Parphins and Blumenwurms

Faces In The Forest- By the Author

The Parphins were furious. Or, more correctly the Parphins would have been furious if the were capable of fury. Unlike the greedy Blumenwurms that took anything that was available, the Parphins had evolved slowly. "Those Blumenwurms" they muttered shaking their feathers loose and preening. "Must be some form of regenerated Dinosaurs to behave this way. Don't they realise that they are destroying their own hope of survival

Domesticated Blumenwurms dined off the roots of plants, trees and even lichen. Worse than locusts they ate everything in their path. Before domestication they had operated in small groups. Afterwards they were trained to clear tracts of land for shopping malls, factory farms that wanted land completely cleared of all native grass and trees, and of course suburban contractors.

Echeered that the hard work of removing roots was done for them. The only remaining problem was to harvest and timber and burn the scrub bush that lay dieing cut off from the earth that had nourished it.

After the Blumenwurms fell into the hands of foresters, farmers and scientist their enormous capacity to help the human race was exploited to the full. Even the Blumenwurms that remained in the wild were acquiring the same aggressive instincts as those fed, housed and used by contractors, realtors, forestry clear cutters and farmers who rooted out forests to create more and more land for human comfort and pleasure. Blumenwurms no longer questioned the world around them. They had a niche.

In other times they would have been shot on sight and stored for winter feats. Now they were protected as a domestic species. Of course the wild ones were still hunted in season. Stories of those that got away vied with fishermen’s and Mouse hunters’ tall tales This hunters’ tales grew more and more outrageous as Moose and Polar Bear fell into decline. Their young barely survived as their habitat continued to shrink at the ruthless hands of human plunderers

The wild Blumenwurms had become at one with those legendary fire breathing dragons. Hunters were persuaded to buy fire resistant clothing and tents for their hunting expeditions. No one admitted that the sulphur clouds in the sky were causing wildfires. Instead it was attributed to the flame throwing Blumenwurms who were carefully differentiated from the domesticated ones.

The domesticated Blumenwurms were hardly seen. An occasional young one was paraded at Country Fairs, but there ability to burrow and chew roots made them a risk to anything buried. There was also the risk of completely loosing the famous wurm to a burrow and allowing the world at large to discover that the only difference between the wild and the domestic Blumenwurms was that some had been socialised to human company and others had not.

This risked the possibility or ruining a whole industry. Breeders would no longer be able to charge high prices for their stock. Hunters would no longer believe in the hyped danger from their quarry. Too much was at risk. Consequently marketing the domestic wurm was targeted at selected buyers. Some came from areas where hunting had almost been depopulated or the Blumenwurms.

Shrugging the Parphins moved on. They were part Parrot, part Dolphin. Parphins were one of those very shy evolutionary forms that were sometimes misthought to be mermaids when they rested in the water. Other times they were seen as Angelic forms, or faery, but neither was true. So legendary were the Parphins that no biologist sought them for study. The Blumenwurms of course were a quite other matter. Scientific papers about them abounded. Most were written on the basis of received opinion that continued to hype the value of the wurms.

Keeping apart allowed the Parphins to move ahead of the wurms. Their young were a favourite food of the Parphins. Until the Blumenwurms became domesticated the Parphins had kept them in check. That task was growing daily more difficult. The Parphins were gathered to study another collapsed hillside with homes scattered on the beach and seabed below. “Without those wild wurms eating all the roots this would never have happened” clicked Mooor an older male Parphin. He trained the younger ones in search and rescue. Screeems who lead Parphin training in hunt and kill was horrified. “We work hard to control them, but we need others to join with us.

Aphhhar, who nursed the young Parphins while their parents tried to cope with the ever-growing Blumenwurm menace, was taking a rare tip out with Mooor and Screeems to survey the damage. “There must be a council of animals she decreed. The whales will want to join, so that will mean deep water near land. Whether the Polar Bears are fit to send a representative I do not know, but the Bowhead whales might represent their concerns. The seals really do not like the Polar Bears. .

“Agreed” said the other two Parphins. C’nui is waiting behind the rocks. He will carry the message to all the other hoofed animals through the horse messengers. His human representative, Satara is on his back. She will speak to the United Nations on his behalf. “We cannot wait for the United nations,” replied Aphhhar. “Our young are growing militant and the Moose and Polar Bear young are barely surviving. The food our young take them is not enough.”

“True answered,” answered Screeems, “Think of Satara as back-up. She will be able to explain the destructiveness of the Blumenwurm.” Mooors dipped his long sharp beak in reply. “We do need back-up, but my team are ready to prevent some of the damage. We have persuaded sea snakes and others to join with us and turn rocks and other debris into sea breaks. Possibly windbreaks can also be built ashore. For the moment my team is focusing on the coastal areas that are most at risk.”

Three long beaks nodded in unison. A scream longer and louder than any flock of parrots could know rent the sky. C’nui’s white mane tossed and his hooves flashed, pounding the ground in response. He and his fellows and the whole human race were at risk. An animal council would be summoned and he would lead the hoofed animals in the forum.

Fun, Farming and Business

Charles had initiated a carrot and turnip race which had become a popular international agricultural attraction Extra fields of the vegetables were grown to create sufficient produce for the race. Wines were being created from the vegetables as well as health drinks. Farmers’ wives found extra income from the huge influx of visitors, who put the hospitality industry on weekend overload. In a Province whose agricultural products were more expensive than those of their international agricultural competitors Charles had created a fresh market for the farmers. This was especially true as green vegetables became more fashionable ousting the carrot and turnip farmers from the supermarkets.

All competitors were required to purchase a cartload full of the vegetables and the difference between the weight on the cart at the beginning and end of the race contributed to determining the winner. Other cities joined sponsors their own competitors. It increased tourism and many settlements sought the victor’s crown as well as individual locals and visitors. This year a famous Olympic rider was appearing in all the advertising and Public Relations for the competition. The Hawkes family were starting the race and retired General Ranulf Hawke was helping to judge the competitors. For once the Angarams family were in the background. For weeks before wheelwrights, blacksmiths and cart builders had been in heavy demand preparing for the race. Extra stabling was readied for the donkeys and horses that pulled the carts. The comical race had become a growth industry. Extra feed supply for the animals and extra veterinarians were on hand. Food successfully arriving at the finish line was donated to food banks.

A beer tent was erected at both ends of the race and crafts were touted by foot peddlers and stall holders throughout the community. After the race, parties, dances and some fistfights were the norm. Tents sprouted in fields and the smell of fresh carrots, turnips and horse droppings were everywhere. The mess on the roads was slippery and caused a few traffic accidents as well as attracting wildlife. Casual employees had to be hired to clan up the mess. The clean crushed and bruised vegetables went to Crown lands where the wild life could feast in protected zones. The balance went to mulch and it was said that the Riverend carrots produced some of the best eyesight in the nation for humans and animals alike. The hunters’ claimed that their abilities were stretched to the limit in the lands around Riverend. This caused growth in a hunting industry. A demand grew up for lodges and new camps from overseas hunters who heard legends of the great Riverend chase.

Although the smell lingered for months, many said it was better than the farmers muck spreading, or the hash that had previously lingered. Charles Cooper had a winner from his investment in this business. Local farmers, large and small encouraged him. Charles’ was a local hero.