%%/~^..... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .....^~/%%
%/~^......  % in the end, it's ride or die. join or ......^~/%
/~^....... ........  get integrated.  %  .......... .......^~/
~^........ .. %% eventually they lay their eggs, .. ........^~
/~^....... . usually in warm, tasty places. it's .  .......^~/
%/~^...... .. bird elf custom to let others deal .. ......^~/%
%%/~^..... ................... with the fallout. %% .....^~/%%
£%%/~^.... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ....^~/%%£
@£%%/~^... %%% % before their juice harvesting .... ...^~/%%£@
@@£%%/~^.. .. organs start to cludge, and before .. ..^~/%%£@@
#@@£%%/~^. . their wings atrophy, and before their. .^~/%%£@@#
@@£%%/~^.. . tails start to seek the earth... % %%% ..^~/%%£@@
@£%%/~^... %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% ...^~/%%£@
£%%/~^.... %%% these elves have no bell power, the^ ....^~/%%£
%%/~^..... ..... fey bells are called by other .... .....^~/%%
%/~^...... .......................... agitators %%% ......^~/%
/~^....... %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% .......^~/
~^........ %%% they feed mostly on plant nectar in. ........^~
/~^....... . their first years, relying on rains to .......^~/
%/~^...... ... filter through the vines of the .... ......^~/%
%%/~^..... ............................ island. %%% .....^~/%%
£%%/~^.... %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% ....^~/%%£
@£%%/~^... %%%%% % they have built their largest .. ...^~/%%£@
@@£%%/~^.. . colony in the floating tree outside .. ..^~/%%£@@
#@@£%%/~^. of venezuela.  any  bird from  any house .^~/%%£@@#
@@£%%/~^.. ................is welcome here. % %%%%% ..^~/%%£@@
@£%%/~^... %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% ...^~/%%£@
£%%/~^.... %%%%% there's a desert of fangs to be .. ....^~/%%£
%%/~^..... ........................ cast into %%%%% .....^~/%%
%/~^...... ~ the largest gathering of such elves .. ......^~/%
/~^....... ......... will be in the floating tree ~ .......^~/
~^........ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ........^~
/~^....... ~~ although you could find a solitary .. .......^~/
%/~^...... .. bird elf hexing you for stepping .... ......^~/%
%%/~^..... ... out of lane in your own garden, .... .....^~/%%
£%%/~^.... ..... .bird elves flock together ....... ....^~/%%£
@£%%/~^... ........................ if they can. ~~ ...^~/%%£@
@@£%%/~^.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ..^~/%%£@@
#@@£%%/~^. ~~~ they look like dark birds at first ~ .^~/%%£@@#
@@£%%/~^.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ..^~/%%£@@
@£%%/~^... ~~~~ ~ some practice animal husbandry, . ...^~/%%£@
£%%/~^.... .... especially monkeys and snakes ..... ....^~/%%£
%%/~^..... .......... (for fur or scales, ......... .....^~/%%
%/~^...... ........... or quality of blood). ~ ~~~~ ......^~/%
/~^....... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .......^~/
~^........ ~~~~ the floating tree above ........... ........^~
/~^....... ......................... venezuela ~~~~ .......^~/
%/~^...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ......^~/%
%%/~^..... ~~~~~ their claws are long ............. .....^~/%%
£%%/~^.... and root-like, and trail after them in . ....^~/%%£
@£%%/~^... .......................... flight. ~~~~~ ...^~/%%£@
@@£%%/~^.. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ..^~/%%£@@
#@@£%%/~^. ~~~~~~ . various dances performed ...... .^~/%%£@@#
@@£%%/~^.. ............................... . ~~~~~~ ..^~/%%£@@
@£%%/~^... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ...^~/%%£@
£%%/~^.... ~~~~~~~~~ later they will learn how to . ....^~/%%£
%%/~^..... .. harvest blood from animals (think ... .....^~/%%
%/~^...... ................... mosquito). ~~~~~~~~~ ......^~/%
/~^....... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .......^~/