A Play by Anderson L.
| CHARACTERS: |
Feathers the California Condor, Female 16 years old Sav the Coyote, 19 years old (Feathers BF)
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| SETTING: |
8:00 pm on a hot summer day
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| TIME: |
A hot dry dessert somewhere in California. There is sand covering the plain, cactuses scattered everywhere. You see a large boulder and hear the sound of construction in the distance. Food in the area is scarce |
| AT RISE: |
After an unsuccessful day of hunting, Feathers stands exhausted on top of a boulder with her egg lying next to her. Sav sits on the floor below her worn out and frustrated because they didn’t find any food
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Sav
(Breathing Heavily) Man; we haven’t eaten in a couple days
Feathers
Deal with it. We’ve been through weeks without eating any food before
Sav
I know but I am getting tired of it. The best we’ve gotten all month was an armadillo and that barely filled us up
Feathers
Well, if you didn’t let the anteater get away we’d be full right now
Sav
What? You are the one who let it get away. Your peeks barely hurt him
Feathers
If you had kept a tighter grip on him he wouldn’t of got away
Sav
Okay Okay, lets just end it. It’s nobodies fault anyways. That stupid anteater was way too strong for us
Feathers
Yeah, you right but what are we gonna do now? There’s hardly any food around. the dumb humans are taking over all our land and destroying all our food with that construction work
Sav
How about we attack the humans and take back what’s ours?
Feathers
(Laughs) Are you serious? Don’t you remember what happened to them hawks that tried that?
Sav
Yeah, I remember. They were shot with led and became poisonous to eat
Feathers
Good thing we’re smart enough not to eat them, unlike some of the other animals. Oh yeah, be sure to remind me to teach my baby not to eat the poisonous animals
Sav
Alright, I’ll remind you but are you really serious about the kid though?
Feathers
Of course I am serious. Why did you think I laid the egg?
Sav
I don’t know to eat maybe
Feathers
What! Are you crazy? Don’t you know that my species is endangered and that this egg is my last hope
Sav
Yeah, alright, but having this baby will give usanother mouth to feed and we’re barely managing as it is
Feathers
I know, but once the kid is grown we’ll have one more that’ll be collecting food
Sav
That’ll take time and at this rate there’s no way we’ll make it
Feathers
Why are you so negative all the time? There’s no doubt that we’ll make it. We just got to put a little more effort into hunting. We’ve made it this far right?
Sav
Yeah, but now the food supply is low and there’s gonna be another mouth to feed.
Feathers
A baby won’t need that much food. All it needs is a is a few crumbs and before long it will be out hunting on its own
Sav
Why are you so concerned with this kid anyways?
Feathers
Because this will probably be my last chance to have a kid and also because this is the only way to preserve my species
Sav
What do you mean this will be your last chance? All you gotta do is just lay another egg
Feathers
I won’t get another chance to lay another egg because there’s no one to mate with and I’m getting too old to lay one
Sav
Man, I am tired of arguing and all this talking isn’t going to satisfy my hunger
Feathers
Well what is going to satisfy your hunger huh? Cause surely this little egg isn’t going to and I’ll die before I let you get a chance to eat this egg
Sav
Stop overreacting! There won’t be any need to eat the egg if we find some food
Feathers
How could you even consider eating the egg?
Sav
Would you rather starve to death then?
Feathers
Of course I’ll rather starve to death. Don’t you know how much this means to me? Don’t you know this is the only hope I have in preserving my species? My mom and my brother gave up their lives for this. They willingly went to the aviary and lost their lives when the aviary was destroyed.
Sav
Well, that’s too bad. But at least you know your family cared for you unlike mine who deserted me long ago
Feathers
Your family cared for you a whole lot. They had to let you go because they had no means of supporting you
Sav
They could’ve at least waited until I’m grown to let me go. But no, they just waited until I could barely hunt and left me to strive on my own. Man, I wish I could tell them how I feel about this. How as a cub I looked and looked for them until I couldn’t look no more. How I put all of the anger built up in me into hunting. And how I would savagely attacked the animals until you could hardly recognize what they were
Feathers
Don’t worry. I am sure you’ll have a chance to tell them this
Sav
Hopefully. I doubt it though, but I don’t care about that no more. I just want to leave this place and get away from all this. I’m tired of it.
Feathers
You can’t leave me and the baby
Sav
I won’t leave you, I can’t. I’ve been lonely for too long. I need someone to be with
Feathers
Yeah, I know how you feel. This is exactly how I felt when my mom and my brother left me
Sav
As long as we got each other, we will be fine. Promise me you won’t ever leave me
Feathers
I promise I won’t ever leave you as long as you accept the baby and raise it as your own
Sav
I’ll do everything I can. I don’t want to desert this baby like my family deserted me
Feathers
All right, once this baby hatches we will move andstart a new life
A short time after, Feather’s egg hatches. Both Coyote and Feather burst out with joy.
