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Aviana
In 30 million years birds have become the uber species, living in fortified villages amid a landscape teeming with rat-predators, giant insects, intelligent reptiles and other terrifying life forms. Young soldier, WAGAR, loves LANITRA, the ruler’s daughter. Enemy raptor prince THOTOR is a secret lover of Lanitra’s sister BARI. When Bari betrays the village to Thotor, the inhabitants are banished to the wilderness.
As the uber species, birds now fill the dominant niche once occupied by man. Their civilization has reached the level of the Fertile Crescent at around 8-6,000 B.C. Parrot tribes and Raptor tribes fight ceaseless wars. The Parrot "people" have learned agriculture, domesticated rat-cattle and sheep/goats. They build villages, create ceramics, art, jewelry, music, and early writing.
They are locked in competition with the fierce nomadic, hunting and raiding Raptor "people" and their swift rat-horses. The Parrot people live in constant fear of Raptor strikes. The Raptors, driven by risk of starvation, must stay constantly on the move, hunting and attacking.
The Parrot people call themselves the "Rhia" or "Land-Beings", while the Raptor tribe is the "Fhje" or "Wind-Beings". The feathers on the heads of the Parrot-people are long and silky; they decorate, dye, and style them. They paint and tattoo their faces and bodies. Their wings have evolved into nimble hands.
The Raptor-people are tough and sinewy, their coloring is earth-toned for camouflage. Parrot language is complex and musical, while raptor language is terse and guttural. Both tribes make music --- the Parrot people sing of fables and love, while the Raptors tell of their epic battles, hunts and heroes.
Remnants of human civilization are strewn around, though they are thought to be natural landmarks. Ancient legends hint at a prior earth presence, incredibly old. They have myths of beings who could do amazing things, who vanished in a cataclysm.
Beyond the boundaries of the Parrot-village of Hakha is a menacing wilderness of vicious rat-predators, giant insects, snakes, toads, and huge, smart crocodilians.
In addition to guarding their village and its fragile agriculture from animals, the soldiers and sentries of the Parrot-people must fight off raids and attacks by the Raptors, led by the powerful and ruthless THOTOR.
The land beyond the village boundaries is also full of bandits; some are the offspring of illicit matings between parrots and raptors.
The Story
Beautiful LANITRA, the daughter of Parrot patriarch AASKEL, is betrothed to the young soldier WAGAR. One day, she and her sister BARI, are attacked by a raptor raiding party. LANITRA is saved by an outcast named TRAGNATH, who happens on the scene, but BARI is captured by the raptors.
The powerful young Raptor prince, THOTOR, falls in love with Bari, who learns to enjoy the Raptor way of life. Bari had always been jealous of Lanitra, and she responds to Thotor's toughness and passion.
When Bari is finally rescued in a daring raid and returned to the Parrot village, she has changed. She misses Thotor and turns against what she now sees as the luxury and decadence of her people whilst others starve.
Meanwhile, Thotor and his Raptor tribe endure a very hard winter. Bari sneaks food to the starving Raptor village. The Raptors plan a raid on the Parrot village to capture their stored food. Bari is persuaded to betray her village and let the raiders inside the gates. Thotor promises to make her his queen.
Meanwhile, the Hakha village teacher, MOTEBO, a scribe and scholar, ponders the stars and the seasons. He teaches a small group of students about medicine and science. WAGAR, the Parrot prince, is one of Motebo's brightest students. Wagar and Lanitra plan their wedding.
When Bari betrays the village to Thotor, it is captured in a bloody battle. Wagar, Lanitra, Aaskel, Motebo and the Parrot tribe barely escape. They set off on a flight for their lives, starving in a terrifying landscape teeming with monstrous life forms. Their culture and farming lifestyle has left them unprepared to live off the land.
But the outcast TRAGNATH and his mixed-species tribe, who are skilled at survival in the terrible wilds, come to their aid. These Parrot/Raptor people have been scorned and even hunted by both Parrot people and Raptors. Now they are the only hope of the Parrot tribe.
As the Parrot people live and learn from Tragnath, they realize that their prejudices were wrong. Tragnath and his tribe are just as intelligent as they are. In fact, Motebo the sage realizes that in many ways the mixed species reflect the best traits of both tribes.
Motebo, Aaskel and Wagar devise a new weapon that fires projectiles --- a crude gun. Motebo the philosopher, realizes that they have unleashed something terrible on the world. Yet, he yearns to go home to his village.
Tragnath shows them the shores of a vast new ocean composed of the Atlantic and Pacific. They marvel at the first boats that Tragnath and his people have built to sail short distances around the coast. The world is so much bigger than they ever imagined. Why fight for their small village when there is so much to see and perhaps new lands that await?
But Aaskel the Parrot leader is unwilling to allow victory to Thotor and his Raptor tribe. They build more weapons and train to retake the village.
In an epic battle, the Parrot people re-invade and conquer the Raptor people. Their new weapons nearly massacre them. Thotor and Bari are taken prisoner and put on display. The proud Raptor warriors are chained and enslaved to work in the fields.
As he surveys the victory, Aaskel and his Parrot tribe are now faced with a double dilemma: He owes Tragnath and his outcasts the victory. Bari, his daughter, is in love with his enemy and intends to die with him. Can the large brains of the parrot people, with their keen intelligence and language, find a way to live in peace with both the raptors and the hybrids?
The wedding of Wagar and Lanitra is celebrated as the Parrot people rebuild. They realize that they cannot found a new civilization on the broken hearts of the Raptor people. And that the hybrids are perhaps the way of the future, as Bari and Thotor welcome a child in their captivity. Can Aaskel see his own grandson a slave? Lanitra begs Aaskel to forgive Bari and take her back, but Thotor, now a captive, still vows vengeance.
In a last scene, the scholar Montebo excavates a cave full of ancient books from the human race. He is dazzled by the strange symbols, pictures and ideas. He realizes that they are not the first intelligent inhabitants of earth. Unless the Avians can overcome their prejudices, they will never reach their potential. Is constant warfare the fate of all earth creatures, or is there another way?
A young Ethan Hawke
Young Native American male
Apocalypto
The Time Machine
Nominated for a Pushcart Prize in fiction in 2021 and 2016
I wrote the feature film, Murder in Fashion, about the shooting of designer Gianni Versace by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. The film played at theatres and festivals and was reviewed in the NY Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/22/movies/22murder.html?_r=0
"Low budget but accurate and well constructed insight into a modern mystery" review by Richard von Lust L.
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