Beloved parents,

It is a curious world we live in, I never knew that those of non-winged counterparts started out as small as we did, why didn’t you tell me? His lack of wings makes him seem all the more smaller, and though he was slightly larger than me in body, the added expanse of my feathery appendages gave me an appearance of being bulkier. My smile broadens at his exclamation of my coolness – it was a fact I already knew, you see – and I welcome him closer to sniff at my wings. But he steps too close, and just like I might sneeze after having slept beneath your wing too long, mother, he inhales a lot of that soft, fluffy down that resides beneath the longer, oilier feathers. I tried to stop him, but the damage was already done when he inhaled so deeply. I laughed at him, with him, showing him that despite his attempts at covering it up, I forgave any misgivings he might have against my wings. He was after all, only an equine.

“They smell like that because they are too little to be used yet, once I am able to fly properly they will smell more like the sky.” I stop forward, closer to him, brushing my nose against his shiny shoulder, breathing in his own scent. “Your coat smells like the sun, but also like the earth which you walk on.” I observe, before giving him a playful little nip. Looking up, I notice the arrival of a red boy, and I know I have met him before, somewhere – confirmed by the older boy’s words. I smile, unable to remember anything bad happening the last time I met him, it was with you, wasn’t it mother? “Hello!” I said enthusiastically, happy to have a familiar friend out in this big world. “Where’s your friend?” I ask, distinctly remembering the strange winged lizard that so closely frolicked with me in the surf that day. My friend in the Throat, Onni, had a little bird close to always too, while I don’t really understand the concept of it, I can see that sometimes these things just happen. I wonder what it would be like to have another little animal always following you. Maybe there was more to it than just that. Who knows.

I think I’m going to keep up with this exploring thing, beloved parents. I am just having too much fun.

With my love,
Cirrus.