?’ I asked in a trembling voice. ‘Is she alive but hurt?’ The others are

looking at me as if I have no clue. Long Fang twists his head back and forth indicating

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that she is not alive.

Then Long Fang tells us about the ‘Hiss n Rattle’ band and his adventure with One eye.

Mama’s crazy attack on One Eye and her dying request for us to be looked after, “one

way or another”. Then Long Fang begins to tell us the story of his trip to the old Saguaro.

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