1 Panzer sat in the penguin crèche [KRESH] with many other young penguins his age. The hot South African sun baked the sandy beach.
2 The small group of baby penguins rested in the shade of a tree. They kept their eyes open for predators and their returning parents.
3 Panzer thought it was boring just watching the world go by. He was large enough now that kelp gulls would not bother him.
4 He watched the gulls as they soared over the beach and water. He admired the long wings that let the birds hover in the air.
5 Panzer held up his own wings and looked at them. They were nowhere near as nice as the gulls' wings. He'd tried flying several times before quitting. He'd run back and forth across the crèche, flapping wildly and hopping into the air. He didn't get airborne, but he did get laughed at. Finally, he quit.
6 Panzer could not fly, but he admired birds that did. Recently, he had seen his first ibis. The sacred ibis was much taller than he was.
7 The bird was tall with wide wings, long legs, and white with black feathers. The long neck and beak made her appear quite elegant in the young penguin's eyes.
8 Panzer wished he could talk to her, but she never gave any sign that she saw them. When his parents brought him food, they never looked at the Ibis. It was like she did not exist to them. One day he asked them about her.
9 "Are you talking about that flyer?" asked his father.
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