Taterskin & The Eco Defenders: Book 1, Preface and Chapter 1
Book 1 ("Wonders Never Cease")—Preface and Chapter 1
PREFACE
Many people and animals have been after me to record the events that occurred in connection with a small band of humans and an innumerable group of animals who joined forces to protect the oppressed of both humankind and animalkind, as well as the earth and its atmosphere. We call ourselves Eco Defenders. I, Taterskin, was an eyewitness to, and often a participant in, many of the events recorded in this book; other details were related to me by close friends who were on the scene of other events.
Albert Spartacus Joad, my best human friend, who has known me from a pup, transcribed my telling of the tale using his Doolittle device, which generated a bark-to-text version of what I related to him. This is our story.
CHAPTER 1
We had settled into our new life in idyllic Zenia amid the mountains of far northern California. It was the year 2525. I was so happy that I would sometimes run around singing, Nothing could be keener than to be in Zenia . . . (in the morning, or any other time of the day).
The humans equipped with Doolittles knew what I was crooning, and agreed with me as to that. But for those without these human-to-animal auto-interpreting devices, or who weren’t wearing them at the time, or had them turned off, all they heard was barking—but they could doubtless discern it was a happy sort of barking.
The animals all knew what I was singing, especially my fellow Mammals. Even those who spoke Reptilian or Birdian or Fishian got the gist of it. They, too, agreed with my sentiments.
The only creatures who took exception to my expressions of joy were those who, speaking the Insectian lingo, also got the general idea of my song, but did not always entirely agree with it.
This was partly because my good friend Drako Pogona, the Bearded Dragon, would sometimes invite them to luncheon, a meal at which they turned out to be Drako’s main course.
For that reason, the insects in general—and especially the crickets and grasshoppers and other orthoptera— learned to decline Drako’s invitations. In fact, they never got over their resentment toward him, and would hide any time they saw him in their vicinity.
Drako was a wily one, though—and quick! Once she spotted a cricket, grasshopper, locust or roach, she was on it in a flash and within milliseconds she would be crunching away with delight, her eyes closed, and wearing a self-satisfied grin on her scaly face.
The Bearded Dragon also ate various worms and such on occasion (when she was especially hungry and the hoppers were hiding exceptionally well). She wasn’t a dyed-in-the-scales insectivore, though; She would often eat vegetables, such as endive, kale, butternut squash, even bell peppers and many other plants. She even toyed with becoming a vegetarian once, but it didn’t last long. It may have just been a ploy to get the crickets to trust her again; if it was, it didn’t work.
Albert isn't always thrilled about Drako trespassing in his garden and gleaning from it at will, but he was happy when he discovered that Drako also loves (eating) Termites.
Once Albert found out about that part of Drako’s diet, he considered the trade even. He is more than willing to share his vegetable garden with Drako, as long as the Bearded Dragon continues to keep his house Termite-free. Besides that, Albert likes Drako on a personal level, and so, even if Drako didn't eat Termites, Albert would still tolerate her self-invited forays into his vegetable garden.
You can listen to the preface and first chapter here:
The book is available here.