Upon Wings Of Change

Chapter 55

I blinked slowly as I woke up. My mind was slow to respond and confused. It took me some time to get my bearings in the complete darkness. My biggest hint was the sound of Taureen's extremely slow heartbeat.

Once more, he had me curled up against his chest as he slept. I didn't recall falling asleep, but it didn't surprise me that he refused to leave me alone after my anguish last night. I had no desire to move and simply rested there.

I must have dozed off again since I woke when I felt Taureen stir. I blinked sleepily as he gently pulled the covers back. He stroked my wings gently. "How are you feeling?"

I uncurled a bit. "The pain and guilt are gone. I feel a bit of sadness, but it is distant and faint. Such emotions seem to fade swiftly with my kind if there is no direct and current cause."

His voice was kind as he said, "Hopefully, it will completely fade, and the memory will lose its sting. The sun will be rising shortly, so we had best rise as well."

The thought of the Morning Song was tempting, and I moved away from Taureen to stretch. I left his room to give him privacy to change. Taureen found me in the garden as I waited for the sun. His hunt for me wasn't hard since it was our routine.

It didn't surprise me that Aeria showed up earlier than usual. She didn't disturb me, although no one ever approached me while I was waiting for the sunrise. She went to sit beside Taureen and spoke softly with him. Their voices were too low for me to make out, but I didn't really try. My attention was on the sun.

I perched on the piece of driftwood as I gazed at the bright object that was starting to peer over the horizon. It seemed rather eager to greet me and appeared to rise faster than normal, although it was likely just my anticipation playing tricks in my mind.

The sunlight seemed to ripple as it signaled the start of the song. I spread my wings to answer its call and took flight. Joy once more flooded through my heart and mind as I sang of the new day. I was more grateful for the Song this morning since yesterday's events had come so close to silencing me forever.

I wove my gratefulness into the song, and my song seemed richer and more tempered. I truly knew why I sang this morning. It wasn't just for the sheer delight of it or because the song called to me like a siren. It was because life is precious and another day had started.

I could finally see it now. Our Morning Song was like a crystal catching the plain light and showing the world all of the hidden colors within. It had been meant to share from the very beginning. We had subconsciously realized it when we had let the Kymari watch, regardless of how much we wanted to avoid them.

The joy and restoration of the Morning Song shone through me, overflowing my heart and soul. The Song was strong enough to dissipate the last lingering shadows of my grief, like strong sunlight burning off faint traces of fog.

The sun continued to rise, and the Song eventually faded. I drifted down to land on a rock to watch the sun for some time. The sunrise was cloudless, lacking the brilliant reds and oranges, but the sky held a million shades of blue; from the palest hint of sapphire to a rich navy blue. It was a brilliant tapestry that hid its splendor in its modesty.

I turned and flew over to land on Taureen's shoulder. He put a bowl of fruit beside him and pulled out the cleaning kit. I hopped down to his lap; I could reach the bowl easily when I lay down. I was delighted to see that the bowl held most of my favorites. I picked out a piece and nibbled daintily on it while Taureen gently spread one of my wings and started buffing it.

Aeria was watching me, "For some reason, I still have a hard time believing that you are able to talk right into my mind."

I trilled my amusement, "I bet you would have a hard time coming up with hard evidence that it ever happened. Kymari like things that they can prove, things that say an event truly happened."