#hawai'ian birds

[theraptorcage]

'Akikiki (Kaua'i creeper)

This small honey creeper has been restricted to a just as small section of high altitude preserve of 14 sq miles, where they once abundant down to sea level and seen on multiple islands. It's population reduction is partially due to the fact that these little birds only rear 1-2 chicks a year and they depend on their parents for 3 months after fledging.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

trick or treat!

ʻiʻiwi!

[lizardsaredinosaurs]

O'ahu 'elepaio (Chasiempis ibidis)

Endangered

O'ahu, Hawai'i

threats: disease, predation by rats, small population

[earlgraytay]

After doing some research for work, I'd kill for a character action game based on Hawai'ian mythology.

Like, read this and tell me it isn't the most badass thing you've ever seen:

Hiiaka told her friend to hold fast to her girdle while she led the way, sweeping aside the fog with her magic skirt. Then Pana-ewa took his body called the bitter rain, ua-awa, the cold freezing rain which pinches and shrivels the skill. ... He called also for the strong winds to bend down trees and smite his enemy, and lie in tangled masses in her path, so the way was hard. Hiiaka swiftly swept her lightning skirt up against the beating rain and drove it back. Again and again she struck against the fierce storm and against the destructive winds. Sometimes she was beaten back, sometimes her arms were so weary that she could scarcely move her skirt, but she hurled it over and over against the storm until she drove it deeper into the forest and gained a little time for rest and renewal of strength. On she went into the tangled woods and the gods of the forest rose up against her. They tangled her feet with vines. They struck her with branches of trees. The forest birds in multitudes screamed around her, dashed against her, tried to pick out her eyes and confuse her every effort. The god and his followers brought all their power and enchantments against Hiiaka. Hiiaka made an incantation against these enemies: Night is at Pana-ewa and bitter is the storm; The branches of the trees are bent down; Rattling are the flowers and leaves of the lehua; Angrily growls the god Pana-ewa, Stirred up inside by his wrath.         Oh, Pana-ewa!         I give you hurt, Behold, I give the hard blows of battle. She told her friend to stay far back in the places already conquered, while she fought with a bamboo knife in one hand and her lightning skirt in the other. Harsh noises were on every hand. From each side she was beaten and sometimes almost crushed under the weight of her opponents. Many she cut down with her bamboo knife and many she struck with her lightning skirt....

[brooklynislandgirl]

borrowed with grace from new friend Vee over @reyestr

FIRST MEETINGS MEME

A meme for first meetings and introduction threads, aka a ‘What you will notice about my muse first’ cheat sheet.

Repost, don’t reblog. Bold what applies. Fill in details.

(Please do not remove the credit + blank meme link)

blank meme: x

GENERAL APPEARANCE

Sex: Masculine. Feminine. Non-Binary. Notes: Beth was born a cis-gender female and most of the time she's comfortable in that shape/body.

Race: Polynesian/Caucasian {Hawai'ian and Irish, respectively, or as she'd say it, hapa-haole}

Complexion: Beth's natural skin tone is a tawny/dusky shade that might be compared to sand or toast. Most public photos taken of her tend to lighten her skin as much as possible per the Admiral's request. When she spends her time out-doors she tans easily and resembles more her Island kin than the Irish side of the family. Beth tends to wear minimal make up, and when she's doing a dramatic look she usually sticks to eye make up and bold lipsticks, highlighting what she considers her best features. Upon closer inspection one might notice a small constellation of tiny freckles that hover around the right side of her mouth and chin, and another sweep of fainter freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her skin tone leans towards the autumn spectrum, and it is incredibly fine, soft.

Height: Beth is just barely five feet tall.

Body Type: Endomorph. Mesomorph. Ectomorph. Other / More Details: Beth is actually somewhat underweight for her size, ranging between 90-96 lbs. Most of her curves tend to remain in her hips and backside, and her chest is narrow, sporting a very modest b-cup.

Body Build: Small. Medium. Athletic. Muscular. Soft. Curvy. Voluptuous. Other / More Details: Beth has been called small, delicate, bird-boned. From behind or at a minor distance, she has been mistaken for a young teen or larger child. It is hard for her to put on or maintain muscle tone.

Body Hair: None. Shaves/Waxes. Trims/Grooms. Untamed. Color: The colour on her arms and legs matches that of her hair, a dark to medium dark brown. Notes: Beth's body hair tends to be incredibly fine, almost non-existent, and thus she doesn't feel the need to wax or shave very often.

Head Hair: None. Buzzed. Short. Medium. Long. Very Long. Asymmetrical Cut. Color: Naturally Beth has dark brown almost black hair with natural red highlights. Occasionally she might do a subtle colour, either deep auburn or honey-brown. Style: Beth tends to style her hair to within an inch of its life, keeping it sleek and straight so that the Admiral has nothing to complain about. Naturally it tends to be incredibly wavy/curly {3b hair}, with a tendency to become a touch frizzy in moist/damp air. Most of the time Beth keeps her hair long and loose. For work it's in a ponytail or bun, and when her mental health is at its absolutely lowest, she hacks it pretty much down to a bob.

Eye color: Beth has green/brown central heterochromia,which is what most people call hazel. Her noticible colour is green, with an almost honey brow mixed in. It is a far softer colour than her brother's.They tend to shift colour via lighting or dilation of the pupil. Details: Wide, upturned eyes tend to give her a Disney-Princess look. Her lashes are naturally long and thick.

Scars: Beth's left leg has a large shark-bite scar from the bottom of her knee to the top of her ankle. Within the borders of the scar the muscle is visibly atrophied and has the texture of something close to a burn scar. The tendons are shortened, making her left leg a fraction shorter than her right.

