Kangy And Kidna

• Banjo Ward, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2022

Two pairs of newborn big, brown eyes stared up at their mother. One was furry and had elongated feet. It was a rusty, yellow colour and had big ears. “I will call you Kangy,” said their mother (who was a kangaroo). The other newborn had a long nose with small slits on it. It had big, multi-coloured spikes protruding from its little back. Their father (who was also a kangaroo) wheezed in an old, but strong voice “I will name you Kidna” and so the adventures of Kangy and Kidna began.
Suddenly, an alarm called out by the kookaburras wailed through the oasis “Foxes! Foxes! The Foxes are coming." Their mother looked up out of the small kangaroo den they had been in, and to her horror foxes had already started swarming the oasis. Red tails swished around and bottles of scarlet potion that the foxes threw exploded everywhere. Papa Kangaroo jumped out of the den and bounded into the midst of the battle. Mother Kangaroo told Kangy and Kidna to follow her. Together mother and children crept away from the oasis. Unexpectedly, a fox from behind noticed them and was terribly annoyed. ‘Escaping us?’ he thought. ‘No way.’ Just before they were out of throwing distance, he pelted a bottle of potion at them. It hit its mark well and the fox lavished the mother's cry.
Kangy and Kidna lay sprawled on the dusty, desert floor. All the bones in their bodies were broken. The fox had won. Or had he? Mother Kangaroo remembered her own mother telling her about the ancient tawny frogmouth. He could heal any injury. She needed to find him. She put both the limp babies into her pouch and hopped off to try to find the frogmouth's oasis.
She travelled day and night into the sunset with no luck. She began believing that the tawny frogmouth didn’t exist. Slowly...she started moving slower and slower. She was at the end of her tether when she saw it. A splash of bright, blue water. A lone tree. The oasis of Mr Frogmouth. Finally, a safe haven. A place where she could rest. A place where her children could be healed. Suddenly, a breaking bottle woke her from her daze. A fox was barring their way into the oasis. The fox hefted another bottle ready to smash it over her face. Before the fox had the chance to throw their bottle she leapt at him, sending him backwards. Blood sprayed out on the sharp rock as the fox breathed his last breath. Then she picked up her children and walked into the oasis. Finally she was safe.