Work Text:
The rays shone, brightly, blindingly. Squinting through the glare, I saw him. He looked a lot like me, although smaller, head bobbing about just as mine used to. The same warm-as-the-lamps-above smile she had. It caught me off guard. My foot slipped. I fell, hitting against the bars hard.
He reminded me of her, my beloved Millie, before her feathers dulled, her footing grew weak, and her songs fell silent. I had missed her more than I realised.
He didn’t quite recognise me. I couldn’t expect him to remember his father. He had been just a chick back then. But he had grown. A lot. Bright shimmering lapis feathers covered his back, ending in a tail of deep pellet red.
The watchers brought him to a spot across from me, on the far side of the room. From a distance, I watched him each day. He brimmed with energy, paced restlessly here and there along his perch.
Another dull day passed. The Watchers replaced his water with their usual clatter. My eyes followed him as always. And then, he slipped past them. Though clumsily, he flew toward the window, just as Millie had. I was half-wincing, expecting him to crash against the invisible barrier like she did.
But this time, there was nothing between him and the freedom Millie had dreamt of. He soared into open air. He had done it! But unease flooded me like a tsunami. What lay out there? Who were those who sang strange songs each morning and night?
The next days without him were unbearable. Each glance at his empty perch released the same lonely emptiness I had felt without her. It hit hard, flooding, as if a dam had burst. I didn't feel it then, but it was there now, and it was crushing.
Enough. The lonely, dull, boring days. I couldn't bear it. I wanted out. Out of the cage. To feel the wind beneath my wings. To soar high and free, Just as Millie had longed to, just as my son had.
I had always been content with the life I knew. At that time, I didn't understand why she wanted freedom so ardently. Wasn’t shelter enough? Wasn’t being fed every day plenty?
I knew I needed a plan if I wanted out. But before I had barely begun, a sudden glint forced my eyes toward it. The gate... the gate! To my complete shock, and yet frustration too, it was unlocked. It had always been. How had I never noticed?
I pushed the gate open with far too much force. It was lighter than expected. It swung open with terribly awful creaking, then slammed against the metal bars with a loud bang. I froze. Freedom seemed farther than ever, though I had never truly been free. Surely the watchers must've heard that? I held my breath, not daring to move an inch. But there was no one. I waited...waited. I knew I had to act.
I stepped out, onto the frame of the gate. Stretching my wings for the first time. Aches I didn't know I had awoke, and it felt incredible. I jumped. My wings lifted me higher and higher. I shot towards the window. Free at last.
Outside, a hundred like me were scattered across the wide sky. But only one caught my eye. Feathers of iridescent blue, and streaks of gold flashed across her wings. Her song rang clear and sweet, like the early morning sun. There she was, my Millie.