1 little, 2 little, 3 little Adravendis; 4 little...5 little....good god

Even though Harlow been with her dad minutes prior she'd gotten thoroughly sidetracked by the antics of the cutest little shrike she had ever seen. She'd spied the fuzzy little baby, clearly one of this year's crop, swaying atop a scraggly bush with an adult she assumed was a parent. The baby's dark eyes had been fixed on the grass and it cocked its head from side to side in the most precious way. Clearly it was onto something so Harlow had hunkered down to watch. Sure enough, seconds later the baby dove into the grass. There was a sound like a quick scuffle and then the little bird fluttered upwards. In its talons writhed an angry little lizard. Quick as a whip the baby shrike was back in the bush. Clumsily it stabbed the lizard at a sharpened branch, but its attempts to impale its meal failed as the lizard flailed around.

She'd watched with keen interest as the lizard slipped free and fell to the ground, her eyes darting between the last place she'd seen it and the baby shrike. It hadn't seemed to know what to do and paced up and down the skewering branch peeping anxiously. When it seemed the lizard was going to get away scot free, mother shrike swooped in to save the day. She scooped up the lizard and expertly impaled it on the branch. Would it not have scared the birds away, Harlow would have cheered. She loved a happy ending. Suddenly it had occurred to her that she had other places to be, and she'd run off in a panicked flurry.

Without an ounce of grace Harlow flung herself onto the scene. She had cattail seeds stuck haphazardly throughout her coat from where she'd laid down to watch the shrikes and muddy feet thanks to her mad dash across the plains. All in all she was a mess, but it was an accurate representation of her so Harlow didn't feel bad about it. Muddy was her middle name. They could take it or leave it, didn't make an ounce of difference to her. Still heartened by the cuteness of the baby shrike, Harlow grinned at her relatives and moved to ram her shoulder into her dad's. She'd let him handle the introductions before she said anything.