Richard Grayson was not born with his wings. Instead, there were markings. Thin black lines seemed to be inked into his skin, and swirled into graceful outward patterns. The doctors and others present for his birth were not sure what to make of it, except that it was an unusual birthmark. The markings could not be scrubbed off, so Richard's parents simply accepted it.
It wasn't until a few years later, when Richard was four years old, that his wings were revealed.
Pop Haley had set built a small trapeze playground for Richard, since he was still too young to go on the big wires with his family, despite his skills. The crew would help set it up on the fairgrounds whenever they made a show stop, and little Richard would enjoy swinging and jumping about it all day long. One day, however, a bar broke, and Richard fell several feet towards the ground. He would've hit the ground and possibly broken an arm, if not for his wings.
Everyone near enough heard him scream and rushed over, only to be met with a shocking sight. Little
Richard was hovering above the ground, with bird wings sprouting from the markings on his back. They were a beautiful red color, with streaks of black around the wing tips, and they beat up and down, suspending him in the air. Later, when the crew had gathered around to talk about it, Richard's parents would remark that they were a robin's wings.
No one in the circus shunned Richard for his sudden magical wings. They all knew the kid was special, and that the strange markings on his back had some meaning. Besides, they were a great big family, and always stuck together. Everyone helped to work with Richard, teaching him to fly (or trying to teach him, since none of them knew) and how to use his ability to his advantage.
The main thing that fascinated the circus crew was the way his wings would just appear and disappear, seemingly whenever, according to Richard, he "wanted them to." At first he didn't have control over it, and for several days after the small trapeze incident, the bright red wings remained on his back, shuffling about fretfully and sometimes giving people a face full of feathers when they came close. His parents, Mary and John, worked with him to help understand this strange occurrence. Gradually, Richard's wings began to respond to his wills and commands. If he thought about them, they would magically unfold from the marks between his shoulder blades, as if they had simply been folded like origami.
It became a usual sight for Richard to be seen flying around the fairgrounds, or on top of tents or high places that couldn't be climbed. His wings grew with him, stretching out from his back, and the tips reaching to below his knees. He could fold them tight against his back without making them disappear, which he preferred to do because he liked the feel of the feathers against his skin. He hid them during performances, once he was old enough to go on the big trapeze with his family, and whenever people not from the circus were around. But around his parents, around his circus family, Richard could be their little Robin.