"If I could fly I would never come back", you said
Upon noticing that Nova remained a bit awkward in the air, the crow came back around and landed next to her on the ground. Strutting up to a pawprint left in the damp mulch, she pecked her beak at it, then looked off in the direction its originator must have traveled. They couldn't see it from here, but the rush of water was a sigh in the backdrop of chirping birds and droning insects. A sweet call to play on the erratic drafts above the water, and a promise of blissful reprieve from the stifling heat; one even the ancient wouldn't mind heeding.
Spreading her wings again, she leaped up and beat the wide wings to gain altitude. Keeping a pace that should allow Nova to keep up, she began to lead the way through winding trunks and branches - an aerial obstacle course that broke up the monotony of simply slugging from spots A and B.
Soon the light was changing around them, trees opening up to reveal a tributary of the Stonesong. A setting sun touched the current at an angle, sending glittering reflections along the windings so that it looked like molten silver. Kingfishers dove for fish in the shallows along the shore, and further upstream the fish leaped to gulp down gnats, their heavy bodies glistening as they splashed down below. It took her breath away; how golden the light was, how verdant and full of life her home showed itself to be. If this view was the only treasure they ended up finding today then she would still count herself fortunate.
Spreading her wings again, she leaped up and beat the wide wings to gain altitude. Keeping a pace that should allow Nova to keep up, she began to lead the way through winding trunks and branches - an aerial obstacle course that broke up the monotony of simply slugging from spots A and B.
Soon the light was changing around them, trees opening up to reveal a tributary of the Stonesong. A setting sun touched the current at an angle, sending glittering reflections along the windings so that it looked like molten silver. Kingfishers dove for fish in the shallows along the shore, and further upstream the fish leaped to gulp down gnats, their heavy bodies glistening as they splashed down below. It took her breath away; how golden the light was, how verdant and full of life her home showed itself to be. If this view was the only treasure they ended up finding today then she would still count herself fortunate.
Maea