FASHION

Fashion Style: Vintage. Traditional. Casual. Artsy. Vibrant. Geeky/Nerdy. Tomboy. Sporty. Trendy. Preppy. Girly. Bohemian. Elegant. Formal. Grunge. Punk. Rocker. Gothic. Other:

Color Palette: Beth tends to wear seasonal colours {lighter pastels in the spring and summer, darker secondary colours in the fall and winter}.

Typical Clothing: Beth tends to wear as little clothing as she can manage without making a scene. During warm weather she tends toward camisole tops or bikinis. She tends to wear ankle/floor length skirts. For work, she wears scrubs. Beth does. not. wear. pants. unless she's out jogging, doing yoga, or wearing a wet-suit. And while she has a walk-in closet full of designer and custom gowns and other clothing, the kinds of which would make Paris Fashion Week drool in their dreams, she tends to prefer vintage clothing.

Piercings: Beth's ears are pierced in multiple places which differ from ear to ear. She has a sub-dermal piercing at her hip.

Tattoos: Beth has a tattoo of a honu {sea turtle} on the back of her left hip, whose shell contains the Hawai'ian archipelago and a hibiscus flower. Other tattoos vary verse to verse.

Other Information: Beth tends to hate shoes and will wear 'slippahs' whenever she can get away with it. At home she tends to be barefoot, or during cold snaps, she might tolerate socks. She likes to wear rings, bracelets, earrings when not at work. She keeps her nails manicured.

EXPRESSION

General Facial Expression: Beth's features tend to be open, friendly, and at worst, neutral.

Default Body Language: As stated above, she tends to have open, inviting body language that changes only when/if she has disengaged with someone, or it's the Admiral. Around the Admiral her body language is closed, defensive, on the verge of flight/fight.

General Movements: Beth's incredibly graceful from a lifetime of surfing, swimming, dance. She tends to flow through the room, slow and cautious. The longer she has been awake, or the longer she's been on her feet, it becomes apparent that she does have a faint limp, due to shortened tendons and ligaments, atrophied muscle in her shark-scarred leg.

NOTABLE FOR RP

Presence: Beth's entire presence rests on the fact that she is warm and gracious, curious until she's given reason not to. Everyone is treated like a friend. As such, she tends to be a soothing comfort, and someone a person can open up to easily.

Appearance: Beth is always perfectly dressed for every situation, impeccably garbed in public, perfect but often subtle make up. This does not carry through to being at home where she feels comfortable.

Scent: She makes her own essential oils/lotions and people tend to describe her as tropical; lightly floral, a touch of sea salt, coconut, macadamia, something very faintly herbal. Too soon after work, she tends to carry the smell of hospital antiseptics {and/or blood}.

Voice Description: Her voice tends to surprise people. Being so short and slight, most people expect her to have a high/thin/child-like voice. She speaks so softly that she rarely speaks above an audible whisper, and her tones tend to be a little husky/smokey, warm, layered. When she does have to raise her voice, it is the kind that doesn't brook arguments and carries the tone of command of a queen or a soldier, though she is neither.

Accent: yes / no More information: Beth has always had problems with certain digraphs {th in particular} and is most comfortable speaking her native pidgin with a slight speech impediment. She can, however, speak perfectly serviceable "Haole" {American English}. She also understands a host of other languages, and takes a small measure of pride in being able to pick local idioms/slang easily, despite her audio processing disorder.

Speech Mannerisms: Beth tends to be a touchy person; conveying meaning or clarity with minor touching of other people's hands, knees, shoulders when speaking closely. She also tends to gesticulating while she's talking. When she speaks "Haole" it is far slower, measured, careful than when speaking pidgin, with slight pauses occasionally as she struggles with a phrase or sounding out words in her head. When conversing with someone, she tends to watch the person's mouth and eye area to pick up contextual clues and mouth-shapes to help bolster her understanding.

Anything else to add? Beth tends to sometimes come across as the most real person in the room, is magnetic despite her best efforts. However, if she doesn't want to engage with someone, she tends to slowly slip away from their thoughts/memories, until she is absolutely forgotten. Perhaps the eeriest noticible trait is that she never fully blinks. Her eyes tend to only half close, three quarters at best. {It almost feels like she's missing a nictitating membrane}. The second most noticible trait is that she has small, sharp teeth, almost preternaturally so, and slightly crooked. {{Certain kinds of hunters and others like her recognise these as 'primal markings' and might speak to her slightly less than human dna}} {{Beth's main face claim is Kristin Kreuk, and her secondary face claim is Smiley Arianne}}

[corvid-tournament]

Corvid Tournament Corvus Bracket Round 1.1: ʻAlalā (Hawai'ian Crow) vs Mariana Crow

‘Alanā (Hawai'ian Crow) (corvus hawaiiensis, formerly corvus tropicus): The ‘Alanā is a a species of corvus that is extinct in the wild and consequently is the most endanger species in the famile corvidae. It is a larger carrion crow at 48-50cm/19-20in with a thick bill. Before they went extinct in the wild, they inhabited the main island of Hawai’i on the western and southeastern parts of the island. They’re omnivorous, but most of their feeding consists of peeling bark off trees looking for insects. The main factors that led to their extinction in the wild were habitat loss, hunting, and disease. There have been several unsuccessful attempts to reintroduce them to the wild. If you’d like to get involved in the conservation of this bird, visit Island Conservation to donate or to find out more.

Marina crow (corvus kubaryi): The Marina crow is a species only known to inhabit the islands of Guam and Rota. It is a smaller bird at 38cm/15in that is entirely black, though its tail feathers have a bluish gloss with the rest of its body has a greenish gloss. Its an opportunistic omnivore, and only nests in native limestone forests. Its conservation status is listed as “critically endangered;” the largest contributing factor to its endangerment is its predator, the brown tree snake. On Rota, deforestation and the introduction of new predators are other leading factors to its endangerment. If you’d like to know more or to get involved, visit The Institute for Wildlife Studies for more info.

