Animal Story For Childen: The Underground Castle of the Pika
Part 1
There was a Brown-backed Mockingbird whose feathers were sand-gray in color, so his mother named him Shasha.
Shasha’s home was on a dirt embankment, about a foot high from the ground. One day, Shasha stood at the doorway, gazing out. He wanted to find a friend to play games with.
“Help! Help!”
Suddenly, a terrified voice came from a nearby bush. Following the sound, Shasha saw a weasel pinning a pika to the ground, with the pika struggling desperately.
Shasha spread his wings and flew into the sky, then dove down next to the weasel, using his sharp beak to peck the weasel on the head.
The weasel paused, and after realizing it was just a small Brown-backed Mockingbird standing on the bush, he sneered, picked up the pika in his mouth, and prepared to leave.
Seeing this, Shasha dived again, pecking the weasel hard on the head once more.
However, the weasel did not give up the pika despite the repeated attacks. Enduring the pain, he ran off with the pika in his mouth.
Shasha panicked and began to cry out loudly.
Hearing Shasha’s calls, nearby Brown-backed Mockingbirds and Snow Sparrows all flew over. Six or seven Brown-backed Mockingbirds and Snow Sparrows, like bombers, took turns attacking the weasel. Their sharp beaks continuously pecked at the weasel’s head and body.
The weasel grew fearful. He knew the birds were aiming for his eyes, and if this continued, there was no telling whether one of them might blind him with the next strike.
Without thinking further, the weasel dropped the pika and fled.
The birds didn’t bother chasing the weasel but instead gathered around the pika. Seeing that the pika was still in a state of shock, Shasha stepped forward and said, “Don’t be afraid, everyone here will protect you!”
The birds all spoke words of comfort one after another.
Part 2
Early the next morning, a series of knocks from outside the cave woke Shasha from his sleep.
Coming to the entrance, Shasha saw that it was the pika calling for him.
“Up so early?” Shasha greeted the pika.
“You fought the weasel hard yesterday, so I brought you some food. You don’t need to go out searching for food today!” The pika pointed to a pile of food on the ground and said, “I didn’t ask you what you like first, so I’m not sure if you’ll like these things.”
“Thank you, thank you! I’m not tired!” Looking at the pile of grass, leaves, and fruit on the ground, Shasha said, “I’m not hungry right now. You should keep this food for yourself!”
The pika thought the food he had found didn’t suit Shasha’s taste, so he quickly said, “What do you like to eat? I’ll go find it for you!”
Shasha said, “How about this, we’ll go find food together!”
Shasha spread his wings and flew into the sky, with the pika running in the direction Shasha had flown.
Shasha flitted up and down through the bushes, searching for edible food.
He would catch a grasshopper to eat one moment, grab a ladybug the next, and peck at a berry after that. While the pika watched intently, Shasha came to the grass, using his sharp beak to peck repeatedly at the grass roots. Soon, a large mole cricket was pecked out by Shasha.
“Oh, so that’s what he likes to eat!” The pika ventured into the bushes, trying to catch a few grasshoppers for Shasha.
Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed across the sky, and the pika shouted loudly, “Shasha, run! An eagle is coming!”
“An eagle!” Shasha shuddered. He knew that once an eagle had its sights on you, the chances of escape were very slim.
Sure enough, the eagle was diving toward Shasha with a whoosh of wind.
Shasha tried to dodge, but it was too late.
At this critical moment, the pika quickly ran to Shasha’s side, flipped onto his back, and lay on the ground. Just as the eagle extended its claws to grab Shasha, the pika kicked out hard with its strong hind legs at the eagle.
Struck by this blow, the eagle cried out in pain and flew back into the sky.
Part 3
“Run quickly! The eagle will be back!” the pika shouted to Shasha.
“Where can I run to?” Shasha said dejectedly. “The eagle is the king of the sky. How can I possibly fly faster than the eagle?”
“Oh no, how could I have forgotten!” At this moment, the pika’s eyes lit up. “I have a home here too!” With that, the pika led Shasha to a hole under the bushes and darted inside.
As soon as they entered the burrow, a gust of wind whistled past the entrance, followed by a large cloud of dust blowing into the hole.
Shasha knew this was the dust kicked up by the eagle flying over the entrance.
Shasha couldn’t help but tremble again.
The pika comforted Shasha, saying, “It’s safe here; the eagle can’t get in!”
“Yeah, we’re safe now!” At this point, a pleasant voice rang out from inside the hole.
Shasha looked and saw that it was the Snow Sparrow speaking.
“You… you live here too?” Shasha asked the Snow Sparrow in surprise.
“Yes,” said the Snow Sparrow. “This is the pika’s home, and it’s also a refuge for us birds. Whenever there’s danger, coming into the hole makes us safe!”
“That’s right,” said the pika. “This burrow has several exits, all prepared for escaping danger.”
Saying this, the pika led Shasha and the Snow Sparrow on a tour of his underground castle.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
