Ice Feathers

What would you do if you were thirteen, and your aunt wanted to marry you off to get rid of you? Kura decides to steal her uncle's flightless riding-bird, the vicious and unpredictable Plume, and set off to find her real parents. This is Antarctica, ten thousand years ago, when for a short time just the coastal strip is ice-free. It's a bit like prehistoric New Zealand - all the evolutionary niches have been filled by birds, and the main predator is a giant eagle. Joeli is also running away from home because he thinks he's killed his tutor-parrot, the clever and self-opinionated Kohuru. Kura and Joeli have loathed one another for years, and are appalled when they realise they must travel together. It's a dangerous world. There are killer eagles, the bounty rider hired to reclaim Plume, the sadistic chieftain The Varka... and the bitter cold... Kura's search for her parents becomes entangled with an attempt to thwart the Varka's plans, risking both her own life and those of her friends. If you enjoyed The Divide Trilogy you'll like this.