Excellent Taj had a rival Felix and other Friends : Taj the Peacock by Cass Carlton

Taj, the peacock,was strolling down the driveway one sunny morning when he came upon a mirror propped by the shed door.As the reflection moved closer to him he froze. It looked as though another bird had invaded his territory. He was horrified. This was his bailiwick and no-one was going to intrude on his little patch of Paradise "Blimmin' 'eck! Oo's this Bu**er? Clear orf fancy pants an' find yer own place. This one's took" The offending bird didn't move, but just stood there glaring at him. Taj's dander was rising, so he gave the intruder another mouthful of tough peacock talk. "Didnya "ear me? You're on Private property I'll 'ave ya know. Now git lorst before I give ya a good seein' to." Still no response other than a supercilious look down his aristocratic beak and a rude expression on his haughty face. "Right" said Taj,"You asked for it. So now you're gonna get it." and charged the mirror with wings out and head down. CRASH!! Taj fell back with his head spinning. The other bird looked a bit the worse for wear, but he still stood there, wings sagging and head drooping. The ladies heard the commotion and as soon as they saw the mirror, they all wanted to be introduced. They'd come up from the bamboo dust baths and stood there waiting to see who the handsome stranger might like for his girlfriend. Their comments were unabashedly promiscuous. "Ooh! darling, isn't he gorgeous?" said the senior hen. The youngest hen responded "Yes, but he won't want an old bird like you. He'll want someone -- younger. Like me for instance". "Garn, ya weedy little fryer, " hooted another hen "What makes you so special?. He's a bird of the world. He'll be after someone to talk to. And not just about making eggs in the nest" "Oh really? and what would YOU talk to him about? What do you know apart from how many eggs make a clutch?" When the argument broke out between the youngest hen and one of the older birds they pecked at each other and actually raised a clawed foot before calming down again. Taj was extremely distressed. If this interloper got his claws on the ladies of the harem, there would be Hell to pay. So he clucked to them soothingly, like a rooster does to his hens, and they all went back down under the bamboos, leaving Taj to deal with this bully that threatened his way of life. "Are you gonna leave, ya mug, or do I have to get rid of ya?" snarled Taj at the smug face looking back at him. There was no reply, just a fluffing up of neck feathers that was insult enough . How dare he!! Barging in on them like he owned the place. Something had to give. "Right'cha'are", he snapped,"I dunno where ya came from, but you're goin' back there very smartly. Cop this!!" He summoned up every vestige of strength he could and threw himself at the reflection in the mirror. This time his onslaught resulted in moving the mirror which slid sideways and the intruder disappeared. Taj picked himself up again and looked for his rival. He had gone! Vanquished! He looked carefully all through the shed, under tarpaulins and canvases, behind doors and in cupboards, but the villain had gone. The mirror had fallen so that its reflection tilted up, so Taj didn't see himself diligently searching for the phantom he had so bravely faced and foiled. Later that morning he strolled down to the bamboos where the "ladies" were busy at their dust baths. Casually he spread his tail and called his best harsh cry. They looked up at him and then settled down in the warm earth. There was no other quite like Taj, and he wasn't going anywhere. Author Notes Taj and his mate Sulima were the parents of Prince and Juno,my adopted chicks. Taj was a beautiful bird with one of the longest tails I'd seen on a peacock , but he was as thick as a London fog.That is to say, he wasn't a very smart bird Not like Prince his son, or Juno who was smarter than any of them. Sulima his first mate was a lovely quiet bird, who died when the chicks were only a couple of weeks old. Taj was very sad when she died, walking miserably all over the yard and out in the garden looking for her. He mated again but they never produced any young birds. Just eggs which addled and were left by the hen to rot.

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