Cari and Cairo’s Hunt for the Impundulu Bird

Moving his neck and head back and forth like a bird does when walking on the ground, Cairo gets up from his chair and gets in Cari's face. "Caw! Caw! Your bird is not real. Caw! Caw! he streaks. We are looking for real birds today, like the Sharp-skinned or Redtail hawk. Caw! Caw! Agitated, Cari purses her lips, imitating her mother when she is upset about something. "The Impundulu is not a make-believe bird. It is a real, rare, beautiful bird! The Zulu tribe have many stories of its mythical song and beautiful colored feathers. They even sing about how high it flies in the air, high above the clouds. But you wouldn't know anything about it." Cari catches her brother's gaze with her big brown eyes as she slowly rises from her chair, stomping her feet and swaying her long skinny arms in a slow rhythm. She hums a deep tune, in a voice naturally lower than her own, and the hum rises into a soft melody about the Impundulu bird that can call down light and thunder. She dances around her brother and claps her hands loudly in his ear, making him jump.