[sohannabarberaesque]

So much for the "relaxing and satisfying" earwax extraction videos in YouTube:

Personally, I'd love to see the appellation of "relaxing and satifying" applied to some Hanna-Barbera videos as aren't exactly in the vein of a typical episodic experience, but could get to be interesting. As in, for starters:

Some "bloopers" and "fails" from Yogi Bear's varied attempts at purloining tourist picnic baskets, especially where Ranger Smith is somehow on the sidelines

Top Cat and clowder on Catalina Island for a diving escapade with the Catalina Diving Clowder, with some amusing episodes ... as well as some hilarious moments at the legendary Farmer's Market in Hollywood making Candid Camera look silly

Peter Potamus relating some unusually romantic moments with a dolphin while diving, and in the tow of nieces Pamela, Peggy and/or Penelope

From Penelope Pitstop, the sheer sensation of her in the old he'e nalu of the Hawai'ian from the perspective of a GoPro camera as she glides through "da green room"

Fails and blunders caught at Banana Splits and Cattanooga Cats concerts, with hilarious consequences, including hilarity galore at backstage after-show buffet tables

The Divin' Wolf Pups (Bon-Bon and Ding-a-Ling) getting a little more than they bargained for in a diving experience pre-breakfast once--between the legs, even (as per Snagglepuss)

The hot-spring escapades of teenage Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm getting a little too prehistorically romantic, but in that Hanna-Barberian way of "projecting warmth and good feelings"

A post-orgy diving session with the Hair Bear Bunch at Camp Volkswagen during their mating season road trip which only gets unbelievably weird when a mermaid makes romantic overtures towards Hair Bear especially (and plays along)

GoPro-camera videos of the Skatebirds proving the meme about "unless you're the lead bird, the scenery never changes"

The King and Sheena taking the bodysurfing at their beach bungalow in a rather fascinating manner

Kwicky Koala passing around a box of Chicken Flavour Arnott's Shapes crackers during a beach day with some close friends of the koala persuasion, only to see the whole quickly run out ahead of a sausage sizzle

Some fascinating vignettes from in and around Trolltown, as explained and narrated by Pixlee Trollsom "herself" to explain such a fascinatingly whimsical closeness to Nature which trolls are fond of

Now THESE would be the kind of "relaxing and satisfying" online videos us Old Hanna-Barberians would enjoy seeing, even if such might need to be of a fanimation sort. Who's with me, at least in concept?

@hanna-barberians @a-gang-of-silly-bananas @hanna-barbera-land @iheartgod175 @groovybribri @archive-archives @indigo-corvus @railguner34 @ultrakeencollectionbreadfan

[eemasu]

I think that it was silly that Alola didn't have fossil pokémon just because the real Hawai'i land formation did not exist for long enough to form genuine fossils. there is still a huge number of Hawai'ian bird species that went extinct over the last few thousand years and are only now known because of the subfossil record. there were giant flightless geese, flightless ibises, a duck that behaved like a kiwi, and a finch that was so absurdly large for its clade that it was given the name of King Kong Grosbeak.

and beyond Hawai'i, there are unique reptiles from other Pacific islands that became recently extinct. New Caledonia had a turtle with spikes on its head, and a small tree-dwelling crocodile. Fiji and Tonga each had a large iguana species. all of these are animals that could easily have had pokémon that were based on them.

[the-laridian]

I was tagged by @mediocre-life-span , the game is find 9 photos in the camera roll that describe me.

Polish language, Rowan Dane (art by @quasarden), Hawai'ian shirt

Type A, quilting, birding

Fallout, food/cooking, lemons

Tagging @theartofblossoming, @michellespenscratchz and anyone else who wants to participate!

[disease-danger-darkness-silence]

Yesterday I was so tired that I tried to explain what AAVE is because we were waiting for a tech thing and every person in my training class is Black, four in Virginia and one in Las Vegas.

They didn't know it was called AAVE but they (minus the gal from Vegas) speak a southern twang of it in general conversation. It's obvious because when doing mock calls they code-switch hard, going from southern AAVE to general Virginia through Kentucky southern American English.

So I was trying to explain that I want to do my thesis either on that or Hawai'ian Pidgin and I said "African American Vernacular English," and our instructor, who delightfully knows a decent amount about linguistics, interjects with, "It's the Black dialect. You guys are speaking it right now."

I was so tired that I whitesplained AAVE to actual African-Americans. 🙃 I didn't FORGET that they were Black or anything, I just get very autistic about linguistics bc it's a hyperfocus.

Anyway I then had to explain why I find it fascinating, bc on the surface it's just another dialect but AAVE and Bird are fascinating because they're Pidgin dialects that evolved from the need of laborers and slaves who didn't speak each other's languages to communicate, very quickly. So at least I wasn't entirely an asshole.

[theraptorcage]

Kiwikiu (Maui Parrotbill)

This honeycreeper has a uniquely shaped beak that allows it to remove bark and break open fruits to access insects living in the vegetation.

