Dangers from above and below

After our first day on the coracle which we spent eating, this morning, on our second day, we had to make a plan. There were dangers above and dangers below. I gathered everyone around me and asked Cawlin to speak of the dangers of the Danube.

"What Dangers?" Penelope asked.

"I split them in four categories: 1) dangers from above, 2) dangers from below, 3) dangers that come from behind, and 4) dangers that lie ahead." said Cawlin a little patronizingly.

"Workpackage! Workpackage! You sound just like Petre's friends. Can you expand please?" says Codrin

Well, in category 1 we have predators, e.g., eagles and owls even bigger than Athena that have been known to even eat towny owls, while in category 2 we have huge fish that grow to be large enough to eat birds, e.g., the catfish, and the sturgeon. The lattest is endangered because he is hunted for his eggs, which people eat as caviar, a very expensive fancy food. I can't imagine a higher level of depravity than to eat eggs, even the eggs of a fish. It kills millions of fish, and the sturgeon takes 20 years or so to breed.

I: In the Bega I used to eat catfish, but now the tables have turned. The plan is to constantly watch for these monsters. They grow large enough to eat whole birds. People fish for them with baby ducklings. Some are even older than Mother Cleverbrain. I heard there is a catfish around here that is one hundred years old. Every bird has heard of him and all humans of the area know him and try to outwit him! Imagine that!

Narcisa: All we can do is protect ourselves. We must send out search parties. Cawlin flies ahead, Codrin flies behind us, and Narcissus and I dive, always having each other's back.

Cawlin: In category 3 you have ships and barges that could smash us. We might not even see them at night.

Athena: That's why I to perch on the boat and keep watch. I've given up plenty of tasty rats last night.

Narcissus: Thank you, Athena. I leave fish out for you every evening so that you would not have to do much hunting.

Cawlin: Even during daytime they might not stop for a floating island, not all, which is why we try to float close to the shore. Big boats need deep water, while we do not. And in catergoy 4 we have things that lie ahead and don't move like bridges and hydrocentrals. Each posses its own challenge, which we must work together to solve.