With all her garden plans put on hold until the thaws of Birdsong, the only thing Ultima had to cultivate during the winter months was resilience. Everything troubled her – the stillness troubled her, the cold, and the lack of color, the lack of agency. Like a summer bird left behind when the flock took off for the south, there was only a very fine line separating her from cabin fever, and she fought it as assiduously as she could, given the circumstances. 

It was a grueling routine. She got up as early as she could bare, stretching her creaky wings and rousting a miserable Snapdragon from his warm-weather dreams. “Come now, don’t go thinking you’re the only one suffering here— I’d certainly love to have my own flying feather bed and don’t get me started on—” By then the sun had pervaded the air some. After clearing the snow that had accumulated on her doorstep, Ultima would survey their little corner of the Falls for developments – maybe the weasel that lived under some nearby tree stump, or the fat squirrels skittering in the branches – before steeling herself for take-off. She'd learned very quickly that as cold as it was on the earth, the air was far worse, especially generating her own wind-chill. 

But pumping her wings, skirting close to the sun, and peering down at the world below, it was never quite so bad; there was a certain thrill in the rush of blood, the expansion and contraction of the young muscle, a certain freedom defying the biting Frostfall air. Snapdragon clinging tightly to her withers, they toured the south coast for most of their mornings before returning at noon for healing business. 

Today had actually been borderline lovely, if a bit glaring. No clouds, no snow, just clear sailing all the way to the Endless Blue, where the warm waves and the sea breeze perked the senses. There was some forgiveness in the wind, too; their loop back to the Falls was almost leisurely, watching the winter wonderland beneath them unfold like a map as they coasted north. Ultima had just begun a lazy downward spiral when Snapdragon’s ears perked, his little face turning to the side. 

“Who’s that? Calling healers? Do you suppose someone’s hurt?”

Landing in a soft burst of white, the pair picked the rest of the way on foot, weaving through the trees and glorying in the fine weather. 

“Hallo! Need healing, or? Oh— ” Ultima cocked her head, smiling faintly in recognition. “You’re … Cora, isn’t it? Is that right?” One of the other two Medics, if her memory served – Orangemoon felt like some manner of years long gone, and she really hadn’t had many interactions with the other healers since their promotions at the meeting. 

“Something on your mind?”