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Palmeria dolei

By Douglas Pratt

Etymology: For Henry C. Palmer

First Described By: Wilson, 1891

Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Averaptora, Avialae, Euavialae, Avebrevicauda, Pygostaylia, Ornithothoraces, Euornithes, Ornithuromorpha, Ornithurae, Neornithes, Neognathae, Neoaves, Inopinaves, Telluraves, Australaves, Eufalconimorphae, Psittacopasserae, Passeriformes, Eupasseres, Passeri, Euoscines, Passerides, Core Passerides, Passerida, Passerid Clade, Fringillidae, Carduelinae, Drepanidini  

Status: Extant, Critically Endangered

Time and Place: Within the last 10,000 years, in the Holocene of the Quaternary 

The ‘Akohekohe is known only on the island of Maui in Hawai’i 

Physical Description: ‘Akohekohe are a species of Hawai’ian Honeycreepers, a type of extremely unique passerine threatened with extinction due to mammalian invaders on the island. ‘Akohekohe are medium-sized perching birds, extremely distinctive in appearance - 18 centimeters long, with males somewhat heavier than females; both sexes have the same set of extremely distinctive patterns. The birds have white fluffy tufts of feathers above their long, thin, curved beak; black patches underneath the fluff on the head, with an orange patch around the eye. The neck and cheeks have black and white spottled feathers in distinctive patterns, while the back of the neck is red in color. The back itself is red and black, while the belly is red, white, and black. The wings have black and red spots on the shoulder, with black and white feathers on the wing. Finally, the butt is white, the back of the rump is red, and the tail feathers are short and black with white tips. One of the most distinctive and brilliantly patterned birds out there! The females have similar patterns, but are duller in color.

Diet: These are nectar specialists, feeding on the nectar of Ohia flowers, raspberry flowers, pukiawe, ohelo, kolea, and kanawao. Sometimes it will eat caterpillars, flies, and spiders. 

By John Gerrard Keulemans, in the Public Domain

Behavior: The ‘Akohekohe will feed in lines on blooming trees, usually going from tree to tree in a regular cycle - even defending territories of trees they claim as their own to prevent other members of the species from feeding there. They make weirdly human-like whistles to one another, before making eerie echoing whistles in response. As for songs, they make reedy whistles and even cowbell-like grunts and squawks to one another. They even make weird ahh-ko-he-ko-heh calls, hence its name!

This bird breeds in small colonies, with each colony adjacent to one another. The males make huge, aerial acrobatic displays to attract females, before singing high in the forest canopy; the mated pairs will feed each other throughout the breeding cycle from November through June. Females build the nests out of twigs, tossed with moss and lichens, usually about 14 meters above the ground in the upper layers of the canopy. They lay one or two grey eggs that are incubated by the female and guarded by the male for two weeks; both parents then feed the babies for three more weeks. These birds mainly migrate in search of open Ohia flowers.

Ecosystem: The ‘Akohekohe live in ohia-lehue dominated forests with koa trees and dense olapa in the understorey; which means they’re almost all above 1500 meters in elevation. 

By the U.S. Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center, in the Public Domain

Other: The ‘Akohekohe used to be much more common and have a much larger range than today; populations initially took a hit after the settlement of Polynesians, as they cut down forests to make farmland, destroying the habitat of the birds. However, they did bounce back some from that, and it was sustainable. The arrival of Europeans lead to even more deforestation and the arrival of rats and cats. These animals attacked the eggs, chicks, and adults of many birds, and also ate the flowers (in the case of the rats) that the birds rely on. The unusual appearance of the ‘Akohekohe also lead to collectors poaching it, leading to even more decline. Mosquitoes introduced to Hawai’i spread dangerous diseases to the birds. Invasive birds released by European settlers on the island also lead to sharp declines in population.

Today, there are not many of these birds left; climate change also severely threatens them. It’s protected by law today, well, by like ten different laws; recovery plans are in place to try and keep the birds safe, and many of their habitats are very well closed off. Hopefully, continued responsible practices will keep this bird around, but it’s a delicate situation.

~ By Meig Dickson

Sources under the Cut 

Jobling, J. A. 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. Christopher Helm Publishing, A&C Black Publishers Ltd, London.

Pratt, D. (2019). Akohekohe (Palmeria dolei). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

[lizardsaredinosaurs]

Hey, where's my stick? Did you take my stick?

ʻalalā (Corvus hawaiiensis) AKA Hawai'ian Crow

Formerly present on multiple islands of Hawai'i

Status: Extinct in the Wild

Threats: habitat loss, disease, introduced predators

---

So far multiple reintroduction attempts have been unsuccessful, but people are still working to save these beautiful birds.

Like some other corvid species, they are highly intelligent and can use tools to forage for food.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Yale Climate Connections/EcoWatch:

The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS)

Open to U.S. and Canada residents

CoCoRaHS invites those with a penchant for precipitation to join its grassroots observation network.

Firefly Watch

Open to U.S. and Canada residents

The Firefly Watch project seeks to answer the question of whether fireflies are disappearing from our summer evenings. Firefly enthusiasts interested in participating are asked to devote a minimum of 10 minutes weekly to observing firefly activity in their backyards or at other grassy locations. Sightings (or lack thereof) are then reported in an online database, along with basic weather conditions. In time, researchers hope the data gathered may help highlight the extent to which climate change has harmed fireflies, whether through loss of habitat or earlier peak appearance.

Penguin Watch

Open to residents worldwide

The Penguin Watch project aims to better understand the environmental threats responsible for the decline in penguin colonies.

Monarch Watch

Open to U.S. residents

A nonprofit conservation and research program based at the University of Kansas, Monarch Watch depends on monarch butterfly and entomology enthusiasts to help investigate the decade-long decline in monarch butterfly numbers. By tracking counts of adult monarch butterflies and the timing of their north-south migrations, volunteers help researchers better predict the fall migration and overwintering population size – two characteristics that are influenced by weather and climate.

Re-sighting oystercatchers Open to residents and tourists of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts

Barrier island beachgoers from Maine to Mexico can help monitor American oystercatcher populations by reporting "banded" birds to the American Oystercatcher Working Group.

