Unexpected Spark

In this episode, our characters will meet and learn about Siberian Huskies. The characters will also meet up with old friends and learn about wildfires and what causes them and how firefighters fight them. 

The new words introduced in this episode are: sashimi, pescatarian, heterochromia, humid, acclimated, coniferous, deciduous, water tender, evacuating and perishing. 

Are the animals in danger? Will they need to evacuate? Listen and find out!

Transcript

Intro: 

Welcome back to Season 4 of the Kitten & Clucky podcast!  If this is your first time listening, we hope you love it!  Our characters have grown and changed a lot in 3 season just like kids grow and change every year.  Be sure to check out the other 3 seasons to catch up on all the adventures.  And now we join our characters down at the coop!

(Theme Song)

Season 4 Episode 1: Unexpected Spark

LOKI: Aroooooooooooo (heard off in the distance Corwin howling not an actual husky howl)

CLUCKY: Did y’all hear that?

BRIGITA: Do you think it was a coyote?

BRIDGET: Sure sounded like one.

KITTEN: I don’t know, it sounded a little different than the sound that coyote pup Kai made.

CLUCKY: Maybe this is an older coyote - like papa coyote!

BELLA: We should maybe consider going back into the coop, don’t you think?

LOKI: Arooooooooooo (sounds closer this time) and add some leaf rustling sounds and some sniffing sounds

KITTEN: Everyone stay quiet, it’s getting closer. 

BRIDGET: It’s really loudly sniffing! Maybe it’s sniffing for us!

CLUCKY: It reminds me of when Rosie and Jack used to sniff around for things.

LOKI: Helllooooooooo!

CLUCKY: ARGHHHH it is a coyote!

LOKI: OH NO! Where?

BRIGITA: Aren’t you a coyote?

LOKI: Oh no! I guess we’re distantly related, all part of the canine family, but no. I’m more closely related to the wolf. (Arrooorrrrrh)

KITTEN: Oh no! Wolves eat chickens and cats! Stay back! You beast! 

Clucky: Stay back Beast! Kitten up to the top of the enclosure! I’m going to sound the alarm (starts to crow) 

Loki: whoa whoa! Hold on! Calm down. 

BRIGITA: why should we? 

Loki: I’m not a beast, sure I may be related to wolves but that’s like saying that cat up there is related to a cougar. 

Kitten: Hold on everyone, let’s give him a chance before we sound the alarm. Maybe he is ok. I’m obviously not a cougar but he is correct, our species are related. 

BRIDGET: so you don’t eat cats and chickens? 

LOKI: Not live ones! Ha! (Others gasp)  Just kidding no, my preference is fish - salmon in particular is my favourite. 

Kitten: oh I love salmon! Do you prefer canned or fresh? 

Loki: No preference. I like it in my kibble, canned, with a bit of teriyaki, oh and sashimi…oh yum. 

CLUCKY: You get so chummy with salmon??

LOKI: Sashimi - raw fish! It’s Japanese like a type of sushi but without the rice!

BRIDGET: Hmmm, so you’re related to the wolf, but you’re not a wolf. 

LOKI: Nope. I’m 100% Siberian Husky also known as Floof master, Floofy butt, and well my name, Loki

KITTEN: Loki? As in the god of mischief?

LOKI: Huh…. yeah, us huskies are quite commonly called Loki. I’ve met quite a few in dog parks named Loki. God of Mischief though? I suppose I can get myself into a bit of trouble.

CLUCKY: My name is Sir Cluckington of Kerrington, but everyone just calls me Clucky. This here is Kitten.(Meow) That’s Bella,(Hi) Bridget (Bawk) and Brigita (Cheerio). What’s a Siberian Husky?

LOKI: Well, I’m a dog. Arctic origin. I love pulling and running…lots of running and snacks. 

CLUCKY: Snacks! Not you are talking my language.  What are your favorites? 

LOKI: I love snacks, apples, pumpkin, oranges, broccoli, mangoes…

CLUCKY: Mangos!  I love mangos too! 

LOKI:  ooooh yeah, love mangoes oh and sweet potatoes. 

KITTEN: You sound like a pescatarian. 

