“It’s winter and I’ve heard that it’s snowing in the Northern Mountains,” exclaimed Dazel to Swain the swan as the two birds fluttered to the Aviary School for Birds on Friday morning.

“Do you want to accompany me there this Saturday?” the duck asked.

“Ummmm… Dazel, your adventures in the mountains are always very dangerous,” the swan said, shaking its head with a sigh. “Whenever you go up to the Northern Mountains, you get ensnared in some terrible escapade.”

“Yes, yes,” said Dazel laughing it off, “but I will avoid all those mistakes I have made in the previous adventures. And it snows only once a year. And trust me, it’s worth witnessing.”

“I for one want a peaceful weekend and I would also advise you not to go alone,” Swain suggested. Dazel shrugged good-naturedly and the two friends prepared themselves for the morning assembly.

In the geography class, their teacher, Kia the kingfisher, revealed, “We are studying different biomes and our next topic is tundra — this is a type of biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The Northern Mountains in D’Land are an example of the Alpine-Alpine tundra where the high elevation and adverse climate makes it too cold and windy to support tree growth,” Kia replied.

Dazel could not control her excitement. “What a coincidence! I’m planning to go see the snowfall in the Northern Mountains tomorrow.”

“Really?” said Kia. “But remember you can get caught in snowstorms and avalanches.”

“She already has,” joked Candy and the other birds laughed. Dazel blushed.

“I will watch the snowfall from the base of the mountains,” Dazel defended herself. “Then I’d like to go too,” said Eva the eagle.

“Me too,” said Rita the robin. By recess time, the news of Dazel’s upcoming adventure had spread like wildfire and a large group of birds wanted to join in to watch the snowfall in the Northern Mountains.

“What’s this I hear, Dazel?” asked Wiz Rooster, the principal, when he heard the rumours himself.

“I’m not leading a group, Sir. All these other birds are just accompanying me,” the duck was quick to explain.

“Remember Dazel, this is not an official field trip. But I’m worried about you all so I want to send a teacher with you,” the principal said. It was Mrs Thrush, the vice principal, who agreed to accompany the group of 15 birds.

“We must take consent from the parents, Dazel,” she advised. “Any of you who wish to come must ask your parents,” she exhorted as she addressed the eager group.

The next morning, only ten birds gathered at the Aviary School premises. The others regretted that their parents thought the trip was too dangerous and had refused to give permission.

“Okay troops! All set?” asked Mrs Thrush. She was a responsible teacher and expected everyone to follow rules. “No one will fly away from the group. The sole purpose of this trip is to view the Tundra biome. No one will try anything dangerous.” She seemed to be looking straight at Dazel when she said that.

Dazel blushed again. Her reputation as a daredevil adventurer had made her famous.

The flock of birds set off and by midday the Northern Mountains were in sight. The wind had begun to become quite chilly and the drop in temperature was drastic.

“We will camp at the base of the mountain range,” Mrs Thrush instructed. “I know a good spot,” offered Dazel. She led the group to a small waterfall and pond which had frozen over. The clearing was surrounded by some fir trees.

“This is perfect, Dazel,” Mrs Thrush appreciated. “Your explorations here have paid off.” The group was weary and was glad to rest and have a late supper of the berries and seeds they had brought along. The sky had begun to darken.

“The days are short. Let’s hope to see snow tonight,” Mrs Thrush said. But the moon was hidden behind a thick canopy of clouds and the drifting fog covered the mountain range.

The birds had begun to drift off to sleep in the branches of the fir trees when suddenly there was a screeching sound and a flock of showy white birds swooped down. They looked like owls but were stark white. Their large eyes gleamed eerily blue and their hooked beaks glinted looking sharp and ominous.

“What are you all doing here?” asked one particularly menacing white owl. Mrs Thrush flew forward to answer, “I am sorry if we are trespassing on your territory. We just wanted to stay the night hoping to see the snowfall tomorrow morning. We will leave soon,” explained the teacher. The other birds seemed to be intimidated by the white owls who had surrounded them threateningly.

“Get out of here,” the leader of the owls rasped. “The mountains are not yours.” Letting out a loud screech it brushed its sharp talons over Dazel’s head and flew away. The other ivory owls also followed, looking like ghosts in the dark of the night.

Dazel yelped as blood oozed out of the scratches on her head where the owl’s talons had grazed her. Eva the eagle quickly wiped away the blood with her large wing. Mrs Thrush cleaned the scratches with the icy cold water of the nearly frozen pond.

“It’s not safe to stay the night,” Rita the robin said in a shaky voice. “The owls might come back.”

“These are snowy owls — they are very intelligent birds but are aggressive and attack first on the head with their talons that are razor-sharp. They could also rip away your eyes. This bird can withstand a temperature as low as minus 50 degrees,” explained Mrs Thrush. “I agree…these are birds that are not to be messed with.”

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