Mountain Watch Open to New Hampshire and Maine residents and tourists

The Appalachian Mountain Club encourages hikers to help scientists study climate change and its effects on the flowering and fruiting times of Appalachian flora through the Mountain Watch program.

Eyes of the Reef Hawai'i Open to Hawai'i residents and tourists

The Eyes of the Reef is a statewide reporting network that encourages Hawai'ian Island ocean enthusiasts, fishers, and community members to assist in protecting Hawai'i's local reefs.

[brooklynislandgirl]

What does your muse's name mean?

Elikapeka Elikapeka is a Hawai'ian variant of the name Elizabeth, which means "G-d is my oath" in Hebrew. Alohaekaunei Means "Love alighting here" {like a bird...} in the Hawai'ian language. Either one could be considered her first name, as the Admiral wanted to name her after his grandmothers, Elizabeth and Irene. Iwalani wanted to name her Alohaekaunei. In order to try to 'keep the peace', Iwalani compromised and named her Elikapeka Ailine Alohaekaunei. On the mainland and most other parts of the world, it's just easier to go by "Beth." ~*~ tagged by: my dear @dontcxckitup tagging: Anyone who wants to share.

[rebellingstagnationblog]

Mele Kalikimaka - World of Color

My deepest apologies for giving you two very long and intensive stories in a row. The stories will vary in length from here on out, I promise.

But now we finally get to find out what happened in Hawai'i!

Louie glanced back into the living room where most of the group was still convened. "I just," he sighed. "I think we should tell everyone about Hawai'i."

Gosalyn glared. "You shut your mouth."

"Would it be so bad?" Louie asked. Uncle Donald's fixation on their island excursion during this holiday getaway had been slowly eating away at him. He hadn't kept a secret from his uncle for long; he wasn't physically capable of it.

"Yes," she said. "It would. Dad and Donald would kill Scrooge dead."

Louie groaned. "I wish that was an exaggeration."

"See? Then it's better kept a secret. Just play it cool, Lou." Gosalyn turned and went back into the great room.

Was she right?

Hawai'i had pretty much been a disaster, but it had ended okay. Everyone was safe.

Now.

They were safe now.

Weighing his options, Louie went over the trip in his mind for what seemed like the thousandth time, really considering how Uncle Donald and Drake might react to some of the details.

—…—…—…—…—…—…—…—

"Come along, lads!" Uncle Scrooge exclaimed. "I'm not getting any richer standing here!" He ran ahead through the lush plant life towards the rocky alcoves with the energy of a duck half his age.

But they lingered behind.

"Did you see his eyes?" asked Huey.

"Kinda glazed over," confirmed Dewey. "Has he started itching?"

"Not that I've seen."

"I called Gosalyn last night," Louie said. "She should be here soon."

"You told her this was an emergency, yeah?" Huey said.

"No, we just had a nice chat before gossiping about Project Runway." Louie rolled his eyes.

"Gold fever is nothing to joke about!" Huey snapped, rounding on him.

"I remember how serious it is!" Louie retorted. "I was there, too!"

"Guys, we can't fight," said Dewey, stepping between them. "It's gonna take all three of us to make sure Uncle Scrooge doesn't get any worse. Can you please save this for later?"

Huey and Louie eyed one another before Huey sighed. "Sorry. I just… I haven't seen Uncle Scrooge this bad since we were kids."

"It's going to be okay as long as we stick together," said Dewey.

"C'mon slowpokes!" Uncle Scrooge called, waving back at them. "That tomb's not gonna explore itself!" He rearranged the backpack strap on his shoulder before turning and running off.

"Was that an itch?" Huey demanded.

"I don't know. Louie, stay here and check on Gosalyn's ETA. Huey, let's follow Uncle Scrooge before he gets himself into trouble."

Huey's jaw ticked but he set off after Uncle Scrooge with Dewey at his side, trekking towards the soothing crash of the nearby waves.

Louie grabbed his phone and called Gosalyn, shifting his weight as the dial tone buzzed in his ear.

He counted three rings before Gosalyn answered. "What's up?"

"Where are you?" Louie all but blurted.

"Should be there in a few minutes. You guys able to hold out that long?"

"Yeah," said Louie, glancing towards the grottos where his family had gone to. "We're headed to some cave. I'm waiting outside for you."

"Just you?" Louie heard something snap on Gosalyn's end of the phone. "Where are the others?"

"Heading toward the cave. Uncle Scrooge's fever is getting worse."

"Wouldn't be an adventure without complications, would it? We're almost over you. See you soon."

Hearing the hum of an approaching plane, Louie glanced up. The sleek black jet soared towards him, a stark contrast to the deep blue skies, lush green mountains, and feathered palm trees. The precision of the long curved wings reminded Louie that he wasn't on vacation on this scenic island. He was treasure hunting and his uncle was in danger of falling under gold fever, a disease that caused it's victims to itch for gold so much they forgot about the existence of anything else.

They weren't even looking for gold, which was why it was such a shock to see Uncle Scrooge afflicted by it now. They were after jewels, diamonds, and even feathers from extinct birds.

And, yeah, Uncle Scrooge sometimes became so enamored with a treasure that he would stop at nothing to find it, and was willing to sacrifice most anything, including his own safety.

But he would never sacrifice them. Not his nephews.

Gold fever shifted your priorities, though. Made you value the treasure above anything else. And if Uncle Scrooge couldn't shake it, Gosalyn was here with only one objective: get them all home.

The plane glided overhead, a small dot jumping from it before the aircraft rocketed away. The dot grew in size, becoming more discernible as Gosalyn as she got closer. Once she was at the right distance, she deployed her parachute and sailed towards Louie.

