[Trade] Leaves and Peafowl

The zoo had been open for a few hours when some keepers came around to the peafowl pen. With them they brought a wheelbarrow full of crunchy colorful fall leaves. Default, a female Indian Peafowl looked up from where she had been eating some food and shook her feathers, eyeing the keepers as they entered the exhibit. Dreamer, a male Indian Peafowl squawked at the keepers, ruffling his tail feathers out into their plume as he stomped his feet. The prideful peafowl was quite territorial of the exhibit and his female, Default, even if she didn’t pay him much attention. The keepers just smiled and shook their heads, keeping an eye on the peafowl as they tipped the wheelbarrow over and letting the leaves fall onto the ground. One keeper helped rake the rest of the leaves out with their hands before they exited the exhibit, leaving the peafowl to their leaves. 

Soon some guests of the zoo began to walk over to the exhibit, seeing the keepers leaving with a wheelbarrow, curious to what had been left behind. Default and Dreamer both had their tail feathers spread out now as they walked over to the pile of leaves. Dreamer was the first to inspect the leaves, giving them a few stomps. He squawked a gleeful noise before hopping into the leaves and beginning to play. The noise of the leaves excited Default and she too joined in on the play, spreading the leaves about. Soon enough they were running around their exhibit crashing through the leaves. The keepers and guests of the zoo who had gathered around were laughing as they watched the peafowl. The children giggled and pointed, gleaming with joy as they watched the silly birds sprint about the exhibit. 

“Mommy look at them go!” One little girl said looking up to her mother who stood next to her.

“I know! Aren’t they so silly?” She said looking down to her daughter. She then pulled her phone out and said. “If you turn and look at me, I’ll try to get your picture as they run by.” She said with a smile.

“Ooooh yes!” The child grinned, turning around and smiling wide. The mother quickly took a picture as the peafowl went by, hoping she had gotten a good one.

“That was a good idea” One of the zookeepers said to the other. “I wonder what other animals would like the leaves.” They pondered.

“I bet a lot of them would love to roll around in the leaves, we should go see who else we can give leaves to.” The other zookeeper responded. They stayed for a moment longer watching the birds before heading off on other duties. 

Default soon slowed her running through the leaves as the pile dispersed from their running around. She began to peck at individual ones instead, finding that they were also quite tasty. Dreamer had also stopped his sprinting to peck at the leaves, except he had chosen to fling his head back, tossing them into the air as he played with them more.