[Trade] Take To The Air

“And that's how you escape a forest fire after an eruption,” Kamui finished sagely, nodding his head. He enjoyed relaying his wisdom to the youth of the colony, and did so every time he was asked to supervise a flying session with those just learning to use their wings.

“That's cool, can we go fly now?” one of the assembled tropeognathus juveniles asked, their contemporaries shifting restlessly.

“Ah, yes of course, I will keep watch from the ground,” the old Trope hummed. Not waiting for further permission, or to be waylaid again by another of Kamui's tales, the juveniles took off into the sky. He watched them soar, envying their agility and grace, recalling his own youth spent circling the skies above the islands. The many adventures he'd had seemed so far away now, like he could lose the feeling if he let it go for just a moment. He was shaken from his memories by the soft sound of someone landing on the soil behind him.

“You boring the kids to tears again?” a familiar voice joked. Kamui turned slowly on the spot to face the visitor with a shy smile creeping up his beak.

“Swampy, how lovely to see you again,” he greeted warmly. The female trope's soft green hues glowed under the light of the sunrise, casting long, dark shadows under her wings and a pale purple tint over her back. The sun rising behind her framed her perfectly, making her look almost ethereal. Kamui was proud of himself for not tripping over his words in front of such beauty.

“It's good to see you too, old friend,” Swampy returned his smile. She walked over to stand beside him, tipping her head back to watch the youngsters fly. Her wing brushed against his but neither moved to separate. “It's sweet of you to care so much about them,” she added, “Some of these kiddos don't have parents to care about them, they appreciate having someone to rely on.” Kamui hummed to himself. It was no trouble for him, really, the greatest joy in his life was sharing the years of knowledge he had gathered over his long life. He glanced over at Swampy, who had turned her gaze to him now. Her eyes held a strange look, like she was looking at him through fog even though he was right in front of her.

“Is there something on your mind, friend?” He asked gently, nudging her wing with his. She turned away for a moment, sighing before setting her beak in a determined grimace and returning his eye contact.

“I've been thinking about having children of my own, about leaving a legacy behind through them, but you know me...” She trailed off.

“Not a fan of monogamy, I know,” Kamui teased good-naturedly. It was more like Swampy had never shown an interest in romantic endeavours, preferring to prioritise her friends and flockmates over seeking out a lifelong partner.

“Well, pretty much,” the green trope admitted, “but it's hard to start a family without a mate.” 

“You shouldn't have to compromise who you are to follow your dreams,” Kamui nodded, “you need to find someone who understands that.”

“You understand that,” Swampy said boldly. It took a moment for her meaning to sink in but when it did Kamui turned away bashfully, his skin flushing under his feathers. Surely she didn't mean...

“You could find someone... younger, I'm far past the prime of an ideal father, ” he mumbled.

“You're not much older than I am,” Swampy argued, “this could be a last ditch chance for both of us to have a clutch.” Kamui clicked his beak in contemplation, trying hard to decide between disappointing his dear friend in one way or another. To turn down her plea for a family, or to doom her to share a clutch with an old bird like him? 

“If I agree, would you agree to humour an old man?” he asked. Swampy's determined expression softened and she nudged his beak with hers.

“Of course, from one old fool to another,” she murmured.

“Would you allow me to dance with you? I'm afraid I'm rather old-fashioned that way,” Kamui said sheepishly. The green Trope threw her head back and laughed with delight. She brought her beak back down to face him, a silly grin

“Of course, I haven't danced in a while though so please watch out,” she teased. With that, she pressed into the ground and spread her wings as she bounced back up.

Kamui followed her into the sky, feeling the wind part between his wings and skirt gracefully over his back. His beak buffered most of the velocity and the mild mid-afternoon air allowed his eyes to stay wide open to follow Swampy across the sky. She often complained about age slowing her down but Kamui could see none of that in her flying, it was just as flawless as the day they had first met. He began to fly in tandem with her, the same altitude and speed but more than a street's length apart to allow room for what would follow. Like she had been waiting for him to line up, Swampy pitched sharply downwards and Kamui followed, tucking his wings close to his body to match her speed. They both skimmed the ocean with their claws as they levelled out. Their reflections left two couples dancing together, one above the waves and one below. The pairs parted as the tropes turned skyward again, beginning to circle inwards until their flight paths wrapped around each other like the strands of a DNA helix. Kamui could feel how close Swampy was getting but he refused to falter. The single most important thing in a dance like this was to stay the course, remain on your path and your partner would not collide with you. It was a stark display of dependability and as he felt the softest graze of her claws against his, he supposed being dependable was an honourable enough trait for a father.