Upon hitting the ground, Gosalyn unhooked the harness from around her and jogged over. "Where's this cave?" she asked, grabbing her bow and stringing it.

"This way," Louie said, leading her towards the sound of the waves. He pulled up Huey's contact information on his phone and hit the location button, making sure he was headed for the small picture of his brother on the map of the island. "Uncle Scrooge just started itching, probably because we're so close to the tomb."

"Who's tomb are you excavating and for what?"

"Kameha-someone, I think."

Gosalyn stopped in her tracks, Louie skittering to a halt to face her.

"You think?"

"I'm pretty sure."

"Pretty sure is not knowing."

"Okay, then I know."

"Oh my God, Louie! Is it King Kamehameha? As in Kamehameha the Great who's tomb should under no circumstances be disturbed?"

The dread that had been clawing at him since Uncle Scrooge had started showing symptoms spiked to fear. "How do you know so much about Hawai'ian history?"

"What else was I supposed to do on an eight hour flight? Listen to 'Cups' the whole time?"

"Why would you listen to 'Cups' more than, like, twice in a row?"

"We're getting off subject," Gosalyn said, walking onward.

"You're the one who brought up 'Cups.'" Louie took the lead, glancing between the landscape and his phone and guiding Gosalyn through the lush island vegetation towards the shoreline. The mountains and ocean met in several miles of sheer cliff face. There were, supposedly, coves and caves carved into these cliffs, one of which was the rumored resting place of Kamehameha the Great.

"Fever or not, we're getting out of here," said Gosalyn as she easily scaled over the sharp rocks towards the dark opening yawning before them. "His tomb is sacred, no one's supposed to know where it is."

"Is it cursed? We get a lot of curses on adventures." Louie had to put his phone away so he could use his hands to steady himself as he climbed over the rocks.

"How any of you made it to adulthood is beyond me."

Gosalyn drew an arrow as they entered the cave, Louie turning on a flashlight and directing it in front of them. The light revealed a fairly typical cave, small streams of water flowing out from the recesses of the cave towards the ocean.

Gosalyn continued, "His bones are infused with divine power granted to him by the gods. It's what gave him the right to rule and why he was so successful. There's no telling what will happen if that power is disturbed."

"Sounds pretty curse-y to me."

"It's not a curse."

"Thought you two would never show up!" snapped Huey, his own flashlight beam bouncing along the walls as he scurried up to them. "He's getting worse."

"We really need to leave," Dewey said, right on Hueys' heels.

"Where's Uncle Scrooge?" asked Louie.

"Back there," said Dewey, pointing over his shoulder. "He started rubbing up against the walls like he was a cat."

"It didn't happen this fast before," Huey said.

"You think it's the curse?" Louie turned to Gosalyn.

"It's not a curse," she said, walking into the cove.

The cavern around them shuddered. The streams of water and other small pools that had been collected during high tide rippling as pebbles rained down from above. Huey, Dewey, and Louie gripped onto the wall nearest them as Gosalyn dropped to one knee, nocking her arrow.

She glanced back. "Grab your uncle. We're leaving."

Huey sprang up, running up an incline, calling, "Uncle Scrooge?" His voice echoed around the cavern. "We gotta go!"

"Go?" came Scrooge's voice from just beyond the small hill of rock. "Nonsense, lad! We've come too far to give up now!"

"Huey's right," Dewey said, following after his brother. Louie darted behind him as Gosalyn drew her arrow, her eyes scanning their surroundings in the bobbing flashlight beams.

When Louie reached the peak of the hill, he cast his light down and saw Huey wrestling with Uncle Scrooge on the ground, who was trying to scramble father into the grotto. Huey had tossed his flashlight aside, its beam of light illuminating the cavern from the ground, casting long shadows.

"Unhand me!" Uncle Scrooge cried, kicking in an attempt to free himself. Huey ducked but managed to hang on, tugging him towards the entrance. "I don't know what's gotten into you, lad."

"Huey's fine," Dewey said, approaching and grabbing Uncle Scrooge's arm. "You have gold fever."

"I do — hic! — not!" Uncle Scrooge continued to flail as Huey and Dewey pulled him back. "There isn't even gold to be had. Just jewels — hic! — and feathers of — hic! — extinct birds. Just think how grand we'll look — hic! — wearing those — hic! — warrior's robes! Hic! Let me go!"

Louie ran down, tucking his flashlight under his arm, and took ahold of Uncle Scrooge's shoulder. "There will be other treasures. We should leave this one alone; the tomb is sacred."

"You three probably want — hic! — the treasure for yourselves!" Uncle Scrooge kicked out again and Huey lost his grip. Managing to get his feet under him, Uncle Scrooge shoved himself up, pushing Dewey and Louie back.

The grotto shuddered around them again, the boys stumbling backwards as Uncle Scrooge steadied himself with both hands.

"Let's go!" called Gosalyn, coming over the ridge with her arrow still drawn.

"Gosalyn?" Uncle Scrooge said, surprised enough to momentarily forget about the treasure. He grabbed Huey's discarded flashlight and pointed it at her. "What are ye doing here?"

"Strike Team Omega was called in, sir," she said, glancing around the area before making her way over to them.

Uncle Scrooge glowered at the triplets, the beam of the flashlight almost burning in accusation. "Did you call her in?"

"You have gold fever, Uncle Scrooge!" Huey said, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. "We had to do something!"

"I've had enough of this gold fever nonsense," Uncle Scrooge said, glaring at each of them in turn. "Gosalyn, go home. I will call you if you're needed. Boys — hic! — let's go."

Another tremor wracked through the cavern.

"That can't be an earthquake," Dewey rationed, catching Huey and righting him on his feet. "The tremors are too random."

