Chapter 81: Wings in the Dawn
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Emberling’s head tilted. The breeze seemed to pause. Firelight flickered over the chick’s downy neck, catching sparks of deep crimson and dawn-gold.
"A-u-r-o-r-a," Fenna repeated slowly, accent lingering on each syllable. "First light after the darkest night. A promise that shadows never last."
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then Emberling aka Aurora spread her wings in a tiny flutter, it was a bit smaller than Star’s but wide enough to wrap Fenna’s wrist. She let out an excited trill, brighter than Zephyr had ever heard from her. Star rumbled approvingly, the tone rolling like shifting boulders, and gently nudged the chick with his snout.
Aurora chirped again and hopped in a small circle, clearly delighted by whatever spark the new name ignited deep within her phoenix blood. Fenna laughed—a rare, open sound that drew Zephyr’s smile in return.
"Seems she approves," Zephyr said. "It’s a great name."
"She’d better." Fenna returned to the fire, her posture lighter. "Of course it’s a great name, I am the best at naming you know that." She thinks, "I will name our children with good names. I won’t let you name them." He smiled in her imagination and blush thinking about the process of making children.
They spent another hour in quiet productivity. Fenna finished the few more arrows while humming a soft melody that made Aurora sway sleepily; Zephyr braided reed cord into a fresh sling pack for tomorrow’s supplies. When the fire dwindled to embers, they banked it beneath a folding lid of ironbark, scattered a fine layer of ash to hide the glow, then set their watches for tonight. Star first, Fenna second, Zephyr last.
A few hours later...