LOKI: I’m not a pesky, that would be like a poodle husky mix wouldn’t it? .

KITTEN: Pescatarian - one who eats vegetables, fruits and fish as protein, not meat.

LOKI: Well I do eat meat but it’s usually in a dried up kibble form, so I don’t know what kind of meat it is. It’s just tasty.

KITTEN: I see…… So, what brings you by and where have you come from?

LOKI: Well, my family just moved in a few months ago down below. I came up for a run and to sound the alarm.

CLUCKY: You sound like my kind of dog. That’s usually my job to sound the alarm. What’s the alarm for?

LOKI: A forest fire.

HENS, KITTEN and CLUCKY: What? Oh no? Where? Oh dear? Etc….

LOKI: Over across the valley. My hooman dad saw it and then apparently drove over there on his motorcycle to check it out. I heard him telling my hooman mom that there were some firetrucks there already. He said it wasn’t that big and probably would be put out fairly soon.

BRIGITA: Thank goodness. That sounds absolutely terrifying!

LOKI: Well, I’m keeping an eye on it and sounding the alarm. I don’t like fires. My mom and dad (people) used to try and make me hang out with them by the campfire at our cottage and I hated it. Nope, nuh uh…. Waaay too hot for my liking. I like snow and ice. The colder the better. 

CLUCKY: You’ll love the winters up here then Loki. We got lots of snow this year!

LOKI: AROOOOOOOOOO! Me likey the sounds of that!

CHRISTINE: (Off in the distance calling) LOKI!! Where are you boy? LOKI!! COME!! (whistle) LOKI! TREAT!!!

LOKI: oooooo, I gotta run. That’s my mom Hooman! She said the magic word. I love TREATS!! Coming!!!! Bye! Nice meeting you all, I’ll see you again soon!

BRIDGET: And he’s off! He’s fast. And did you notice he had two different coloured eyes? One was brown and the other was blue. That was weird.

KITTEN: It’s quite common in that breed. It’s called heterochromia. They can have two blue or two brown or one of each colour sometimes they can have two colors within the same eye! It can also occur in humans.  There was a girl in our neighborhood in Florida that had one blue eye and one brown eye.  After we met her, Maddox and I looked it up.  We also learned it was common in Huskies when we were reading a book about dog breeds. I think Xander even mentioned he’d like a Siberian Husky.

CLUCKY: I liked him. Anyone who believes in being on alert and sounding alarms is a friend in my eyes, blue, brown or whatever. 

BELLA: I hope he’s right that the fire is going to be put out soon. Why didn’t we hear about forest fires back in Florida?

BRIDGET: We didn’t live near forests. We’re surrounded by them now. 

KITTEN: And the climate here is perfect for wildfires. The summers get so hot and dry because we don’t get any rain for several months. It’s common for forest fires to start by a lightning strike, but we haven’t had any thunderstorms at all. I wonder how it started? 

CLUCKY: We had thunderstorms all the time in Florida but never forest fires.  

KITTEN: That’s because it was so humid in Florida.  

BELLA: What is Humid again? 

KITTEN: To be Humid means there is a lot of water vapor in the air. If there is a lot of water vapor in the air, the humidity will be high. The higher the humidity, the wetter it feels outside.  Also if there is a lot of water vapor in the air it makes it more difficult to start a fire.  

CLUCKY: Too right Florida was humid!  You could almost drink the water out of the air at times.  Then remember when we were driving across the country one of the places was so dry we were dunking our heads in the water bowl so we could blink our eyes again.  

BELLA: I remember that!  My eyes were so dry they almost felt stuck open.  

CLUCKY: It was like the air was trying to suck all the water out of us through our eyeballs.  

KITTEN: Meow, Clucky, you are so dramatic sometimes.

CLUCKY: Wait a minute.  You said it was hot and dry here and you are right, we have not had rain for a long time. It has also been so hot that I’m sure I’ve lost half my feathers I had in the winter.  Why is it that my eyeballs feel just fine now?  I can blink just fine and do not feel the need to dunk my head in the water bowl.    

BRIGITA: That is True!  What is going on?  

KITTEN: Well you have acclimated.