"And they're getting more intense," Louie said, pointing his flashlight down the dark mouth of the grotto. As if watching the stones shake loose would give them insight as to why these tremors were happening.

"Mr. McDuck," called Gosalyn. "We're going."

"I'm not leaving without — hic! — my treasure!"

The next tremor brought a chunk of stone careening towards the ground.

Straight at them.

Gosalyn shoved Louie out of the way as Huey, Dewey, and Uncle Scrooge dodged it.

"Come on!" Gosalyn ran around the boulder now lodged in the floor and helped Huey and Dewey up.

"I'm not — hic! — going anywhere!" Uncle Scrooge said, his flashlight beam bounding around the cavern erratically.

Her expression determined, Gosalyn approached Uncle Scrooge, hands on her hips. "I'm not asking."

The grotto quaked, stones raining down on them. Huey, Dewey, and Louie threw their hands up to cover their heads, but Gosalyn didn't move, still glaring down at Uncle Scrooge.

"I am your employer!" Uncle Scrooge got to his feet and stared her down, which was impressive since Gosalyn had a few inches on him. "I call you in and tell you what to do, not my nephews." He reached out and grabbed ahold of her bow with one hand, tugging it out of her grip. "And I am saying to let me go after — hic! — the treasure." Another quaking shudder ricocheted through the cavern, Gosalyn and Uncle Scrooge swaying, but not losing their footing.

"And I am saying, sir," Gosalyn ground out, yanking her bow free from Uncle Scrooge's grasp, "that we're leaving. My job is to make sure you all get home safely."

"Then consider yourself fired." Uncle Scrooge turned to Huey, Dewey, and Louie. "Come on — hic! — boys."

He started to walk away when Gosalyn shot her arrow at him, a bola chord snaking around his ankles and wrapping all the way up to his shoulders. He toppled over with a cry. The flashlight bounced on the ground, rolling away and casting its light toward the mouth of the grotto. As if pointing them towards their escape.

"Grab him," she instructed as she pulled out another arrow, the grotto vibrating again. Once the ground was sturdy, Huey and Dewey darted forward and grabbed Uncle Scrooge, who protested amongst his hiccups, Louie using his flashlight to make sure his brothers could properly see.

The cave was shaking consistently now, tremors growing more intense and wracking up and down the grotto. Rocks rained from above in a downpour. Gosalyn led Louie to an outcropping under which where they took shelter. Dewey and Huey half-carried, half-dragged Uncle Scrooge to the wall where they hunkered down in a small hollowed out section.

"Is this the curse?" Louie yelled to be heard over the crashing rocks and glanced at Gosalyn.

Before she could answer, a monstrous reptilian foot thudded down in front of them, ebony talons curving down and digging into the rock as though it was nothing more than mud.

Louie and Gosalyn leaned forward, looking up to see a lizard of prehistoric proportions. The long flat head extended from a stout neck that stretched out from the long scaled body. It's lips were curled in a growl, gleaming pointed fangs a contrast to the soft pink gums and whip-like tongue that snaked out between the teeth.

The thing straightened up, blue green scales rippling in the faint light cast by the discarded flashlight, scarlet spikes rising along its spine.

When it took a step forwards, the grotto shook violently and Louie understood. The tremors had been this prehistoric lizard walking towards them. It had probably been deep in the cavern, and if they'd gone in search of this tomb, they likely would have been ripped limb from limb. Or eaten whole.

"Told you it wasn't a curse," Gosalyn said softly, looking over to Huey, Dewey, and Uncle Scrooge. The boys were pressed up flat against the rock, eyeing the lizard in awe. Uncle Scrooge, on the other hand, was wriggling against his restraints. He'd managed to get a hand free. It wouldn't be long before—

"Oh, hell," said Gosalyn, nocking her arrow as Uncle Scrooge sprang to his feet, darting farther into the grotto.

"No!"

"Uncle Scrooge!"

The lizard roared and followed Uncle Scrooge, the cavern shaking around them so violently that Louie couldn't keep his feet under him and he fell over, his flashlight's beam whipping from rock wall to rock wall.

"We don't want to find the tomb!" Gosalyn called, running out and grabbing the discarded flashlight. The lizard whipped around to face Gosalyn, its tail lashing out behind it and slamming down into the grotto's wall. It missed Uncle Scrooge by mere inches, but he still fell over from the ricochets.

"Maybe you don't," Uncle Scrooge grunted as he climbed to his feet. "But I — hic! — do!"

The lizard roared, whipping it's tail around furiously and Uncle Scrooge dodged and ducked to avoid getting hit.

"She can understand you!" said Gosalyn,

"You know it's a she?" Huey called.

"She can what?" Dewey cried.

"Kihawahine!" Gosalyn said, raising up her hands in surrender, the flashlight pointing up to the curved ceiling of the grotto. "We will leave the tomb in peace."

The lizard regarded Gosalyn for a moment, golden eyes gleaming in the low light. But suddenly the lizard roared, lunging backwards with its teeth bared.

Towards Uncle Scrooge who was attempting to slip back in the cavern, hiccuping wildly.

Gosalyn swore, shoved the flashlight in her teeth, nocked, drew, and fired her arrow.

The net arrow deployed and wrapped around Uncle Scrooge, the ends tying together and effectively trapping him within its confines.

Gosalyn reached up and grabbed the flashlight from her mouth. "Get him out of here!" she called, tossing the flashlight to Huey, who caught it easily.

Dewey and Louie ran over towards Uncle Scrooge, who was attempting to free himself from the net. But it held fast; the ends appeared to be welded together to dissuade any escape. They dragged Uncle Scrooge towards the grotto's opening.

The lizard roared again, snapping her jaws in frustration. Gosalyn stationed herself between the boys and the lizard.

