“OHHHH…

Gimme a home among the gum trees…
With lots of plum trees…”

Aside from the jovial melody bursting forth from the powerful lungs of the outlandish creature (surprisingly in-tune for a sound so loud), the old threshold forest was more or less at peace. Little did he know that the lull in warbling wildlife had been caused too by the wandering hooves of another, a stranger nearby, as well as himself - though he felt rather a part of the woodwork these days and was sure the birds thought him to be no threat at all.

Thick lashes were sealed tightly together around the gloss of his twin, leafy-green eyes; there was no chance of Banjo seeing her, no matter the number of trees between. The echo of his performance, lean barrel propped well back, high above the sturdy curve of his long muscular tail, filled the shadowy caverns of each long wobbly ear; there was no chance of him hearing the exotic nature of her eloquent tongue (so unlike his own).

“A sheep or two, or a kangaroo…”

But the sound of her final call, suddenly brighter and more demanding, did catch his notice, and mid-song the cheerful buck paused to listen. With his unusual face tilted a little to the left (ever the posture of  intrigue), he strained against the heavy silence, waiting for something else - anything to betray her whereabouts.

“COOEE!” he called out minutes later, yet only the disgruntled skitter of paws or claws or something through litter, seemed to answer. “Who goes there!?” he posed, chuckling, mimicking the sound of those who he had so far met along his Helovian journey. But the question was probably to quiet, dulled deliberately for the sake of his entertainment alone, as leathery hands plopped down heavily to the earth.

Banjo walked (his special variation anyway), slowly between the vast labyrinth of trees and by some luck came upon the position of someone else. Whether or not it was the owner of the call he couldn’t have been certain, but as their silhouette grew into the elegant figure of a crimson-brown sheila, he smiled widely.

Any company was good company, right?

“G’day there!” he offered across the space remaining - softer than he would normally have, for the last time he approached someone they set a rack of tree-like antler down in a most unfriendly greeting. It was the first, and hopefully the last time he made that mistake. This time, the quirky horsaroo waited for the stranger to take the bait and invite him over!