CLUCKY: BAWK!  I certainly did not mean to make you aggravated.  My humblest apologies! 

KITTEN: What?  No. I said, acclimated, not aggravated.

BRIDGET: What is acclimated? 

KITTEN: Acclimated means become accustomed to a new climate or to new conditions.  

CLUCKY: Oh, well why didn’t we get acclimated when we were driving from Florida to Washington?  

KITTEN: Because it was too fast.

CLUCKY: What do you mean it was too fast? The driving took FOOOOREEEEVERRRR!

KITTEN: I agree the journey did feel like it took a long time but really it was only a week and the changes in climate happened very quickly as we drove to knew parts of the country. Your body did not have time to adjust to the climate of the region before it changed again.  Whereas now, the changes have happened slowly over time so your body had made little adjustments during that time to keep you comfortable.  

BRIDGET: What kind of adjustments? I have not noticed anything.

KITTEN: Yes you have.  You all noticed that this winter you grew more feathers to keep you warmer. And although you may have not noticed, you feathers are now much lighter during this summer.  You have shed a lot of them or molted. Molting is the process your body goes through to replace all your feathers.  It usually is at its peak in mid summer.  

CLUCKY: So that is why there are so many loose feathers around the bottom of the coup.  

KITTEN: Correct.  You have also been drinking more water so that way your body has more water to keep your eyes from drying out. 

BELLA:  That is so true!  Xander has to refill our water bowl every day this time of year.  I had never thought about that!  

BRIGITA:  Wow!  I always knew my body was amazing but it is also brilliant!  Thank you for explaining about acclimation but   Can we get back to the fire?  If it was not caused by a thunderstorm, how else can a wild forest fire start?

KITTEN: Unfortunately the majority of forest fires are started by humans. Usually accidental, sometimes carelessness. 

BELLA: But we have mostly live trees around and I thought they don’t burn as well as old dried wood.

KITTEN: There’s a lot of dried debris around - dead leaves, old twigs, dried grass, it’s all really flammable. 

BRIDGET: Aren’t coniferous trees also more flammable than deciduous ones Kitten? 

CLUCKY: Delicious trees vs contagious trees?

KITTEN: Oh Clucky, didn’t we talk about deciduous trees before? Deciduous trees are those that can lose their leaves in the fall. The ones that turn colors remember? Coniferous trees have needles instead of leaves. They’re green all year. There’s a lot of coniferous trees in Washington and Oregon. In some areas, the forests are mostly deciduous trees, but not here. That makes forest fires more dangerous. The coniferous trees have saps in their needles, branches and trunks that make them more flammable. The needles that fall and blanket the forest floors are also a great source of fuel for fire because they get so dried out.

BRIDGET: Actually in some forests that are a mix of coniferous and deciduous, the coniferous may burn out in a wild fire and allow the seeds of the deciduous trees to take root and regrow and those forests are less susceptible to forest fires. That’s sadly not the case here in the Pacific Northwest though. We have far fewer deciduous trees so fewer seeds to fill out and grow. 

BRIGITA: Where did you get all this information Bridget? 

BRIDGET: You’d be surprised how much you can learn from talking to the local birds and animals around here. 

KITTEN: That’s not surprising at all. We’ve met lots of new friends and learned so much about other animals and our new environment. 

BRIDGET: We’re so lucky to have moved to such an interesting new place! 

CLUCKY: I agree! I hope it sticks around and this fire doesn’t reach us!

Transition 

KITTEN: Do you still smell the smoke? I think it’s gotten better the past few days. 

CLUCKY: I don’t smell anything except the scraps that were brought down this morning by Xander. I think there might be a bit of mango somewhere.. Need to hunt that down.

SFX - Rustling of leaves through trees

TATUM: Greetings my feathered friends.

CLUCKY: Oh hey Tatum! I’ve been wondering if we’d see you again. Have you noticed the fire?

NEAL: Hi Clucky! The fire is the talk of the forest right now

KITTEN: Hello Neal! You’ve gotten so much bigger than the last time we saw you!

NEAL: Yeah, I’m almost as tall as my mom now! Normally I’d be going off on my own but this fire is a new experience and mama thought I should stick closer to her for now.

