By: Yuer Li

Our story starts in Athens…

Damascus is a vain peacock, the vainest, in fact. He has been trying to win the heart of Irene since he first saw her in Sparta. Damascus wakes up in his tree burrow every day, ready to make the flight to Sparta. Today, as he flies toward the Breakfast Dirt Area, he spots two lady crows eating breakfast. As he lands, he hears one of the lady crows whispering to the other that Artemis, goddess of the hunt, is in Sparta, and her sacred deer is with her. Seeing Damascus, they quickly open their wings and fly away.

After breakfast, Damascus heads off for Sparta. There, the city is abuzz with the news of Artemis. Damascus lands, and bumps into three pigeons with baseball hats.

”Hey!” Damascus says. “It’s Iggy,Tiggy,and Liggy!”

As usual they begin to rap.

“Hey dude! Artemis is in towwwwwwwn!”

“I know,” Damascus says.

”Hey dude! You wanna hear a joke?”

“Sorry,” Damascus says. “I’m off to see Irene.”

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Damascus finds Irene at the temple of Artemis. When Irene sees Damascus, she takes off, heading to where Artemis is staying. Damascus goes after her but stops when he sees where Irene is going. He hides in a clearing nearby; and sees Irene begging to join Artemis. Damascus is devastated and kills several birds in his rage. However he stops when he accidentally wounds Artemis’s deer.

Instantly, Damascus hears a booming voice echo.

“HOW DARE YOU WOUND MY DEER AND BE ANNOYING TO IRENE!”

In a flash of lightning, Artemis turned Damascus into the cold wind.

Even now, birds flee from the vain peacock and his cold wind by migrating in the winter.