The squirrelmaid’s eyes opened slowly. She could not focus properly and seemed to be viewing things through a haze. Small snakelike creatures with long narrow beaks surrounded her head. One pecked Song sharply on her nosetip. Song sat up, shaking her head, sending the creatures scattering. When her vision cleared, a big bird to one side of her was cackling, “Gluck gluck gluck! Can’t eat ’em, not fishes. Gluck gluck!”

The small creatures were not snakes, they were long-necked cormorant chicks. Her paws were freed by a full-grown male, obviously the father.

“Rrrrrr, we catch fishes, gluck gluck, you catch big eagle!”

The mother cormorant, whom Song had taken to be Ellayo, chanced a peck at the osprey. It did not stir.

“Glockglock, this bird deader’n deadfish, methinks!”

The male cormorant’s strange blue eyes blinked scornfully. “Rrrreek! Eagle alive as me’n’you, wait’n’see!”

Song lay recovering her senses as the two cormorants began an argument, hopping about and fanning out their wings, while the chicks scurried this way and that to avoid being danced on or batted by an outstretched wing.

“Rrrraahh! Eagle alive, squiddle too. Rrrrrr! Not in my nest thankee! Glock! They’ll eat my eggchicks, gerrrrremout!”

“Gluckgluck! Don’t be a daftduck, eagle an squiddle won’t eat eggchicks, I saved their lifes. Rrrrr!”

“Rrrrr, glock! Shutcha beak, saved their lifes, rrrrrekk! I say gerremout, not stayin’ in my nest, squiddles, eagles, chukk! Not stoppin’ heeeeeere!”

While the furious debate raged on, the little chicks never let up their ceaseless cries.

“Glick glick glick glick!”

Song took stock of her position. She was at the center of a large untidy twig and grass nest sprawled atop a rock shelf, somewhere downstream. To her left she could vaguely see the falls and hear their distant roar. On other parts of the ledge were similar nests, all occupied by cormorant families. At odd moments one of the birds would plunge off the ledge into the broad deep stream, disappearing underwater for quite a while, then suddenly bobbing up a good distance away, usually holding a wriggling fish in its beak.

Beside her, the osprey opened one flecked golden eye. Immediately all activity ceased, the cormorants frozen in fear. The big fish eagle’s dangerous beak opened wide. Song held her breath. It was a frightening sight, but then the osprey retched, spewing forth a fountain of water. Shaking its body vigorously, the big bird struggled into a standing position. Both the fierce eyes were open now, and Song quailed under their savage scrutiny. A heavily taloned claw placed itself lightly on her paw.

“Yerrah bonny beast, lassie, ye saved the life o’ Megraw, an’ ah’ll no’ ferget it. Whit name d’ye go by?”

Song shook the taloned claw warmly. “I’m called Songbreeze, sir, but you may call me Song.”