She had been flying. Not at first. No- first she had been stuck to the Earth, lost in brambles and thick bushes while being unaware of which direction she was going or even where she was. She struggled through with scrapes and cuts, but it had all been worth it in the end. In the end she saw beauty. In the end she saw flight.

He was beautiful- golden and majestic as he flew like fire itself. A phoenix of old, alive and real that skimmed across the ocean shore and grazed its watery depths with his sharp talons. After pushing through thick underbrush, the sight was breathtaking to see and it made her fingers twitch.

So ethereal was the bird that she at first felt threatened and humbled all at once by him. Who was she to look upon such a spectacle? Who was she to feel no fear? She almost turned around to fight through the forest again. If not for the loud cry of invitation that pierced her ears she would have, but he was suddenly calling to her. Strong eyes watched the copse of trees she hid within and welcomed her with a trill that sent shivers up her spine. It was a greeting and a question for companionship. It made not just her fingers twitch, but her legs and toes as well.

In that moment, all disgrace left her and she suddenly felt just as beautiful. Spreading her arms- now turned to wings- she accepted his invite and took to the sky. Never minding that she was an ugly, plain creature to his flames. Her dusty brown wings rose to join him and she trilled a song in happiness. This is what she wanted: a companion, a friend. Someone to share the joys of life with. Flying to his side, he flipped and she soared and soon all other worries drifted away...

Until Thea found herself thrown out of the sky and awakened on the wooden floors of her chamber. Down she crash landed and groaned groggily from the sudden change. She was awake now and her worries that had once been so far away were very close to her mind. Yet, off in the distance, a red bird sailed into the sunrise.

The was the way of it.