TATUM: Yes, my sons normally leave after a year, while my daughters tend to stick around a year longer. Neal was a late fawn though and he seems to be super protective of me. It’s very sweet.

CLUCKY: Hold them horses…. You have other children?

TATUM: Oh yes, I have several that have grown up and started their own families. My daughters are still around and I see them from time to time. Neal is my last born though. I think that’s why he’s stuck around and keeps me company 

NEAL: And safe!

TATUM: Yes, and safe. Are you all alright? This fire is alarming.

BRIGITA: Is it still burning? We haven’t heard much about it the past few days and Kitten was just mentioning that the smell of smoke seems less than what it was originally.

TATUM: Unfortunately it is still burning and has gotten bigger. The winds have taken it to the opposite direction though. It’s a difficult fire to contain because the humans can’t get to it easily. There are no roads and the terrain is very steep in many parts so everything has to be done by hand.

CLUCKY: How are they trying to control it? Are they using those long hoses? 

TATUM: No, they can’t because there are no water sources unless they bring it up in water tenders.

CLUCKY: A tender? Like a lion tender?  In a circus?  (whip crack) Get back beast! 

KITTEN: Clucky that’s a lion tamer, not tender. I’m assuming Tatum means a tender as in a vehicle that would carry water? 

TATUM: Yes, they are large trucks that carry tanks of water. But they can’t use those with this fire because the hoses aren’t long enough and they can’t get close because of the lack of roads. 

BRIDGET: I’ve seen a few planes and helicopters flying more frequently lately. The helicopters look like they’re carrying buckets.

NEAL: Yes, mama has pointed those out to me. They are dumping water over the fires from the air. Mama told me that the buckets are called Bambi buckets by firefighters!

CLUCKY: Bambi?  That’s a strange name to call a bucket? After a bee? Are they big giant water bees that go BAM?

TATUM: (chuckles) Oh Clucky…no. Bambi is a story about a young fawn growing up that the humans seem to enjoy. During the story there is a forest fire. I suppose that’s how it got named a Bambi bucket.

CLUCKY: Oh! How much water can these helicopters and planes carry? And how do you fill up a plane with water?

TATUM: It’s actually very fascinating. We happened to see it yesterday while we were down by the lake! The plane comes in close to the water and skims the surface. There is a door that opens and allows water to fill the belly of the plane. Then it flies back up, the door closes and it flies off ready to dump the water where it needs to. 

KITTEN: Maddox and I read that the helicopters fill up in a similar way. They find lakes nearby or even the ocean and lower their bambi buckets down to fill them and then rise back up and fly away. The buckets can carry anywhere from  72 to 2,600 gallons of water! 

BELLA: It’s a good thing we have that big river nearby and a lake!

KITTEN: In the book we read, there are many different types of aircraft that assist with fighting fires. The planes can carry anywhere from 800 to 12,000 gallons of water depending on the type! They also help with creating plans on how to attack and put out the fires. 

BRIGITA: That’s a lot of water! Is it helping?

TATUM: Well the forest is full of firefighters right now close to the fire. I think I heard a human referring to them as hotshots. They are trained specifically for fighting wildfires and work closest to the flames to try and keep it from spreading. They dig trenches into the ground trying to eliminate fuel for the fire by breaking up roots, cutting down saplings, and even have ones that carry chain saws to cut down trees. They even set fire to burn out fuel in advance of the fire to try and contain spread. They are so brave and very strong.

BELLA: That sounds so dangerous.

TATUM: I’m sure they have their own exit plans in place. Speaking of which, have your humans mentioned any plans about evacuating if you need to?

CLUCKY: Evacuating? You mean leaving our home?

TATUM: Yes, if the fire gets too close, it would be safest to leave. While the fire is traveling away from this area, all it takes is for the wind to shift, embers to fly and the fire could start moving into a new direction 

BRIGITA: Let’s get out now!! 

FERAL: Brigita, you are welcome to come with me and my human!

KITTEN: FERAL!! Where did you come from?

BRIGITA: I’m packing my bags!!

FERAL: OH ma cherie, it is with terrible sadness that I come and visit you all! My owner has been lamenting in the barn about what to do about zis forest fire. She feels we must leave right away because she is afraid of the danger and of us perishing. 

