her wings.
The leader sighed. âThis is wrong. Even though a hen hatched him, heâs still a duck.â He shook his head and swam toward his ducks.
Sproutâs heart was heavy. But she had to find a nest. She strolled along the edge of the water away from the clamor of the ducks. She didnât know what to do. All she knew was that she had to stay alert so they didnât fall victim to the weasel. A thatch of reeds appeared. Sprout fell for the place at first glance. Dried reeds were strewn on the ground, and new reeds were clustered together, creating a most excellent hiding place. It was beautiful there, with blooming water lilies and water hyacinths, but the best part was the abundance of food. This area was teeming with throaty frogs perched on lily pads, dragonflies resting on reed stalks, small fish that came to the surface of the water, locusts, and diving beetles. It would make a great home.
I hope nobody finds us.
Sprout constructed a nest of dried reed leaves. Only a small bird would be able to weave through the dense water plants.
Baby hopped on a lily pad.
âBaby, careful!â
âCareful, careful!â He quacked happily before leaping onto another pad. It made Sprout nervous, but she couldnât hold him back. Baby hopped from pad to pad until he was in the middle of the reservoir.
âBaby, come back!â
âMom, look where I am!â He waved his little wing joyously. The lily pad tipped, and he fell into the water.
âBaby!â Sprout panicked. Surprised, Baby flailed about. Sprout ran into the reservoir, but her feathers became waterlogged, and she barely managed to get out.
âMom, look at me!â the duckling called out, short of breath, floundering.
Sprout looked closelyâBaby wasnât drowning; he was definitely swimming, albeit clumsily. Dripping wet, Sprout laughed loudly. Her baby was doing things he hadnât been taught. âYes, youâre certainly a duck!â
D ays passed peacefully. Sprout lost weight to better navigate through the reeds. She made sure to be quiet so she wouldnât alarm their neighbors. A pair of reed warblers had built a nest nearby and laid eggs. The moon filled out, and nobody peeked in the reed thicket. Sprout felt ill at ease whenever she noticed blades of grass casting shadows under the moonlight or reeds rustling in the wind, but she and her baby were safe. Baby was growing every day, and getting better at swimming, diving, and catching fish. Each evening he liked to settle under Sproutâs wing to sleep.
One day Baby swam out far and returned with the leader of the ducks. Or, judging from Babyâs slightly scared expression, the leader had followed him uninvited. Under orders from the leader, the other ducks kept back a short distance. They played among the water lilies, chattering loudly. Sprout was displeased. The female reed warbler cheeped nervously, and the male flew up several times to see what was going on.
Sprout shook her head. The silly ducks had never incubated an egg, so they didnât have any idea how a mother would feel threatened by their ruckus. She hoped the weasel wouldnât be drawn to the noise and discover their hiding spot. The leader, who was oblivious to her worries, made idle chatter. âHeâs grown so big I hardly recognize him. Heâs gotten the best parts of the white duck and Straggler. Itâs amazing heâs figured everything out on his own! Good for him!â The leader tried to stroke Baby, who slipped away and looked first at Sprout, then at the leader. The leader continued: âEven though a hen hatched him, a duck is a duck! Our kind never forgets how to swim or dive. He knows how to do it without being taught. Itâs not something a chicken, who is confident in the yard but afraid of the fields, can do!â
Sprout snorted at the leader for bragging like he was Babyâs father. He didnât know Baby. Baby wouldnât
The leader sighed. âThis is wrong. Even though a hen hatched him, heâs still a duck.â He shook his head and swam toward his ducks.
Sproutâs heart was heavy. But she had to find a nest. She strolled along the edge of the water away from the clamor of the ducks. She didnât know what to do. All she knew was that she had to stay alert so they didnât fall victim to the weasel. A thatch of reeds appeared. Sprout fell for the place at first glance. Dried reeds were strewn on the ground, and new reeds were clustered together, creating a most excellent hiding place. It was beautiful there, with blooming water lilies and water hyacinths, but the best part was the abundance of food. This area was teeming with throaty frogs perched on lily pads, dragonflies resting on reed stalks, small fish that came to the surface of the water, locusts, and diving beetles. It would make a great home.
I hope nobody finds us.
Sprout constructed a nest of dried reed leaves. Only a small bird would be able to weave through the dense water plants.
Baby hopped on a lily pad.
âBaby, careful!â
âCareful, careful!â He quacked happily before leaping onto another pad. It made Sprout nervous, but she couldnât hold him back. Baby hopped from pad to pad until he was in the middle of the reservoir.
âBaby, come back!â
âMom, look where I am!â He waved his little wing joyously. The lily pad tipped, and he fell into the water.
âBaby!â Sprout panicked. Surprised, Baby flailed about. Sprout ran into the reservoir, but her feathers became waterlogged, and she barely managed to get out.
âMom, look at me!â the duckling called out, short of breath, floundering.
Sprout looked closelyâBaby wasnât drowning; he was definitely swimming, albeit clumsily. Dripping wet, Sprout laughed loudly. Her baby was doing things he hadnât been taught. âYes, youâre certainly a duck!â
D ays passed peacefully. Sprout lost weight to better navigate through the reeds. She made sure to be quiet so she wouldnât alarm their neighbors. A pair of reed warblers had built a nest nearby and laid eggs. The moon filled out, and nobody peeked in the reed thicket. Sprout felt ill at ease whenever she noticed blades of grass casting shadows under the moonlight or reeds rustling in the wind, but she and her baby were safe. Baby was growing every day, and getting better at swimming, diving, and catching fish. Each evening he liked to settle under Sproutâs wing to sleep.
One day Baby swam out far and returned with the leader of the ducks. Or, judging from Babyâs slightly scared expression, the leader had followed him uninvited. Under orders from the leader, the other ducks kept back a short distance. They played among the water lilies, chattering loudly. Sprout was displeased. The female reed warbler cheeped nervously, and the male flew up several times to see what was going on.
Sprout shook her head. The silly ducks had never incubated an egg, so they didnât have any idea how a mother would feel threatened by their ruckus. She hoped the weasel wouldnât be drawn to the noise and discover their hiding spot. The leader, who was oblivious to her worries, made idle chatter. âHeâs grown so big I hardly recognize him. Heâs gotten the best parts of the white duck and Straggler. Itâs amazing heâs figured everything out on his own! Good for him!â The leader tried to stroke Baby, who slipped away and looked first at Sprout, then at the leader. The leader continued: âEven though a hen hatched him, a duck is a duck! Our kind never forgets how to swim or dive. He knows how to do it without being taught. Itâs not something a chicken, who is confident in the yard but afraid of the fields, can do!â
Sprout snorted at the leader for bragging like he was Babyâs father. He didnât know Baby. Baby wouldnât
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