Perri Page #2

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(CHIRPING)

Still, hunger is a strong incentive,

and so, despite what seems to be

a warning from her brother,

Perri once again sets out

for food and Mother.

(CHIRPING)

(SQUEALS)

(SQUEALING)

(CHIRPS)

Mother's coaxing

starts another scholar on his way,

but he'll never reach

the head of the class.

(SQUEALING)

He'll be lucky to even pass.

(SQUEALING)

Well, it's a rather shaky start,

but if she puts her heart in it,

keeps up the fight,

she'll get the hang of it, all right.

(SQUEALS)

All this, the young raccoons

have watched with awe.

But they must get their tree legs, too.

And so, as Perri takes her turn

upon the judgment seat,

one stout heart sets out headlong

to duplicate her feat.

(TWITTERING)

Brother would like

to lend a helping hand,

but in this kind of test,

you're on your own.

(SQUEALS)

You just dig in, hang on

and try to do your best,

and if, alas,

you just haven't got the answers,

there's only one thing left to do.

Drop out of class.

(SQUEALING)

This mishap could become a tragedy,

for predators are always near.

But so is Mother.

She knows by instinct

that survival of her young

depends upon her watchfulness

and tender care.

As late spring turns to early summer,

the time of learning still goes on.

Down at the beaver pond,

the beaver kit is on his way to school.

As a rule, it's Mother

who supplies the transportation here,

while Father,

as the chief construction engineer,

provides the object lesson.

The subject for today is logging,

and everything that Father does,

Baby Beaver tries

on something more his size.

In beaver school,

even scratching is catching.

Nature teaches

many special skills and arts,

and at the wildcats' den,

a primary course for predators

is just about to start.

(MEWING)

The lesson for today

will be how to lie in wait

(GROWLS)

and pounce upon your prey.

(MEWING)

(GROWLING)

The other students,

having learned by observation

all a kitten needs to know,

now sally forth.

A-hunting they will go.

(FROG CROAKING)

"This fellow's tricky.

"Looks pretty dangerous, too.

"More than that, he's awful soft

and sort of sticky."

(CROAKING)

It's the instinct of the predator

to quell the flow of life,

and so these youngsters will try to stop

anything that creeps or crawls or hops.

(MEWING)

This time,

it was a mouse that got away.

A very clever mouse, no doubt of that.

After all, he just outfoxed a cat.

But now what will he do?

Just who's going to outfox who?

(BARKS)

(MOUSE SQUEAKING)

Well, so far, score one for the mouse.

And what's more,

he'll challenge anybody in the house.

(SQUEAKING)

Brother's willing

and knows exactly what to do.

(SNARLING)

"First you grab him,

then a shake or two...

"But what comes next?

"Any suggestions?

"No?

"Oh, well, I guess you just let him go."

(SQUEAKING)

And so, in this time of learning,

many live to run away,

and death can wait for another day.

The young raccoons

are nimble-footed now and strong,

and they've long since entered

the second phase of their training.

Mother's teaching them

to forage for themselves,

and this is a hunting trip.

But it so happens that not far away,

a family of skunks

is also faring forth today,

and this can only lead

to confusion at the crossroads.

(GRUNTING)

(SKUNKS SQUEALING)

The skunks regroup,

hold a council of war,

but it's all over now.

Everything's just as it was before.

Well, not quite.

Mother Raccoon has three, all right,

but not three of a kind,

and as for Mother Skunk,

well, she drew the wrong suit, too.

(GRUNTING)

Another scuffle, another shuffle.

And then each family

goes its separate way again,

but for one at least,

the fun is over much too soon.

He still thinks he's part raccoon.

In the varied diet of the raccoons,

fish is a mainstay,

and crayfish, a prime delight.

Mother demonstrates

the right technique for angling.

And now the youngster tries,

but here's one little fisherman

that's in for a big surprise.

(SQUAWKING)

(SNARLS)

Borne on a gentle wind

from the lower valleys,

the seeds of the cottonwood fall

like a summer snowstorm

on Wildwood Heart.

With the passing of the summer days,

there comes a time of adventure

as nature wakens in her young

a sense of independence.

(BARKING)

(YELPING)

(BARKING)

The time of adventure brings

the little martens from their hollow tree

to rehearse their predatory skills

with mock ferocity.

(SNARLING)

(GROWLING)

In contrast, the squirrels

are creatures of purest joy.

To them, the time of adventure

is a time to play,

and so begins a treetop circus,

an aerial ballet.

A magpie, on thievery intent,

presents a pointed argument

that stops the show.

(CAWING)

(CHATTERING)

Then she boldly takes her time,

adding one more pine cone

to a life of crime.

(CHATTERING)

Once the magpie's gone,

it's on with the show.

Well, come on, let's go.

Eager for any kind of playmate,

(TWITTERING)

Perri sees

the little hummingbirds next door.

To protect her precious chicks,

Mother Hummingbird

flies into a fit of fury.

She knows that fur and feathers

just don't mix.

Oh, well, maybe she's right.

So Perri sets out to find

someone more her kind.

"Now, let's see,

anybody in this aspen tree?

"Yup, there sure is."

(CHATTERING)

Oh, that such a thing should happen

to a daytime-napping flying squirrel!

He's getting out of here.

Perri is very much impressed.

What a perfect way to travel!

It looks like sheer delight.

She simply has to try this for herself.

(CHATTERING)

Oops!

"Didn't have that takeoff timed

just right. We'll try again."

Now with perfect confidence,

Perri takes the air,

but when she spreads her wings,

they just aren't there.

(SQUAWKS)

Although she lands unhurt,

this is the one place

Perri's always feared to go,

the dreadful world of far below.

And she has a right to fear.

There are monsters here.

(SQUEALS)

"Now, what was that?"

Well, that was a ground squirrel.

Perri's fear at once is gone.

She feels there is a kinship here.

A friend at last.

He even lets her share his lunch

till Perri makes one small mistake.

She eats too much too fast.

(SQUEALING)

Perri doesn't want to lose

her newfound friend

over just a little spat,

and so she tries to make it up,

but newfound friend, it seems,

has taken in the welcome mat.

(SNARLING)

In this strange world of below,

even the trees grow much too short,

just about as short

as everybody's temper.

(CHIRPING)

Deeper in the forest,

Perri comes upon a most unexpected

and exciting thing.

She catches a glimpse

of the great forest king himself, Bambi.

One of Bambi's children

is drinking at the brook.

Perri drops down for a closer look.

The fawn is friendly,

and Perri senses this,

knows she won't be harmed.

(CAWING)

But now, in the distance,

a clamor grows

and soon becomes a wild alarm.

(CAWING)

Somewhere in the Wildwood Heart,

a killer's on the loose again.

(SQUAWKING)

(RAVENS CAWING)

Blind to all except her homing instinct,

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