The Feather and the Fang (Te Manu Wairua)

(Intro) (The claustrophobic, echoing sound of a deep, dark cave) (The sudden, violent rustle of massive feathers: Fwump... Fwump...) (A high-pitched, eerie female voice hums a discordant, terrifying melody) (Whispered, panicked male breathing: Hah... Hah... Hah...) Koo-rah-ngy-too-koo... (Kurangaituku - The Bird-Woman) Hah-too-pah-too... (Hatupatu - The captive warrior) (Verse 1) (Slow, creeping drum beat: Tap... Tap... Tap...) She keeps him in the cavern deep Where the broken bones of the forest sleep The spear of her mouth and the claw of stone She hunts in the dark and she hunts alone He waits for the monster to take the sky To steal the cloak and prepare to fly But the little birds watch from the shadow's edge And they scream from the rock and the wooden ledge! (Chorus) (Drums explode into a double-time, frantic, sprinting rhythm) (High-pitched, shrieking voices representing the warning birds) Ree-row! Ree-row! (Riro - Gone/Taken) The treasure is taken, the captive runs! Ree-row! Ree-row! Away from the cave and beneath the suns! Fie-ah! (Whaia - Chase/Pursue) The wings of the demon are closing in! Fie-ah! The horror of feathers and rotting skin! (Verse 2) (Music keeps the frantic, racing pace. The sound of heavy, panicked footsteps running on dirt.) She drops from the cloud with a deafening cry The shadow of death in the open sky He runs to the cliff where the giant stands And he strikes the stone with his bleeding hands! Koe-hah-too! (Kōhatu - Rock/Stone) Too-feh-rah! (Tuwhera - Open up) He chants the magic to part the grey! The rock swallows him up and he hides away! She scratches the stone with a blinding hate But the demon is outside and she is too late! (Bridge) (The racing drums slow down slightly, replaced by the deep, heavy bubbling of boiling mud) Fah-kah-reh-wah-reh-wah! (Whakarewarewa - The boiling geothermal valley) The steam is rising to blind the beast! Fah-kah-reh-wah-reh-wah! The boiling earth is preparing the feast! He runs through the geyser, he leaps the fire The screaming bird-woman is drawing higher She steps in the pool of the boiling mud And the earth consumes the feather and blood! (Chorus) (Maximum volume, chaotic wall of sound with crashing percussion and terrifying shrieks) Ree-row! Ree-row! The treasure is taken, the captive runs! Ree-row! Ree-row! Away from the cave and beneath the suns! Fie-ah! The wings of the demon are closing in! Fie-ah! The horror of feathers and rotting skin! (Outro) (The frantic drums suddenly halt) (The sound of violent, heavy splashing in boiling water, followed by a final, gurgling shriek) (Only the slow bubbling of thick mud remains) (Spoken in a relieved, exhausted whisper) Koe-hah-too... The stone is closed. Ow-tay-ah-row-ah... (Aotearoa) (A single, final bird chirp)