CLUCKY: Parachuting seems like the wrong way to go here Feral. But the fire seems to be contained and heading in the other direction so far. 

FERAL No, no, not parachuting, perishing? Is this not the english word? To die suddenly or in an unexpected way. 

KITTEN: No, you are correct Feral :Perishing is an english word and you are using it correctly. 

TATUM: Wildfires are very unpredictable Clucky and we can never be too sure. While it’s not close now, it can change directions. It isn’t fully under control yet by any means. The amount of hot shots in the woods right now is evidence of that. I actually came by to make sure you were alright and to warn you of the danger. I’m heading out with Neal to make sure we are clear of the area in case the fire does change direction. I feel like the wind could start shifting.

FERAL: This long legged beauty is certainly expressing the same things my human has been crying about the last few days. 

KITTEN: It seems premature.

FERAL: Ah, ma cherie, parting is such sweet sorrow. You must stay safe! I cannot bear ze idea of a world without you in it! I don’t know when we shall see each other again. Fear not, my feelings for you burn stronger than any fire.  

BRIDGET: Really Feral, a fire reference now? 

FERAL: It was so difficult for me to slip away and even come to say au revoir! My owner has kept such a close eye on me and has been restricting my ability to traverse around the area. 

KITTEN: I see….

BRIGITA: Feral, I’m coming with you!

CLUCKY: Brigita, there’s no need to panic. Xander will protect us. He wouldn’t let anything happen to us. So, stop packing your non-existent belongings and calm down. 

SFX - Feral’s collar goes off 

FERAL: Zut! Encore! I must go my friends. I will be sinking of all of you and hoping you are all staying safe! I must go to my human before she leaves without me. Brigita, apologies that I cannot take you with me! But I’m sure Clucky is right and your humans will protect you. Au revoir and bonne chance my friends! Kitten….. There is not enough time…. Mon coeur… I must go! 

NEAL: He seems…. Dramatic.

KITTEN: Oh Neal, you have no idea. 

TATUM: Well, we’re happy to see that you’re all doing well. Neal and I must be heading out as well. 

CLUCKY: Bye Tatum and Neil! We hope we see you again after all this fire business.

HENS AND KITTEN: all say “good bye! Farewell! Good luck! Be Careful!

NEIL: Bye everyone. I hope we’ll see you again in the near future.

TATUM: Take care my friends. Stay safe and be well. I’ll check in on you again when we’re back in the area.  

(I usually have the theme song track repeating under the whole of the credits) 

Thank you for joining us for Todays episode.  Be sure to follow our show wherever you get your podcast so you don’t miss out on what happens next.  Will the fire be put out?  Will it change directions? Tune in next time for the to find out!  

While you are waiting for the answers to these questions check out our friends at the StoryPillar, a podcast for kids and their grownups. Join Sneak, Bean, Sparky, and Meg as they tackle sticky social situations, explore stories from all over the world, and pick up great advice from listeners–like you! They also save plenty of time for laughing and being silly…so if you’ve got feelings, love stories, and are up for a fart joke or ten, Storypillar is definitely worth a listen. Check it out at www.storypillar.com or wherever you love listening to podcasts.

Credits: (I usually pull SFX from the episode that represent each character)

Voices for today’s episodes were preformed by, Corwin Rozum as Loki (SFX), Julian Rozum as Neil (SFX), Christine Rozum as Tatum (SFX) and Feral (SFX), Parker Daniels as Bridget (SFX) Bella (SFX) and Brigita (SFX) and Amy Daniels as Kitten (SFX) and Clucky (SFX).  The Kitten and Clucky Podcast was created and Produced by Amy Daniels.  Today’s script was written by Amy Daniels and Christine Rozum.  Special Thanks to our Theme song composer Henry Johnson 

CLUCKY: Do you know he wrote that when he was only 12 years old?  

KITTEN:  Wow he is so talented!  

Sound effects and music provided by Epidemic Sound.  Beowulf,  this is what I would usually write, however if you take over the editing how would you like credit?  

Would this work?  

Sound effects and audio editing provided by Two Squared Media Productions LLC