Sentence:  Crudely as they had calculated they were at first justified by the event: she was the little feathered <WSD>shuttlecock</WSD> they could fiercely keep flying between them. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A lightweight object that is conical in shape with a cork or rubber-covered nose, used in badminton the way a ball is used in other racquet games. (from early 16th c.)