Author's Note: I wrote this for my creative writing class, and I think it's mediocre at best, but the teacher loved it, so I figured I'd give it a chance... This is mostly true, but I made up some things. Enjoy!

Feather-Hunting

It was early in the morning and the zoo had just opened. People were just starting to arrive, hoping to see the animals while they were still active. It was not yet hot enough for the animals to flop down on the ground and stare into space, so they were calling back and forth to each other as they ate their breakfast. Most of the animals were in large, open enclosures. However, there were some peacocks, chickens, and turkeys running loose around the zoo as there always were.

Two of the first people through the gates were a young girl and her mother. They came to the zoo often, sometimes bringing a snack. The girl’s favorite thing to do was feed bread crusts to the flamingoes right next to the sign that said “DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS.“ But they had no food today, so there was no point in wasting time with pink birds that didn’t do much. She suggested going to see her favorite animals, which of course were all as far away from the entrance and each other as they could get. Her mother said they wouldn’t have time for everything, but they could start with the sea lions and see how far they got. So the girl ran off, with her mother following slowly, pausing to look at the waterfowl and flowers on the way.

The four year-old girl ran straight to the sea lion basin. She watched the sea lions for about thirty seconds before dashing over to the prairie dog enclosure, about twenty feet away. She watched excitedly as they nibbled on their breakfast, fighting over food with the sparrows that flew down to take it from them. They were eating bits of oranges, carrots, spinach, and some crunchy pellets.

After a moment, a large peacock who had been looking for insects came walking down the path towards the girl. He was almost as tall as she was, with brightly colored feathers and a tail that stretched out five feet behind him. The tip of the tail dragged on the ground. The girl saw a glint of blue out of the corner of her eye and looked up.

The peacock probably saw her, but he made the mistake of ignoring her. After all, why should he care about a human who had nothing to feed him? She watched closely as he strutted past, and then crept up behind him. It didn’t take him long to notice, and he started walking faster, hoping she would take a hint and leave him alone. But when he saw her make a dive for his tail, he took off running with his neck stretched out in front of him and tail raised so it wouldn‘t drag on the ground and slow him down. This small human was suddenly a threat. He changed direction frequently and dodged in and out of picnic tables, trying to lose her, but it was a lost cause. A larger human shouted something, only confusing the peacock. He couldn’t understand what she was saying, but it was a lot louder than he would have liked. It looked like the big human was coming closer too. The peacock made a sharp turn away from this new menace, hoping to make it up to the primate house before either human caught up to him.

Suddenly, the large bird felt a sharp yank at his tail. He felt a few feathers come loose, and put on an extra burst of speed to escape his attacker. After running for a few moments, he stopped to look back. The larger human was looking down at the smaller one, probably talking. The little one held two long, green feathers in her hand. Suddenly the young human looked at the peacock again, and her mouth stretched into what looked like an aggressive snarl. The peacock let out a startled squawk and sprinted over to the primate house where it might be safer.

The peacock stared from afar at the two people until they left, and then started pecking at the grass. There hadn’t been many insects where he had come from, but there were plenty of bushes, flowers, and grass around here that attracted them. He spotted a big black cricket and tried to grab it a few times before finally snatching it off of the path, swallowing it whole. He went after a small green grasshopper for a minute or so, but it escaped.

After catching a few more insects, the peacock moved on towards the bird house. Through the open doors he saw the dark cages, felt the artificial heat floating out with the scent of fruit and bird droppings, and heard the calls of other birds that he had never seen. He paused to glance inside, but a large free-standing wall with a jungle-themed mural blocked his view of most of the other birds. Unconcerned, he continued on towards the antelopes. He had almost forgotten about the human pulling his tail, except that it ached occasionally.

The brightly colored bird walked quickly through the big cat section of the zoo, which always gave him a bad feeling. Finally he got to the antelope section. There were no people there yet, and plenty of insects everywhere. He strutted calmly down the paved path past the zebras, camels, kudus, and mountain goats, pausing occasionally to snap up a bug. Hearing the call of a peahen in the distance, he strode off towards the female of his species, puffing out his neck feathers a bit. Another family passed a bit too close to him, and he made a soft clicking sound, running a few steps to get out of their way.

Endnote: Yeah, that's about all. No way to end something, I know. Sorry about that! But please tell me what you think anyway. Thank you!