The Fledglings
It was a glorious day of green and morning when seven fluffy, flustered songbirds cracked their shells in various nests in the wood by the creek. They were as different as the smooth stones along the way. All were lovely colors, some red, some blue and grey, some like the rainbow. They did not know each other yet, but they were just diverse enough to become friends. Their names were Annalea, Augustine, Reveleca, Chastain, another Augustine, Nolan, and Peace.
Their parents happened to be friends, which is very convenient for our story. As soon as the seven fluffballs coud hop on the forest floor they, too were friends. The world is fresh and new when you have just hatched from a shell in a wood. It was this world they discovered together. Nolan found ripples in the swirling creek when he dropped a pebble in, Peace would braid the pine needles lacing the ground. Annalea liked to prune her fluffy pin feathers, but always hopped off to another adventure. Chastain, one day, found an acorn and spun it so many times it made a leaf smoke. This caused quite a commotion, and he carried that acorn everywhere he went. Any time one of the others got too rowdy, Reveleca gave them a little peck on the head.
Spring could have lasted forever. The seven friends surely thought it would. Imagine their surprise one day when the sun shone brighter than it ever had, and the world seemed covered in a wool banket. Too hot for digging in the dirt, they wondered what they could do. Instead they learned to fly. Hops at first. Flutters. Then short loops in a gust of grown up pride. They were flying! What stifled them on the ground faded away as they saw more of what lay beyond the wood.
Change blew in on a gust of autumn time, and the leaves fell. The compass called to a few of the seven, and even though they didn't want to leave their friends, forces were stronger than their friendship. Or so it seemed. And with the blowing of the wind, Augustine and Peace flew North, while Reveleca and Chastain flew West. It was a sad day. Would they ever play together again?
All was cold and white. The cardinals played in the holly like a perfect Christmas card, and the woodpeckers found their buried dinner. The wood seemed empty without the four traveling birds. But the three remaining grew even closer, and learned they could count on each other through anything. They didn't know it yet, but they would need that love soon.
In a moment, Nolan was gone. It didn't seem real to any of the forest birds. His bright chirp and funny tilt of his head would surely appear soon, laughing because he had hidden from everyone. But they knew, too that he truly was gone. Augustine, Peace, Reveleca, and Chastain flew as fast as they could to their home in the wood. All six looked too old, replacing their baby feathers for vibrant, changing ones. Together they perched in a row on a low aspen, bunched together and leaving empty branch at either end.
"Let's remember the best times with Nolan," they agreed. "It's sad he's no longer here, but we have each other. Our love is enough to bring back the sunshine in the wood. And one day, hopefully very soon, we'll all make the longest trip we've ever flown, together, and we'll see him there. He would want us to be happy here. Let's be who we were meant to be." They each bravely started to sing.
And that's when they grew from fledglings to songbirds.
Their parents happened to be friends, which is very convenient for our story. As soon as the seven fluffballs coud hop on the forest floor they, too were friends. The world is fresh and new when you have just hatched from a shell in a wood. It was this world they discovered together. Nolan found ripples in the swirling creek when he dropped a pebble in, Peace would braid the pine needles lacing the ground. Annalea liked to prune her fluffy pin feathers, but always hopped off to another adventure. Chastain, one day, found an acorn and spun it so many times it made a leaf smoke. This caused quite a commotion, and he carried that acorn everywhere he went. Any time one of the others got too rowdy, Reveleca gave them a little peck on the head.
Spring could have lasted forever. The seven friends surely thought it would. Imagine their surprise one day when the sun shone brighter than it ever had, and the world seemed covered in a wool banket. Too hot for digging in the dirt, they wondered what they could do. Instead they learned to fly. Hops at first. Flutters. Then short loops in a gust of grown up pride. They were flying! What stifled them on the ground faded away as they saw more of what lay beyond the wood.
Change blew in on a gust of autumn time, and the leaves fell. The compass called to a few of the seven, and even though they didn't want to leave their friends, forces were stronger than their friendship. Or so it seemed. And with the blowing of the wind, Augustine and Peace flew North, while Reveleca and Chastain flew West. It was a sad day. Would they ever play together again?
All was cold and white. The cardinals played in the holly like a perfect Christmas card, and the woodpeckers found their buried dinner. The wood seemed empty without the four traveling birds. But the three remaining grew even closer, and learned they could count on each other through anything. They didn't know it yet, but they would need that love soon.
In a moment, Nolan was gone. It didn't seem real to any of the forest birds. His bright chirp and funny tilt of his head would surely appear soon, laughing because he had hidden from everyone. But they knew, too that he truly was gone. Augustine, Peace, Reveleca, and Chastain flew as fast as they could to their home in the wood. All six looked too old, replacing their baby feathers for vibrant, changing ones. Together they perched in a row on a low aspen, bunched together and leaving empty branch at either end.
"Let's remember the best times with Nolan," they agreed. "It's sad he's no longer here, but we have each other. Our love is enough to bring back the sunshine in the wood. And one day, hopefully very soon, we'll all make the longest trip we've ever flown, together, and we'll see him there. He would want us to be happy here. Let's be who we were meant to be." They each bravely started to sing.
And that's when they grew from fledglings to songbirds.
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