Reaching into one of her pouches, she dug out a knife and pressed it into Dewey's hand. "You can free him when you're sure he doesn't have the gold fever anymore. Or when you've reached Duckburg. Whatever happens first."

"But," said Louie, glancing back at Gosalyn as Huey also grabbed some of the net and helped drag Uncle Scrooge out of the grotto, "you're coming with us."

"I'm making sure you get home," Gosalyn said, looking up at the lizard. Slowly, she kneeled down, placing her bow on the ground before unbuckling her quiver and placing it alongside her bow.

"What are you—"

"Kihawahine is a goddess, Lou. This isn't needless violence, she's protecting something."

"Yeah, the tomb. But we're not gonna find it, so can't we leave? Together?"

Kihawahine stomped forward, a huge taloned foot thudding in between them. The impact send Louie stumbling backwards and he landed on his backside, jarred but not injured.

"Get out of here!" Gosalyn cried before Kihawahine roared again, her massive head and sharp teeth coming straight for Louie.

Not needing to be told twice, Louie scrambled up the hill and out of the grotto, heart pounding furiously somewhere in the region of his throat.

He jogged away, finding Huey and Louie barely past the rocks of the grotto. They were wrestling Uncle Scrooge who was, once again, putting up a fight.

"You boys will — hic! — regret this! Think of the treasure — hic! — you're abandoning! I can't believe members of my own — hic! — family are betraying me like this!"

Louie jumped on top of Uncle Scrooge and managed to get him on his back so he was sitting on his chest. "Uncle Scrooge!" he cried. "This has to stop! Now is not the time for treasure!"

"It's always — hic! — time for treasure," Uncle Scrooge argued.

Louie grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him in the eye. "You awakened a goddess and Gosalyn is sacrificing herself to get us home safely. If she hadn't been here, Kihawahine would have killed us. Come on, Uncle Scrooge, snap out of it!" Louie shook him slightly, hoping his words would sink in.

And something he said must have gotten through, because Uncle Scrooge shook himself and his eyes lost their glossy look. "Louie?"

"Please, Uncle Scrooge. We have to get out of here. Treasure doesn't matter!"

His beak twisting in guilt, Uncle Scrooge said, "Yer right, lad."

Huey and Dewey approached cautiously, glancing at one another, not trusting that Uncle Scrooge had shaken off the gold fever.

Uncle Scrooge glanced between the three. "I couldna see past my own greed and put you three in danger. Can ya ever forgive me?"

"Of course we can, Uncle Scrooge," breathed Huey, relief flooding his features.

"We know treasure is important to you," said Dewey, helping Uncle Scrooge sit up as Louie slid off to sit beside him.

"But is should not be something I put before any of you." Uncle Scrooge grabbed onto the netting. "Where's Gosalyn?"

"Still in the grotto," said Louie. "Made me leave without her."

"We have to help!" Huey said.

"Aye. Any of ye have a knife?"

Dewey pulled out the knife Gosalyn had given him and started sawing away at the netting until Uncle Scrooge was freed. Tossing the net away, Uncle Scrooge looked at the boys, a serious expression on his face. "I'm sorry fer making ye think yer less important to me than some blasted treasure."

None of them responded, but they smiled in understanding. It wasn't the first time Uncle Scrooge became enamored with a treasure and thought of nothing else.

"Now let's go see if we can help Gosalyn," said Uncle Scrooge, getting to his feet.

But they weren't needed after all.

Gosalyn emerged from the grotto just as they were approaching it again, her quiver strapped in place and her bow in hand.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, reaching back for an arrow. "How did he get free?"

"He doesn't have gold fever anymore," explained Dewey.

Gosalyn sent them all a skeptical look. "So you're returning to the cave for a good time?"

"For you," Louie said.

Gosalyn shook her head. "Kihawahine is going to let us leave provided we never return to this island again." She studied Uncle Scrooge. "You okay with leaving, sir?"

"I think it best, lass. And if yeh'll take it, ye still have a position as Strike Team Omega."

"I'll need to think about it," she said, unstringing her bow and putting it away. "Shall we, gentlemen? Before Kihawahine changes her mind?"

"To the canoe!" said Huey, in high spirits once more with everything back in order.

"Canoe?" Gosalyn asked.

"Only way on and off," said Dewey.

She looked to Uncle Scrooge. "This is a point against rejoining Strike Team Omega."

Uncle Scrooge smiled. "Understood."

—…—…—…—…—…—…—…—

"You okay, Louie?" Uncle Donald asked, an overcoat and scarf in hand.

Louie blinked, returning to their Christmas cabin from his Hawai'ian memories. "Yeah," he said.

Uncle Donald's eyebrows drew together.

"Really, Uncle Donald. I'm okay."

Still looking skeptical, Uncle Donald zipped up his coat and wrapped the scarf around his neck. "I'm going to get José and Panchito from the airport. We can talk tonight."

Louie considered the offer.

Sure, Uncle Donald wanted to hear about Hawai'i.

But then Uncle Donald and Uncle Scrooge would fight. Mr. Mallard would also probably join in the argument and their Christmas retreat would be tainted with the memory of something that was long past.

Smiling, Louie said, "Thanks. I'll take you up on that if I need to. You want company getting Panchito and José?"

Donald returned the smile. "Get your coat."

'Someday,' thought Louie as he grabbed his winter wear and hurried after Uncle Donald. 'I'll tell him about Hawai'i.'

But not today.

Not during this trip.

The cabin retreat was about togetherness and Louie wanted to keep it that way.

Kihawahine is a real Hawaiian goddess. Her story, and King Kamehameha's, are fascinating and give some amazing insight into Hawaiian folklore and history. I recommend them highly!

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