This is something I'd wanted to do for a while, but I had these various ideas of how I wanted it done. I've finally worked it in a way that I like it. And I guess you can consider it a kind of belated Mother's Day thing.

When it came to raising nestlings, the bird laguz women had their way of doing things. Their babies were kept in slings as their mothers went about their day. Many young birds were content to sleep in their slings, though some often found themselves fighting it and crying.

Eyal was one of those babies. His mother had given up those attempts long ago when he wiggled half of himself out and wailed until she would take him out and hold him. Some of the adult birds would tease and say he had a lot of his mother in him, as she also liked to do things her way.

All of the laguz looked after the babies, male or female, grown or adolescent, their baby or someone else's. It was a community effort, and not uncommon to see one mother surrounded by two or more babies, only one of which was hers. Or to have a mother without even her baby, as the rest allowed her a breather. But Zara kept Eyal close. She hated having him out of her sight.

Even his father found it a challenge to take Eyal from her from time to time.

Though the young hawk had recently hit a stage in life that many parents did not look forward to. He had found his wings and was doing his best to figure out how they worked. It was a cute sight, the chubby little faces of the nestlings scrunched up as did their best to flap their wings. Even the coldest of birds would find it sweet. And as they all now lived in Serenes Forest, it was not nearly as dangerous as the islands of Phoenicis and Kilvas for little ones to try to take flight.

It was also less dangerous if a mother kept her baby inside as Zara did.

He did not mind where he was, inside or out. He probably did not even notice they were inside, or that it was raining outside. Eyal sat at her feet, which he also did not seem to notice, as he cried and tried to reach behind him to grab at his wings. He could not maintain his grip and began to flap them out of frustration. Soft little clouds of down feathers flew everywhere. On the floor, his mother's boots, in his own messy black hair.

"Eyal..." she sighed as she knelt down to his level. He looked up and met her gaze, his own purple eyes watery and his face red. "Don't cry," she said as she began to pick feathers from his hair and wiped his cheeks with her hands. He let out a noise of frustration and flapped his left wing at her.

She covered her mouth to hide her smile. She sat down on the floor in front of him and slowly stretched her own left wing. Eyal's expression changed from frustration to awe. He looked back at his own wing and wiggled it. "Try it," she told him.

He cried as he tried to stretch his wing out as she had done. It was a struggle, and more feathers fell as he strained. After several attempts, he managed to hold his left wing outstretched as far as he could, though it did tremble a bit. "Excellent!" Zara said proudly before she kissed his forehead. He laughed and waved his shaky wing.

As mother and son bonded, neither realized they were being watched. Tibarn had joined them quietly and stood with his back to a wall, his arms crossed over his chest, and a faint smile at his lips.

Zara shifted herself and rustled her wings. Eyal tried to mimic her movements. She next stretched her right wing as she had done her left. It was a little easier for Eyal to copy. She giggled as he held his wing out and looked at it in awe. It was a challenge to get him to watch her again as he was focused on his wings. She caught his attention again by flapping her wings. His eyes widened as he tried to copy that gesture as well. It got him nothing but a mess of feathers in his hair again.

He let out an angry shout.

"No, no, no," Zara said softly to soothe him. "Come on, do it again." She extended first her left wing then her right. Eyal had a better grasp of his right wing. It took less effort to control it and move it. The left took a little more time, something that displeased the baby hawk.

He squawked at it and tried to grab it. Zara cried out as he flopped over on his side and reached for his wing with his tiny fingers. He managed to seize the offending wing, just as Tibarn started to chuckle. The two of them looked up as Tibarn joined them. Zara seemed to be embarrassed at being watched as she bonded with her son. Her cheeks flushed.

Eyal released his wing, his hands now reached for Tibarn as he whimpered and flapped his wings. He gladly scooped up the baby hawk and held him close. Eyal sighed and rested his head on Tibarn's chest, his small wings still giving the occasional flutter.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Eyal," Tibarn told him, not even sure the baby fully understood him. "You'll get it soon enough."

"Too soon," Zara admitted. She knew as well as anyone that once a baby bird began to fly, they were impossible to keep still. Tibarn held his hand out to her and she took it, allowing the bird king to pull her to her feet.

"I hate to tell you this, Zara, but his baby feathers are molting." Not content to just point out the obvious, Tibarn ran a hand along Eyal's wings. Several small feathers drifted away. "You know what that means."

"I do," she said sadly.

"You have to let the others help you with him when he starts flying around the forest." His tone was light and playful. He had attempted to cheer her up, or at least pull her from her sorrowful mood. It worked as she swatted at him. "You see how your mother is?" Tibarn told Eyal. Eyal looked up and yawned in response.

Tibarn chuckled again. "See, now you've tired yourself out." He moved Eyal, with a small cry of protest from the little hawk, to Zara's arms. Eyal turned so he could look at Tibarn. "Why don't you and your mom both have a nap?" Zara started to protest, but he shushed her. "Enjoy it while you can." he told her. She reluctantly agreed and carried Eyal to her room. Tibarn was left to clean up the downy feathery mess that would soon start to follow every nestling close to Eyal's age as they also started to find their wings.